21 February 2000 - Volume 4 Issue 2

Hi everybody. I would like to begin this month's report with a few local snippets of information that I trust you will find interesting and perhaps useful.

Fish Management

The local Dept of Primary Industry (DPI) has just kicked off a long term Fisheries Resources Monitoring Program with the first annual reef fish underwater visual census. Fisheries resources being surveyed during this first year of the program include barramundi, mud crab, spanish mackerel, fresh water fish and reef fish.

As the data base builds up in future years, it will be used as a tool for determining the condition and status of the reef fish fishery over time.

A DPI spokesperson said "the commercial reef line fishery on the Great Barrier Reef brings in around $10 million per year, and coral trout around 60 per cent of the demersal catch."

Further information can be obtained from CRC Reef Research Centre, C/O James Cook University, Townsville. Ph 07 4781 4976 Fax 07 4781 4099 or crcreef@jcu.edu.au

Queensland Fisheries News

A diverse range of technical information on the natural resources of four Daintree River catchments has been released by DPI as a future management tool.

Entitled Fisheries Resources and Stream Habitat of the Daintree, Saltwater, Mossman and Mowbray Catchments, the technical report is the fifth in a series of publications dealing with fisheries and habitat issues in Queensland wet tropic catchments.

Copies of the report are available on request from the DPI's Northern Fisheries Centre, Cairns on Ph: 07 4035 0100.

General

Time sure travels fast when your having fun, or just suffering from the "wet season" blues. Anyone in the know realises that the early part of the year is pretty wet in Tropical North Queensland. January 2000 however, was the driest for 17 years!

Guess what happened in February, yeah right, it rained day after day. In just over five days last week we received more rainfall than the entire monthly average. Well over 500 mm or 25 inches fell day and night. The rivers were flooded and even Trinity Inlet was a raging sea or red dirty silt laden muck. I don't know how fish could even swim around in it let alone find food. And the fishing - pretty shitty as you could imagine.

As I write this though the sun is shining. We are still copping a fair bit of rain but mainly at night and the waterways have certainly cleared up heaps. You can almost see into it now.

Trinity Inlet

As a consequence of these clearing conditions the fishing has improved dramatically. Only yesterday one of my guides landed two nice barramundi, one of 10 pounds and the other, a magnificent silver "salty" of around eighteen pounds. The visiting angler was ecstatic as you could imagine.

Other captures include big grunter out on the shallow flats on the huge tides being encountered at the moment as well as a few blue salmon, plenty of catfish and sharks.

The Rivers

The next few weeks should see conditions in the upper reaches of our rivers start to clear and if so, produce excellent results of barras from the weed beds. A gold bomber lure cast to any back eddy, structure area should produce. These are not big fish but range in size to 75 cm, great sport on light 6kg tackle.

Blue Water

Obviously with the windy weather associated with all that rainfall, the outside scene has been pretty patchy with reports of a few Spaniard's to 30lb coming from the entrance leads. There has been some yellowfin about as well as small marlin and big G.T.'s around the coral bommies. The bottom bouncing brigade has had "fair" catches of late but the best fishing has obviously coincided with the better weather cycles.

Game Fishing

We are starting to receive quite a few inquiries regarding Heavy Tackle Black Marlin fishing for later in the year. Like clockwork the big female black's start to show up off the Great Barrier Reef around mid September each season and continue their migration south for the next 3 months. This is prime time fishing with the Cairns region a buzz with excitement and expectation as international anglers descend on our region with the hope of landing that grander. It is also Tournament time, with many anglers returning year after year to pursue their piscatorial dreams with a passion.

If want to get in on some of the best fishing action in the world, don't leave it too late to make your plans. Many experienced skippers and quality boats are booked out months and even years in advance. Fishing Cairns can tailor make that fishing tour / holiday of a lifetime. Our portal web site is full of helpful hints, fishing, tours and accommodation options.

Let us design a "custom-made holiday in paradise for you with everything organised including accommodation, touring options, hire cars, various fishing options including Giant Black Marlin, light tackle sport fishing, river and estuary fishing. We can even organise a limousine transfer for the Cairns International Airport to your preferred hotel!

Now won't that impress the little lady! You may even be able to sneak an extra day's fishing after scoring all these brownie points, and let her have the credit card to do some shopping.

See you on the water,
Les Marsh