Calm conditions looking towards Icolette.

thing progresses. An early end to the wet can see roads passable and access opening up to a whole range of options throughout the Cape.

The road north is quickly getting bituminised, and bridges are being built over difficult creeks. That long sought-after trip to The Tip, currently only accessible by 4WD, will soon be at the whim of a Holden Barina. of the wet season, predators are in for a feast. Barramundi are perhaps the best at capitalising on the abundance of food created by freshwater discharge. That is why they reign supreme for sports fishers right across the top end of the country.

The tyranny of distance will discourage a lot of would-be travellers, but it’s true to say the Cape will change forever – but hopefully not in negative ways.

Generally speaking, good rain in the months prior will have barra feeding vigorously come March. But in some years, swollen rivers on the west coast of the Cape will render the fishing almost pointless. Remember that cyclones often drift around erratically in the hotter months.

The point where the river flow is held up by the tide seems to be a trigger for barra to spread out. Finding bait and the push of receding water through channels and gutters becomes very important with the increased water flow. Places devoid of fish late in the dry season might hold good numbers in out of the way channels.

The creeks should begin firing with all manner of species, and the offshore scene will also hold huge potential. March will likely have ‘a bit of this and a bit of that’ in terms of wind. Still, productive days of doldrums are possible, hot and muggy as they are. Are we in for a wet March? Let’s wait and find out. Most of the operators in the far north would like to get cracking this month. Some will have kick-started earlier and the fishing is generally great, dependant on the weather.

At the same time, much of inland Cape York can be closed except to local traffic, with high rivers and gouged-out roads. Freedom of travel for visitors to the area can still be severely limited, depending on how the whole

I am sure the fishing scene will change markedly in Cape York over the next 10 years, as anglers seek to go farther and farther afield. I understand this concept well. The effect on our fisheries will be curtailed by the level of conservation over on the East Coast. The West Coast will likely continue to get more saturated with trailer boats.

A lot of things have to go right for fishing to be just as popular in 10 years’ time as it is today. Again, let’s wait and see. Those who love fishing will need to fight for it, and getting out amongst the Cape York wilderness is still on many anglers’ bucket lists, and rightly so. Fishing still holds a great sense of freedom, especially up here.

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With all the tiny fish, prawns, crabs and shellfish busily cleaning up the scraps 1029