When you reflect back on the month of February there wasn’t a lot of activity when it came to fishing charters in Port Douglas. Having lived in the area for nearly 30yrs you come to expect this. It’s a bit of a pity that February is quiet on the tourist front because if you strike the good weather the reef fishing outside Port Douglas is quite good. In saying this it is a time to also find to fine tune your vessel and gear for busier times ahead.
This month I really enjoyed the company of those that joined the charter, genuinely nice and interesting people. I’m a big believer that a good attitude from the angler from the moment they step on the boat will be rewarded by the fishing gods.
These last few weeks I’ve found to be a little bit tougher but it’s a matter of moving around and keep moving if needed till you find the bite. I found the period leading into the top of the tide was the optimum time when the better fish were active. This is not necessarily the case all the time but I was prepared to be exactly where I wanted to be approaching this window.
Naturally you tend to catch a lot of fish over the course of the day but my better catches of note were red emperor, large mouth nannygai and coral trout. I’m not sure why but the Chinaman fish were a constant hook up as well. If you are into fishing for a pure battle then this is your fish to hook into. There’s room for argument here, but pound for pound they are possibly the toughest reef fin species to pull up from the depths. You catch a big one and compare it to another similar sized species and you’ll get the idea of where I’m coming from.
We did do a bit of top water fishing across the reefs but unfortunately for our overseas client he could only fish right on the moon. The Gt’s were ‘slappy’, meaning they’d rise to lure but continuously swipe and not fully commit. A couple were hooked up and lost but they weren’t crunching the lure which helps to secure an ensuing battle. A few quality red bass were landed which to be honest don’t disappoint as a consolation.
March appears to be a bit busier for Port Douglas Fishing charters and it will be very interesting as to the numbers of people that arrive for Easter towards the end of the month, are in the mood for a fishing charter from Port Douglas!