Back to Cooktown

Up to Cooktown in March this year, fishing with three lads a third my age 😊 The same crew just booked in for another trip in November. Excited already! Check out the report below and DON’T MISS the fantastic lure offer at the bottom. To Cooktown, and Oscar opened up our innings with a hard fighting red bass, which went straight back over the side - after a quick pic:

It was a neck and neck battle with the lads as to who could catch the most GTs. Xavier took the lead early:

This sweetlip smashed a stick bait – then fought like a civet cat on PCP:

How’s this? Fish and lure the same size:

Yours truly with a GT. I bought this red spot (sinking model) Cotton Cordell Pencil Popper from KMart East Gardens, back in the 1980s:

When in Rome! Eventually I surrendered to the pressure and bought this popper from Tackleworld Cooktown. It had a nice action but wasn’t a spectacular improvement over what I’d been using through the week:

One downside of the week was finding out just how weak is a queenfish’s attachment to life. No matter how fast we got them unhooked and back in the water, they still died way too quick:

Solid coral trout for Oscar. The lads kept the numbers. We caught 170 big fish during the week. Only three mackerel kept, at the request of our host:

Way offshore, in perfect conditions. This exhausted little sea bird took a break on Oscar’s popping rod:

I’ve always preferred the tailwalker style popper. The one where you hold the rod tip high, and the lure skitters across the water like a fleeing garfish, or Long Tom. One of our suppliers sent me some to test. They worked great:

Last, but not least! Young local Rudi joined us for the last day. He was super happy, scoring this chunky trevally on an ancient CC Pencil Popper:

Thanks for reading. Back up there in November and will post a report if anything interesting happens. Now for a special lure offer! Here’s the story:

1990! Aussie fishing media goes crazy about Lord Howe Island. Good mate calls me, ‘let’s go!’ Need the best lures and everyone’s talking about a new guy, Peter Pakula. Over to his flat at Bondi, where he and his father are making beautiful lures in the garage. Buy maybe 20 and Peter generously throws in crimping pliers – which I still have. 35 years later and it’s time to thin out the herd. Pakula saw the pic online and added his take:

I have 13 in total:

These twelve inch Pakulas normally retail around $85 each – unrigged. My price $40 each, plus $10 delivery for whatever amount you purchase. Take the whole 13 for $385 including delivery. Call or email and thanks for reading
Andrew Hestelow

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