The far north has seen conditions remain good for much longer than usual this year.

Getting offshore has been easy with consistent SE trade winds of around 10-20 knots, with the usual westerly breeze in the afternoon forcing anglers home early. With the good weather comes great fishing, and the past month has been no exception.

Pelagic action has continued into January with loads of reports of longtail tuna, Spanish macks and the occasional cobia. Tuna have been found out in the cleaner water, with the afternoon westerlies really stirring up the closer areas.

Acres of bait in the bay have attracted good numbers of large queenfish, and these magnificent specimens have been captured on surface lures and metal jigs. Trolling lures close to the surface have also accounted for many captures.

The bottom dwellers of wonderful Weipa have also been out to play this month with some great fingermark of up to 6kg. Reports of record numbers of black spot tuskfish have delighted anglers in the past few months, making an excellent addition to the festive feasts.

As we await the arrival of the wet season, so too do the species that rely on it so heavily. Barramundi have been feeding aggressively around the mouths of the estuary systems and along the coastline.

King salmon have also been found in good numbers in similar areas, and have consistently fallen for shallow diving lures worked around mangrove edges.

Good numbers of fingermark have been found in the deep holes of all the river systems, however finding any size in these fish has proven to be quite difficult. Live mullet and mud herring seem to be producing best results.

As we continue into February, I expect to see plenty of rain and thunderstorms, changing the fishing dynamics of Weipa considerably.

Locating fish up the estuary will become much more difficult with the excess fresh water pumped into the systems.

Offshore will be your best bet for next month, with the bottom dwellers feeding early morning. Live mullet or frozen squid fished on the bottom should produce some great fish, but make sure you make it home early before those nasty electrical storms.