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October is Excitement Time
  |  First Published: October 2007



October is the time of year that gets me excited about the fishing in Weipa.

Sure it gets hot, bushfires are burning all over the Cape, there is no sign of rain and the public holidays are few and far between, but this is one of the best months to be fishing in our little patch of fishing paradise.

There will be days when it’s hot and humid, the fish just don’t want to play and make you think there are no fish in the area, however the great days easily outnumber these frustrating days. October tips the successful fishing scales right in you favour and it’s all hands on deck for some great times on the water.

September proved to be typical of most Septembers: The water temps have risen considerably and the barra action has too. This is great news for anglers keen to get into a few barra before the closed season starts at midday on October 4. In mid-September most of the estuary water temperatures were hovering around 28C with the warmest patch we’ve come across nudging 31C after a slow run in tide. We still experience cool evenings and mornings which makes the fishing a little inconsistent, but October will sort out those cooler periods and the fishing will become more consistent.

Strong south east winds made fishing offshore nearly impossible in late August and early September but we had a break in the weather on the second week of September and we got outside to find the fish waiting for us. Spanish mackerel have been the staple diet for offshore anglers with the northern bluefin tuna being rare. Most of the mackerel have been out wide in the clearer water, but they do move in when the cleaner water moves inshore with the currents. The tip is to find this cleaner water and really target the mackerel by trolling or berleying and drifting pilchards.

On those beautifully calm days when you feel like you could drive over to the northern territory or north to PNG, just watch out for the afternoon seabreeze. It will start to blow around lunch time and can make a trip back quite wet and uncomfortable – particularly if you’re 30 miles from home! Early starts and finishes are the way to go at this time of year. Or better yet, get outside early then duck back into the creeks and rivers if you want to fish into the afternoon.

What’s Ahead

October should bring plenty more offshore action with the mackerel and GTs leading the way on the pelagic front and the fingermark hitting their straps on the reefs. In the rivers the barra will be off limits for a few months but the jacks, grunter and threadfin salmon will be well and truly on the bite throughout October. If you’re keen on your fishing you should have no problem filling up the fun meter in Weipa during October.

We’re pretty full up for charters for the rest of the year, but we are taking advanced booking for next year’s season, so if you want to get into some great fishing at Weipa give us a call at Dave Donald Sportfishing on (07) 4069 9064.

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