Hints On Hinchinbrook

[wilco]

I'm heading up to hinchinbrook for a couple of weeks in late october, taking my boat camping where we feel like stopping, travelling up from sydney and our first stop will be peter faust dam for a couple of days and then up to hinchinbrook just wondering if anyone would give any suggestions, whether to fish lucinda half and then cardwell or if anyone has done a similar trip in the past, also I have been thinking of booking a charter to get a bit of idea of the area.

[bushbeachboy]

G'day Wilco. Get hold of a copy of North Australian Fish Finder. It will give you lots of places to start. Another good publication is from Sea Media: 'Fishing the Hinchinbrook Wilderness and Palm Islands' available by post from the Sea Media website.

[wilco]

cheers mate i'll check it out

[STUIE63]

When you get there go and visit lucinda lures and have a talk to Lou ( he is also a member here ) buy some lures and he will give you plenty of info there is also the Ingham tackle shack in Ingham and a tackle shop in Halifax how big a boat do you have . do you plan to fish the channel only or islands , jetty and reef
Stuie

[STUIE63]

here is a couple of threads on similar
http://www.ausfish.com.au/vforum/showthread.php?t=119052&highlight=hinchinbrook
http://www.ausfish.com.au/vforum/showthread.php?t=118551&highlight=hinchinbrook
but do a search on hinchinbrook ,lucinda
Stuie

[modo]

Fished up there at Xmas/ New year holiday in Lucinda and love every minute {tear's roll while writing}. But make sure you take plenty of pots. Don't lean too far over board and if a crab pot has moved along way from where you left it be wary. I have photo's of crushed pots and floats. And the Lucinda pub or caravan park is a good place to start for info. Have a good gps because the island has many creeks and drains that all look similar. Also coming or going from Lucinda to the island can get a bit tricky at low tide so stick to the marker bouys and late in the arvo back to the boat ramp if the s/e winds pick up and they do prepare to get wet and battered. Don't know about Cardwell. Good luck and is there anymore spots left

[boys play]

Did the same trip April last year [from Maitland], and included Monduran, Awoonga Faust and Hinchinbrook...5000k's and would do it again tomorrow if possible. We ended up at Cardwell, and the locals advised that the only productive fishing at that time would be out at the reef..the s/east winds didn't let up, and as a result the fishing was disappointing at all locations. Hinchinbrook is spectacular, and the waterways pristine..take plenty of repellant, the sand flies are incredible. The water can be very sloppy if the conditions deteriorate..first time I have ever had to rely on the compass to get back. Faust was a great spot, as were the other two dams..loved every minute. Can highly recommend the trip
regards
Ian

[the lobster]

G'day Wilco. Get hold of a copy of North Australian Fish Finder. It will give you lots of places to start. Another good publication is from Sea Media: 'Fishing the Hinchinbrook Wilderness and Palm Islands' available by post from the Sea Media website.

bushbeachboy, had a look at the Sea Media website and that book looks alright. Can you tell me if it has much on the Palm Islands in it? Does it show much in the way of open water locations for pelagics or reef fish for the Palms, or is it mainly concerned with estuary type stuff in that area?

thanks a lot

matt

[STUIE63]

bushbeachboy, had a look at the Sea Media website and that book looks alright. Can you tell me if it has much on the Palm Islands in it? Does it show much in the way of open water locations for pelagics or reef fish for the Palms, or is it mainly concerned with estuary type stuff in that area?

thanks a lot

matt

Matt get the book it has details of fishing alot of the bays and areas around the Palms
Stuie

[STUIE63]

One more thought DON"T forget to get a chart for the green zones and cut 1 pectoral fin of reef fish
Stuie

[levinge]

Wilco, the Fishfinder Book has everything and I mean Everything you will need to know from West Oz right around to Sydney. Has all info of tides for ramp access, ramps, reef, wrecks, gps marks, creeks, rivers, camping etc. Its the bible in my boat and never go anywhere without it. If you base out of Cardwell, do a run to Garden Island, some mates fished it this year and where getting some serious unstoppable hits, not to mention the big GT that smashed a popper of the first cast. Brand new popper, goneski in one foul swoop from a BIG GT.

You will be spoilt for selections to fish, but as everyone has said, it all comes down to the weather up here. Conditions can change pretty quickly up here, so be prepared to get wet. Listen to the locals and you'll be right.

Up here every snag looks good and every bend has a snag and every creek/river has hundreds of bends, get the picture.

Trusty Gold Bomber does work a treat up at Hinchinbrook, but be prepared to lose alot of lures to big fish....If they are on the chew..

Best of Luck

Brett

[upstart]

Check the Townsville Bulletin website for some maps of the Palms with some GPS marks and a few hints. The columnist got a bit of bad feedback for giving away some 'secrets'.
I always camp at Macushla (you need to book with National Parks) when I go to Hinchinbrook. Easy access to the creeks and it's not too far around to Eva Island for some big mack action. Got my biggest there, around 35kg.

[wilco]

everybody thanks for the reply, stuie we are bringing up 5m open boat so we where looking to do a bit of estuary and reef work. 7 weeks to go!!!

[STUIE63]

Mate that's big enough I have seen 12 foot tinnies at the reef on a good day
Stuie

[Walker]

Wilco,

I live in Cairns but venture back to Ingham (Forrest Beach) almost every weekend. The father-in-law has 3 tinnies (3,4,5m)... Let me know closer to the date and we might be able to show you around a bit. We do the channel quite often but also venture out for Macs and over to Palm Isand fish/camping...

Paul