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Fishing is feast or famine
  |  First Published: May 2013



It has been an interesting month with plenty of ups and downs. One week great fishing, the next a complete disaster.

The fishing, and our spirits, are at the mercy of the weather. April has traditionally been a pretty good month in the past but we are having our fair share of ordinary conditions this year.

The fishing on the lead up to Easter was excellent but soon turned pear-shaped when the long weekend started. There would have been some disappointed anglers; many booked their school holiday break straight after that was also blown out. At least the local economy received a little boost, you gotta take the good with the bad, I say!

Water temperatures seem to be dropping a little earlier this year and some early season Spaniards might be the proof. Many of the inshore Spaniard haunts have shown a few smaller fish around the 7-10kg mark. Even the end of March produced some, which is highly unusual.

Bottom bashers at the reef have also seen some improved results. A few red throat emperor in reasonable sizes are showing up and could very well be an indicator of things to come this winter on the reef.

Trout have been slow on occasions but if you’re there on the right days you can do well. Reports of reds have been quiet so I’m not really sure if they have been on or off. Maximise your efforts by fishing close to the moons, especially the lead up.

Barra have been fairly good with a few absences around the bad weather periods. Providing there is no dramatic drop in water temperature they should continue to bite during the finer weather. As the cooler months approach you should look for a low tide toward the middle of the day if you fish the flats and drains. Deeper water will depend on temperature and barometer for the fish to feed.

We have caught some good jacks of late and some have come from water as deep as 12m. This is a bit out of the ordinary but they have been big specimens for inshore. Some have been as big as 53cm and are taking jigs meant for golden snapper.

King threadfin salmon have been their usual sporadic selves, showing up when they feel like it rather than to a schedule. Hopefully, if May holds some great weather we will see more of them too. Our favourite lure for threadfin is undoubtedly the Gimps as they eat them like chocolates. Then again most fish smash these lures too.

Blue salmon have been rather active this year and have been mixed in with the threadfin around most of the deep holes in the channel and Missionary Bay.

I expect May to see a red hot start to the Spaniards on the shoals, and the reef will really get a kick along too. Golden snapper around 2kg should plague the deeper pinnacles of the channel and are a welcome catch in the winter when the barra sometimes get patchy.

School sized grunter will also be prevalent inshore. If you want to chase the larger grunter then look to the deeper island and headland areas.

Marlin and sailfish may even show early this year after a successful season last year. I’m sure the region’s game fishers are wishing the same. If you would like to come up for a charter then email us at --e-mail address hidden-- or our Hooked On Hinchinbrook facebook page.

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