Cooktown November 2025

Up to Cooktown last week, for the third trip this year. Oscar and Xavier aboard, and didn't they catch some whoppers! Here’s Oscar with a quality coral trout:

Xavier’s maori wrasse:

My best GT:

But for me, the mission was testing tackle. Keen to try Head Starts, because Spanish Mackerel are already heading south, to northern NSW. Managed to score three kilos of quality garfish from a local pro mack fisho:

The three big pluses with these little beauties are:

Copied one great idea from a client. Rubber band around the braid and onto the line. This helps the garfish to swim deeper:

Here’s a super short video showing how they swim:

What I wanted was a big Spanish mackerel. Started just north of Cooktown, at Cape Bedford. Howling strike but the fish missed the hook, the garfish head can be seen inside the cap:

First fish was a barracuda. He went back over the side, alive:

Next up, a blue trevally:

But the barracuda were getting to the Head Starts, faster than the mackerel:

All good! We caught a heap of fish and the Head Starts were a big part of our success. Want to try them? Our clients are doing way better than me 😊

Click the link below. Instructions and bait needle included:

HEAD STARTS

Thanks for reading
Andrew Hestelow

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