Following a tumultuous end of the wet season with wild winds and more than enough rain, the weather pattern has finally turned the corner for the better. With this change in fortune so have the fishing reports which have rebounded in great fashion. Both inshore and offshore efforts have responded very positively.

After a few months of incredible energy built up over the time, the open seas and reef have flattened out for better boating conditions. The fishing was always due to fire during May but it has been a delayed start and the fishing is now quickly red hot. The winter period is considered prime time for our reef fishing opportunities and the highly prized fish are on the chew. Red emperor, large mouth nannygai and coral trout are eagerly feeding and there's some solid fish about. Then you tack on the end of this the likes of spangled emperor, long nose emperor, small mouth nannygai and various trevally species, what you have is a smorgasbord and a lottery draw as to what you'll be tangling with. The outer reef is where you need to be to expect the best action to occur.

The pelagic scene has well and truly started to take formation and there are some great schools of mackerel to be trolled up using hard body lures or for the bigger fish rigged garfish. Spanish mackerel have arrived in numbers and consistently around the 8-10kg range on the outer reef systems. Really nice to see is also a healthy supply of spotted mackerel out wide, slightly smaller but also available inside the reef and along the coastline. They go just as hard on the end of the line and equal in taste when compared to their Spanish cousins. The amount of bait available offshore is incredibly thick following a massive wet season and thus will attract the pelagic fish in droves.

Not to be left behind our major rivers and estuaries have continued their great run of fishing. With slightly warmer days on offer than normal, the barra are still having a crack and seemed to be settled in pockets at certain sections ready for the winter down time. There's some big 1m queenfish starting to turn up in the Daintree River and will hold office there and along the immediate coastline for a couple of months now. Fingermark continue to fish well right on top of the tide and there's javelin fish, golden trevally and river trevally to be entertained with the shift of either tides.

It's been a testing 6 months or so for us that reside in the tropics but we are ready to showcase our true potential to the influx of tourists due to hit the region as winter takes a stronghold down south.