Virgin road-tripper to FNQ looking for some direction

[spanno1]

Hey there Ausfish crew!

I'm headed on my maiden trip to FNQ in November - a three week road trip up from Melbourne. We don't have the luxury of a tinny nor a fully-blown 4WD but we do have a Subaru Forester and a respect for crocs and their riverside hangouts! We'll be coming up via Townsville and Ingham, Cairns and hopefully, onto Cape Tribulation and Cooktown if our lil Subie can get us there!

I was hoping that you could steer me in the right direction for some good (and safe) land-based fishing, coastal, river or billabong. I'm pretty easily pleased and it won't be too hard to catch fish bigger than our southern estuaries where a Bream over 35cm is loads of excitement for me. But for years now since I was a wee joker, I've dreamed of driving north and tangling with a Barra, Jack, Queenie or GT (all of them even!). How are my chances given the time of year (wet season build up should be good?) and my lack of floatable transport?

I'd be super appreciative of all and any advice you are willing to offer this Mexican travelling north across two borders!

Regards,

Spanno1

[theoldlegend]

hey Spanno,

There's more than a few regulars on here from FNQ and I'm sure they'll give you some good tips when they read your post.

Good luck!!


TOL

[Jarrah Jack]

hey Spanno,

There's more than a few regulars on here from FNQ and I'm sure they'll give you some good tips when they read your post.

Good luck!!




TOL

Whats your tip TOL, there must be a few with you being a Qld native and all. Any landbased spots around Brisbane worth a shot?

[mortyb]

Spanno1 I can only talk about Ingham as i lived in the area for a while. While you say you are land based I recommend hiring a boat for a day or half day and fish the hinchinbrook channel if you want to go to the fish, instead of waiting for them. But if stuck land based, there is Taylors Beach, Lucinda and Dungeness (1 km from Lucinda) east of Ingham. Both have caravan parks. At lucinda you can fish direct off the small jetty and catch all sorts of species including grunter (probably not running in Nov), barra, jacks, trevs, mackerel etc. Have fished there many times and even seen huge groper caught (and released) of the jetty on cord. At Dungeness there is a small jetty that people fish off but anywhere along the park you can wet a line. At taylors you can fish north of the boat ramp up to and amoungst the mangroves or when the tide is in at night fish off the rock wall around the boat ramp or on the boat ramp if you don't mind winding in your line when boaties are there. Or move up the creek to where the houses are on the waterfront and fish off the rock wall all the way up to where the mangrove starts at the end of John Dory Street at the park. There are a few stairs down to the beach so could use them as a fishing point. Have caught barra, trevs, jacks, butter bream etc along that wall. You can pump yabbies at Taylors Beach when the tide is out. If land based I suggest good fresh bait so I hope you are not a virgin with a cast net to get some sardines, mullet or whiting.

[spanno1]

Thanks for the Ingham tips Mortyb. I'll look into hiring a tinny for sure! I've heard the Hinchinbrook Ch can deliver all sorts of fun! Sounds like the other land-based options are also worth a shot.

[upstart]

Try at Molongle Ck. It is about 50 km north of Bowen. There's a small caravan park there or you can pitch a tent. The mouth of the creek has extensive sand flats which fish well for flathead, whiting, bream, grunted and Barra.