15770 - Oct 15 Line Bunrer p1-4.cdr

VOLUME 178 PRICELESS
OCT 15
2
FRONT COVER: Supplied by Jake Wyatt working on Amokura 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
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within are the property of the submitter and not our
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VALUED
CONTRIBUTORS
Michael Hart
Keith Graham
Jamie Beitzel
Damian Collete
Nautical Marine team
Jason Teelow
Steve Adamson
Bruce Belcher
Jake Wyatt
‘Sharky’ Shane Down
Lynton Heffer (Editor)
Features
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Two Bites Equals 20kg of Fish
Mackerel Islands
Dragon Lady Diary
Daintree Report
Micks Cooking
Crocodiles in Breeding Mode
Nautical Marine Product Review
Javelin Boats - Locally Made
Absolute Quality Craftmanship
Shed 11A, Johnston St, Stratford, Cairns 4870
Ph: 0417 766 094 javelinboats.com.au
3
Two Bites - 20kg of Fish
By ‘Sharky’ Shane Down
There’s something magical about this time of
year in the tropics and it just feels like a good
time to be out there fishing. As it happens
often around this time the winds dropped out
beautifully on my day off from work and the
‘old man’ was also super keen to hit the blue
water. It had been awhile since our last trip for
various reasons and we were keen to make
up for lost time. I made sure I had the old
trusty Haines Hunter fully prepped the night
before in readiness for an early departure.
At 6am the sun had just poked its head above
the horizon and we were already on our way
scooting along at 30 knots to our first
location. There’s no better sensation with the
wind whistling through your hair as you
ponder what the trip will deliver whilst you
take in the stunning coastline that we live
along.
My first choice of destination took us out
towards Snapper Island where I had a wonky
hole mark I hadn’t fished for some time.
Running over the hole the sounder lit up with
a good display of life on the screen. The next
trick was to work out which way the current
was running so we could anchor properly. I
guessed it running about from the south plus
we had an 8 knot onshore breeze coming
west straight out of the Daintree River.
Carefully choosing my spot I lowered the
anchor over the side and waited to see how
the boat would hang. Once the anchor came
tight and I had tied it off I was glad to see on
the sounder I had done a pretty good job of
coming back over the hole.
Immediately as the baits were lowered there
were heaps of pickers peppering away at the
bait. This often can be the way but you just
have to be patient on these holes because
hopefully sooner or later the bigger fish will
get inquisitive at the activity going on around
them. After replacing my bait a couple of
times I finally got that enquiry I was looking
for. It was a typical large mouth nannygai
bite. Slurp, slurp and then crunch. At this
point I drove the hook in as hard as I could.
This certainly did the trick as the bugger
nearly pulled my arms off in response. It
buckled me over the side of the boat and I had
no choice but to straighten up and give it
back. My arms were like a helicopter wielding
above my head as I retrieved the hand line bit
by bit. Quite often the fish pulled back much
harder and I had no choice but to hang on for
dear life and take the pain as the line just dug
into my hands. You know at this point you
have a decent fish attached to the end of your
line. I guess it took a few minutes of grit
before I could see an orange/silver flash of
colour below slowly ascending to the surface.
Even from 10m or so from the boat I could tell
it was a stonker of a fish. Once at the boat I
slipped my arm under its gills and literally
hoisted this monster onto the deck which
made an almighty thud. It was a chunk of a
fish which tipped the scales at 10kg. Other
than quickly dispatching the fish I had
another line down in the water before you
would know it. Unfortunately we spent a
further 45 minutes without even a sniff of a
fish. This can be the case when fishing wonky
holes, you might only get one or two good
fish and that’s it.
A couples of shifts a bit further south
produced donuts so I travelled 5nm south
east to a wonky hole that had a bit of history
in delivering the goods. Upon arrival we were
greeted by a black olive sea snake swimming
on the surface. It was obvious to me that it
had made the wonky its home for the
moment.
Upon lowering baits we were hammered
River - Reef - Game
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Open 6 days a week
4
20kg of Fish cont ...
by nit pickers for quite a bit having to re-bait
several times. Then the sea snake resurfaced and I decided to drop my line
directly in line from where it had swum up
by. This change in tactic worked a treat
because instantly I received a bump, bump
www.fishingportdouglas.com.au on the end of the line. Once I was certain the
fish had the bait down its gob I struck hard
making connection. At first I thought I had
made acquaintances with a mighty gold
spot cod just due to the shear weight of the
thing. Then the fish woke up and fought a
huge battle surging in different directions
which had me tap dancing across the deck
and belting me into the side of the boat with
hefty plunges at various times.
This tug fo war lasted several minutes and I
knew I was into another massive nannygai.
Finally after pulling out all stops I could see
down below the majestic glisten of another
big nannygai making his way to the boat.
Once flung over the gunwhale this fish
despite being only 9kg seemed to be much
bigger the way it fought. Who was caring,
certainly not me as this was another horse of
a fish anyone would be proud of.
From this point on we couldn’t come across
any more decent bites which was a bit
disappointing for the old man who had been
patient all morning watching me do the
business. In a final ditch effort to obtain
some action I tried flicking out a weightless
pilchard on my spin reel only to encounter
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the interest of a couple of spinner sharks which
are a bit of fun on the end of the line.
Whilst mucking around doing this a huge
manta ray swum by not too far from the boat
which is always nice to see and a fitting way to
end a good little session on the water.
So we returned home with almost 20kg of
whole fish which soon turned into a healthy
supply of fish fillet which would keep the
freezer stocked up for some time to come. That
was not before a feed of fresh fish that night
which is always mouth watering when it’s direct
from the ocean to the plate. Considering we
only hade two proper bites for the morning that
was a pretty handy result in my books.
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Above Grade
Bureau Forecast
El Niño continues to strengthen. Recent
oceanic and atmospheric indicators are at
levels not seen since the 1997–98 El Niño.
Persistently weak or reversed trade winds and
a strongly negative Southern Oscillation Index
(SOI), in conjunction with the ongoing
warming in the tropical Pacific Ocean,
indicate the El Niño is unlikely to end before
early 2016.
Climate models indicate sea surface
temperatures in the central tropical Pacific are
likely to rise further over the next few months,
coming close to, or possibly exceeding,
monthly values observed during the 1997–98
event. All models suggest the event will peak
around the end of the year, followed by rapid
weakening heading into autumn 2016. It is
too early to accurately determine the likely
pattern beyond autumn, but a continued El
Niño is considered the least likely outcome at
this stage.
5
Dragon Lady Diary
By Steve Adamson
As anticipated September was a block buster month for
us and barring a patch of ugly weather in the second
week of the month the rest of it was exceptionally good.
Tourist numbers were quite healthy and both our vessels
got a solid workout particularly when the school holidays
arrived.
The fishing remained consistently positive over the course and I
can’t recall too many days when you would say it was a quiet trip.
There was a real mixture of fish on the go and the esky resembled
a Rubix Cube with an array of colours on display at the end of the
day. Probably the best and most consistent fish remained the
coral and bar cheek trout with some impressive specimens
coming back to the dock at times. The large mouth were about
at times but their sizes varied were all over the shop with just
legal fish up to the bigger models being caught in the same
school. Stripies, moses perch and sweetlip were always around
and were often caught in pursuit of the coral trout more so up in
the shallows. We saw some nice cobia caught throughout the
month and a few good quality reef mangrove jack were a bonus
at this time of the year. The spanish mackerel were fairly
consistent but I wouldn’t say they were as prolific as recent
months. In saying this some of the mackerel were quite
impressive.
A lot of our reef fin species nicely roed up during September and
its possible these fish spawned early this year because following
this only a smaller percentage of fish carried roe. The first reef
closure on the 10th October seems like it will be the next phase
for these fish to do their mating processes. The trout in particular
will likely go into lock jaw mode leading into the new moon but
will be back on the chew when the closure finishes. The trout
have been congregating in more concentrated numbers now for
some time on certain parts of the reef.
We did a lot of private charters this month on the smaller 34ft
game boat which entailed reef, light game, heavy tackle and
snorkelling charters. The light game was okay and we came
across spanish mackerel, giant trevally, tuna and wahoo
exploring a bit wider out on the shelf. We even
trolled up a coral trout in 40m of water at one
point which is one out of the blue. Our efforts
for a black marlin went unrewarded but their
best time is still ahead of us in the next two
months.
As the month came to a close the weather
remained close to picture perfect and we really
had a good of fish leading into the full moon.
Once again it was a real mixture of fish clambering over the side
on a regular basis and it was a the perfect way to showcase our
region for the many visiting anglers that were up this way.
Looking ahead October is always a busy month with our
forward bookings looking very solid. The weather pattern looks
like it should hold out and the word is that there will be little rain
about. I give you the tip, the days are quickly hotting up on the
water so cover up and keep up the soft beverage fluids.
Cleaning Services
6
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22 Macrossan Street
Port Douglas
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Offering the freshest of
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Non-seafood menu items
also available
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(diagonally opposite Post Office)
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www.finzportdouglas.com
On the Daintree
By Jamie Beitzel
It’s been a very hectic time up on the Daintree
with back to back charters keeping me busy
for 7 days a week at the moment. My
operation has seen a lot of return clients in
recent times and it is good to see familiar
faces on charter. These people are good to
work with and are not greedy people in the
fact that they are happy with a simple feed of
fish. In the last couple of years the bulk of my
business is repeat clientele now which is a
good sign that we are doing something well
up here.
Conditions over the past month or so have
been pretty handy with the important fact
that the saltwater has been pushing right up
the river on those high tides. This has given
the river fresh life and opens up a lot more
fishing ground to explore.
Everyone asks how is the barra fishing going ?
Well the barras started biting better towards
the back end of August and have ticked along
nicely since. My usual haunts have produced
well on lures and live baits and they have been
mostly the average river size between 6070cm with the odd bigger fish around. I’ve
been catching them along all stretches of the
river and the extra saltwater pushing right up
has helped this outcome. This coming month
will probably provide the most consistent
conditions to chase the barra before the
closures in November and any early wet
season rain.
thrown in front of its nose. I’ve also caught
some really big golden trevally out in the open
grounds and they have been a handful to
contain at times which is exactly what the
punters enjoy.
One fish which has dropped off the radar is
the bigger queenfish. I’ve caught the odd
metre specimen but I’ve reduced my time in
specifically targeting them. They are still in
the river but not in the volume we saw in the
cooler months. I suspect the bigger fish are
out along the coast and I’ve heard this from a
couple of sources. In saying this there are a
healthy supply of mid sized fish to keep the
reels ticking over and they are feeding on the
population of small bait fry in the river.
One fish which is abundant at the moment
and taking advantage of the small fry is the
juvenile barracuda. Being extremely
aggressive by nature they’ll also eat anything
put in front of their nose and I’ve
encountered my fair share of snip offs as they
flash through quickly with their razor sharp
teeth. They seem to be around every snag you
fish and have been a bit of a nuisance at
times.
I’ve been offshore only a few times recently
and have caught my quota of trout, nannygai
and gold spot cod for my clients. The sharks
however were ever present for whatever
reason and did spoil a couple of locations. I’m
not sure why their population has exploded
The upstream deep holes have been a honey
pot for light sportfishing chasing the tarpon.
They are incredibly thick and you can spend
hours catching one after the other if you
wanted. Small poppers, soft plastics and flies
are readily eaten and the good old tarpon is
always good for a carry on with their
acorbatical displays on the surface.
Further back downstream our tropical species
are relishing the warmer water temperatures
and likes of fingermark and mangrove jack
have gone into overdrive. It hasn’t been too
hard to latch onto these fish with the
fingermark very partial to a live sardine and
the mangrove jack, well he’ll attack anything
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ABN: 34 069 005 438 003
7
but there are quite a few along the coast at
the moment.
Not that I’ve personally targeted them, but
the locals and visiting nomads are saying that
the grey mackerel are running a bit thin now,
however there are numbers of school
mackerel around and there’s been some nice
spanish registered near Snapper Island.
One fish that you normally expect to
encounter at this time of year is the longtail
and mack tuna around the Kimberley coast
but they have been nowhere to be seen. This
has been the case for the last couple of
seasons and I’m not sure why. I remember a
few years ago they were everywhere and you
were basically guaranteed some great
angling on these sport fish.
Other news from the locals/nomads have
been reports of good sized grunter across the
flats within the river. Many of them are
content to sit there all day soaking their dead
baits catching the odd good fish. They also
have endured plenty of tedious battles with
shovel nose and stingrays in the process.
Looking ahead my schedule is looking super
busy once again which I don’t mind because
the fishing is normally top notch at this time
of year and I don’t have to stress too much. I’ll
see you on the Daintree or somewhere
nearby soon ...
River - Reef - Game
Ph: 0409 610 869
www.fishingportdouglas.com.au
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8
A Fishing Holiday Elsewhere
By James Gould - Skipper MV Norseman
PORT DOUGLAS
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•MUD CRABS•BUGS
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PRODUCE
•CONDIMENTS
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•PRAWNS COOKED DAILY
Enjoying good weather all year round,
Onslow in Western Australia (WA) is a pretty
coastal town offering a relaxed holiday. It’s
one of the few places where the sun rises and
sets over water, and is the gateway to the
Mackerel Islands.
On arriving at the island, we were met by Art,
Jade and their friendly staff who happily
Established in 1883, Onslow was originally transferred all our supplies and gear to one of
home to a fleet of pearling luggers. Due to the the 8 person cabins, of which we were the
movement of the river over the years, the only ones on the island.
town and many of its historic buildings were With the forecast for slight winds and flat
relocated in 1925 to the new township site.
seas, the gear was quickly unpacked and with
some of Paul Herron’s latest and greatest rod
creations matched up with Shimano and
Saltiga's finest, we were quickly heading out
to the grounds for the first afternoons fish.
OPEN 10am - 5.30pm
TUESDAY – SUNDAY (Closed Mondays)
11 Grant Street, Port Douglas
Phone: 4099 4960
River - Reef - Game
Ph: 0409 610 869
www.fishingportdouglas.com.au
Bistro
TAB - Pokies
Drive Thru
Bottleshop
Sky Channel
Pool Table
Full AirCon
long time Norseman veteran resides. I was
joined by Finchy another Norseman regular
from Sydney and Blake, a WA local, for the
1600km journey ahead.
Despite August being one of the busier
months on the Norseman, every now and
again even charter boat skippers need a
holiday!! And what better way to spend your
time off than fishing!!!! This year the plan
was made to travel to the North West region
of West Australia, fishing the Mackerel Islands
off Onslow for 8 days, while basing ourselves
in one of the cabins on Thevenard Island,
some 12 miles off the coast.
As with all types of fishing, the key is to adapt
your style and rig of fishing to the location
and bottom for which you're fishing. Having
fished here before, it didn't take long for the
first rod to buckle over and a nice 5kg coral
trout hit the deck. Now fishing out of a boat
painted red with blue spots and called CT
OMG, it was the perfect start to the trip. The
rest of the afternoon followed suit with the
tally reaching 4 big trout, 2 red emperor
around 9kg and a few nice Rankin cod.
Now we're very spoilt in NQ when it comes to
bag limits and fish, so whilst the tally may not
sound a lot for a days fishing, the reality is bag
limits in the west are only 20kg per person
regardless of duration and individual limits of
1 coral trout per day. With 8 days on the
island, our limits wouldn't take long to reach
with the fish on the chew.
The next day seen an early start, and the plan
to
push out a little deeper chasing some more
The journey began in the small seaside
reds
around the 70m mark was on the cards.
community of Peppermint Grove Beach,
some 200km south of Perth, where Ronnie, a With perfect weather the trip out didn't take
Reef St
Four Mile
Port Douglas
Ph: 4099 3655
TRINITY
SPORTFISHING
Port Douglas
to book call
0411 774 804
www.trinitysportfishing.com.au
trinitysportfishing@gmail.com
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Nov 4th - 8th 2015
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9
too long, With some big flare ups of fish on
the sounder, the big baits were soon
dispatched and rods once again buckling
over. This was some great fun, the fish were
big and the arms were hurting. However the
sharks had other ideas, we couldn't get a fish
to the surface. The decision was made to drive
away, there was no point staying constantly
losing fish and retying rigs. This seemed to be
the trend for most of the day and we returned
with a fairly light esky.
but the scenery and drive up through the
desert country is quite spectacular, the islands
are different to the East coast, but equally as
beautiful. So with good company, plenty of
beer and WA's finest wines, what better way
to spend a few weeks.
With glass out conditions forecast, we figured
it was perfect timing to break out the big
Daiwa and Shimano electric reels and head of
the shelf to the 300m plus regions, chasing
ruby snapper, a type of fishing which hasn't
really been explored too much recreationally
back East. Using electric reels may not seem
sporting but if you've ever tried winding that
much line up with big fish and a 2kg sinker
,you'll soon want one. A dozen ruby's later
and we were headed back for a late arvo
session on the reds before returning under
the cover of darkness to the island. After such
a long day, we planned to fillet the catch the
following morning followed by a lazy day
snorkeling and diving for crays. Again, if
you're ever over this way check with fisheries
as rules and regulations are very different
from over East.
The annual humpback migration is in full
swing over west this time of year as well, and
with more whales sighted per day than I've
ever seen, some 50-100 on occasions, it made
for some spectacular days on the water.
The fishing picked up again with the return of
the sea breeze and the 20kg possession limits
with more quality trout, red emperor, tusk fish
and rankin cod were soon reached. With
bottom fishing off the cards, the GT popper
rods were unpacked and we headed up to
Rosily Cays for a spot of arm stretching,
trevally style. After a couple of GT's each, only
around the 10-15 kg mark landed, and a few
smokings by the bigger models, we returned
to base with the forecast turning nasty for the
rest of the day and the next few days. Another
session on the crayfish the following
morning and it was time to wash and strip the
gear ready for the long drive home.
It's a long way to come just to catch a few fish,
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Captain Cook Hwy
Craiglie
River - Reef - Game
Ph: 0409 610 869
www.fishingportdouglas.com.au
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10
Reef Closures Upon Us
Oct 10-14 & Nov 9-13
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Ph: 07 4099 5503
James Beitzel’s
RIVER, COAST
and REEF
Like many reef fish, coral trout spawning
corresponds to an increase in water
temperature from approximately 25.0 to 26.5
°C during late spring. In the northern Great
Barrier Reef, coral trout spawn between
September and December, whereas in the
southern regions where the water is cooler,
spawning occurs between October and
February. Since 2009 authorities have
determined that the October and November
new moon period is our most likely time for
coral trout and other reef fin species to spawn.
This year is debatable as a lot of charter
operators are saying that this may have already
occurred in September when a lot of the fish
were roed up and now only some of them are.
They do say however spawning will still likely
take place over the next couple of months.
Coral trout generally aggregate (crowd into a
dense cluster) to spawn. These aggregations
are formed around reef slopes around 10 to 15
meters (33 to 49 ft) deep and peak at the new
moon. Spawning occurs when the tidal flow is
strong, particularly during ebb tides. This is
thought to allow the newly released eggs to be
transported well away from the reef and its
associated predators. Spawning typically takes
place at dusk, when the light levels make it
difficult for predators to see and feed upon the
eggs.
As coral trout aggregate, males establish
temporary territories. They then try to entice
females into their territories to spawn by means
of elaborate courtship displays. As part of this
courtship ritual, male coral trout display their
fins' darkened edges, which can be switched on
and off almost instantly. The male will approach
a female, which is usually close to the bottom,
with his body tilted at 45°–90° (almost lying on
his side in the water) and repeatedly quivering
lengthwise and shaking his head from side to
side. He passes close to the female's head or
body with either the top or underside of his
body. This process is repeated.
Spawning rushes occur after this courtship
behaviour, if the female agrees. During a
spawning rush, the male and female swim
rapidly towards the surface, where they release
sperm and eggs into the water as they quickly
turn. The cloud of sperm and eggs released
during a spawning rush is not easily seen, but its
presence can sometimes be noted by the frantic
feeding of small plankton-eating fish.
The spawning of coral trout generally occurs
over a 30-40 minute period during sunset.
Some coral trout (especially males) spawn more
than once during an evening.
Like most reef fish, coral trout have a larval
stage where the eggs and larvae develop within
the water column, allowing them to disperse to
nearby reefs.
Fertilisation takes place after spawning; the
fertilised eggs float just below the water
surface. The incubation period for coral trout
eggs is unknown, but may be around 20 to 45
hours. The newly hatched larvae are not very
well developed and obtain nutrients from a yolk
sac. As they develop, their spines, fins, gut, and
other internal organs develop, as do their
senses. Eventually, the yolk sac is completely
absorbed and the larvae begin to see and catch
their own prey.
The fastest period of growth in coral trout
occurs in the first three years of life. The average
daily growth of newly settled juveniles has been
measured at 0.81 mm per day. This means they
reach close to 14 cm in the first 6 months.
Growth rates of coral trout are variable; every
age class has a wide range of sizes. To estimate
growth, the age and size of a fish must be
determined. Most commonly, the growth of
fish is measured by collecting individuals of
varying sizes, measuring their length and
determining their age by the otoliths.
Recent research has found that common coral
trout reaches a maximum age of 16 years.
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
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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
Poached Sweetlip
Ingredients;
4 x 200g Sweetlip fillets (cleaned)
1/2 onion diced
2 garlic cloves
1 long red chilli
2tbsp of ginger
3 tbsp of olive oil
1 tin of coconut cream
1/2 tin diced tomato
1 tbsp of fish sauce
1 tbsp of brown sugar
3 lime leaf (steam removed & sliced)
1 cinnamon stick
2 star anise
1/2 tsp turmeric
Fresh herbs, Coriander, Thai Basil
Method
Gently fry onions, garlic, chilli, ginger in oil without colour
until caramelised.
Blend with tomato, fish sauce, sugar, turmeric and return to
the pan. Add spices, lime leaf, coconut cream and bring to
a simmer for 5 min.
Gently lay in the fish fillets, cover with a lid and poach on a
very low setting for about 10 min.
Carefully remove fillets and spoon over broth. Serve with
rice or noodles and top with fresh coriander and Thai basil.
0419 015 262
12
It’s Just the Start of Good Times
By Jake Wyatt - Port Douglas Sportfishing
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
Mens Style Cuts
from $20
Well it has been a cracker start to the season
with the fishing this year. Over the past few
weeks I have been spreading my time over
Port Douglas Sport Fishing and Amokura
and we have been having a ball.
Earlier in August we competed in the Cairns
Bluewater Bill Fish Tournament with the
Sandy family, owners of the Amokura vessel
and we had a great time. Darren and his
family love their fishing and so do the kids.
So this year we had the kids as the main
anglers and they did a fantastic job. The
weather was not too bad and the fish were
on the bite. By the end of the first and
second days we were ahead on the tag
count. As fishing began on the final day,
another Port Douglas local boat, Saltaire was
right behind us, hot on our heels and soon
they had called in a hook up. It was neck and
neck leading right to the final countdown
and then we had a strike, hooked up and
tagged in a couple of minutes. This had us
both on 7 tagged fish each for the
tournament. Then only a few minutes later
we had another one tagged and I could
breath again. Stop fishing was called and we
had won just in the nick of time. This was the
first tournament I had won as a crew
member and we were stoked, let the
partying begin.
The following week it was bottom fishing
and reef time. The weather was up and
down although it didn't seem to bother the
fish too much. Our main clientele was
directed at the bottom fishing scene and
extended charters, which enabled us to head
Keith Lawrence
FUEL • OIL • SEAFOOD • BAIT • ICE
Dickson Inlet, Port St, Port Douglas
Phone 4099 6792
further north and fish our favourite spots.
We found ourselves up on the Ribbon Reefs
which literally receives very little traffic. The
nannygai came in thick and fast like I had
never seen before and as for the red
emperor, well they were out of control. I
have seen some big reds come in over my
time but a couple we landed were absolutely
huge. We also spent a bit of time popper
fishing and the nailed some beauties. The
Gt’s further north are definitely bigger in
size.
Working briefly on Port Douglas Sportfishing
we had a group of blokes come up from
Adelaide and to their delight we managed to
score some of the best fishing I have had on
the trailer boat. After getting their arms
ripped off by big large mouth nannygai, we
thought we would try some light jigging and
plastics. Once again as soon as the jigs were
down they were engulfed by multiple nice
size trout. One of the fellas also ended up
scoring a nice 10kg giant trevally on a plastic
with a 20lb leader. The Spanish seemed to be
a little quiet this day and we only registered a
couple for the trip. Despite this it was a
great day of variety and quality fish.
I’m now finding myself extremely busy in
preparation for the heavy tackle season
ahead aboard Amokura. Basically for the
next two months we’ll find ourselves living at
sea chasing those big black marlin. It is my
most favourite time of year and I’m hoping
we can achieve or even better the 60 plus
fish we tagged last year including a couple
over a thousand pound.
Big Black Marlin Season
By Heff
Authentic Aussie Cuisine
Best Live Gigs in Town
Karaoke Nights
Big Screen Sports
Pool Tables
Cane Toad Racing
5 Macrossan St
Ph: 4099 4776
River - Reef - Game
Ph: 0409 610 869
www.fishingportdouglas.com.au
It’s that time of year again when the region is inundated
with a flotilla of game fishing boats, some of which come
as far south as the Sydney region. Their quest is to catch
the big black marlin which are due to arrive at any stage
along the continental shelf to breed with the smaller
resident males. These big fish which can exceed over
1000lb, travel vast distances from the Pacific ocean and
migrate each year between September to December to
our local waters between Lizard Island and Cairns. Reef
systems such as the Ribbon Reefs, Opal Ridge and Linden
Bank are legendary for producing big numbers of big
fish.
There are a couple of big tournaments held in the region
over the next couple of months including the Lizard
Island Black Marlin classic tournament between the
dates of 17th-24th October and the Port Douglas Marlin
Challenge between the dates of 5th-8th November. This
year sees the Lizard Island tournament return back to the
island after being devastated two years ago by a cyclone.
Last year they temporarily ran the tournament out of
Cooktown but according to all reports the island resort
and famous marlin bar are back in full swing. The
adjacent Ribbon Reefs are famous for some really hot
bites during the October period.
Focus then turns further south during November as the
bite progresses down the edge of the shelf where the
Port Douglas Marlin Challenge in its 6th year of running
comes into play. This year sees some ripping tides during
the competition which is run over four days and the
action should be awesome between St.Crispins Reef,
Opal Ridge, Linden Bank down to the Jenny Louise Shoal.
This is the time of year when anglers from all over the
world converge to our piece of paradise in the quest for
the Holy Grail of fishing. 80% of the world’s registered
1000lb plus fish are caught on our local waters making it
easily the best black marlin fishery on the planet.
PORT DOUGLAS TIDE TABLE OCTOBER 2015
13
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.
14
TUESDAYS
$20 ‘All You Can Eat’ Buffet
WEDNESDAYS
$300 Pool Comp
THURSDAYS
Tradies Afternoon
FRIDAYS
Live Music
EXCHANGE HOTEL - MOSSMAN
Enjoy Our Restaurant, Beer Garden &
Swimming Pool
Australia’s Newest Shimano Dealership
By Lachie O’Hanlon
We are extremely pleased to announce that Nautical Marine
Sales Port Douglas is the newest Shimano fishing tackle dealer in
Australia!! This is the first time that Shimano Fishing Tackle has
ever been stocked in Port Douglas and we are excited to be able
to offer this quality brand to our loyal customers. We are now
stocking a wide range of Shimano products in store including
rods, reels, tools, lures, tackle boxes, soft plastics, hats, shirts,
shoes and everything in between. And if we haven't got exactly
what you want, just let us know and we can most certainly get it
for you! The response around the shire has been very positive, in
fact we have already sold 3 x 20000 Stella's and a bunch of
TLD's to a couple of our local fishing charter operations, our
prices are very competitive! Along with Shimano we also now
carry and have access to a large range of other brands
associated with Shimano including Squidgy soft plastics,
Spanyid Sniper Vibes and Metal Jigs, PowerPro Braid and G
Loomis rods. Save yourself the hassle of driving to Cairns and
shop local, we guarantee Nautical
Marine Sales will look after you
with service, advice and the best
price!!
Amongst the Latest and Greatest in
the shop this month is the new
Penn Clash spin reel. I have been
waiting for these to arrive since
playing with a sample earlier at the
trade show earlier in the year.
Another new item of interest is the
Classic Barra 10+ Suspending lure.
This suspending version of the ever
popular Classic Barra is a first for the range and we are guessing
it will make a handy addition to the tackle box of many Barra
fisherman in the North.
Nautical Marine is now stocking a wide range of Eagle Claw
Hooks to complement our already extensive range of Mustad,
Owner and Gamakatsu hooks. For those who aren't familiar
with Eagle Claw here is a quick history about them. They have
been manufacturing fishing hooks in America since the late
1920's and to this day they are still produced in the USA. Like all
things American, bigger and stronger is better and this is
reflected in the strength, sharpness and finish of all Eagle Claw
Hooks. Some of their new Trokar range of hooks caught my eye
at the AFTA Tackle show recently and from what I'm told they
are sharpened for Eagle Claw by a company who specialises in
sharpening surgical equipment and much of this process is done
by hand! When they make something they definitely don't do it
by halves. We recently sent out 1000 8/0 and 9/0 hooks for
testing with a fair few of our local Commercial Coral Trout
fishing boats. These guys go through tens of thousands of
hooks a year and rely on good tackle so we figured they would
give the most reliable reviews. So far the initial feedback has
been very positive with the majority saying they are extremely
happy with them. Check out the Eagle Claw range next time
you're at Nautical Marine, the quality and prices will impress!
Chandlery & Electronics - Fishing Tackle & Rod Hire - Charts & Books - Tour Bookings - Marine Insurance - Yacht Brokering
Encoda Hornet Heavy
Jig Rods - Ideal for
Bottom Fishing
$89 - save $70
Brand New Penn Clash
Spin Reels from $299.95
Wilson Heavy Duty Fishing &
Camping Chair $44.95
Monthly Specials
NAUTICAL
MARINE SALES
Opera House Pots 4 for $30
NOW STOCKING SHIMANO GEAR
ABN: 19 741 153 755
P O RT D O U G L A S
N
E
W
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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
Rob Allen
Sparid Spearguns
$389 - we dare you to find
cheaper !
Monthly Specials
15
Crocs in Breeding Mode
During the third week of August, spring was in the air! Suddenly, the nights were warmer. Off went the
doonas and the sweaters. The Pencil orchids started flowering, along with many other plants. The
migratory birds started reappearing, some from New Guinea, like the Pied-Imperial Pigeon and the
Brown-backed Honeyeater and some of the waders from as far away as Siberia. This immediate change
in the climate was expressed by behavioural habits with the crocodiles. During July and August, the
estuarine water temperature is 22 degrees. The cold-blooded reptiles are least active and bask on the
banks in the warmth of the sunlight. However, this change heralds the start of the breeding season.
Although I've been guiding on the river for many years, I've not seen much territorial activity or mating.
So, after reading up on this I will quote some descriptions on this subject from a book titled Australian
Crocodiles, A Natural History, written by Grahame Webb and Charlie Manolis.
The authors say that the saltwater crocodile's breeding season starts in September and finishes in about April. Mating is
the culmination of a series of behavioural interactions between individuals, in which there are many submissive displays,
including snout rubbing. Mating takes place in the water. The male lies over the female's back and wraps his hind legs and
tail under her, so that their cloacas come into contact. The single penis (some snakes and lizards have two) is inserted into
the cloaca and sperm is ejaculated into the two oviducts. Mating might occur several times and can take up to 15 minutes.
From my observation, the general time of egg laying is about late November and as it takes about 3 months for incubation.
We generally see the first hatchlings towards the end of February. It takes about 4-6 weeks between mating and egg
laying.
There are some doubts about the actual nest building time but I believe that the female scratches up dead leaves and soil
about 2 weeks before egg laying; perhaps mid -November. Once the nest has started to decompose, warmth is generated
and the female digs a hole, in the top, about the space of a 20 litre container. She'll lay roughly 70 eggs, then buries them
and spends most of the time protecting the nest. Ultimately, only about one will reach maturity. See you next month.
Ph: 0412 329 568
rs
Cove
Line Burner
PORTCUSTOMMARINECOVERS
Private & Commercial Vessels
KATEENASKOUMBOURDIS
Marine Trimmer
Mobile: 0410 533 141
Workshop Nth West Cnr of Reef Marina Carpark Complex
www.imagebankaustralia.com.au
Any Type of printing –
Little to
HUMONGOU
S
Lotsa can display some of your fabulous fishing photos as a
collage and create a full colour gloss vinyl banner (600 x 840mm)
with aluminium snap-in hangers to make a unique Wall Hanging.
Priced from $60, it is perfect as a gift or a special memento of your fishing trip.
Local Bragging Board
gland
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John L is cracking G Charters
h
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t
to nail d Dragon Lad
aboar
Daniel McCormack pictured left proudly
displaying this huge Spanish Mackerel
laim
harters c
aintree C ig queenfish
D
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th
n
O
b
still some system
there are
er
v
ri
e
th
within
Dylan Baird with
a
Red Emperor caug ripper
ht recently
Paul Turn
ball
and caug enjoyed the calm
ht this lo
vely Larg weather
Nannyga
eM
i fishing
off a loca outh
l reef
Rohan Taylor
caught 3 Nanny
gai
fishing in 40m
of water near U this size
ndine Reef