Crabs and Fishing 1770 to Baffle Creek and Sports Fishing The Great Barrier Reef

Fishing Report Great Barrier Reef - Town of 1770 - Baffle Creek

Fishing from 1770 to Sports Fishing The Great Barrier Reef you know that there are some big fish waiting to be caught, this cobia was caught on board Sport Fish 1770 just one of the many Sport Fishing charters that depart from 1770 marina.

The fishing on the Australian Queensland Discovery Coast over the past twelve months have been top notch.

People across the country are talking about the new Marlin Fishery at 1770 and Agnes Water. This comes down to people willing to try new methods of fishing, in places people think of as just water you have to travel over to the Barrier Reef.

From the Baffle Creek mangrove jack to the Bustard Bay Spanish mackerel, and out to shallow reef coral trout we have some of the most productive and sought after Sports Fishing in Australia

For the newbie or the Queensland Discovery Coast holiday maker it’s a bit daunting but your best bet is to take one of the many charters that run from 1770 Marina to the Great Barrier Reef areas such as Lady Musgrave Island and Fitzroy Reef. with fishing, snorkelling, diving tours available to suit everyone. This not only saves time if your only here for a week or so, but gives you some assurance that something big is down there.

Around the creeks have a look at low tide to get your bearings and look for banks and holes that fish may feed in later on a rising tide. Don’t take a large boat 4 plus metres up any of the creeks at low tide as they are either to go far, or large rock bars just under the water line will destroy motors. Most of the creeks will produce exceptional mangrove jack, estuary cod, flathead, whiting, bream, threadfin, the odd barramundi (when in season), and mud crabs.

Baits for most fish can be caught or purchased quite easily and the staff at any bait & tackle shops will be only to happy to give you some good pointers.

Further to the surf beaches, dart, whiting, bream, school mackerel, and sharks can be caught straight of the sand, and this is to name a few. Most of the beaches end with rocky headlands, and these seem to be a better spot for your pelagic species including mackerel of all types, tuna, trevally, cobia, and marlin.

These headlands are sometimes inaccessible when the swell is up, and can be flooded by the occasional rouge wave, but isn’t that rock fishing for you. No fish is worth getting dragged over oyster rocks. Some of the best catches have come from these rock along the Queensland Discovery Coast, including some extra large tuna and several marlin. These fish have been taken while spinning for mackerel.

Small tinnies can access the waters close to shore, weather permitting, and personally I find this extremely exciting fishing in summer. You never know what is on the end of your line and when you lean back on the rod and take the fish’s weight and it screams of into the deep, you wonder if the line is going to disappear of the spool or ever return. The catches can consist of long tail tuna and marlin, with regular catches of Spanish and school mackerel, queen fish, golden and tealeaf trevally.

To the Great Barrier Reef. and in between you now have to fish these water with a certain amount of responsibility, as your ideal GPS mark could now be in a greens zone. It is a good idea to carry all relevant zoning maps to prevent a possible fine. When you pick up the zoning maps from the local bait & tackle shops get all the latest fish sizes and bag limits as well, you may find things have changed since the last time you looked.

When you actually get fishing, use the sounder to pick up the best show possible and drift over it. This gets you a line the boat will hang after you anchor. Plenty to be caught in these rich waters including coral trout, red throat emperor, tusk fish, hussar, and the list goes on, but the work goes into finding them with the sounder first.

If you don’t realise that the days of overflowing eskies of fish are gone. If it didn’t matter we wouldn’t have bag limits, so don’t plunder and pillage, always check the weather and laws before you fish, regulation can be found at the Queensland Fisheries website.

By Matt Bewsey

Crabs & Fishing

Great Barrier Reef Fishing Report -Town of 1770 to Baffle Creek on the Queensland Discovery Coast, Gateway the the Southern Great Barrier Reef.

"Where Fishing The Great Barrier Reef Begins".

Crabs & Fishing report delivered each fortnight by Town of 1770, Great Barrier Reef Fishing Reporter Matt Bewsey, Sponsored by Agnes Hydraulic Services, PH/Fax: 07 4974 9564.