Return to the Daintree

Well after weeks and weeks and weeks of non stop rain........the skies finally cleared and we actually had 3 days of almost sunny weather. I say almost, because we did get a few mills each night but nothing like the 80+mm that had become the norm.

So with the hope that the mighty Daintree, situated approx. 100ks north of Cairns, would possibly have relatively clearing conditions, my mate Greg from Sydney and I headed north.

It had been several months since I had ventured up that way and readers of these blogs will know why!

As we rounded the bend at Humbug Reach, my heart skipped a beat as I surveyed the scene - would the waters be clean enough to fish in, or was it a waste of time so far. Thankfully conditions were OK, sure it was not sparkling clear, but the water was clean enough to lure fish.

We launched my tinny at the Daintree township, it was high tide and we headed upstream. Being a full moon and a high tide of 3.4m, I knew that the waters would be backed up and we would have no trouble cruising way upstream to the mountain rapids. In fact the level was so high that the trip became a little boring for me, part of the adventure is to zoom up the rocky rapids but they were a couple of metres below the surface and it was a cruise, instead of an adventure. Not to worry........I knew that Greg had never been this far upstream before and the jungle clad mountains sure were a picture. With all the rain there had been a huge growth spurt of the many plant and trees species that call this part of the Wet Tropics home. She sure was looking like a sparkling jewel, vivid green and alive with birds, butterflies and insects - I hoped the fish were active too.

Clipping on one of my favorite hijackers we cast to the bank side weed. On about my third cast a feisty 50cm river trevally slammed my offering and put up a great little fight. I knew straight away that it was not a barra, the fish was too active and the fight too dogged. A great start to the day.

This is not a trevally OK!

Five minutes later Greg latched onto his first barra for the trip and his first for quite a few years - he had been so busy with work commitments of late that a trip up north to see his mate (and catch a barra) had been put on the back burner. I was thrilled for him and after a quick photo, the juvenile barra was gently released.

Greg's 1st Barra of the trip

This pattern continued throughout the day, casting to the grassy verges produced the goods and the tally was mounting - s l o w l y !

Strangely though the gutters and drains were not firing. Even though the colour change looked good and some of the small creeks appeared to offer ideal conditions, the barra were absent and we only caught one small barra using this method. In all we landed 9 barra between us and I was really happy for my mate to get his barra fix at last. Unfortunately, as so often expressed in these pages, none were of legal size with the biggest fish being 54cm, still well short of the mark.

The biggest at 54cm

We also landed half a dozen JP's and hooked up to a couple of tarpon, quite impressive considering the fact that we weren't using the smaller lures that would guarantee more of these smaller species, BUT barra were on the menu for us this day.

The Daintree will only fish better and better as the wet season tails off, but a trip way up to the gorge country will be absent for another season as the floods recede. The river peaked at about 8 metres the week before our trip and one of the river cruise operators proudly boasted that the water was half way up the ramp access road only a few days prior to our visit.

Perfect timing I'd suggest!

Happy Fishing, regards Les
http://www.fishingcairns.com.au/

Mulgrave - the Top End!

Now, without complaining, man its been a big "WET". Our region has received over 2,200mm (yes that's 2.2 metres) of rainfall since December and there's more to come.

Having survived the ravages of cyclone Yasi, the Cairns region sure dodged a bullet there, and then the more recent flooding suffered by the region immediately south of us (Innisfail / Tully and Cardwell received almost 800mm last week).....we are still finding life is almost normal up here.

Sure it can be a little inconvenient, but this is part of living in the tropics, so we must be grateful and get on with our lives wherever possible.

As I write this Japan has been devastated by the horrific 8.9 earthquake and the subsequent tsunami which has destroyed many lives, property, homes and industry.......our region warmly welcomes many Japanese visitors annually (many of whom are keen anglers and repeat clients). Our thoughts and prayers go out to them in their time of need.

When conditions are tough and the rivers high and flooding, one saving grace can be the Mulgrave River situated a short 45 minutes drive south of Cairns. This river is not that big by even Aussie standards, but it does flow from the mountains near Gordonvale / Walsh's Pyramid and having passed swiftly over granite rock and sand, tends to be the cleanest in trying conditions - i.e. after a big flood it usually fishes well before the others start to clear up. So with this strategy in mind, Debbie and I headed south to Gordonvale and launched our tinny at the well maintained (joke!) mud ramp under the new highway bridge.

Mulgrave Boat Ramp (Sick)

Now this trip is not for the faint hearted, nor for the inexperienced as there are many dangers lurking in the swirling waters of the upper Mulgrave. There are old railway bridges and submerged pylons, rocky rapids and gravel bars, sunken trees and fallen logs to contend with and stream craft is very important - as is having the right vessel for the job. I would not even attempt this exercise if I had not been "shown the ropes" on several occasions by my good mate, Terry Holman of Fish Hunter fame.

Old Railway Bridge - seen better days!

There are also big crocodiles in this river so don't be fooled into thinking big crocks live in salt water only - we saw three on this day and the biggest was well over 3 metres.

The secret to successful fishing in these conditions is to understand your target species, adapt your approach and target specific areas.

Barra for instance don't like to be in fast flowing water - they will however sit just out of the main current and wait for easy pickings to flush past (they are lazy buggers after all). But they will set up station at any drain or gutter bringing food into the system.

Average barra

Jungle Perch are a little more adventurous - my "WordWeb" dictionary states - "Willing to undertake or seeking out new and daring enterprises" and that just about sums it up for these plucky little fighters. Look for them in rapids, trailing sections, under overhanging fig trees etc.

Typical JP

Sooty Grunter's, although tough swimmers and occasionally coming from the faster sections, will still prefer a more sedentary lie so look for their habitat too.

Swirling waters - be prepared

Mangrove jacks - well these top line predators will amaze you at where they get and from where they can be caught. From gutters & drains, rapids and snags....just be prepared if using light tackle in fast flowing water.

Jack from the rapids

Drifting down on the fast flowing current Debbie & I deliberately left the light spin gear on the deck most of the time. You see we were primarily after old bucket mouth (barra to you) and even though I know our catch rate would have been much higher if we had picked up the light rod more often, we were also exploring relatively new territory and were hell bent on "seeing where the barra were hiding".

Beautiful old tree

The river in these parts wanders through ever changing terrain. One moment we are drifting along sodden cane paddocks, then the next we are in pristine rain forest with towering trees and swaying palms. The constant change in river depth and width also affects the velocity of the water so you need to keep your wits about you and take evasive / navigation action as the challenges present themselves.

Debbie and I had an absolute ball. The catch rates were not that great but considering the terrain we covered, the new experience we had and the exploration of new territory - we had had a blast.

4 barra landed
2 JP's
1 sooty
1 38cm jack

Deb with barra

Nice juvenile barra - 54cm put back

As we powered up the Yammy for the trip back to the bridge, the heavens finally opened up again and it was pelting down all the way back to the ramp.

NOTE:
Tropical North Queensland needs your tourism dollars. Parts of our region have been battered by the elements but (touch wood) Cairns is virtually unscathed and its business as usual up here. Some of the best fishing of the season is just around the corner so come on up, we have the experienced guides who will put you onto quality fishing. The adventure and thrills will live with you forever.

Happy Fishing,
Les Marsh

http://www.fishingcairns.com.au/