Fishing News

RoLy Newton

UNFORTUNATELY, the weather conditions over last weekend were too volatile for boats to head out wide to fish the main reefs. The weather conditions frequently changed throughout the day, alternating from calm to squalls and rain showers. I managed to head out for a few hours to fish the close-in headlands and islands on Sunday. Despite the dirty water, I was amazed at the amount of bait. I even managed to catch a small Grey Mackerel and received several missed strikes. I am sure the fish will be there as soon as the water clarity improves.

I am writing this report on Monday, so I can't comment on the fishing results throughout this week; however, there could be a break in the weather allowing for some offshore fishing opportunities.

The estuary fishing was also slow over the weekend. I did hear of some Mangrove Jacks and Flathead being caught; however, most of the estuaries had inferior water quality. In these conditions, the Hinchinbrook Channel offers the best opportunities, especially around the heart of the channel. This area around Fishers creek is sheltered and not affected as adversely by flooding or the wind.

Some of the sheltered land-based options around Cardwell can also fish well. Try fishing around the top half of the tide; some very good Grunter, Salmon and Barra are caught along the foreshore. Strolling along the beach and casting in the vicinity of bait schools with shallow running lures or soft plastics can be very rewarding. Another alternative is to cast net some live mullet or prawn. I prefer fishing them on the bottom with a small sinker.

As most of you would know, the Barra season opened up again on Wednesday. The tides on opening day were ideal, and hopefully, we will hear plenty of good reports over the next week. I suspect the easier fishing will be in the freshwater reaches of the coastal rivers such as the Johnstone, Tully and Murray. Target the mouth of the feeder creeks and drains with live baits and lures. Often the better fishing will be in the afternoon; as the water temperatures rise through the day, the Barra will come on the bite. The tracks leading into these areas are often waterlogged, so do the right thing, ask for permission and then walk in rather than

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Crocodiles frequent all these areas, so stay within the water and keep alert.

There was very little fishing in the headwaters of the coastal rivers due to flooding. As the water clears, more opportunities will be available. The Jungle perch use these flooded conditions to travel down to the salt water to breed. This time of year, I regularly catch them in the middle and lower freshwater limits of the river; however, I am yet to catch one in the estuaries, so where they breed precisely is a mystery to me.

At this early stage of the week, the weather looks a little volatile, so be sure to get an up-to-date report before heading out. The weather sites are predicting 5 to 10 knots of wind from the northeast; this weather pattern is often wrong, hence the warning.

Either side of this weekend's early morning high tide will be perfect for chasing Grunter, Salmon and Barra along the coastal foreshore either in a boat or landbased. It will also be a great tide to fish for Grunter in the Hinchinbrook Channel.

Either side of the low afternoon tide will suit those wishing to fish for a Barra around the headlands and the coastal creeks. As mentioned earlier, there will be lots of Barra action around the feeder creeks in the freshwater reaches of our major rivers.

Good Fishing

Roly Newton Tackle World Tully