Fishing Cape York

Fantastic buzz to step off the plane in Cairns last week, and super excited to be back for the first time in maybe twenty years. Back then we used to tow the boat to Cooktown every year:

and it’s where I’ve had some memorable fishing experiences:

This time I’d been invited on a pig hunting trip - but made sure to pack a couple of rods and a few lures, in case we came across any promising water. Didn’t have to look too far, because it turned out we were camped on a big lagoon - five metres deep, in the centre. Note the wild pig damage on the banks:

Our hunting guides had thought of everything, even having a punt with a 20HP Yamaha available. And, a Garmin sounder. Check that water temp:

The pic above really doesn’t show how productive the lagoon was. Stacks of fish in there, including saratoga, archer fish, and sooty grunter. With big areas of shallow water and lily beds I figured that was where the fish would be. They need some hiding spots because there’s lots of crocs in the lagoon too. Started out with some of our new topwater lures I’ve been busting to try in freshwater:

These floating sway sliders are a longer (and I reckon, improved) version of the popular Lucky Craft Sammy. At a third of the price:

First hit was an archer fish. Tiny one but my first, and I was pretty excited:

Fishing guide Cody told me a great story. These fish are able to spit water up to two metres high to knock a bug off an overhanging plant:

Cody was sitting on a riverbank one night and lit up a cigarette. An archer fish spat it out 😊 The fish got better, both as our casting improved and when we figured out where they were holding. Here’s Drax with a sooty grunter:

Finally got to meet my first saratoga. Kind of like a freshwater mahi? Love warm water, love poppers, super aggressive – but expert at standing on their tails and flicking their head hard, sending your popper flying across the lake. Lost a couple of beauties like that, but still managed to land a few smaller ones:

Cody got a better one on a Sugapen, out of the same creek:

Always been a big fan of the Sugapen myself but three reservations being the price ($27), the hooks, and that the 70mm size only weighs 4.5 grams. Almost impossible to cast any distance into the wind, at that weight:

With so many topwater lures getting smashed I thought it was time to try a new lure we’re offering. So far I’ve only used these on mahi, where they’ve worked brilliantly:

Similar to the Sugapen – with an almost identical action - but with two (in my opinion) improvements. Firstly, it’s a slow sinker with just-negative buoyancy. You can work it just under or - on the surface, by holding the rod tip high and/or winding a little faster. Or, you can work it slow and deep. But most important, they’ve made the lure with both a big air compartment, and balanced lead weights. 18 grams, meaning you can make long casts, but when it hits the water it sinks horizontally. Good lure:

Archer fish loved it:

Sooty grunter loved it:

The hunting and fishing was fantastic. Joe and Cody looked after us like royalty, nothing was too much effort for the lads. We put some monster boars on the deck:

But for me the fishing was the highlight, by a whisker:

Also took two of our short black poppers along. They’re my go to mahi lure at the FADs:

But no fish pics - because I managed to hook both poppers up in trees within the first thirty minutes of fishing 😊 Put together a great little package for our readers, three stocking stuffers for $48 including delivery to your door:

Colours may vary! This is a great deal on quality lures and perfect for the upcoming summer season – on fresh or salt water. Send $48 to paypal.me/downrigger And we’ll get a set in the mail for you. Thanks for reading
Andrew Hestelow

Also in Tackle News