The Bush Tucker Man - Fishing Port Douglas

VOLUME 180 PRICELESS
The Bush Tucker Man
DEC 15
2
FRONT COVER: Les Hiddins fishing 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
Jason Teelow
Steve Adamson
Bruce Belcher
Jake Wyatt
‘Sharky’ Shane Down
Lynton Heffer (Editor)
Features







Exclusive - Bush Tucker Man
PD Marlin Challenge Results
Dragon Lady Diary
Spear Fishing Feature
Barra & Boar on Cape York
Beer Add Filmed in Pt Douglas
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
2015 Port Douglas Marlin Challenge
By Heff
The 2015 Port Douglas Marlin Challenge was
held between the dates of the 4th-8th
November and will be remembered for
magnificent weather, some hard luck and good
luck stories plus some memorable epic battles
with the mighty black marlin.
The tournament got underway on the
Wednesday briefing night at the Lure
Restaurant where competitors were treated to a
wonderful BBQ Buffet spread and they took in
the standard competition rules etc ... Then the
Calcutta of the Boats was conducted at the end
of the night with the average price per vessel
being auctioned for $700. The scene was set for
the following day with idyllic tides and a brilliant
forecast to look forward to.
No one anticipated that first day of fishing’s
weather. It was a millpond and the morning
sailpast was easily the most picturesque we’ve
seen since the tournament began in 2010. It
was picture postcard and Perrin Clarke and
Jessie Goetze got the bird’s eye view from above
in the GBR helicopter capturing film and photos
of the sailpast tradition. They said it was
breathtaking and from my vantage of the
Dragon Lady vessel I must say exactly the same.
Fishing on Day 1 began at 11am and the fleet
were spread from Escape Reef in the north
down to the bottom of Linden Bank. The first
hour or so went by with no reports until the
Hellraiser boat completed a successful tag on a
120lb fish at 12.45pm on Linden Bank. The first
fish of a tournament is an important one as the
rest of the field now have to surpass this
number.
The next call came from Wild Turkey at 2pm on
Linden Bank with what they called a 1000lb
fish. With quick manoeuverability they were
able to set a tag within 15 minutes. However
Skipper Dan Pagano called through a
disqualified fish and it was later revealed the
female angler slipped out of the fighting chair
during the battle and had to be assisted by the
crew. As with tournament fishing the angler
and tackle cannot be assisted or touched in any
manner by the crew except for being clipped
into the marlin chair. The integrity of the skipper
is critical to ensure tournaments are conducted
on an even keel.
The only other registered fish on Day 1 came
from the Think Big vessel and they completed a
tag on a 900lb in quick time with legend Skipper
Laurie Wright at the helm and Paul Poulter in the
chair up on the Agincourt Reefs. A quiet day
overall but the tides were more rosy for the
following day.
Day 2 began with a slight 5 knot variable breeze
from the north east and the action piped up at
2pm with Hellraiser once again tagging a small
100lb black marlin on Linden Bank. They were
definitely the pace setters now.
The hard luck continued for Wild Turkey when
they completed tags on a 1200lb fish at 3.20pm
and an 850lb fish at 4.40pm on Linden Bank.
Once again Skipper Dan Pagano unfortunately
disqualified both fish which must have had
them tearing their hair out. The first fish was
disqualified for angler assistance once again
and the second incident saw the reel bird’s nest
at one point and the crew had to quickly unravel
the mess. They could have been right out in
front at this point .... if only !!!
Dragon Lady called through a 250lb lost fish at
4.06pm and C Girl lost a 900lb fish which they
hooked at 5.20pm (10 minutes before stop
fishing) and fought it right through to sunset at
7pm. Both fish were lost at Linden Bank.
By day’s end Hellraiser was out in front with 2
tags.
River - Reef - Game
Ph: 0409 610 869
www.fishingportdouglas.com.au
MARINE ELECTRONICS
ABN 34 342 029 951
Open 6 days a week
4
Marlin Challenge cont ...
Day 3 saw similar conditions and the action
really began to fire up. Hellraiser could not do a
thing wrong and tagged a 180lb fish at Opal
Ridge at 2.03pm. Saltaire followed up shortly
with a 350lb model at the same location at
2.43pm. Gorilla called through a 200lb fish at
www.fishingportdouglas.com.au 2.58pm and they were fishing up on Ribbon
Reef No. 4. Think Big completed a tag up on
Anderson Reef at 3.11pm on a 950lb monster
with angler Sharon Poulter in the chair. Finally
Wild Turkey had a change of luck and they
successfully tagged a 330lb model at 3.21pm
at Opal Ridge. Think Big wouldn’t go away and
at 4.25pm they called through a tagged fish up
on Anderson Reef which would see them join
Hellraiser on 3 tags. However Skipper Laurie
Wright was not completely happy with the
fight and after viewing footage they deemed
the line must have scrapped along the rudder
of the boat leaving a scuff mark on the line.
Once again as the rules state the tackle or line
cannot touch the vessel and he consequently
disqualified the fish. Think Big remained on a
hot bite and 20 minutes later they completed a
legal tag on a 250lb marlin which would now
see them join the top of the table.
Unfortunately for Hellraiser they hooked up to
another fish 10 seconds after they the ‘stop
fishing’ call which they went onto tag. After a
day of drama on the water the scene was set
for an intriguing final day.
On Day 4 the weather hadn’t changed much at
all and the battle was definitely on between
Hellraiser and Think Big. To complete a
quadruple grand slam Hellraiser nailed a tag at
11.47pm on a 150lb specimen on Linden Bank.
This would eventually see them take out 4 days
of Daily Champion Angler. The rest of the day
proved to be full of bad luck stories. Wild
Turkey’s woes continued with a lost fish on the
Bank at 1.23pm. Gorilla however broke the
mould and registered success at Anderson
Download your
Line Burner
now online
River
Reef
Game
Fish with the Best
in the Business
Ph: 0409 610 869
GROUP
CHARTERING
Fuel - Oil - Bait
Ice - Tackle - ATM
Boating Accessories
Fast Food & Groceries
Ph:
4098
0409
6107616
869
Above Grade
PORTCUSTOMMARINECOVERS
Private & Commercial Vessels
KATEENASKOUMBOURDIS
Marine Trimmer
Mobile: 0410 533 141
Workshop Nth West Cnr of Reef Marina Carpark Complex
Reef at 1.59pm on a 200lb fish. C Girl dropped a
fish at 1.53pm at Linden Bank and Dragon Lady
also lost 2 fish at 2.59pm and 3.32pm both
around 350lb in the same area. Think Big had a
brief encounter on a fish at 4.23pm at Opal Ridge
but failed to set the tag. In a final fitting Hellraiser
completed the last tag of the tournament at
3.57pm at Linden Bank on a 250lb black which
secured the title with the ‘stop fishing’ call at
4.30pm on the final day. They were by far the
outstanding boat of the tournament which would
be revealed at presentation that evening at the
Lure Restaurant.
Final Statistics for the tournament were:
34 Strikes, 29 Hookups and 16 Tagged Black
Marlin.
As it eventuated a delightful night was enjoyed by
all and the following awards were presented by
our local Mayor, Julia Lui.
Day 1 Champion Angler: Peter Zimmerman Hellraiser
Day 2 Champion Angler: Peter Zimmerman Hellraiser
Day 3 Champion Angler: Peter Barry - Hellraiser
Day 4 Champion Angler: Peter Barry - Hellraiser
Overall Champion Female: Sharon Poulter Think Big
Overall Champion Skipper & Boat - Steve
Ahlers, Hellraiser
Tournament Champion & Winner of the
Perpetual Leon Thomas Trophy - Peter Barry
with 3 tagged fish.
The Port Douglas Marlin Challenge crew would
sincerely like to thanks the following valued
sponsors - Bransfords Tackle, Penn Reels,
Nautical Marine Sales, GBR Helicopters, Lure
Restaurant, Great Northern Brewing Co, On
the Spot Signs, Black Pete Tackle, Costa
Sunglasses, Tomy Bahama and Perrin Clarke
photography.
Dates for next year are November 9th-13th 2016.
5
Dragon Lady Diary
By Steve Adamson
There’s no doubting the mercury rose several notches during
November and I guess what we experienced was a more traditional
build up to the wet season. The north/ north east winds were around
at times, we had some good drops of rain with electrical activity, there
was plenty of hot sunshine and the humidity was through the roof. We
had all the ingredients for a steamy stretch of weather.
The fishing at the start of the month continued to power on and we
recorded some of best catches for the year which was a little
unexpected. Some days there we smashed the large mouth nannygai
and were bringing home in excess of 30-40 fish. The coral and bar
cheek trout seemed pretty consistent and we saw a real mixture of
other species including spangled emperor, some big red emperor, big
spanish mackerel, sweetlip, gold spot trevally and strangely the slatey
bream numbers were extraordinary at times. A couple of trips saw
phenomenal catches of these fish along with the gold spot trevally and
oddly on these days the was hardly a red fish to be seen. We would
have boated approximately 120-150 grey coloured fish per trip. The
‘mother in law’ bream were chunky fish too mostly around the 5-7kg
range and I’ve never seen them so concentrated like this before.
Following this we entered the Port Douglas Marlin Challenge over 4
days and I must say the weather was delightful for fishing on the open
seas. We had a quiet tournament and lost a couple of okay marlin.
One 250lb marlin wrapped the leader around its bill and cut the line
early in the fight, the other we fought right to the boat and then the
350lb fish just pulled the hooks. I swore I must have run over a
Chinaman or something. There was a lot of good fish caught right
under our nose by other boats and that’s just the luck of the game. We
did however come across some wahoo and dolphin fish when we ran
the light tackle gear.
From the 9th-13th November we saw the reef closures take effect and
we had a few days off. By mid November the town really quietened
down and we seemed to run every second day or so. The weather was
relatively calm and we knocked out some good numbers of fish. In
patches we sourced some good sized nannygai up to 8kg and also
claimed some big bar cheek trout along the way up to 6kg. The
sweetlip were a staple catch outside of these red fish along with cod
species and other bit and pieces.
We did a bit of light tackle fishing later in the month and claimed
spanish mackerel, barracuda, dolphin fish and wahoo. It wasn’t red
hot fishing but it was nice to see some different types of species come
over the side. One thing I have noticed fishing outside the reef on the
shelf during our efforts is that it has been void of any real surface
activity in the likes of birds etc ... I guess that can change from day to
day and I would expect the local game fishing grounds to produce
nicely for the first week or two of December.
Talking of December our bookings are filling up fast for later in the
month. Be quick to avoid disappointment.
Cleaning Services
6
Zammataro Plumbing
*Plumbing *Drainage
*Roofing *Gas fitting
*Marine *Bobcat
*4 in 1 Bucket *Excavator
*Tip Truck
Ph: 4098 2774
sandwich and salad bar
real food, real fresh!
OPEN FROM 8AM
SUPPLEMENT JUICES & SMOOTHIES
wraps - sandwiches -salads
juice bar - curries - coffee
gluten free products
low fat dishes - platters
catering available
quick, healthy, tasty
and great value
available eat in or takeaway
22 Macrossan Street
Port Douglas
Fishing with Les Hiddins
By Keith Graham
I hadn't had my regular reef fix for some time
and after chatting in the shop with Les
Hiddins, whom most of you know as the Bush
Tucker Man, he told me that he had never
been fishing on the reef! He loves barra
fishing in the bush and some will remember a
beer commercial he did with Dave Killalea
casting lures, but throughout his illustrious
career had not wet a line on the GBR.
I booked a charter with Damo & Jake on
Saltaire, who run out of Port Douglas to some
of the more remote and productive fishing
areas. I knew it was a three tide day but the
timing dictated the day as we had family
visiting from Perth and the UK, and the moon
was right.
Ken Hemsley also joined us and is a retired
mechanic who hails from Liverpool and has
trout and salmon fished Europe for many
years. He has dreamed of fishing the reef and
he has been an avid fan of the Bush Tucker
Man series for years, however he didn't know
who we had invited along until we all met at
the marina and I reckon you could have
knocked him down with a feather. Others in
our group, his son Richie and his partner
Jemma were equally surprised and we
chatted to Les for some time before heading
out . It was interesting to hear what he had
been up to over the past few years, and the
TV projects he has in mind for the not too
distant future, all of which I'm sure we will
enjoy. He has been working with UK
presenter Ray Mears and the day we went out
Ray was filming at Cape Tribulation ……
small world isn't it!
The weather was a perfect 8 knots with slight
chop and a little overcast. I admit to
preferring calmer seas these days and all on
board enjoyed a pleasant trip to the first of
Damo's secret spots. Our deckhand Jake is a
busy lad and had all rods rigged & bait cut
ready to go. Les had recently treated himself
to a new salt water spin combo and it didn't
take long before we all had a few bites and
hook ups to smaller reef fish like gold spot
cod, trevally and Richie nailed a good coral
trout…. but it was quiet by reef standards
and we made a couple more moves before
we hit the jackpot. It was on for young and
old as the bite began with large mouth reds
hitting us one after the other. Nothing too
big, but big enough to give us a good
workout, and Jake was buzzing around the
deck un-hooking fish like a blue arsed fly. We
released a number of undersize red emperor
(government bream), smaller trout and cod
too. Good to see Jake use a spike to release
air from the bladder before releasing them,
so they stood a much better chance of
survival.
Seafood Restaurant
Offering the freshest of
seafood from local fishermen
Non-seafood menu items
also available
Dine in and take away
Fully Licensed
Cnr Macrossan & Owen St
(diagonally opposite Post Office)
Open 7 days
Lunch & Dinner
Phone 4099 5433
info@finzportdouglas.com
www.finzportdouglas.com
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
Jemma and Rich had a field day with trout
and reds, as did Ken who also snared a good
sizes spangled emperor….. to say he was a
happy chappie would be an understatement.
Les was in his element too after a slow start
and he made up for it with some credible reds
and trout. Later that session the bigger fish
moved in and we lost some beauties ! I had a
double hook up with a fair sized small mouth
on the top hook and a gold spot trevally on
the bottom….. I really thought it was one of
those giant reds over 10 kilos !!! Many of
these giant reds seem to move out to deeper
waters this time of year and we used to get
them in 60 metres plus.
After the bite eased we had lunch before
moving off to new country, and again Damo
found us good fish, especially coral trout.
Jemma hooked a beauty, in fact the best
trout of the day around 3 kilos. Richie
managed a large mouth red about the same
size, and Les caught his fair share too. He
commented on how much hard work it was
hooking and fighting these reef fish, but I
know he's hooked and looking forward to
future trips out of Port. The rest of the session
saw a slowing down of the bite. We had as
many fish as we needed for a good feed and I
wasn't looking forward to the filleting job
back at home.
Days like these are gold. Perfect weather,
good company ,a top boat and crew and the
Great Barrier Reef to view and admire. They
say any fish caught are a bonus… And I'd
agree with that!
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
 8 Star Energy Saving
Pumps
 1 Free service/ water
test for new customers

Daryl Taylor
0404 286 187
Ph/Fax 4098 5780
happypools@bigpond.com
Skincare Products
Candles
8
The Beer Made From Up Here
By Heff
PORT DOUGLAS
•PRAWNS•OYSTERS
•MUD CRABS•BUGS
•CALAMARI
•SMOKED & MARINATED
PRODUCE
•CONDIMENTS
•FRESH SALAD•PLATTERS
•LUNCH PACKS
•PRAWNS COOKED DAILY
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
Reef St
Four Mile
Port Douglas
Ph: 4099 3655
At the end of October the Great Northern Brewering
Co filmed their latest installment of beer commercials
for their product out of Port Douglas and is due to be
aired on TV in the near future. The Dragon Lady vessel
was part of the setting with the Goodoil film
production team contracted to produce the advert.
Filming took place over 3 days with footage being shot
in the rainforest at the Mossman River and also at the
mouth of the Daintree River. From what I could gather
the 6 stubbies of beer evolved from the waters high up
in the mountains and then began their journey
floating downstream. In the rainforest a couple of
campers see the 6 pack floating by and help
themselves to 2 stubbies. The bottles continue
downstream whereby a lone fisherman grabs 1 stubby
as it passes by him. Eventually the final 3 beers float all
the way down the river and out to sea where a skipper
and 3 guys are fishing on the Dragon Lady vessel and
net the last of the beers. They crack them open, have a
long earned quench and then praise the mountain
tops for their good fortune. All pretty much a typical
beer commercial.
I was on Dragon Lady on the third day of filming and
also in use was the Calypso vessel as a filming
platform. Proceedings got away after a lot of
discussion on land at the marina before heading off at
midday for the mouth of the Daintree River.
Conditions were okay with about a 10-12 knot breeze
at hand. Once Dragon Lady positioned itself at the
mouth of the Daintree (in only 2.5m of water mind
you), the film crew launched a huge helicopter drone
about the size of a round coffee table from the Calypso
vessel in the distance and had attached a super high
tech camera. The drone took some long distance
footage of Dragon Lady and would have been several
hundred feet in the air. From what I understand
traditional helicopter filming is almost obsolete and
the use of drones is common practice.
Then the film crew disappeared up the mouth of the
Daintree River for an hour or so in a tender to shoot
some footage of the bottles floating down the river.
Following this Dragon Lady and Calypso saddled up
with each other and close up filming was taken of the
actors and the back deck of the Dragon Lady boat. This
took a couple of hours right through to the sunset on
the mountains. “Just one more take” was echoed all
afternoon by the directors.
The whole operation seemed to have a cast of
thousands involved including directors, film crew,
technicians, make up and art department, company
reps and god knows who else. The 4 main actors on
Dragon Lady was the skipper, a salt and peppered
looking middle age man. The 3 younger lads around
25 years of age were just average looking dudes, a bit
on the yuppy side if you know what I mean. They did
no actual dialogue, it was just all acting. All in all they
would have been used for an hour in total and I believe
they get paid extravagant amounts of money for doing
so little. One of the arts department blokes indicated
for a single day of filming they would have got
somewhere between 8-10K plus a free holiday in Port
Douglas for several days - Not Bad !
Actually there was one funny episode or should I say
episodes, whereby the younger frizzy headed actor
dude kept throwing up in between takes and he had to
freshen up and compose himself each time they were
ready to shoot. Also interestingly they boys never
drank real beer, it was coloured water and the stubbies
used to float in the water were plastic imitations. All in
all it was like a mini Hollywood production and
interesting at times. So next time you see the Great
Northern Beer Co add keep an eye out for the Dragon
Lady vessel.
9
Spear Fishing Gear Maintenance
By Lachie O’Hanlon
Well we are fast approaching the sweltering
hot Far Northern Summer and many local
fisherman will be soon turning their hands to
Spearfishing to beat the heat. This is by far the
most popular time to break out the
snorkelling gear and checking out our
awesome Great Barrier Reef while still taking
home a feed of fish. While spearfishing
should be an enjoyable experience it is often
hampered by gear failure especially at the
beginning of summer. The majority of spear
gear sits unused through the windy winter
and often only gets used when the weather is
calm and warm. Proper maintenance and
preparation can help you catch more fish and
prevent gear failure which can ruin your day.
The main items that should be readily
checked and replaced are the spearguns
rubbers, shooting line and spear shafts. Spear
shafts are often overlooked as an item that
doesn't need any maintenance or attention at
all. This is far from the truth, in fact an
improperly looked after spear shaft can cause
quite a few issues to the unaware diver. The
foremost issue pertaining to the spear is most
definitely rust. Rust or oxidisation causes the
spears tip to rust and in time go blunt and this
is best fixed with a quick sharpen on a bench
grinder or manually with a bastard file. Be
sure not to get the spear tip too hot or you
could damage the temper in the steel. This
could make the shaft either too soft causing it
to go blunt faster or too hard which can make
it extremely brittle. Another overlooked spear
problem is the flopper, remember this is your
main connection to a speared fish! Probably
8/10 guns we see at Nautical Marine have
poorly tuned floppers which can cause lost
fish. A flopper should stay almost locked open
at a certain point and not be at all sloppy or
loose, if a fish violently shakes the spear it
should stay firmly open so the fish won't be
lost. Tuning a flopper is a task best performed
or shown to you by somebody with
experience. Rusty spears and spear line holes
also create abrasion on both rubber bridles
and spear lines. Mono and Dyneema Spear
lines should be regularly checked for nicks or
abrasion which can weaken them. To replace
a spear line costs less than $10 and should be
done quite regularly, once again it is a main
component involved in the landing of a good
fish and needs to be 100%! Rubbers are
forever a problem to the spearfisherman,
without a doubt this is the biggest cause of
gear failure involved in the game! Rubbers
have a tendency to perish and deteriorate
over time, especially so in our tropical
conditions. Repowering your gun with fresh
rubbers is also a good idea as they can often
break at the worst times especially when they
are old. Also be sure to try on your old wetsuit
or stinger suit to be sure it fits and check the
rest of your gear to make sure it's in good
shape and ready to go when you are.
We offer full Speargun servicing and rigging
at Nautical Marine Sales, so if you are unsure
how to DIY or just simply don't have the time
then drop your gear in and we will get it back
in prime working order in record time! Don't
let your gear let you down this summer!!
Local Retailers
of these fishing and
camping products:
Reels
Rods
Lures
Line
Lures
Outdoor Gear
Coolers & Eskies
Receive
30% Off RRP by
mentioning this ad!
Captain Cook Hwy
Craiglie
River - Reef - Game
Ph: 0409 610 869
www.fishingportdouglas.com.au
ACRYLIC LETTERS
ENGRAVED SAFETY SIGNS
VINYL LICENCE DECALS
25 WARNER ST
0419 757 864
The Place to Relax on the Port Douglas Marina
10
Local Crocs at Sea
By Heff
The Port Douglas Florist
Fresh & Friendly
Floral Design
Delivering to
Port Douglas
Mossman
& Cairns
Spearfishing is something I’ve never done
properly, mainly because I have trouble
equalising underwater but more so as you
get older I think the self preservation factor
kicks in. At a young ripe age, just like Jimmy
Woolerman and Matty Hunt pictured below,
there is no such thing as self preservation and
what they do under underwater with a spear
gun is simply extreme - and it’s all free diving
too. The places they’ll take their trailer boat is
outrageous including places like Ribbon Reef
No 9 up near Lizard Island and more closer to
home Linden Bank some 30 plus miles
offshore.
These two lads play AFL footy for the Port
Douglas Crocs and standing at approx 6ft 3’
each it gives you some indication of how big
these fish actually are. After a day on the
water recently at Linden Bank, Jimmy is
holding a 32.8kg spanish mackerel and Matt
is holding a 24.6kg dogtooth tuna. They also
speared another 4 spanish mackerel in excess
of 13kg and also nailed half a dozen jobfish.
Basically in this instance the boys are out
there on the open water up to hundreds of
metres in depth looking for bait on the
sounder or honing in on any bird life that
might be hovering above a school of fish
working on the surface. Once they are happy
with what they see over the side they jump
and have a look around. Sometimes they are
having to free dive up to 20-30m deep to
catch up with their quarry. I asked Jimmy
about sharks and he said yep they are around
and on this particular day they had a 14ft
tiger shark swim around circling them at
pretty close range. He said it was a bit hairy
but gathered it was more inquisitive than
being aggressive. He did say though they
definitely are very wary of bull sharks and
they are the one’s to watch. We’ll keep you
posted on their further extreme adventures.
Ph: 07 4099 5503
James Beitzel’s
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
Nut Encrusted Mahi Mahi
Ingredients
1kg mahi mahi fillets
1 1⁄2 cups corn flakes
1 cup macadamia nuts (or pecans or walnuts)
2 tablespoons chopped parsley
salt and pepper
cooking spray, for baking pan
HONEY SOY GLAZE
1⁄3 cup honey
1⁄3 cup soy sauce
2 teaspoons dry mustard (or more)
Method
Heat oven to 350 degrees.
In a food processor, pulse nuts until coarsely chopped.
Add cornflakes and pulse both together until flakes are in small
pieces but not broken down.
Add chopped parsley, salt and white pepper to the mixture and
spread on a platter.
Roll the fish fillets in the cornflake breading and press it on the
fish with your fingers to make it stick.
Spray the baking pan, lay the fish fillets.
Bake for 10 minutes.
The fish should still be moist and delicate - not overcooked or
dry.
While the fish is baking, mix the honey, soy sauce, and dry
mustard until thoroughly integrated.
Place the mahi mahi on a dinner plate with rice.
Pour a little honey soy glaze over the fish and drizzle a little
around it on the plate.
0419 015 262
12
Barra & Boars
By Keith Graham
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
Keith Lawrence
Heading north to fish the pristine waters of
the east coast of Cape York is always a turn
on, and as we made our way to a spot near
Lockhart River recently my imagination ran
wild thinking of that virtual Jurassic Park. Few
people get to these parts, and if you are
planning a trip you need to obtain permission
from the landowners well in advance. Yes,
they are careful who they let onto their lands
due to previous bad experiences. For info on
who does own what properties up there visit
the local Land Department office, or go on
line.
The trip took us 11 hours on some pretty
ordinary roads but I know my son Matt always
prepares his Cruiser well and carries all the
necessary tools, safety and first aid kits. Our
camp is well up in the shallow freshwater
reaches that offer clean water and a low risk
croc habitat. We met up with a few mates and
got settled that evening so as to prepare to
launch our tinnie into the saltwater river
nearby the following morning.
The tides were dodgy and in a shallow
waterway that can mean getting stranded for
a few hours. We launched our 3.5 metre tinny
and headed downstream avoiding rockbars
and sandbars. Tricky! All the way we were
casting Duo minnows and Balistic LED
flashing lures to the mangroves catching
jacks, cod and heaps more cod. As we
approached the lower reaches a couple of
side creeks looked promising and even on
near high tide it was a struggle to get the boat
in. Matt had packed the electric which makes
life so much easier just drifting along casting,
and it wasn't long before the jacks started to
chew. Fish to 1.2 kilos pounced on our Z Man
Minnowz and Duo hard bodies……. small
trevally, the odd barra and of course those
bloody cod latched on at regular intervals.
Matt scored a 3 kilo queenie on a Halco
Rooster popper and a decent tarpon. So we
continued downstream, forgetting the time
and tide of course until the inevitable
happened. We were stranded up that creek
for almost 3 hours, still catching fish whilst we
waited for the tide to slowly move in. You
would think we would have learned by now!
FUEL • OIL • SEAFOOD • BAIT • ICE
Dickson Inlet, Port St, Port Douglas
Phone 4099 6792
Later that day we fished near the mouth and
snared several queenies then Matt put his
popper on again which was devoured by one
of the biggest Giant Herring I 've seen in a
while. What a great acrobatic fight followed
and the pics show what a prizes capture that
was. We did take the time to explore several
rock bars and backwaters before stumps….. I
really enjoy that aspect of river fishing!
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
The next couple of days we did some pig hunting with
Matts dogs, some of the lone boars we saw were over
100 kilos and his dogs worked so well as a team.
Thankfully they had good protective Bark 'n For Bacon
chest plates and collars on, plus GPS collars.
High
tech pigging indeed. I did enjoy this kind of hunting for
a change but I will stick to my trusty rifle as I'm getting
on a bit to be running through that thick bush.
Highlights of the trip include doing a reccie well
upstream on wide sand bars that had small gutters on
either side. You wouldn't think they would hold much
until you tried casting Yosuri minnows and F1.11 &
Stealths in there and Jacks to 52 cms, barras to 60 cms
plus trevally and cod were ravenous. It was close
quarters street fighting tactics to haul them out of their
heavy timber haunts and I admit to losing one lure to a
rampaging jack. Another spot we found upstream had
some XOS barra patrolling the shallows, which we
easily picked up with our Costa polaroids. They
weren't too hungry though and I dropped two well
over a metre that just nudged the lure. On the last day I
did get a 92cm barra in the same spot, my reward for
quite a lot of time and effort.
In addition to great hunting and fishing the company
was excellent, especially sitting around the fire at night
downing a few beers and telling yarns. Some of the
characters you meet on these bush trips are top value
and soon become friends.
I'll let the photos tell the rest of the story and would
encourage any of you keen fishos and hunters to get
outback and experience this magnificent part of the
tropics we call Cape York, which, in my opinion really is
one of the greatest last frontiers.
PORT DOUGLAS TIDE TABLE DECEMBER 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
Christmas Gift Ideas for a Fisherman
By Lachie O’Hanlon
A vast majority of the Douglas Shire manages to get out fishing
at least a few times each year and whether you are a weekend
warrior or a seasoned expert one thing is for sure, you can
NEVER have enough fishing tackle!!!! After having a similar
discussion with my partner on what to get me for Christmas I
thought I should put together a few ideas on what to by a
fisherman this year!! Here's a few gift ideas for that person who
has almost everything.
Clothing: Now while clothes for Christmas usually means the
unwanted bunch of socks and jocks for most of us, it doesn't
have to be that boring! Fishing Shirts, Hats and Sunglasses are
extremely popular these days amongst fishermen and women
of all ages! Long sleeve shirts are great for preventing potentially
harmful mosquito bites and for keeping the fisherman from
suffering in our harsh FNQ sun. Most are UPF rated while
remaining lightweight and breathable for comfort, and they
make you look good!! There are a stack of sizes and styles
available these days also, including infants and ladies! We have
over 250 long sleeve fishing shirts in stock at Nautical Marine
Sales, a shirt to fit almost anyone!! The same can be said for hats
and caps, plenty of options out there to suit both the fashion
and sun safety conscious!! Quality polarised fishing Sunglasses
are an absolute must for anyone spending time on the water
and would make a great present, I got a new pair of Tonic
Polarised sunnies for Christmas 2 years ago and they are still
going strong!!
Binoculars: We have a good range of binoculars in stock
including some awesome new Auto-Focusing models for under
a $100 which will impress both the novice to expert fisherman! I
know a few blokes who are wishing for a pair of them, me
included!!
Spearfishing and Snorkel Gear: The
water is warming up and that means
a great time for spearfishing and
snorkelling but at the same time also unfortunately the onset of
Stinger season. We carry a full range of sizes in stinger suits and
have Port Douglas's biggest range of dive, snorkel and spear
gear to suit all budgets! In fact we have the cheapest Rob Allen
Spearguns in Australia!!
Fishing Gear: Lures make great cheap and welcome presents as
fisherman are always losing them! Another good idea is a new
Cast Net as they do only tend to last a season at best. There are
some good quality options available like the Jarvis Walker Maxi
Cast or the Tacspo multi-mono nets, I've got one on my list this
year! Fishing rods and reels are also going to make any
fisherman's day, for kids to adults!! If you're travelling on
holiday we have a big range of quality multi piece travel rod too!
Gift Vouchers are a fantastic idea for that extra fussy fisherman.
We make customised vouchers with your own special message
on the spot in store.
So if you are looking for that unique gift that will make
someone's day, try popping into Nautical Marine Sales and
grabbing a Christmas present or two for
your loved ones soon. We love to support
the local community that supports us. So
thanks again for a great year and we will
see you all bigger and better next year.
Wishing all of our loyal and valued
customers a Happy and Safe Christmas
and New Year! Cheers.
Chandlery & Electronics - Fishing Tackle & Rod Hire - Charts & Books - Tour Bookings - Marine Insurance - Yacht Brokering
Cast Nets - Massive Range
All 20% off
Rovex Kor Mono
Leader all sizes
100m Spool
Only $10
NAUTICAL
MARINE SALES
ABN: 19 741 153 755
P O RT D O U G L A S
New Samaki GT Shirts from $49.95
Monthly Specials
Aussie Made GPS Model Epirb
10 year battery - Unbeaten
at $270
N
E
W
New Ocean
Hunter Camo
Stinger Suits
$99
S
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
DNA Marine Audio
& Speaker Pack
$155
Monthly Specials
15
Foreign Plant Life in the Rainforest
While touring on the Daintree River I often reflect on how green and pleasant this place is. As nice as
it is, we cannot ignore the fact that exotic plants have either made their way here or been introduced.
This situation is experienced worldwide through modern interaction with people and transport.
Perhaps the most wide spread and well known plant is the Lantana. There is not much of Australia
that would be free of this noxious weed. I am guessing that it came from Central America and was
introduced because it has a pleasant fragrance with pretty little flowers and was displayed as a pot
plant. However, the resulting small fruit is sweet and a popular food for some flower peckers and
fruit eating birds that disperse the seeds in their droppings. It's almost impossible to control or
eradicate this pest.
There are many vines here that display pretty flowers and one that is quite prominent is the Morning
Glory. I don't know about it's history but it certainly takes over and will kill native vegetation.
There has been much debate about the status of the Coconut Palm, which we see along the banks. Some years ago, our
local Shire suggested removing some palms because of the risks associated with nuts falling on heads of tourists,
thereby making the Shire liable for damages. Conservationists suggested that because the palms were natives they
shouldn't be removed. Others, like myself, challenged the suggestion that the palms were natives, not for the
argument about their removal but about their status.
We know that coconuts abound throughout the Pacific and other oceans. I have heard that there is a prevailing
Antarctic drift that moves northward along the east coast of Australia and prevents the floating nut from washing
ashore here but kept floating north of here.
In the media, I suggested that the best way to determine the nut's history is to check with the local historians, the
indigenous people. After all, if the palms were natives then the Aborigines would have developed uses for them. Their
knowledge of the palms is about the same as us non-indigenous folk. However, because I am no scientist, I wasn't taken
seriously. See you next month.
TRINITY
SPORTFISHING
Port Douglas
to book call
0411 774 804
www.trinitysportfishing.com.au
trinitysportfishing@gmail.com
Catch the
excitement
of calmwater
fishing
Blue Ribbon Event
Heavy Tackle Tournament
Nov 9th - 13th 2016
FormulaOneFishing
Details: portdouglasmarlinchallenge.com
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
Karla & Michael Quinn caught a couple
of
nice Barra with Jamie Beitzel on the last
e
ic
an
m with Cape York
a
day prior to the closed barra season
h
a
r
G
at
Matt
ing up iver
h
is
f
h
is
R
Queenf ear Lockhart
n
fishing
nity Sport n a
ri
T
f
o
g
lo
o
James Ba is Giant Trevally ork
caught th is day off from w
nh
popper o
Jake Collete of Saltaire Charters with a
Red Emperor caught whilst fishing with
Keith Graham & Les Hiddins the
Bush Tucker Man
Lui Smith
with
Opal Rid a Wahoo caught
ge on the
shelf
Fraser Allen ca
ught th
Dickson Inlet Po is 87cm on the
rt Douglas