The fishing in Weipa is getting ready to go right off in May with all the signs of a great winter coming together in early April.

The last month has seen some sensational fishing in Weipa, interspersed with some serious 30knot plus winds. The winds haven’t made it easy at times for those wanting to head offshore, but the rivers are slowly clearing and the fishing in them is improving by the day.

In April I couldn’t remember a charter that didn’t produce one memorable two hour or more session where the clients were hanging on for grim death. Out wide on the calmer days, scattered schools of tuna have been providing occasional surface fishing opportunities, but the trevally holding over some of our favourite bommies have been nothing but nasty. Fish to 20kg with an average of 10kg has meant the clients have had their work cut out for them as fish after fish jumped on baits, lures and flies. The trevally have been a mix of GTs, brassies, tea leafs and goldens and when they turn it on, it’s action on all fronts. As usual the sharks have made it interesting on some of the longer fights (and occasionally the shorter fights) so heavier tackle than usual has been used to avoid being bitten off.

In the rivers the fishing has been on the improve. Early in April the water was still carrying some colour and the bait fishers were having the best of it catching quality barra, jacks, threadfin salmon, grunter and fingermark. But as the month wore on, the accurate lure casters were starting to come into their own with catches of 20-plus barra a day – and some of them have been horses approaching the metre mark. The Hey River has been the best bet as it’s cleared a little quicker than the other local rivers.

May is shaping up to be one of the best months to fish Weipa again.

Offshore the tuna and trevally will herd up the bait into tight balls and reek merry havoc on them and anglers will not be able to miss the black smudges all over the horizon indicating the deaths of thousands of baitfish. These bait balls provide the fastest fishing you’ll see anywhere with every cast being nailed by a longtail or a trevally. The real challenge is getting the fish to the boat through the sharks that roll through the bait balls with as much enthusiasm as the tuna and trevally.

The bommies will still fish well for fingermark, cod and black jew, but it’s hard to steer a client’s eyes away from the foaming school of baitfish and tuna to target something else!

In the rivers the low tides will produce the best gutter and drain fishing of the year. There should still be a little fresh running out of the drains and the barra and jacks eagerly await the baitfish and other tasty morsels that flush out with the tide. I’d expect some great barra boofing sessions on the drains but you may have to fish a few to find where the best concentrations of fish are.

At the mouths of the rivers the queenies, tarpon and giant herring will be smashing the bait as well on a run out tide. These fast predators love nothing better than working into the current and smashing bait as it swims by. A well placed surface lure (popper or fizzer) worked fast and erratically will see some mind-numbing action with high leaping and fast running fish making you work hard.

So with all that on the go, why wouldn’t you drop everything and get up to Weipa. We still have limited spaces for clients who want to grab a day or two with us, so give me a call on (07) 4069 9064 or drop me an email at --e-mail address hidden-- to check availability for the hottest month of the year.