Page 97 - Port Douglas Magazine 45

YOUR TROPICAL

ADVENTURE STARTS HERE

Exclusive deals on Port Douglas experiences

THE

INSIDE

LINE

Tackling Australia team, Nicko Fewtrell and Nigel Webster hooked up with
Tom Busby from Busby Marou and a good looking Spanish Mackerel

Our resident fishing guru, Nicko gives us the inside line Seeing them in the holders of the game chairs — standing

on what’s biting, what’s new with Tackling Australia, proud, freshly spooled with new line, marked with tension
and the best local spots to cast off. increments and words like Strike and Sunset taped next to

the lever drag — means the big girls are swimming just 25 nm
WORDS by Nick Fewtrell east of this magical North Queensland coastal town.
IT’S THAT TIME OF YEAR AGAIN! It’s September, and it’s offi cially heavy tackle time. This

season runs for about four months — September through
If you’re lucky enough to be sitting along the beautiful
Port Douglas marina, enjoying a hot coffee from one of the December — when the giant 1,000 lb-plus female black Half day Full day

fi rst-class cafés or a craft beer from the local Hemingway’s marlin come right up to the reef’s edge to spawn. This truly Great Barrier Reef
Brewery, the cool winter temperatures add to the serenity world-class fi shery was discovered by George Bransford Island Adventure
of Dickson Inlet. Birds, bats, and fi sh life go about their back in 1966 when he captured the fi sh that put our region on
business, and one can quickly become mesmerised by the the international map. SNORKELLING | GLASS BOTTOM BOAT SNORKELLING | DIVING | 3 REEF SITES
sight of high-polished towers standing as tall as a sailing It’s now recognised as the giant black marlin capital of the
boat’s mast, stainless rigging holding the giant outriggers, world, with more 1,000 lb-plus fi sh caught here in a few
and a complexity that blends into pure beauty—particularly months than anywhere else in the world over an entire year.
if you’re a fi sherperson. It’s a must-do for any true fi sherperson at least once in your
What I’m really trying to say is: when some of the most lifetime, and if you can secure a spot on a boat (they book out
impressive game boats in the world are docking in Port well in advance), I’d highly recommend the experience.
Douglas, it means one thing — it’s getting close to heavy Of course, Port Douglas sits right on the edge of the Great
tackle season. Barrier Reef, and the reef fi shing doesn’t disappoint at this
August and September mark the traditional light tackle time of year. While the prevailing south-easterly trade winds
season, bringing a run of smaller black marlin and mackerel. can make conditions a little challenging, the coral trout,
These months are a great warm-up for what’s to come. largemouth nannygai, and most other demersal species are
Juvenile marlin feed fi ercely on the large bait schools pushing eager to take a bait or lure, and all taste sensational on the Full day Half day
through the region at this time of year, gorging themselves plate.
as they move with the warm currents, packing on as much One of the great things about fi shing here is that many local Daintree Rainforest Ziplining Tour
weight as possible. resorts and restaurants will cook your catch for you, so you
Targeting these small black marlin is extremely fun and a can enjoy the full “catch and eat” experience. MOSSMAN GORGE | SMALL INTIMATE GROUPS CAPE TRIBULATION | RAINFOREST ZIPLINING
great introduction to the sport of game fi shing. While they’re If inshore or creek fi shing is more your style, barramundi are
small in marlin terms — averaging 10-50 kg — they suit slowly becoming more active and will only get livelier as the
anglers who don’t want to be strapped into a chair fi ghting water warms. The bycatch while targeting barra is still highly
for hours, or those simply wanting a taste of marlin fi shing, regarded — sportsfi sh such as queenfi sh and tarpon are
or to tick a species off their bucket list. This is the time and becoming more frequent in the tidal sections of the rivers, Port Douglas Magazine readers save 15%

place to do it, with many local charter operators offering the while mangrove jack, fi ngermark, and javelin fi sh patrol the
opportunity to get out and experience it. bottom. There truly is a fi shing style to suit everyone in this
As September rolls on, the 130s make their long-awaited region Use code ‘PDMAG15’ to book
return to the docks. For anyone unsure, a 130W fi shing reel As for me and the rest of the Tackling Australia crew, it’s been
is the biggest of the big — holding more than 1,000 m of 60 full steam ahead with the launch of our YouTube channel. Of
kg monofi lament fi shing line, producing over 40 kg of drag, course, if you’re going to start a channel, you need to feed the reefunlimited.com | 1300 031 411
and featuring a two-speed gearbox to make the almost beast — and that’s exactly what we’ve been doing.
impossible task of landing a true giant of the sea just a little
more realistic. Come with Us! tacklingaustralia.com T&Cs apply. Offer valid only via direct bookings with Calypso Reef Cruises,
Daintree Tours or Treetops Adventure.