Port douglas fishing

[Bass flicker]

I'm in port douglas for a few days my oldies are flying to meet us and I've been ringing around to try and get a days reef bashing for dad and I but the charters are either booked or saying the weather is crook. It is blowing 30plus out there. I have my tinnie and gear here but I wanted sure thing for the old man with a bit of ease. If all else fails I might just head up the creek in the tinnie and live bait for some barra and jacks. Dad won't mind he's happy just to wet a line out of sydney.

[neilm]

Half your luck BF. I've had enough of winter, wish I was up there.
I was up there a few years ago, if you can head northwest across the bay (watch the depth) and hug the coastline there are some nice creeks up that way, I went on a charter and we managed trevs (not huge), barra and jacks. It may still be a bit cold for barra (we went in September). Livies were the way to go it seemed, although the guide did say plastics worked on their day.
I also had a screaming run landbased (on the rock wall just up from the little wooden church) on a large bit of squid. Never found out what it was, completely unstoppable on 6-8kg gear.
Also got a few miscellaneous ooglies off the rock wall.
Look forward to hearing the results.

[Hamuwaja]

hey mate, if the weathers blowing outside not many will go out. But if you ring them directly, and talk it over, you could persuade a bigger boat. - hire one at the inlet at port douglass, or take yours out there.. launch at the ramp next to the main marina, and head in to the inlet (left of the marina if you are on it looking at the water)

get live bait - either buy a cast net and then burley mullet and kerring up - around 39 bucks will get you a decent size cast net... (i find the box trap doesnt work up there)

set up the lives, but also set up a couple of shallow dive lures that float... small bib hard boddies, and cast around the snags.. good jacks and barra..

you sort of need to rip the rod a little to get the lure to dart down... then let it float back to the surface as you retreive a little line, then as it hits the surface again, give it another whip and so on...

also, fresh peeled prawns are good for the black jews, Finger mark etc too...

also, if you go to the boat hire place on the marina (where they hire the tinnys from) they will give you a map - shows you fishing spots, inlets, wrecks etc...

[Bass flicker]

Awesome thanks mate. I have actually got a half day charter up the creek, it will be easy and it will be a good chance to pick the living hell out of his brains. It should be a good learning session as Im about to start an epic couple of moths fishing the cape culminating with a stint working on some Island up in the torres straight.

[Bass flicker]

Now there is a lesson for new fisho's. I've been fishing for around 26yrs now and am a very proficient fisherman in my own neck of the woods. Though i'm not too proud to get a charter as a leg up in a new area where specialised techniques are used. I have more than enough gear and a boat to go fishing up here but I really want to make the most of my nth QLD fishing. so I'll let dad haul a few in and I'll focus on rigs, bait collecting, lure selection and spotting structure with the charters.

[beats]

Lucky bugger, hoping to get up that way later in the year !:ohhh yeah:

[Hamuwaja]

sounds like a good time ahead mate.. very jealous... pick their brains, as like you said its a different game up there... you can get fish with our traditional methods too, but they know how to get the big ones too :)

expecting many great reports to follow dude :)

[snatcher]

Try the pier at the back of the churh (St Margarets - I think it was called) The diamond scaled mullet grow big there and go mental when hooked. Got quite a few species when staying there - I was on the pier every morning.

Try freelining bread/squid with a light shot on the line. A bait catapult with bread will draw in the mullet shoals.

Also got followed in by a massive cuda -I think- on a popper there.

Will post some pics from my pier fishing there,hope this info helps mate

http://i84.photobucket.com/albums/k38/snatcherphoto/3-98.jpg

http://i84.photobucket.com/albums/k38/snatcherphoto/2-119.jpg

http://i84.photobucket.com/albums/k38/snatcherphoto/3-99.jpg

http://i84.photobucket.com/albums/k38/snatcherphoto/12SargentMajorfish.jpg

http://i84.photobucket.com/albums/k38/snatcherphoto/10-35.jpg

http://i84.photobucket.com/albums/k38/snatcherphoto/19-12.jpg

http://i84.photobucket.com/albums/k38/snatcherphoto/3a-5.jpg

http://i84.photobucket.com/albums/k38/snatcherphoto/6-69.jpg

http://i84.photobucket.com/albums/k38/snatcherphoto/4-86.jpg

Hope this helps,I just fished this pier a few mornings and it was just mental - just be prepared to experiment as I did.

Tight lines

John