An absolute cracker of a week on the water for most anglers, with some red hot reef sessions and good action for locals hitting the Cairns estuaries. There have been good reports of red emperor and nannygai from the inshore grounds, flame snapper and ruby snapper from the deep, and plenty of big mackerel chasing bait schools. Finger mark, mangrove jacks, barramundi and many more have been coming from the creeks.
Reef Fishing
Conditions on the reef were perfect over the weekend, with many locals heading out to do some bottom fishing and finding good fish schooled on rubble and rocks in the paddocks off Cairns and Port Douglas. There have been reports of solid red emperor taking whole squid baits on dropper rigs, with coral trout and nannygai in the shallows around the reef edges.
Heading out wide off the shelf and dropping electric reels into deep water up to 300m has seen good schools of ruby snapper, flame snapper and some big bar cod, which really give the electric reels a good workout from that depth, fighting all the way to the top.
Local angler Brett had his arms pulled off with this monster red emperor using whole squid on a bottom dropper rig
Fishing the outer shelf off Cairns, local fisho Ben Gregory found good schools of flame snapper using electric reels to wind them up from 300m of water
Not to be outdone by Ben, Deane winched this massive bar cod while fishing for flame snapper in 300m
Game Fishing
Another good run in the weather has made for some ideal trolling days, keeping some cool air on the face while out in the heat all day. Trolling is a great way to break up the day, especially when the tide is running too hard to bottom bash. It can also be a productive way to find new marks on the bottom while driving and running into schools of mackerel working bait balls.
Young Henry Stephens weighed in his massive Spanish mackerel, winning the juniors mackerel prize
Henry proud as punch with another ripping Spanish mackerel
Gordonvale member Kent Alley reeled in this thumping Spanish mackerel while trolling
Rivers, Estuaries & Beaches
The Cairns locals had some hot sessions in the Trinity Inlet this week, with sunny conditions making for some great days on the water. Even the kids had some hot bites, landing quality queenfish, blackspot estuary cod and mangrove jacks. While hitting the flats around the top sections of the inlet, anglers have also seen great catches of finger mark, barramundi and mud crabs.
Gordonvale Fishing Club had a great weekend with young Arthur and his brother Henry catching a nice blackspot estuary cod
From the Gordonvale club, the Russo family landing a nice queenfish. Great to see the kids out on the water
President of the Gordonvale Fishing Club, Grant found the right spot for the pots, filling the bucket with some nice bucks
A solid finger mark landed aboard Gone Fishing Charters in the Trinity Inlet
Freshwater Creeks & Dams
Tinaroo Dam had some spotty afternoon storms cooling down the hot days, but still provided some great laughs and good catches on vibe lures, including fork-tailed catfish and sooties for some visitors from Germany. Further south, getting into the freshwater reaches of the Russell and Mulgrave systems and fishing the overhangs with the kids has produced some good-sized jungle perch.
Visiting Tinaroo from Germany, Peter had a blast fishing the massive schools of catfish, casting soft vibe lures and catching well into the double figures
Peter also landed some nice sooty grunter
Fishing the freshwater, casting to the overhangs, young Arthur Stephens landed this solid jungle perch
Weekend Outlook
Fishing over the weekend is looking like another hot one on the water, with winds around 5 knots and high temperatures. Be sure to have plenty of water aboard to stay hydrated, especially if you are getting the kids out for a fish.
The wide grounds and deep water with light wind conditions are always a great option, as the outer edges have been producing some great catches. Working the shallow edges for coral trout should fish well with pillies and fresh squid. Casting poppers and surface lures like Nomad Madscads is another way to cover ground for trout and can be a very effective way to target them for those wanting to try something different.
Great weather is also expected for the dams and estuaries, with fine conditions making for smooth days in sheltered waters. Fresh prawns or sards are always a simple and effective bait option for a bait and wait session.
The weigh-in at the Gordonvale Fishing Club went well for Andy Blank with a nice barra weighed in
Need gear, bait or just a bit of local advice?
Swing by Cairns Tackle World at 172 Aumuller Street, Bungalow to chat with your local independent fishing experts.