Its tough sometimes!

I know that a lot of my readers think that fishing up here might be easy, or that it appears that way.....yes, I seem to catch a few fish and have the pics to prove it!



Now that's a nice river trevor!....it slammed a popper right at the boat...it was exciting stuff!

But have you ever thought that I just don't write about the bad days!
The ones where we really struggle to find fish due to bad tides / high tides / low tides / strong winds / too much rain / not enough rain / water too cold or even too hot for that matter.....YES, up here the water can get too hot for fish to be actively feeding.

Well, yesterday on the Johnstone River, was one of those days.

Keith Graham and I set off with high expectations....it was a beautiful morning, still conditions and fair, clearing skies. The region had seen a couple of inches of rain during the week but certainly the river was very fishable. The water temp was a bit low for this time of year at just over 26c but it should warm up during the day I thought.

And now for that other all important factor - the tides!

Today was going to be a strange one....with a 1m run in till about midday, peaking with a high of some 2.3m (now that's OK) but with a low of approx. 1.2m at approx. 4:00am the next morning. Hell that means only a very slow trickle out at best. Maybe this was the reason, maybe the water was a bit cold and the fish were still in a bit of shock from a sudden cooling from a warm 30c on Wednesday....who knows....but man....IT WAS TOUGH!

Keith a JP

Using the making tide, Keith and I headed up stream. We were a little surprised to find the river so shallow and was even more so when a sudden "clunk" indicated an impact with a substantial river rock. But the auto thing kicked in and the motor jumped up as it should, avoiding any serious damage....just a few little dings on the prop and a bit of a scrape to my pride and river navigation skills. This is as far as we will travel today mate, lets have a cuppa before we start to head back downstream.

Jack....and that reel!

I was still testing the new Quantum EXO 25 spin reel so pinned on a little orange Rapala Scatter Rap. Keith clipped an a Bushy "Stiffy" popper just for variety and off we went....drifting down slowly using the river flow. We cast to likely looking grass verges, to fallen timber and back eddies....and we landed a couple of JP's and a sooty. But it was decidedly S...L...O...W!

We soon drifted down to the zone where the making tide met the river....the water was still with no real flow either way. Time to find some shade and have an early lunch.

Now KG just loves his food and as is the norm on these trips, Keith supplies the food and I supply the boat....great organisation I recon! It wasn't long before we hand down a beautiful fresh roll, Hungarian salami, King Island cheese and mild English relish....yum! The coffee wasn't half bad either. But we had come to fish and not to eat.

Sooty of the Scatter Rap

JP's love em too!

KG and a good solid sooty!

The weather was great, the backdrop magnificent, the river and its surrounds looked a picture....but the fish were just not that interested. Like two old codgers in a pub, Keith & I drifted downstream. We chatted about the Cricket, the footy, the economy, a fishing tournament, our work, our family and loved ones....and every now and again we hooked a fish....a JP here, a Jack there, and archer fish under a tree. We changed lures, tried poppers and deep divers, soft plastics and Zerek prawns....it was just one of those days.

Did this Archer fish want that Zerek?

Well.....this jack sure did!

And do you know what?.....the lack of fish activity didn't really matter....we were two old mates enjoying each others company. Drifting along on a river paradise....and every now and again our conversations were interrupted by that crimson flash of a jack or silver of a JP!

We pulled the pin at 4:45pm, retrieved the boat, washed off the river slime and headed home. The sun was beaming through the building cloud hugging the ranges. Man it was great to be alive!

Take care my friend, have a lovely Christmas and share it with family and loved ones and I will do likewise. I'll catch you on the river in a day or so....or a week...or a month....the fish will still be there and next time, we'll nail em!

MERRY CHRISTMAS & HAPPY NEW YEAR

Regards, Les
www.fishingcairns.com.au