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For a limited time, you will receive a free Stealth or
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| The author with a typical barra caught on the trip, few were hooked over 3 kilos! |
Wet Season Quickie!
Whilst the wet can present some awesome fishing opportunities locally the constant downpours can lead to withdrawal symptoms as muddy rivers wipe out any
chance of a decent lure fishing session.
When the chance came to fly up the coast to visit a mate near Haggerstone Island I grabbed it with both hands, and in spite of some heavy downpours the
fishing was sensational.
Chris Flannagan has been working on the East coast close to the tip of Cape York for some time and a keener lure fisho would be hard to find. His job allows
him at least three days fishing a week and he’s sussed out some incredible spots in both the fresh and saltwater reaches of his local rivers. The weekend in
February that I visited was during some reasonably big tides but it didn’t deter the local fish population from turning it on.
We set off early the first day and launched at a makeshift boat ramp. The resident 4 metre croc kept a close eye on our activities as we made our way upstream
to fish a place Chris calls the ‘waterfalls’. The tide was running out and as the waters receded from local swamps they had created a series of run offs over
the high mangrove banks and as you can imagine there would be barras and jacks waiting for any morsels and baitfish washed down over the edge. We tied on F1.11
and Stealth minnows and began drifting the edge, casting right into the cascading waters and working the lures.
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| Two fish on the one lure!!!! A jack on the top hook and a trevally on the bottom. |
Chris had a hit almost immediately which turned out to be a kilo sized trevally, I soon followed with a similar strike from a tarpon that did his usual jump
and off. We worked the area several times and couldn’t believe that the barras weren’t active, still they had to be somewhere and we decided to move down to
the mouth and fish the flats before the tide got too low.
The snag ridden mangrove edges looked perfect as we began our drift and flick….the results were instant! BANG….double header of feisty three kilo barra on
our first run and did they give us some! Full of energy and bad manners these fish were in prime condition and they were there in numbers. Every drift left
us gob smacked as they fought for jockey position to attack our lures…incredible! As Chris was unhooking and releasing one fish I’d be into another, then we
got nailed by platoons of big jacks. Some in the 1.5 to 1.8 kilo bracket. Flashes of red and silver seemed to be on every snag and we were in fish heaven!
For almost an hour we caught and released fish after fish; good jacks but no bigger barra than the three kilo specimens we first hooked. There’s few places
that turn it on like these remote northern rivers and I knew the next day would hold some more surprises.
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| Fingermark are street fighters, especially on lures. This 2.5 kilo fish was taken by the author using a Leads Hijacker. |
Feasting on crayfish and coral trout that evening Chris and I made plans to check out the upper limits of the freshwater reaches and visit some places he had
not yet managed to fish.
Setting off just after high tide we worked our way upstream over twenty k’s. Mangoves gave way to cotton wood trees and then the magical sight of stand after
stand of Nepa Palms. As the last sweeping sandbar shallowed we tied up the boat and decided to walk and cast to the big snags on the far side. The coloured
water was running fast and it made lure presentation difficult. I clipped on a Rebel Pop R and Chris tried his Reidy’s B52.
We thrashed those snags for some time with only a couple of small tackers following but not taking. The water was probably too cold from recent rains in the
mountain behind. When we approached the boat it was almost high and dry and I can tell you it’s no fun pushing a 16’ tinnie with a 50 on the back. It took us
a leg and back breaking hour to manoeuvre back into the main river, and wading in knee deep waters in this country is not for the feint hearted.
As we passed likely looking snags and gutters we had the occasional cast raising both jacks and barra. Chris almost snared a swirling queenie around the 6 kilo
mark but it was a travelling fish and wasn’t too interested.
Towards the mouth we hit jackpot with fingermark to 2.5 kilos, and what a scrap we had with them! Hooking good jacks always proves a challenge but fingermark
are another proposition, they just go ‘full on’ and don’t give up until they’re in the net.
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| Jacks are big in these parts often averaging 1.5 kilos. This 1.8 kilo fish took a Stealth lure. |
Snag after snag produced some action - be it trevally, cod, barra or jacks – then, I achieved a first in lure fishing! Casting a Leads Hijacker towards a
collapsed embankment I had a hit, then another hit! The fight was weird as the fish pulled one way then another…then just stopped. I’d hooked a decent jack
on the top hook and a trevally on the bottom hook. That’s right - two fish on the one lure. I have in the past hooked two fish of the same species, mainly
trevally, but never two different species. Just goes to show you always expect the unexpected in such remote parts.
Our last stop was at the mouth of a small river feeding the main channel Chris calls ‘Barra Creek’, and for good reason. It’s choccas with juvenile barra to
around 60 cms. A tree across the river was the honey hole and just about every cast with a Stealth or F1.11 lure raised a fish or got whacked. I lost count
after twenty or so lively barras, we had a ball!
If you ever want to experience this kind of ‘mind blowing’ lure fishing action most remote areas around Cape York can be reached by 4WD - believe me it’s well
worth the effort.
Fishing Hall of Fame 2008 Inducts Les Faithful and Dennis "Brazakka" Wallace
NOMINATED for their significant contributions to sport fishing in the region, Les Faithfull and Dennis ""Brazakka`` Wallace were inducted into the North
Queensland Fishing Hall of Fame recently.
This year’s ceremony was held at Bransfords Discount Tackle Shop’s museum at Clifton Beach on March 15 with a private ceremony followed by a dinner.
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| Les Faithfull, Keith Graham and Dennis "Brazakka" Wallace at the ceremony. A good time was had by all involved! |
The only fishing museum in existence in Australia and housing an impressive collection of the region’s fishing memorabilia; the museum has a small but
steadily growing display of Hall of Fame members.
This year Les and Brazakka were honoured for their lifetime of contributions to the region, an effort keen anglers who voted in large numbers, and Bransfords
Discount Tackle and Bait store owner Keith Graham were delighted to recognise.
Les was recognised for his selfless sharing of a vast knowledge of barramundi fishing and of the Cairns Inlet.
He has been a stalwart of the area’s sports fishing and a generous teacher for almost five decades, helping young and old alike in his quiet and unassuming way.
Many have caught their first barra under his tutelage and have gone on to successful angling careers.
Brazakka was chosen for opening up so many unfished areas of the Cape York Peninsula by heli-fishing. His has been a lifetime of pioneering, from the early
days of prawning in the Gulf, to the game fishing and giant black marlin which made Cairns famous around the world.
Brazakka has always been at the forefront and was the initiator of heli fishing in the region. He has been a tireless promoter of Cairns and the Far North
around the world and through his work, helicopter tours and fishing have grown from nothing to a very significant part of the region`s tourist industry.
Self-confessed fisherman fanatic and curator of the museum Tristram Eley said between 2000-3000 people visited the museum each year. Mr Eley said the awards
also paid tribute not only to those in the sports fishing industry but also recognised the role which sport fishing played in putting Cairns on the map back in the 1960s.
“Australia, and in particular the Cairns region, has some of the greatest sport fishing in the world” Mr Eley said. He said Les and Dennis had left a
lingering impression on the industry because of their passion and dedication to the sport.
“Both, in their own ways, have had a lasting influence and have made a lasting impression on sport fishing in the Far North,” Mr Eley said. “They are fine
gentlemen and very deserving of their awards.”
Read all Keith's Old Fishin' Yarns HERE!
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Fishing News