Mid-April kicked off in classic Far North Queensland style with strong southeasterly trade winds, lumpy seas offshore, and hot fishing closer to land. While the blue water brigade has been mostly grounded, inshore and estuary anglers from Cooktown to Hinchinbrook have been cleaning up with some solid catches. And with the Easter Long Weekend upon us and improving conditions forecast, now’s the time to gear up and get amongst it!
Reef Fishing
It’s been tough going offshore with consistent strong wind warnings limiting most reef trips. But for those few die-hard crews and charter boats able to sneak out to the sheltered inshore reefs off Cairns and Port Douglas, the rewards have been well worth the bumpy ride.
Bottom fishing has been especially productive, with quality hauls including:
- Large-mouth nannygai
- Coral trout in solid numbers, especially around isolated bommies & pressure points,
- Spangled & long nose emperor
- Green job fish
- A mixed bag of tasty reefies for the icebox.
For those floating baits, Spanish and school mackerel have also shown up, particularly on the bommies holding schools of bait and current lines. Pilchards have been the standout bait, with high-speed metal lures also triggering aggressive strikes.
Looking ahead as the wind drops over Easter, reef conditions will improve dramatically. Boats will be out chasing trout, nannygai, and mackerel, especially around deeper structure during tide changes, with the small neap tides offering prime windows for bottom bouncing in the 50m plus depths.
Rivers & Estuaries.
If you've been fishing the creeks, estuaries, or rivers this month chances are you’ve tangled with a barramundi. They're everywhere right now. Barra have been biting strong and consistent, with standout areas including:
- Cooktown’s Endeavour and Annan Rivers
- Daintree River & Dickson’s Inlets
- Russell, Mulgrave, and Johnstone Rivers
- Tully & Murray Rivers
- Cairns Inlet and Hinchinbrook Channel
Key tactics:
- Casting soft plastic prawns and paddle tails into drains and along drop-offs
- Working edges and submerged timber during low light or tide changes
- Weedless rigging over snaggy structure is helping anglers pull fish out of tight cover
The barra bite has been stirred up with bait and prawns in the rivers and estuaries. Grunter have been another welcome staple this month, and they’ve been everywhere including the Cairns Inlet, Cooktown harbour gutters, Cardwell beaches and the major river mouths have all produced these great table fish. Fresh prawns and strip baits have been productive.
Mangrove jacks are also hitting hard. They're in typical ambush mode, slamming lures and live baits around Cairns and Dickson’s Inlet, Mourilyan Harbour and the creeks from Tully to Mission Beach and been especially active around mangrove roots, rock bars, and submerged timber. Also showing up in the mix are fingermark (golden snapper) on vibes and live bait in the deeper holes. Estuary cod, trevally, flathead, queenfish, and even blue salmon as bycatch, keeping things exciting for bait anglers targeting grunter and barra.
Coastal Headlands & Beach Foreshores!
For land-based legends and those working the beaches, this month has been far from quiet.
Tam O’Shanter Point has produced some quality barra for lure casters fishing the rocks on the high tides. Threadfin salmon and grunter have been caught from the beaches around Cardwell and Port Hinchinbrook also on the high tide. Even those casually casting from jetties or groynes have seen action thanks to the stirred-up water and baitfish pushing through.
Easter Long Weekend Outlook!
The forecast is shaping up to be angler-friendly, especially compared to recent weeks.
Weather
- Wind easing to 10–15 knots around Cairns, potentially lighter the further south you go. This opens inshore and reef options significantly.
- Tides: Small neap tides = minimal run, perfect for deep structure fishing, where species like fingermark in the estuaries and nannygai on the deep rubble will be on the chew if the weather holds true.
Great bottom fishing around the reefs, wrecks, and islands & your best bite windows will be during tide changes on deeper marks.
Estuaries & Rivers:
Fingermark will be prime targets in deeper estuary & river holes using live baits, vibes, or soft plastics. Barramundi will continue to fire, especially in the Russell, Murray, and Tully Rivers, as well as the Cairns Inlet and Hinchinbrook Channel targeting the deep snags with weedless soft plastics like prawn imitations will shine over sunken structure and snags.
Western Rivers & Gulf:
Expect to see plenty of campers heading west chasing sooty grunter and barra and a definite option if undecided on your Easter fishing adventure.
With the forecast hopefully playing ball and the fish already on the chew, this Easter is shaping up to be one to remember. Whether your reef-bound, creek cruising, or beachside with the kids, there’s fish to be caught and stories to be made.
Barramundi will be highly sort over Easter, bumping the deep structure with weedless soft plastic prawns.
Large mouth nannygai will be targeted this weekend on the deep rubble.
Tight lines & Happy Easter from the team!
Don’t forget to tag us in your catches to feature in these reports.