Cairns-A fish free zone.

[snatch]

I moved to Cairns in February and have really struggled to find any decent fishing. Where are the fish? Even listening to locals on the marine radio on the last calm weekend and they don't even do too well on the reef!

I was going to buy a new epirb as my old one expired, but don't know that it is worth it.



Help?

[bushbeachboy]

You just haven't had the opportunity to pick up enough local knowledge yet. It takes a bit of time. Try joining a club.

[pubgolf]

No fish on the reef out from Cairns!
Taking marine radio mumblings as gospel?
Ive been here 5 yrs and im only just starting to learn a few really productive spots.
Its like anything, it takes time.
Its a pretty big reef out there with plenty of things to see and do!
And yes there are plenty of fish out there.
Just remember that the first reef you come to on the way out is not nesacarilly the best one to stop at!
Fish a bit wider and you will go fine!
Oh and turn the VHF off.



Rod

[Wahoo]

I moved to Cairns in February and have really struggled to find any decent fishing. Where are the fish? Even listening to locals on the marine radio on the last calm weekend and they don't even do too well on the reef!

I was going to buy a new epirb as my old one expired, but don't know that it is worth it.



Help?

snatch, how big is the boat? how far out are you willing to head out, you can make what you spend on a epirb in one trip, Cairns would have to be one of the best spots to fish, as Pod said, all takes time if your a newbie, i do how ever have trouble nailing a few trout in the closer reefs, thats why most of my fishing is 180+ K's round trip, even a few nice reds in only 30m water

[snatch]

My boat is a compromise as I fish the creeks also. However on the "calmer" occassions Arlington is accessible. I also heard that the area around the back of the airport produces grunter from time to time. There just doesn't appear to be much inshore reef in these parts.

[fez]

Snatch,

Try Deeral, Mulgrave & Russell Rivers, Islands not far off shore good river systems as well, not as busy as the inlet or Barron Rivers.

Grab a copy of the North Australian Fish Finder about $25 from a newsagent or BCF) that willgive you a couple of starting points.

Just beware the Mulgrave is shallow at low.

Fez

[disorderly]

Yeah mate ..if you are only able to fish the inshore reefs than your best bet is the pelagic action happening at the moment...as you can imagine ,as already mentioned above, the closer reefs get pretty much hammered by every man and his dog and his tinny when the weather is good enough and are pretty much hit or miss...mostly miss down this way off mission beach ...I wouldn't even bother stopping at the 40km out reefs ..just too much fishing pressure there..unless of course you can find a few lumps and bumps out away from reefs in the deeper water "in the paddock" where the reds and nanny's may be lurking.

Good luck and there is just no substitute for time spent on the water.

Scott

[Pazz01]

Snatch, don't be too quick to judge. The last few months haven't been the best for fishing the reefs. Its from now on that they start spawning and start moving around. I find that the close reefs tend to be hammered a bit, but when the fish start spawning you'll catch a few. Alrington, pixie and oyster all hold fish, just a matter of finding them and being there on the day they want to bite.

I've been fishing for nearly 20 years out of Cairns, and have a few spots that produce good numbers of trout, (last calm stint we got a bag limit 21 and everyone else didn't get many), but you have to work for them. If you pick up one or two straight away and nothing for a while, up anchor and move on, find the bait again. The days are gone of picking 6-10 trout of one spot. They just aren't there, and if they are the sharks are also.

My advice is to spend plenty of time hooking up and trying to get on top of the bait, you won't catch them unless you are on top of them.

Like it has been said above, it takes time to learn the areas that you fish and they don't always bite - remember that. If they bite every time you go out there will be none left.

At the end of the day my theory is a bad days fishing is always better than a good days work.

Pazz.

[snatch]

Some great tips there guys. I got my o/b serviced by "Beano" at the mulgrave and went for a run out around Hig hIsland to see how she ran. The scenic high was enough that day and I do intend to go down that way again.