Advice Needed for Airlie Trip

[Stolly]

I am going to Airlie 30th Sept to take a visiting family member fishing can anybody tellme where i can go to target some GT's/Macks on poppers or trolling lures? I have a boat that i will be towing from t'ville. Also does anybody know some accomadation that i can stay at with a boat and trailer parking space? Any advice will be handy.

[Jewfisher55]

The Hook Passage has been a happy hunting ground for me in the past, there always seems to be some sort of action there. I have also read a report in the saltwater photos chat page of a few guys who cleaned up on queensfish with shute harbour in the background just flicking surface lures, the report is still in the archive i think. For accommadation where you can keep a boat its hard to beat one of the caravan parks on the way out to shute harbour, either the big 4 or flametrees. I've stayed at flametrees for 10 days with a boat for $30 a night and it was comfortable and only 5 minutes from the ramp. Good luck mate.

[Jackinthebox]

Stolly,

If you put in at the Airlie ramp, try the patch of rocks ( I think it's called pioneer rock) just before you get to the Molle Channel . Spaniards herd up the sardines there when the tide is cranking and rocket out of the water. You can spin them up on 60gram raiders, etc too!

Not sure if they would still be there, we've caught them in May here but more out around the Islands the rest of the time.

Queenies in Shute harbour around the boat moorings near the first island on poppers & slugs.

Good luck mate, I'll post a pic of a spottie I got on a a slug caught off a bloody yacht with tender on davits, aerials, cables, rigging, etc all getting in the way as it ran around the boat. (when I find it and resize it.)
Photos of the spanish are in my photo album and were taken BD (before digital)

Hey Jewfisher, Flametree's a decent campsite, even better is the light plane that takes off at 6'ish every morning so you don't sleep in & miss the fishing. UP & AT 'EM!!!!!

Mick.

[Jackinthebox]

Yeah Yeah,

I know you've been waiting for the photo.

Kicked back in the water at Whitehaven first ......

[Jackinthebox]

Then back to the boat for a spottie on the way to the next anchorage

Jeez it was hard to go back to work!

[Stolly]

Thanks for all tips. If the weather works out for that weekend i will give a couple of those spots a go. Is there any land based spots worth trying if the weather turns foul. Would you put the boat in at shute harbour or the ramp near the marina at Airlie? Last Question is there any barra spots close to either of those ramps?

[Jackinthebox]

Mate,

wouldn't worry too much about the weather, you can fish both those spots in a strong southeaster and there's plenty of places out of the wind out around the islands.

Maybe fish off the airlie harbour rock wall if it's a real bad southeaster or the shute harbour jetty in a northerly. (which can be more common this time of year)

I don't think there's heaps of Barra action around the Whitsundays but I did know a guy who used to cast net poddy mullet/sardines and then fish for Barra somewhere land based to the south in Conway national park - never found out where though.

Cheers,

Mick.