The offshore fishing in Weipa has been nothing short of amazing over the past month.

Schools of marauding longtail and mac tuna have been eating their way through a seemingly endless supply of bait, and the Spaniards are also there to give them a hand.

GT have been found in good numbers on reef systems under bait schools and make for a good break in between pelagic action.

Large volumes of bait have been balled up by predatory fish such as tuna, macks and GT and make for an awesome fishing session once they erupt. The arrival of the pelagic fish has also bought with them an ever-increasing shark population that does make landing these feisty fish very difficult.

Fishing the bottom with live bait and squid has been producing some quality fish. Fingermark and black spot tuskfish have been found on reef patches and make for a great meal – that is when you can get them past the sharks.

Soft plastics and metal jigs have also accounted for their fair share of bottom dwelling brutes, the best being the Berkley Gulp 7” range.

The estuary fishing has also been incredible lately, however the drop in water temperature has slowed down some species over the past month.

Barramundi have become a little lazy and have been finicky when they are biting, making this iconic species very difficult to hook. But patient anglers have reaped the rewards with captures of fish over the magic metre mark.

Black jew and fingermark have been caught in good numbers in deep holes on live bait, and will really give your river fishing gear a work out.

Blue salmon have been found in large schools all across the river systems of Weipa, making them a very easy target species.

King or threadfin salmon have also been exciting anglers, showing up in drains and snags. Live bait has accounted for the majority of these captures.

With the drop in water temperature over the coming month I expect the river fishing to become patchy and inconsistent.

But fishing a good run-out tide with live bait will increase your chances of getting into some quality fish. Look for draining creeks, snags and deep holes when fishing the estuaries over the next month.

The large volume of bait to the south of Weipa should keep the pelagic activity going for a long time. Expect to encounter tuna, Spanish mackerel and trevally in good numbers. Look for birds working low on the water, and get your fish in quick as the sharks won’t be far away!