There is something about looking back from the Mothership at the string of dories following in line.
By Tristram Eley
The water beside the boat erupted as terrified baitfish were driven through the surface by predators attacking from below. They fell like a silver rain of mercury splashing onto a floor. It was easy to see what was forcing them to leap skywards in a vain attempt at escape, as the torpedo shapes of dozens of longtail tuna speared through the water and into the air in hot pursuit. But the tuna weren’t the only predators cashing in on the abundance of food. Spanish mackerel rocketed through the meleee, jaws snapping wildly and hammerhead sharks too were feasting on the unwary. It was a graphic illustration of the brutal savagery of nature in the raw.
Of course, as anglers we were there to cash in on this bonanza and it didn’t take much to get a bite in the swirling whirlpool of carnage. Flicking a 20 gram silver slice into the water near the edge of the action, I barely had time to close the bail arm on my reel before the lure was engulfed, the rod hooped over and a fish took off on a scorching run. The braid squealed over the guides and I glanced up, grinning, to see both the other anglers onboard in a similar situation.
Ten minutes later we had released three medium sized longtail tuna and were ready for more. It took less than thirty seconds for all three rods to be bent again as the reel drags sang the song that anglers the world over love and dream about. In total that afternoon we caught and released over 20 longtail tuna, (Thunnus tonggol - also known as northern bluefin) several big spanish mackerel, golden and giant trevally, queenfish and a lone cobia. It was a session which most southern anglers can only dream about, but which proved to be typical of the incredible light tackle inshore fishery which exists in the Gulf of Carpentaria on the western side of Cape York. It’s not all about barra up north!
Sharks can make short work of a good fish and this unlucky angler found.
In the same week that we had such mind blowing pelagic action, we also caught queenfish and trevallies from deserted sandy beaches by wading the shallow sand flats and casting to marauding individuals and shoals of predators. We cast lures to snags in mangrove-lined creeks and pulled big barra and mangrove jacks from heavy cover. We fished drains and rockbars catching fish both casting and trolling. We also caught estuary cod, blue and threadfin salmon, grunter and fingermark, sharks, catfish and a dozen other species. Oh, and I almost forgot to mention the absolute feasts of mudcrabs which we devoured and the huge gropers which we hand-fed every evening.
At the end of the trip we were exhausted and almost glad to go back ashore to Weipa and the relative normality of life on land. We had experienced the very best of a Cape York mothership fishing charter and we hadn’t even had time to do any serious bottom bouncing for big fingermark and black jewfish. We caught so many other species fishing during the days that we were just too tired at night to try for more.
The locals have known about the place for years and intrepid explorers and anglers have enjoyed sport beyond the wildest expectations of most others for a long time, but the fact is that as the Cape has become more accessible it has also become more crowded. Many of the rivers and inshore areas close to towns and launch ramps receive far more fishing pressure than they ever did and it’s definitely harder to catch fish in some places than before. It’s also not uncommon to travel a long way to a spot, only to find there’s someone who has beaten you to it and is already working the area you had planned on fishing. So what can you do about it? And how can you tap into the amazing fishery if you don’t have the local knowledge or the time and resources to go exploring alone, far off the beaten track?
Threadfin salmon are a great fish to target and are often under-rated by die hard barra anglers.
The answer is simple. Go with a mothership operation. You’ll gain all the knowledge and experience of the guides, who between them have decades of fishing these waters under their belts, and the resources of a very comfortable home away from home which comes with its own fishing skiffs attached. In a week long charter you’ll travel to and fish remote and rarely visited estuaries and rivers. You’ll gain the benefit of the guides’ years of experience which will take the guesswork out of where to go and when. You’ll enjoy the luxury and comfort of comfortable accommodations, good food, icy cold beer and of course, some of the best fishing of your life.
It’s probably true to say that most anglers come to Cape York to fish for wild barramundi in the river systems. The iconic Australian sport fish is a powerful drawcard, but there are times when they won’t play ball and the beauty of the place is that there are always fantastic alternatives. It’s a happy coincidence that when the rivers aren’t firing the fishing offshore is usually pretty hot. And vice versa. With the benefit of good guides on a mothership, you can have the best of both worlds.
There are a few high quality operations which work both the eastern and the western sides of the Cape. Most operate on a weekly charter basis with arrivals and departures scheduled to pick you up from Weipa, Aurukun, Mapoon, Cooktown or Seisia. Prices vary a little depending on the season, and prime times like the peak of the run-off and the build up to the wet can attract a slight premium. Check with the individual operators. For the most part you’ll be fishing in the cooler, drier months of the year from the end of March to the beginning of October.
Peak hour traffic on the water as we charge off to the next red hot bite.
Nowadays airline baggage restrictions make it difficult to travel with huge amounts of gear. You can probably get away with just a couple of outfits if you pack carefully. Bring a heavy baitcaster and overhead reel loaded with 30 lb braid for casting at snags and trolling duties. For spinning, a 3500 to 4000 sized threadline with 14 to 20 lb braid on a seven foot spinning rod will do the trick. You may want to add a 10 to 15 kg stand up rod and a small graphite lever drag reel for heavier offshore trolling and bottom fishing. I enjoy my fly fishing so I also took along a 9 weight outfit and a box of flies. Most operations supply all tackle and lures on a replace-if-lost basis, but we all have our favourites.
Apart from that, you don’t need much more than a hat, sunnies and selection of good fishing clothes, your toothbrush and some sunscreen. So what are you waiting for?
Read more in the 2008 Cape Yorker magazine - available online.