Jul 2016 - Fishing Port Douglas

VOLUME187 PRICELESS
JUL 16
2
FRONT COVER: The Cormack Family with a 35kg Spanish Mackerel aboard Saltaire Charters
This magazine is published by
The Line Burner business of Port Douglas
& welcomes any Far Nth Qld contributions
including editorials & photographs.
PO Box 108, Port Douglas 4877
Queensland, Australia
Email:info@fishingportdouglas.com.au
Website: www.fishingportdouglas.com.au
Phone: 0409 610 869
The views expressed in this magazine do not necessarily
reflect the views of the magazine, the editors, or the
authors themselves. The magazine does not guarantee
accuracy, validity, honesty or politeness of content, and we
shall not be held responsible for the content of mentioned
websites. The content (photos, art, articles etc...) found
within are the property of the submitter and not our
magazine.
VALUED
CONTRIBUTORS
Michael Hart
Keith Graham
Jamie Beitzel
Damian Collete
Nautical Marine team
James Gould
Steve Adamson
Bruce Belcher
Jake Wyatt
Matt Koch
‘Sharky’ Shane Down
Lynton Heffer (Editor)
Features
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Gunnell Rod Slays Them
Perfect Reef Day
Dragon Lady Diary
New Fishing Club for Shire
Above Grade Marine Services
Mick’s Monthly Recipe
Nautical Marine Product Review
PORT DOUGLAS TIDE TABLE JULY 2016
Tide times provided by courtesy of Maritime Safety Queensland. For more information, see the Official Tide Tables and Boating Safety Guide published by Maritime Queensland and
the World Wide Web at http://www.msq.qld.gov.au/qldtides. The tidal predictions for Port Douglas are supplied by the National Tidal Centre, Bureau of Meteorology, copyright
reserved.
3
Picture Postcard Perfect
By Heff
For those who were lucky enough to be up
here in the tropics in that first week or so of
June you would easily remember the
sensational run of weather we were spoilt
with. The days were just immaculate and
also we started to see a just a bit of nip in the
air during the nights making for ideal tropical
weather. With conditions being so ripe it
would have been sacrilege not take
advantage and head out for a day’s fishing
on the Blue Highway. So with this in mind I
scheduled myself in for a trip out on the
Dragon Lady charter for a spot of reef
fishing.
Heading out of the leads with Freddy at the
helm and Mitch on the deck, it never ceases
to amaze me just how striking our coastline
is. On this stunning day the blue sparkling
water immersed itself into the golden sands
of our beaches and then transformed into
skyscraping rainforest mountains stretching
forever into the cloudless sky. The vista was
nothing short of picture postcard perfect.
With the ideal back drop in place this day
was always going to be a ripper.
The hour or so travel out to the outer reef
was as flat as a carter’s hat with barely 5
knots of an onshore breeze following us.
Once we reached the edges of the reef they
lit up in amazing collage of blues and greens
and looking through a decent pair of
sunglasses was a pretty special sight. The
expansive fishing grounds looked so ever
ripe for the picking.
With the wind appearing to be variable
Freddy decided to do a quick stop just to see
where the boat was going to hang for the
day moving forward. It proved to be a
valuable exercise as conditions were a little
bit different this trip. As it turned out the
boat hung with its nose pointing in a
westerly direction into the slight onshore
breeze with the current also trickling in the
same direction. This was the template to
follow for future stops allowing for the
abnormal wind and current on this particular
day.
Pressing on we made our way out to deeper
waters looking for good structure holding
good amounts of bait life in around the 3540m depth range. Once suitable ground was
sourced Freddy explained that he would give
this area, which had a few good marks, a
good working over. He believes that at this
time of year you don’t need to travel all over
the countryside to find the fish. At some
point a general area with good structure and
bait will produce the goods.
Well we didn’t have to wait too long as our
first official drop paid dividends handsomely.
From memory I was lucky enough to snare a
cracking coral trout within minutes and it
fought with some serious gusto. 5kg of trout
was the reason why I had my hands full for a
couple of minutes. In the meantime the
other anglers were pulling over some quality
fish as well including coral trout and some
really big small mouth nannygai. The small
mouth for a few years seemed to disappear
completely off the radar but now
River - Reef - Game
Ph: 0409 610 869
www.fishingportdouglas.com.au
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ABN 34 342 029 951
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4
Postcard Perfect cont ...
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have seemed to return in much better
numbers. I too was lucky enough to latch
onto one of these oversized small mouth at
this first hang and it was pushing close to 6kg
in size. It also had some punch to it peeling
line at times and fought with plenty of spirit.
The first hang was then finished off with a
15kg cod caught by a very enthusiastic
Russian angler who couldn’t believe that fish
this big even existed. You couldn’t curb his
enthusiasm even if you tried and quite
understandingly so considering where he had
visited from.
Moving onto the second stop for the day the
freezer was already looking healthy with
about 10 quality fish inside. Fishing at a
similar depth the next hang took a little while
to kick into gear but once the first small
mouth nannygai decided to have a crack it set
off a chain reaction as the fish started to pile
on board. Once again the small mouth were
of exceptional size and a host of other fish
joined in on the action as well. There was
another monster cod produced, this time at
around 20kg by a Swedish client, along with a
handful of nice coral trout, spangled emperor
and moses perch. I was very happy with
another big small mouth nannygai, a 5kg
spangled emperor and a legal coral trout.
Within 40 minutes the bite subsided but we
had left behind a trail of carnage with around
another 15 quality fish to add to the tally.
During the next couple of spots the winds had
dropped out completely by early afternoon.
The seas had turned into a millpond and the
water clarity was superb with about 15-20m
visibility from the surface. The fishing tapered
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off just a tad with each location producing a
handful of good sized fish mainly in the form
of coral trout and small mouth nannygai.
Because the red fish kept intermittently
coming over the side there was enough
interest to keep persisting at these spots for
that bit longer.
By the time we came to our last drop for the
day the Dragon boys had easily secured
enough fish to keep everyone happy at this
point. But alas this final destination lit up once
again with some nice small mouth nannygai
coming over the side initially and then a big
school of gold spot trevally laid siege on the
situation. The fish were suicidal and even
those who had not had a whole heap of luck
this day soon found themselves bombarded
with fish. The trevally were mainly around the
1.5kg range with the odd back breaker
reaching easily 6-7kg. The tip from the
skipper was to take the fillets off these fish,
lightly batter and cook in a shallow fry - they
would be mouth watering. This final top up of
fish saw close to 40 fish in the freezer and it
was the perfect way to finish off a wonderful
day. I’m being quite cheeky here but the only
downside was that I could not lose a live
fusilier to a mackerel all day on the float.
Normally these baits don’t last more than a
few minutes if they happened to be there.
As you would expect there was a cheerful
tone on the boat as we made our way home
and upon leaving the dock at the marina
there was a lot of thankyou’s to the crew and
smiles from ear to ear. There’s nothing better
than a day on the reef when the fishing is in
good form and the surrounding scenery is
absolute world class.
5
Dragon Lady Diary
By Steve Adamson
There was no mistaking that the start of June was a ripper as we
saw an extended period of what you would call ‘really bloody
nice weather’. With Lui and myself up on the slip in Cairns doing
a maintenance program on the 34ft vessel, the task was left to
Freddy and Mitch to fly the flag and from all accounts they did a
brilliant job of it. Before I move onto the fishing reports I must say
that having to travel daily over a few weeks to the Boat Yard in
Cairns was a tedious task and having our local slipway closed is
an incredible inconvenience and burden on those, like us who
heavily rely on its existence.
Back onto a lighter note the fishing was quite impressive in the
earlier stages of the month with a good mixture of fish on the go.
Scrolling through the log book of daily catches numbers were
healthy and the species of fish included large mouth nannygai,
small mouth nannygai, reef mangrove jack, gold spot trevally,
moses perch, sweetlip, spanish mackerel, plenty of coral trout
and cobia. Of note there was one day where the boys returned
with 19 coral trout on board along with a swag of others
including a few mackerel. Also there was a special catch being a
sizeable barramundi cod around the 5kg mark which was
released. From memory that makes half a dozen of these fish
we’ve caught over the last couple of months and normally you
would see half this number over the course of the year. I’m not
entirely sure why these numbers are up but it is always a treat to
catch these very shy and beautiful fish.
By the end of the long weekend we saw a turn in the weather
forcing us to shut down for a few days as the wind and rain
squalls persisted relentlessly. However before too long it passed
by and the calmer weather returned even though the rain was
still hanging around. Following the full moon and with both
boats operating at full tilt the fishing went into overdrive. The
48ft vessel was producing huge numbers of fish up to 50 per trip
and the 34ft boat doing mainly private charters caught more
than its fair share as well. Once again there was plenty of variety
from day to day including large and small mouth nannygai, coral
trout, golden and gold spot trevally, cobia, spanish mackerel,
baldy bream, venus tusk fish, cod, stripies and some big moses
perch.
Now here’s one for you if you think us humans are a little
confused about the odd weather pattern, well so is the animal
kingdom. Fishing north up around Undine Reef we pulled over
the side a good sized stripey and the clients requested that they
take it home. Upon processing the fish we discovered that it was
fully roed up or egged up as they say. This fish was either 7-8
months late from last year or 4-5 months early for this year. I’ve
never seen a reef fish carry eggs at this time of the year.
Of other interest we did a day of filming for the new Gunnell Rod
on the 34ft boat and had a fantastic trip cleaning up on a lot of
good sized fish. On board were a few kids as well and it was
interesting to see that they were easily dragging over the side
really good sized fish, which under normal circumstances using
a rod they would have no hope of landing. Just to give you an
example the kids brought up a huge cod and a double header of
nannygai using the Gunnell Rod. As mentioned before this
product is going to be good for kids, un-coordinated anglers
and the elderly, or anyone for that matter.
Moving ahead the start of the tourist season is upon us with the
arrival of the July school holidays. With the cold weather taking
hold down south I’d expect the next period to be a busy one for
us and the entire town. The reef fishing will continue to fire and
the mackerel should really start to turn up in more prolific
numbers. It will also pay to go and have a look for a small black
on the wide grounds over the next couple of months.
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6
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Port Douglas
SCOTT’S MECHANICAL
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Kids Rock on the Reef
By Lisa Tregea
It had been a couple of years for me since
fishing aboard Dragon Lady Fishing Tours with
Skipper Steve Adamson and deckhand Lui
Smith out of Port Douglas and to have the
opportunity to have my children at my side for
this adventure was very exciting. Our fishing
party for the day consisted of myself, Jase
Teelow, Jen Dolecek, Jen's Daughter Toneisha
(15), my two children Levi (10) & Kira (9) and
our camera man Dave from Star Creations. Our
group were aboard to put the Alvey Gunnel
Rod through it's paces in the hands of young
children with minimal fishing experience. The
day started with our group meeting at the
Marina to board with 6 Gunnell Rods. Greeted
with big smiles by the crew we jumped aboard
and began our trip to Undine Reef. The
weather was superb, not a breath of wind,
minimal swell and a quick smooth trip to our
destination. The children and ladies were
given each a Gunnell Rod partnered with an
overhead reel and shown how to get their lines
down and how to use the Gunnell Rod. Within
minutes of anchoring, Kira (9) hooks up, she
reel's like there is no tomorrow with the
Gunnel Rod in action and lands a good size
Coral Trout on-deck, the excitement and pride
of catching the first fish for the day and being a
Coral Trout showed instantly on her little face.
“I got a Coral Trout Mummy!!”, she calls
across the deck Proud Mummy moment for
me. Within a couple of minutes, Toneisha (15)
is on with a fish of large proportion, Lui calls
only seconds before the hook up that next fish
will be a Cod. Surely enough Toneisha lands a
great size Gold Spotted Cod on deck with ease,
a huge grin and surprise at the size of the fish
she has caught, “look Mum, OMG it's huge”,
she calls to Jen. We fish a little longer and
catch another Coral Trout and a few Nanyguai
both small and large mouth. Up comes the
anchor and it's time to move. Each time we
pull anchor to move the kids are madly
rebaiting the lines, having a quick bite to eat so
they are lines in hand ready to drop as soon as
the engine is stopped. Oh what a spot the next
anchor is.
First hook up is Levi (10). Levi has Cerebral
Palsy, he is mad keen to get amongst the
fishing and goes like a champion winding in his
first fish for the day, not only one but a double
hook up of good size Large Mouth Nanyguai,
Levi managed to get both fish to the boat with
ease. There is no chance Levi could do this
with a standard rod and reel combo, his limited
motor skills and physical ability would just not
stand up to the challenge. However on the
Alvey Gunnell Rod, he can land not only 1 but 2
good size fish without too much effort. Levi's
double hook up starts a chain reaction and we
are all hooked up on the Gunnel Rod's, there
were fish coming aboard thick and fast, Lui and
Steve were run off their feet trying to get fish
off the hooks and re load the baits for more
hook ups. The kids continue to hook and land
good size Large and Small Mouth Nanygaui as
well as Crimson Snapper, Stripies and a
Remoreau (sucker fish). The day draws to a
close after another couple of stops with a few
more good size fish and then it's time to head
back to Port. We had a great day on Dragon
Lady with the crew and huge thank you to
Jason for the day that will be hard to top for all
of us. Last words before bed from Kira (9)
“That was the best day of my life Mum!”
Scott Watkinson
0417 281 806
Servicing
The Douglas Shire
scott.watkinson.email@gmail.com
Lic No MVTC 1388907
SALTAIRE Charters
Phone
0459 323 888
6AM - 8PM
7 DAYS
Fishing Gear
Bait and Ice
Auto Care
Hot Food
Sandwiches
Cold Drinks
129 Alchera Drive Mossman QLD 4873 Ph: 07 4098 1656
ABN: 34 069 005 438 003
7
Slow Jigging Tactics
By Dylan Case
The ever growing jigging scene is constantly
opening up new techniques with which to
target a broad variety of species in different
environmental conditions. Of these
techniques, high speed knife jigging is
probably the most common in our local
waters in current times. Knife jigging certainly
has its place and advantages, particularly
when targeting the speedsters of the ocean
such as your trevally and mackerel. The same
high speed that appeals to the sea's pelagic
species is also probably its biggest limiting
factor. The higher speed retrieves associated
with knife jigging often limits its effectiveness
in targeting bottom dwelling or feeding fish
since the jig spends little time in the strike
zone of these species. While fish such as coral
trout, red emperor, nannygai and other similar
species can be taken on knife jigs, utilising
slow jigging is often more effective. These
demersal fish tend to be slower than their
pelagic brothers and are better suited to this
more relaxed style of lure fishing. Slow jigging
involves different styles of metal jigs and
works by maximising the time the jig spends in
the strike zone of the target species. The jigs
used for this style are quite different to
standard knife jigs. While knife jigs are
generally tail weighted for fast sink rates and
high speed retrieves, slow or butterfly jigs are
usually centre balanced to allow for a
horizontal and much slower rate of fall. This
weighting system allows the jig to flutter,
wobble and dart around erratically even with
the slightest of rod work.
Slow jigs are versatile lures and are very
responsive to subtle movements of the rod tip.
The fluttering action these lures have on the
drop is very enticing to predators and is often
the catalyst which encourages them to strike.
As such, a gentle lifting and dropping motion
of the rod is one of the better ways to work
these jigs. By adding slight twitches and
keeping the jigs in the likely zone, these lures
can be very effective for targeting anything
from nannygai to coral trout to fingermark.
An important thing to consider with this style
of fishing is that the jig will sink vertically with
tension on the line and flutter down slowly
with slack in the line - remember this when
working the jig! While this style of jigging is
often linked with specialised tackle, it can be
done with almost any rod and reel. Both spin
and overhead gear is equally effective, and
essentially a matter of personal preference. In
saying that, rods with a relatively soft tip make
working the jig a little easier, because of how
they load up when lifted. It is a lot easier to
slow jig all day long as opposed to the fast
action knife style which can be exhausting.
Slow style jigs that suit our local waters
generally range from 40 to 120 grams,
depending on the brand. My personal
favourites include the Asari K5 Trend
(pictured) and the Samaki Choona Jig.
Because they can be fished so slowly
effectively, these jigs can be fished in very
shallow water with ease. Drifting over rubbly
ground or wonky holes and locating bait with
the sounder is personally my favourite way to
fish these jigs. This has produced plenty of
memorable fish, from monster nannygai to
golden trevally. Slow jigging is certainly an
exciting technique to add to your next fishing
trip.
River - Reef - Game
Ph: 0409 610 869
www.fishingportdouglas.com.au
Pool and spa service
Repairs and sales of
all equipment
 Chemical sales and
delivery
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0404 286 187
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Authentic Aussie Cuisine
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Karaoke Nights
Big Screen Sports
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Cane Toad Racing
5 Macrossan St
Ph: 4099 4776
Ph 0409 610 869
FISHING PORT DOUGLAS
River - Reef - Game
8
Above Grade Marine Now Local
By Heff
PORT DOUGLAS
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Phone: 4099 4960
Above Grade Marine Services, formally known as
Goodwin Longboats, are relocating from the
Cardwell region and will now be servicing the area
from Cairns to Cooktown.
Fibreglass boat building, repairs and customising are
a specialty with Gavin Goodwin having over 35 years
experience with fibreglass boat building. Boats of any
size can be repaired or customised, either in his new
workshop at 8 Quaid Street Mossman, the vessel’s
location or at the slipway. They can also repair
fibreglass farm equipment, tanks, etc... Refit or
restoration of your boat or equipment with a full
respray will give it a new lease of life and they can
antifoul your hull for lasting results. As a preferred
repairer for all the major insurance companies, Above
Grade Marine Services will give you peace of mind
when the unfortunate happens.
Gavin is the original designer and manufacturer of
the Goodwin Longboat range and, due to popular
demand, this range is now back in production
custom manufacturing the 6850, 5650 and 4200
models. The Goodwin boats cater for both the
recreational and commercial market with an
excellent reputation throughout Australia and
overseas. The Goodwin range can handle the
toughest conditions. They draw little water so they
are ideal for both estuary and open water. These
River - Reef - Game
Ph: 0409 610 869
www.fishingportdouglas.com.au
Bistro
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Drive Thru
Bottleshop
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Pool Table
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Reef St
Four Mile
Port Douglas
Ph: 4099 3655
Ph: 0498 272 611
boats are a fully hand laid construction using only the
highest quality materials. Over 40 years of fishing and
boating experience is reflected in the layout and
finish of these boats and their clutter free design
allows plenty of room for some serious angling. You
can have a boat designed for your personal needs or
built to commercial survey. These boats just work!
Gavin, along with his family, wife Lisa, and boys Brad,
Brendan and Todd, are all seriously keen fishermen.
The boys have all fished since they could walk,
winning a large haul of trophies along the way.
Fishing a variety of tournaments in both their 6850
Goodwin Longboat and their 44’ Ocean game boat
‘Above Grade’ from 2kg to 60kg line classes has been
a family affair. Their exploits have included winning
the NQ ANSA tournament using very light line on
more than one occasion, with Lisa securing a world
record for a 10.2kg Giant Trevally which she caught
on 2kg line. This record has been standing since
2010. They spent a few years on Groote Eylandt with
Gavin being awarded the Sir Garrick Agnew Trophy
for the most billfish tagged in Australian waters for
2011/2012. They returned back to North Queensland
in 2012 and have since successfully competed in
various game fish tournaments with Gavin at the
helm and sons on the deck. The highlight being when
they competed in the Port Douglas Marlin
tournament with Lisa becoming the first female to
ever win the competition in 2013. They followed this
up the following year with Lisa narrowly missing out
on overall champion on a count back.
Come and visit the team at 8 Quaid Street Mossman
or give Gavin a call on 0417195559 for an obligation
free quote. They will be operating in their new
premises from 1st July and look forward to living in
and servicing this beautiful area.
9
Dusting Off the Cobwebs
By ‘Sharky’ Shane Down
For a few reasons I hadn’t put my trusty old
Haines Hunter on the water for months and
whilst the weather was good early June it
was time to resurrect the old girl. It’s not the
first time this old girl has had to have a new
birthday as I found it abandoned in a cane
paddock 25 plus years ago and with a bit of
TLC I brought it back to life.
Now with the onset of some awesome reef
fishing ahead it is so important to ensure
your boat is ready and safely prepared to
tackle the long trips to the reef. There’s
nothing worse than to experience a
breakdown on the water no matter where
you are. With this in mind preparing the boat
first before a trip was key.
This time around I hadn’t even put the boat
onto my new Mackay trailer so that was the
first job. With some fine adjustments it fitted
on the trailer like a glove and it was then time
to tick over the Evinrude engine which
hadn’t taken a breath for at least 10 months.
Firstly priming the oil then the fuel it was
time to connect the water and give it a turn.
It kind of turned over for about 10 seconds
and coughed and farted which was a good
sign. Turning the key again a couple of more
times the old girl eventually roared into life
and soon enough there was water coming
out of the tell tale. I let the engine sit and idle
for about 20 minutes before I was satisfied
she was ready to go. Whilst she was idling I
got myself down and dirty clearing all the
dust and spiders which had taken up
residence. A bit more of a scrub and hose
down and all was back to normal.
It was time to take it for a run on the water.
Down at the boat ramp upon releasing the
safety chain and winch, with a little push she
literally went flying off the new trailer. Like a
rocket she went sliding into the water and I
had to act quickly before it got too far away.
Next time I’ll have a rope tied off to ensure
this doesn’t happen again.
Turning over the engine the GPS and radio all
fired up nicely but I noticed my flares had
expired. Luckily Nautical Marine was just
over the road and I made a quick trip to
purchase some new ones. Before too long I
was idling through the harbour leads and
underway. Once clear of the leads I dropped
the throttle and she leapt out of the water
and was soon cruising at 30 knots. Keeping
an eye on the temperature gauge she was
purring like a kitten. I quickly punched out to
a fishing mark several miles from land just to
have a sneak preview. The sounder showed
quite a few nice fish there but that was on
the cards for tomorrow. Turning back to
home I really opened up the motor and flew
back at 39 knots, I was ready for a long
awaited fish knowing the boat was it good
working order.
With everything well and truly organised I
was ready at the ramp at 6am the following
morning and the sun hadn’t even woken up
yet. I soon found myself at my first location. It
took a couple of drops with the anchor to get
positioned correctly as the current was
running down south. I decided that this spot
would do for my first run in awhile. For the
next 90 minutes there was a bit of action
around but nothing over the top. Some
doggie mackerel and several smaller trevally
was all I could muster but it was just good to
be back on the water wetting a line. I had an
inkling that this was just about as good as
the fishing was going to get so I pulled the
pin and shot home.
Having not had the boat on the water for so
long it was very pleasing that everything
went well. The next chance I’ll go out further
and hunt down those big nannygai - next trip
it will all happen ! With the inshore and outer
reefs coming into their prime it’s time to fill
the freezer with some quality fish. However,
no matter how long it as been always make
sure you ensure your boat is in order with all
safety gear checked and your mechanics are
absolutely A1. Even get your boat serviced by
a professional like Scott Watkinson if you
have to.
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Rods
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Outdoor Gear
Coolers & Eskies
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River - Reef - Game
Ph: 0409 610 869
www.fishingportdouglas.com.au
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The Place to Relax on the Port Douglas Marina
10
New Fishing Club for Shire
By Kym Rowley
The Port Douglas Florist
Fresh & Friendly
Floral Design
Delivering to
Port Douglas
Mossman
& Cairns
Ph: 07 4099 5503
Many people come to the Shire to relax and
enjoy the quiet lifestyle but in many cases this
life can become a bit too quiet so it was decided
to establish a Fishing Club that offers a venue
for social interaction and enjoyment for the
whole family.
The Port Douglas Combined Club (The Tin
Shed) recently held a meeting of similar minded
fishing people for the purpose of establishing
such a fishing club in the Douglas Shire. With a
large number of people in attendance and after
a healthy discussion it was agreed to go ahead
to form the fishing club with the following
aims:
- To be family friendly
- To protect and conserve the angling
environment and its ecology
- To promote and encourage the sport of
angling regardless of ability
- To promote and encourage the sport in
the Douglas Shire
Work has now commenced to establish the
'Douglas Fishing Club'. The Logo as you can see
depicts the sunset in the tropics with an
aboriginal Barramundi painted by a local Kuku
Yalanji Artist, Pamela Salt. Up to date
information will be available on a dedicated
fishing page on the Tin Shed Website
www.thetinshed-portdouglas.com.au/fishingclub along with a Facebook Page.
Fishing throughout the Shire and beyond takes
you to many beautiful places, from the quiet
James Beitzel’s
reaches of some of our rivers, estuaries and
streams through to the open waters covering
some of the best reefs in the world. Becoming
a member of the Douglas Fishing Club makes
you much better placed to take advantage of
the fishing that is on offer, including Rock,
Beach, Estuary, Small Boat, Charter Boat and
Fresh Water. The fun and experienced group of
members have a common passion for fishing
and are ready to share their knowledge with
you. Regular fishing competitions and
organised trips away such as fishing excursions
to Lakefield National Park and Cooktown over
long weekends will be held throughout the
year making for plenty of opportunity for
everyone to have fun, catch fish, talk strategies
and enjoy each other's company.
Douglas Fishing Club values new members to
the club. Being associated with Port Douglas
District Combined Club (The Tin Shed) makes
for a strong club and the facilities are fantastic.
Come and spend a Tuesday evening at the Tin
Shed to find out more about our club and its
members. Monthly meetings are held the last
Tuesday of the month and these evenings are
the best opportunity for new members to find
out more about our club, what we have to
offer, and about fishing generally in the Shire.
Perhaps you may even like to join up. Who
knows what new friendships you may make,
fish you might catch and new opportunities
you might pursue.
For further information on the Douglas Fishing
Club contact the General Manager (Kym
Rowley) at the Tin Shed on 40995553 or
Email:manager@thetinshedportdouglas.com.au
We look forward to seeing you at our next
meeting!
RIVER, COAST
and REEF
Call 4090 7638
Cooktown
Port Douglas
Phone: (07) 4098 5761
Cnr Captain Cook Highway &
Port Douglas Rd, Pt Douglas QLD 4877
Email: portdouglasiga@cornetts.com.au
OPENING HOURS:
DAILY
MON–SUN: 7AM - 8PM
FULL RANGE OF GROCERIES
• LOCAL BREAD • DELICATESSEN
• FRESH FRUIT & VEGIES • FREEZER
• DAIRY • FRESH MEAT • BAIT & ICE
Phone: (07) 4069 5633
29 Helen St, Cooktown, QLD 4895
Email: cooktowniga@cornetts.com.au
OPENING HOURS:
MON–FRI: 8AM - 7PM
SAT: 8AM - 6PM
SUN: 8AM - 5PM
11
Reel Cooking
with Mojo’s
Mick Hart
Pickled Long Nose Emperor
Ingredients
1kg fish fillet
2 eggs
1/2 cup of flour
2tsp of turmeric
3 onions
2 cups malt vinegar
1/2 cup of brown sugar
2tbsp of curry powder
2 tbsp of corn flour
Veg oil
Method
Feed fish to the cat and use Mackerel, only joking.
Clean fish fillets and slice into thin pieces.
Mix flour with turmeric, salt and pepper. In a separate bowl
beat the eggs.
Meanwhile heat oil in fry pan, dust fish in flour then egg
and fry until golden, set aside on kitchen paper to cool.
Slice onions thin and fry in a large sauce pan until soft. Add
curry powder, vinegar, sugar and 1/2 cup of water.
Simmer for 5 min and lightly thicken with a corn flour and
water paste.
Layer fish and onions in
a container. Cover and
refrigerate for a night or
two before eating.
Serve with fresh bread
or crackers.
0419 015 262
12
Sea Trials with the Alvey Gunnell Rod
By Jase Teelow
A wholly owned and operated local
company, distributing wholesale dry,
chilled and frozen grocery items direct
to the kitchens of leading restaurants,
cafes, hotels and sports &
entertainment venues.
Proudly Servicing
Port Douglas,
Mossman, Cairns
and District
Phone 4035 3911
River - Reef - Game
Ph: 0409 610 869
www.fishingportdouglas.com.au
Hello Hookers and Jaggers, I had the most
beautiful opportunity to charter Dragon Lady
Fishing Tours last Sunday while there was a good
break in the weather. I guested aboard some of
my staff and their children for a team building day
and to give something back for their hard work. I
requested the company of the children to allow
them to experience a day out on the water with
the opportunity to catch fish. Typically early
morning at the Marina with a few coastal showers
about, the midgies were in fine form, everyone is
doing a bit of dancing around on the back deck of
the Dragon Lady Jnr. This was in no way
dampening the excitement of our group as
everyone was bursting with excitement for the
day of fishing that lies ahead.
Leaving the Marina little did my guests aboard
know that this charter was dedicated to filming
footage of the newly released Alvey Gunnell Rod
in action at their hands, footage by Dave Star of
Star Creations.
After watching seabreeze.com.au I was confident
that the weather would be kind for our day, this
gave us the opportunity to head to some of the
prime fishing grounds around Undine Reef.
Skipper Steve Adamson and his first mate and
leading man Lui Smith provided everyone aboard
comfort and security and it was evident that they
knew just how exciting an experience was about
to be delivered to these families.
We arrive at our first destination and anchor just
off Undine Reef, within minutes of lines hitting
the water, young Kira (9) negotiated a hit and a
miss and a hit again with the Reef God's. This
yielded the first fish on board being a nice Bar
Cheek Trout using the Alvey Gunnel Rod. Within
minutes of Kira's catch; First Mate Lui calls that
next hook up will be a big arse Cod. Next thing
Mens Style Cuts
from $20
Keith Lawrence
FUEL • OIL • SEAFOOD • BAIT • ICE
Dickson Inlet, Port St, Port Douglas
Phone 4099 6792
Toneisha (15) takes on a battle with a mighty
predator. Sure enough after 3 to 4 minutes of
squells of delight and reeling on the Alvey Gunnel
Rod Toniesha brings to the surface a monster Gold
Spotted Cod (well done Toneisha and good call
Lui).
Next few drops proved to be slow and
unproductive. Skipper Steve makes the call true
to character and his loyalty to his clients that it's
time to move on. His next mark is spot on, as lines
hit the water and make their way down, the
Gunnell Rods partnered with overhead reels all
begin to scream, multiple hook ups, line burning
at its finest! The children and their parents are in
awe and I can see nothing but big smiles, big fish
and loads of excitement from all on board. For me
personally seeing Levi (10) who is disabled hook
and jag big prize fish, seeing this little bloke
reeling his heart out on the Gunnell Rod (smile
from ear to ear) was rewarding beyond words.
As the day progressed I was thrilled to witness the
parents and children endeavour and continue to
hook and jag more prize fish with the Alvey
Gunnell Rods. In my lifetime I have never had the
pleasure to see such big smiles on children's faces
for having the ability to experience the excitement
of catching great size prize fish in spectacular Far
North Queensland. Personally I am thrilled to
have been able to provide this opportunity to my
staff and their awesome children.
Ok Hookers and Jaggers that is all for now, in the
meantime I would like to take this opportunity to
thank Steve Adamson and first mate Lui Smith
from Dragon Lady Fishing Tours for providing an
awesome action packed day for the families
aboard and one of my most personally rewarding
days on the water with the Alvey Gunnell Rod's!
13
14
High Quality Tackle
By Lachie O’Hanlon
We are now stocking a wide range of high quality tackle from
the guys at Black Magic Tackle in New Zealand. A long
established and proven brand, Black Magic has been popular for
a long time in Australia and we are glad to finally stock it due to
us having some more shelf space in our growing store. We carry
a selection of serious fishing hooks, razor sharp fillet knives,
skirted trolling lures, heavy duty GT poppers and the famous
Black Magic Tough Trace Monofilament and Fluorocarbon
leader. All of the Black Magic gear has been developed and
tested in NZ on demanding, tackle busting fish such as large
snapper on the reefs and World record size Yellowtail Kingfish so
you be assured it will take whatever punishment you can throw
at it!! The Tough Trace has been a favourite of mine over the
years for both its good knot tying properties and abrasion
resistance, not to mention the very good price point! This can
also be said for the Flourocarbon Tough trace which will be
popular amongst the lure casters. Their Poppers and Stickbaits
are built super strong with extra heavy Split rings and swivels
and come with quality double and single hooks to suit even the
toughest reef and pelagics that roam the reef. The same
attention to detail and use of quality components can be seen in
the Black Magic skirted trolling lures which are here just in time
for the juvenile Black Marlin which should show up in our local
waters any day now! Razor sharp filleting knives are another
great product we are now carrying from the guys at Black
Magic. Using high carbon Japanese steel they sure look and feel
like they will hold a good edge and sharpen up well.
Gamakatsu hooks need no introduction to the fishing world and
we proudly stock a wide variety of these top rated hooks at
Nautical Marine Sales. We have recently expanded and
improved our already large range of hooks and jigheads as
fishing techniques evolve. Among the new gear is a weedless
worm hook which is perfect for the style of “skim” or “skip”
casting that is catching on rapidly with the young generation of
soft plastic fisherman. The Gamakatsu Skip Gap hook matches
up perfectly with all of the popular “skipping” soft plastics of
today such as Keitech, Zman and Samaki Boom Baits. It has a
quite distinctive “Z” shape bend up near the eye of the hook
which stops the plastic sliding about which can happen with this
style of casting. Our juniors in the shop have been using the skip
technique a lot lately and with amazing results. They have
recently honed their skills with double figure sessions on Jacks
and Barra and are constantly looking for better tackle to suit this
casting method. When I showed them the Gamakatsu Skip Gap
they couldn't wait to get their hands on them! Skipping plastics
right into the dense timber requires unweighted weedless hooks
and bouyant soft plastics for best results and the Gamakatsu
Skip Gap fits this market perfectly. Being a light gauge hook it is
perfect for this style of fishing as it doesn't weigh the lure down
which is great for those who love their surface fishing. As with
all Gamakatsu hooks they are chemically sharpened and along
with the fine wire guage this helps with penetration and results
in better hook up rates. If you want to find out more about the
new skipping lure trend then pop in and have a chat to the boys
at Nautical Marine, they sure know their stuff.
Chandlery & Electronics - Fishing Tackle & Rod Hire - Charts & Books - Tour Bookings - Marine Insurance - Yacht Brokering
Hella 12v Turbo Fans.
Great for Camping
or the Boat.
Just $125!!!
Chose ANY 3
mixed Zman
or Samaki
Boom Baits
and get a
FREE pack of
TT jigheads
of your choice!!
Tusa Ladies
Soft Silicone
Mask and Snorkel
Sets $69.95!!
Monthly Specials
Penn GT 330
Mackerel Combo
A steal at $129!!
Samaki Advanced
PE Japanese braid
300yd spools
all sizes just $39.95!
Atomic Hardz Shiners.
Entire range all a crazy $15!!
Andrew & Jane McNeil - Shop 2, 30 Wharf Street - PO Box 727, Port Douglas
Ph: (07) 4099 6508 Mob: 0400 721 110 E: nauticalmarine@rocketmail.com
New SeaFlo
Bilge Pumps
from $24.95 (500GPH)
New Samaki Choona
Slow Jigs 2 for $20!
Monthly Specials
15
Tragedy in the Daintree
Early on the morning of Monday the 30th of May 2016, we all heard of the tragedy of a woman who
was killed by a large crocodile, late in the night before. It was 10.30pm and the two women were
having fun at Thornton's Beach while wading in waist deep water on the Sunday night. The
community was abuzz. We watched the media and waited for any news. However, the reality of the
event really hit home with many people. How could it happen? Why did it happen? Why wasn't the
croc dealt with earlier, to prevent it happening, as it had been seen swimming up and down the
beach?
Whenever there is a croc attack, the public raises various questions from both sides of the argument.
The prominent question is; why can't we cull them to reduce their numbers? Everyone has their views
and I'm one for having a platform of being able to air mine. Culling crocs is not the answer and attacks
remain low. The density of crocs is low, despite the public thinking that there are too many.
One hundred years ago croc numbers in the Daintree River probably numbered about 300-400 adults, from the river
mouth and about 50 kms upstream. Croc hunting started about 80 years ago, for their skins, for fashion items. By the
early 1970's the population had almost been wiped out. So, in 1974 under the Nature Conservation Act, the animals
were protected and gradually their numbers recovered and eventually stabilised. The public seem to think that the
numbers are getting out of hand and that our rivers are infested. Crocs cannot infest rivers as they will regulate their own
numbers, naturally. Fish is their staple diet and fish life is not as prolific as it used to be. This will certainly regulate their
numbers. There are about 70 adults in this river these days, much lower than the original numbers. The human
population is growing and you will therefore see an increase in sightings which gives the public the impression that the
numbers are increasing.
I was contacted by several aspects of the media for my views and the first question was, generally, how can we stop crocs
from killing people. My reply was that it will not stop because people will continue to make mistakes. The second
question was, will this discourage tourists from coming here. My reply was that it will have the opposite effect. By
nature, people are inquisitive.
Sadly, Cindy Waldren lost
her life. Her family implored
the authorities to leave the
croc alone. A gallant
gesture but it is
Government policy to
remove or destroy the
animal.
Be croc wise in croc country.
Be part of the new Fishing Club
in the Douglas Shire
Douglas Fishing Club
LEADING RESIDENTIAL HOME
BUILDER IN PORT DOUGLAS
Ph: 0427 379 802
Meetings held on the last Tuesday of the month at
Port Douglas District Combined Club
Everyone Welcome
Enquiries: 4099 5553
Local Bragging Board
this horse of a
Caz from Cairns caught
fishing with
Large Mouth Nannygai
ers
art
Ch
Dragon Lady
Kira and Levi loved
using the Gunnell
Rod
and caught a swag
of Reef fish
The MV Norseman found that the
Spanish Mackerel came on the bite
with a bit of chop on the water
Anthony Guiness
Keen Fly Angler
ent
wn south and sp
came up from do
s
wa
d
ie Beitzel an
the day with Jam
h
is
nf
ee
Qu
is big
rewarded with th
Port Douglas Sportfishing caught
this Gold Spot Trevally fishing the
inshore reefs
Baylee Morana with a 150cm
- 22kg
Spanish Mackerel caught at
Undine Reef