We have had some awesome weather up here and the lack of wind has allowed everyone to get out the front and fish without the associated dramas that go with wind.
The new pontoons should now be in and this will make unloading and loading boats in town a lot easier. The point boat ramp is hard to use when the northwesterly winds blow in the afternoon, so please think about using the town ramps. You are not allowed to stand on the ramp holding a boat while your offsider is parking the car, so please be kind and move your boat to the side to make room for other anglers to launch and retrieve their boats.
This though can become difficult, as the sides of the point boat ramp are quite steep. So remember you have the option of loading and unloading in town where there are 5 ramps and a pontoon. The portable trailers that people bring up north are capable of towing boats to town if you drive slowly, so please help other people by not blocking the ramps.
Barramundi are about for those willing to work for them. Many of the reliable barramundi spots in the river are not holding fish, but some single snags in out of the way places have produced big barramundi to over a metre. The secret is to have a quality sounder with side scan that will allow you to see where the fish are holding. This approach will save you thousands of casts and kilometres of trolling.
We have some good guides up here and if you want to know how to catch a barramundi then speak to Groover (0408796705) and he will help you out. Going on a charter is not cheap, but the information and techniques you learn will help you for years to come. The new Prawnstar Gold lure in natural colour will catch you fish once you locate them but you need to know where to go and how to work the lure and Groover is the man to show you how.
Blue salmon should now be out the front along the mangroves and while livebaits will catch you plenty of fish, a strip of mullet or squid will do the job just as well. I recently went to Sweers Island and the fishing there was awesome. We caught all sorts of reef fish, including golden snapper and the food cooked by our hosts was magnificent.
Our lack of a wet season has seen the winter grunter turn up already, with many people catching fish over the 50cm mark.
That’s it for now. Enjoy your May, happy fishing, and see you next month.
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