Receive the Fishing Report by email 

Guaranteed - NO SPAM!

Simply email us and we will add you to the mailing list.

Welcome to the Winter weather pattern. To date it has been variable from very good to not so good. But the good news is that the fish are biting their heads off out wide. The water temperature is still a very warm 25.0 deg C out at the hardline. Coral Trout, Red Throat and Red Emperor are all biting hard and the Spanish Mackerel are on fire!

The big wet early in the year is beginning to show results out wide. Inshore fish are feeding on the prawns and other bait that were spawned and flushed out of the estuaries during the floods. The domino effect is starting to show up out on the reef with reef fish going crazy and a fantastic mackerel season now in full swing.

 Mackerel Massacre!

If you can't laugh at this you need to get outa here!

Ray Balks (r) has the biggest smile and the biggest Spaniard followed by Luca Maggiolo second from left.  Ray & Luca landed four nice Spanish Mackerel each in a crazy 30 mins of hot action at Parker Reef. Photographer Lee Brake and deckie Rory Hopkinson, accounted for the rest.

Imagine . . . two quad hook-ups and two triples on nice sized Spanish Mackerel. Looks like we are in for a fantastic season. We had three clients on board and four rods bent right over with a hot bite at Parker Reef last weekend. With bad weather threatening, we decided to get in close to home and were greeted with some fantastic sport.

In the end we had to walk away from the Spanish Mackerel after reaching our bag limit. The clients were not disappointed as we were knee deep in mackerel on the back deck. Deckie Rory (Scooter) Hopkinson was filleting well into the night after we anchored up in Refuge Bay at Scawfell Island for some R & R.

But the action didn't finish there. Next morning with a stiff southerly blowing we ventured out onto the shoals and it started all over again with some monster Island Trout. The biggest Bar Cheek tipped the scales at 6.5 kg (14 lb) and was landed by Luca Maggiolo on a handline after an  exciting battle.

And don't forget to book a spot on this year's Coral Sea Tour of Duty and receive a free entry in the chance to win $1,000 in our Grand for a Grander prize. Details will be released shortly.

Trout are about!

Water temps still in the 25 deg C range are producing a good bite on the outer reefs. The islands are also throwing some fantastic sport with monster trout on the chew.

Ripper Reddies!

Red Emperor are biting well at the moment. The crew last weekend bagged out on big ones.

"Redneck Riviera" raging again!

Spanish Mackerel season kicks into full swing with this  catch of 14 spaniards in just on half an hour.

2008 kicks off with a bang!

Red Throat Emperor and Coral Trout have been on the bite. The size of the Red Throat is from big ones to whoppers. The secret is night fishing the big lagoons with plenty of berley. We have continued to bag out on both Trout and Red Throat on alternate trips depending on moon phase etc.

Huge trout are biting on the bigger tides. Be prepared to fish light and there are some monsters lurking at most spots so it pays not to go to sleep with a line in your hand, so to speak.

The size of the trout is excellent - averaging around the 3 to 5 kilo mark.

Spanish Mackerel going off! With some fantastic catches. None better than last week's cache of 14 in half an hour at Parker Reef. With two quad hook-ups and two triples this may well be the Black Samurai record of all time!

 Fresh baits are the go! Trolling fresh small Scad and fresh gar have proved successful. Live baits are also producing some nice ones. Most of the fish are "school" size at present with the biggest being around 20 kg (44 lb) mark. These fish are great sport on light tackle.

We are still catching some good Wahoo. These speedsters are one of the most spectacular of all catches with blistering speed and beautiful colors. They are also excellent eating both raw and cooked.

We have also been averaging at least a handful of Red Emperor each trip with the biggest last week going 68 cm - now that's a nice reddie, I don't care who you are!

Mackerel Recipe

Wahoo, Spanish and Salmon Mackerel go well on the BBQ. Try some butterfly cutlets on the BBQ after dusting with the following mix:

Mix following in a bowl: 1/2 cup Rice Flour, 1/2 cup Plain Flour plus contents of 1 packet McCormick's White Sauce (Mornay Style) and 1 tablespoon of dried parsley flakes.

Then put the flour mix in a plastic bag. Add the cutlets and shake to cover with the seasoned flour mix. Fry gently on the BBQ and squeeze some fresh lime juice over the cutlets while cooking.

Picture Gallery

Catch of the week!

Ray Balks with a beautiful Red Emperor taken at Scawfell Island.

Hooter!

Trout season started slow early in the year but they are now on the bite - big time and the size is enormous.

Luca Maggiolo shows the excellent quality of the trout we have been catching in good numbers recently with this 14 lb hooter.

 

Girls can do anything!

Lisa Pullos showing how its done with heavy tackle in the chair; while young deckie Rory "Scooter" Hopkinson (back) wired the big billfish like a veteran.

Queenfish Quest

For something different we went chasing Queenies at Scawfell last week and managed to catch a couple. A big one was released by Bob Whalan whereas the other one pictured here was not able to be released due to injury.

Rowan McGrath of Mackay with a lovely Queenfish that put on a spectacular jumping display.

A spectacular action shot of a nice Queenfish in full flight with the Lazer Pro lure firmly in its mouth

(Report cont. next column>>>>)

Reef fish on the bite!

L to R Luca Maggiolo, Ray Balks and the Skipper. All of these fish were landed withing a few seconds of each other out on the Redneck Riviera. 

To his credit Luca released the big flowery cod to fight another day.

Tons of Trouble!

L to R Rory Hopkinson (deckie), Luca Maggiolo,  from Brisbane, Darryl Brandon (Skipper) and Ray Balks of Moranbah. This catch totalling 14 spaniards comprised two quad and two triple hook-ups.

Our pet Tawny Shark "Bruce" comes by to say hello!

Wahoo - Yahoo!

Mark Maunder was in good form taking this spectacular speedster!

Bar-cheek Bonanza!

Ray Balks of Moranbah with a terrific trout landed at Scawfell Island which has been firing lately.