This week's focus has been all about the reef, calm winds stuck around for a fair stint there allowing the bulk of Cairns to hit the water on the glassy calm days. Bottom bashing, jigging, trolling and even flats fishing kept anglers busy finding a wide variety of reef species and pelagics. Even sight casting schools of queenfish, mac tuna and schools of Giant Trevally blowing up on bait, the visual fishing has been incredible. Mackerel have been thick stacking up on inshore wrecks, reef edges and pinnacles where they were caught almost every way imaginable and even marlin were keeping the lines tight inshore as well!
The local fresh and saltwater rivers were almost left alone this week, it would have been a ghost town for those heading out. Although those who did venture out through the inlet have found themselves getting stuck into an array of species from barra and jacks to grunter and fingermark. In the streams jungle perch and sooty grunter have still been keeping the young groms entertained with the occasional jack and tarpon still being captured as well as the large barra in Tinaroo Dam chewing over the full moon cycle.
The Brothers Josh and James with a cracker double up on some Bangers
Reef Fishing
Most of the anglers in Cairns have been out on the water in the absolute mill pond conditions we have had. Bottom bashing with fresh cuttle fish heads or pilchards has seen Coral trout and Nannygai been the standout captures with the occasional large red Emperor being found in the shallows as well. Odds and sods of other reef species have been captured as well, but the rare Barramundi cod is something special and a few fortunate anglers have managed to find these incredible fish in the mix! Jigging and vibing around the wrecks anglers have managed to find some solid Fingermark tucked up against the structure and even thick schools of Cobia that are congregating around the structure. Manta rays have been cruising around the islands and a few anglers took the opportunity to cast past them finding Cobia traveling with the rays as well.
Staff member Lance with a quality coral trout caught on fresh cuttle fish heads
Staff member Liam with a cracker trout on Jig
How's this for a rare one, a beautiful barramundi cod from Lisa! (released)
The glassy weather continued right out to the shelf and beyond where deep dropping has seen some of the tasty critters from the deep coming over the gunwales. Rosy snapper and Flame tail snapper were on the hit list for those dropping the deep, plenty of these delicious fish will be on the menu for weeks to come with anglers stocking their freezers.
Ben with some quality flame tail snapper caught deep dropping the shelf
Another decent flamie from Ben
Game Fishing
Spanish mackerel are showing up through a wide area of the GBR with anglers chasing them with a variety of techniques. Free swimming mackerel have been spotted for many boats over the week, where a quick rip of a popper or stick bait has convinced some to have a chew or even a free-floating pilchard fooled more to have a nibble. Trolling over pinnacles, wrecks or reef edges has seen many more mackerel caught on Wog heads rigged with fresh gar or sauries.
Marlin and Sailfish have been seen following up baits or even having interest in the fish being brought up from the depths, and some have even been seen free jumping in the distance as anglers are steaming through the paddocks. More captures of juvenile black marlin have been confirmed with some being caught accidentally on bait, and another being convinced to eat a soft plastic whilst fishing inshore wrecks. Trolling skirts or rigging up a swimming garfish around these areas could see yourself with one of these awesome fish Cairns is renowned for.
With the perfect weather anglers wanting a proper arm stretching and huge adrenaline rush have sent it off the outer reefs and banks in search of the hard fighting dog tooth tuna. Sharks have been thick but anglers have managed to wrangle these serious line burners from the grey suits and land their catch. Fishing the outer pinnacles Dogtooth generally stack up on with high speed jigs is an effective way in getting the bite or even trolling deep diving high speed divers could convince one of these incredibly hard fighting pelagics to an enquiry. Wahoo have also been found on high speed trolling vibes and high speed divers trolling the outer banks in the deep blue coloured water.
Brayden and Luke with a nice double up on some good eating size Spanish Mackerel
Marc with another eating size mackerel
Staff Member Atti and his mate with a double on ripper mackerel
Marcelo with a cracker Juvenile Marlin caught inshore on a Nomad Jerk Squid
Rivers, Estuaries & Beaches
Though the inlet and beaches, large night tides over the full moon cycle kept barra on the chew. Along the beaches large prawn lures fooled some of the larger fish where throwing sards or herring into the snake drains on the run out tide found many hungry barra for the inlet, with a few fingermark off the flats taking interest as well. Mangrove jacks were hungry firing up on skipped frogs and prawns deep into the mangroves with small GTs even finding the lures as well. Schools of queen fish are moving into the inlet and along the beaches with their wakes being a tell tale signs of the schools moving through, casting small metal slices or small poppers through the schools has seen many of these aerobatic fish captured.
RJ with a cracker barra found down south in Hinchy
Staff member Brayden with a nice barra off the Inlet flats
Jaiden with a very nice Queenie caught off the pier
Freshwater and Dams
Young guns on foot are finding many sooty grunter and jungle perch through the fresh water creeks and streams. Small natural lures with a light leader presentation can always fool these smarter jungle perch into false security, where sooty grunter are hitting poppers and swimbaits hardly shying off to the size of a larger presentation.
Up the range where it's quite chilly and foggy over the night settling into the winter weather, Tinaroo saw large barra convinced to bite over the full moon cycle on large swim baits such as the new Berkley Chop Block off the bank and strolling for the boaters fishing with forward facing sonar. Over the days, anglers have found barra schooled up in bays casting lures through them where some barras have fell victim to the classic vibe, an old school method that is still proven to work.
Luke with a great GT sight casted off the reef flats
Staff member Brayden found this nice long nose emperor on the nomad Madscad caught off the flats.
Weekend Outlook
Unfortunately, the winds are picking up again forcing the smaller boats to retreat to inshore and estuary fishing. Larger boats will continue to pursue the hunt for the light tackle game season chasing the smaller black marlin now that more captures have been confirmed and also chase the ever building mackerel numbers that are just growing and showing up everywhere. A new moon is on the horizon where anglers will most likely search for the bigger barra in the rivers and not forgetting Tinaroo as well.
For now some of us have scratched the itch to head to the reef, but I think some of us can't wait for that next perfect weather window to punch out to the beautiful Great Barrier Reef!
Judah caught this rippa Large Mouth Nannygai off of rudder reef measuring 74cm, i bet your stoked with this one Judah!
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