The Christmas spirit is still in full swing as we go into January with our new resolutions made. I have put forward the idea that I will do as much fish stock research as possible to help people but my wife has the mistaken thought that I just like fishing.

We are now getting 4.7 metre tides and you can surf the waves into the beach at the point. This has some issues such as tiger sharks that turn up in the shallow water at this time of year and the 14ft crocodile that patrols the area as well.

We eagerly await the first flush of prawns down the Norman River. These are good eating and great bait. It is a good move to dust off the cast net and take some home to freeze for future bait fishing trips as you will not get a better bait up here in the Gulf.

Another benefit we get is the big king salmon follow the prawn schools and can be seen attacking them from the beach. Putting two and two together you will realize the easy way to go is to use your cast net caught prawns to catch the king salmon off the beach. This allows you to sit back and enjoy some liquid refreshments without having to worry about cleaning the boat when you arrive home.

The Rubble patches out the front can be home to some nice Fingermark and some huge GT. We are on cyclone watch at this time of year so be sure to check the weather before and during any trip out past the sand island as the sea can turn rough very quickly. You will need some good gear to successfully land these monsters as they pull like steam engines. GT cannot go deep up here so the best tactic is to keep moving the boat out to the side. This will upset their circle work and enable you to net them without the extra 15 minute final effort under the boat.

The Carpentaria Shire Council has built a pontoon at the town boat ramp with support from the state government. This structure will help people get in and out of boats safely. The pontoon is only there to use as a loading and unloading zone with a 15 minute time limit so be aware that it will only allow three boats up to 6m to tie up at any one time. I would like to congratulate the council on their effort to supply this badly needed item to make fishing user friendly up here in the Gulf.

Please check road reports before heading up here to Karumba. We generally get cut off from Normanton for 4-6 weeks due to flood waters that can occur from now until April. You can contact the council on 07 4745 2200 or the Normanton police station 07 4745 2555 or your local RACQ office. I would also like to state that this run-off is an AWESOME time to be up here.