It's time to start seriously considering fishing in the  Far North for the next couple of months promise to deliver big results whether it be inshore or offshore on the Great Barrier Reef.  

Who would have predicted that in the middle of winter, our barramundi continued to plough along with outstanding results. Typically you’d be lucky to get a peek out of barra at this time of year but instead they have been a steady highlight in the region. The water temperatures didn't drop off sufficiently to force them into hibernation this year and has kept them active. Lure fishing is not cutting the mustard but live baiting is. Smart timing and a bit of patience with a juicy morsel twitching in front of their nose has been the key to prompting a response. Once one engages, often the others around will quickly join in. They are schooling fish and can trigger each other into action in fear of missing out. They haven’t been undersized or rat barra which can be the case in the middle of winter, but instead bonafide rippers ranging between 65cm to 85cm. The days and weeks ahead will see the water temperatures maintain current status and improve further. So it is anticipated this run of barra will continue to thrive in what has been the best year we've seen for this species for a very, very long time. In saying all this, lure techniques will come back to the fore as we re-enter into warmer weather. 
Not to be dismissed at all has also been the great run of fingermark which have appreciated the same conditions.45 to 65cm models have been a consistent feature in the main river systems Other than this javelin fish, golden trevally and river trevally have filled in the gaps for calm water enthusiasts.

When you look back through the log book the coldest months proved to be a frustrating period for offshore fishing mainly in regards to the prevailing south easterly winds which put pay to quite a few well laid plans. There was a lot of re-shuffling and at times the bad weather was too much for many a trip. This however is due to change with a more stable weather pattern on the horizon for the remainder of the year. To date fishing the outer reefs is where the better action is for bigger quality fish. As apposed to a month or so ago where the fish were in suicidal mode, this time around they do require a bit more elbow grease to get the desired results. Quality large mouth nannygai and spangled emperor fishing deeper water between 30-40m have been active on the change of the tides and further up in the shallows there's been classic plump coral trout for the taking. Spanish mackerel numbers are remaining consistent and it pays to have a floating pilchard out the back of the boat when reef fishing the deeper columns of water. Trolling lures over the same territory holding big bait schools generally doesn't disappoint. 

One space we are all interested in is the potential run for a good run on the small black marlin this year in the next couple of months. Following a massive wet season it hopefully will convert into a bumper season and look forward to reporting on this soon. 

We are on the cusp of a blue ribbon period on our fishing calendar so 'stop your dreamin' and let your reel do the screamin' and join us in tropical Far North Queensland.