Pro Guide Tim O’Reilly talks Summer doldrums and surviving the northern wet season.
THE GREAT DIVIDE
For anyone living above the 18th parallel, which is basically a line between Broome in the west and Townsville in the east, Summers can get brutal. Hot and humid typifies December though to March. However, for anyone that loves the far north, especially fisherman, this is a time of year to relish. For starters, the coastline will experience the highest number of windless days for the year. This is known as the doldrums. Clear water and clean reefs typify this period as warm water and current flow play major factors in the offshore fishing scene. It is typically cloudy with showers or storms always building up on the horizon. Great for fishing, horrible for sailors.
Despite the calm conditions, always be ready for a nasty change this time of year. A raincoat and well-functioning bilge are two musts during the northern monsoon or The Wet as it’s called up here. Many travellers stay well away during the summer months. The thought of heat, cyclones and mosquito swarms thinning the crowd. Yet those in the know look forward to reaching more of those out of the way locations and generally pointing their vessel offshore. Let’s head from east to west across the top and run through some fishing scenarios along the way. Despite painting a bit of a gloomy image of the conditions to be expected, remember this is the real action time in the far north. Everything bursting at the seams, rivers starting to flow, birds all over the place and fish usually ready to bite.
EAST COAST BLUEWATER
Many of the iconic species of the far north will be on offer over the summer period. A few on the offshore list include marlin, sailfish, wahoo, tuna, mackerel, and dolphin fish. All these speedsters will be riding the warm ocean currents, making their way closer to the edge of the continental shelf. The area surrounding Cairns and the Ribbon Reefs out from Lizard Island are famous for the run of huge black marlin between October and December each year. This is peak performance fishing, with skilled game fishing crews taking on the world’s mightiest fish. Little black marlin and sailfish can be found inside the Barrier Reef, accessible to smaller vessels and trailer boats. Trolling skipping baits such as garfish and little queenfish or skirted lures are great ways to prospect for billfish on the blue water current lines. These same skirts and diving lures will attract the remaining fish on this list.
Upping the troll speed for yellowfin tuna, dolphin fish and wahoo to between 6-8 knots can be effective. These fish are mostly just on offer around the Great Barrier Reef entrances and outer edge. Late in Spring, many of the reef fish species will move into shallow reef and
shoal areas to engage in spawning activity. Despite reef closures over the new moon period, the fishing will usually remain red hot leading into early summer. As water temperatures heat up, some species will begin to vacate the reef tops and shallow structure in search of cooler water in that 20-40m depth range. When the tidal run is a little stronger, trailer boats and charter boat dories might do some of their fishing up on top in shallow reef and lagoon areas.
The water clarity is normally brilliant over the summer months, making sight fishing and shallow water popping an absolute pleasure. Coral trout, long-nosed emperor, giant trevally and Māori sea perch are suckers for poppers and stick baits. Definitely one of the more visual forms of fishing and an area of sport fishing that’s catching on fast. Although a challenging area to fish, boat owners living around the tip of Cape York and the Torres Strait will be making adventurous forays to shoals, reefs and remote islands in calm weather. A period somewhere near Christmas will signal a change to monsoonal conditions and water clarity tends to suffer. However, the months from October through till December can offer champagne fishing. Mainly for mackerel and trevally but also the full host of reef fish on offer.
GULF OF CARPENTARIA
An even harder coastline to fish, most of the Gulf of Carpentaria coast is inaccessible. Punctuated by a few settlements and communities you never have to travel far around here to be alone. Massive rivers flow like veins out into this vast Gulf. The number of creeks, rivulets and little hidey-holes along its coast is endless. The sheer scale of the whole things
is daunting. Conditions on land can be harsh, especially during Summer. But there is a bright side. Throughout the early stages of Summer, much of the Gulf is at its finest.
Slick, calm conditions most mornings and sometimes slick conditions for days. Beautiful, breathtaking and completely energy-sapping. As we travel down into the Gulf from the east, leaving behind the Torres Strait, a long barren coastline appears. Just clean sand and low scrub going on and on and on. Nestled into this endless sand beach are creeks and small rivers, mostly flowing very clear water out onto the coast. Dazzlingly clean water can be found along this coastal foreshore making sport fishing a real pleasure.
Just travel a kilometre off the coast and in most directions, you can find birds and fish eating other fish. It is a veritable fish-stew out there with sharks and sharp-toothed fish competing for their share of the sushi train. Simply following your nose out to contour lines and looking for life and ground is a good enough plan most of the time. Heading south it pays to be very careful when traversing the coast. Rocky patches and shallow shoaling sand are a nightmare to navigate in darkness or poor visibility. Extreme care is needed taking even smaller vessels into many of the creeks and rivers.
Sandy entrances which shift with the wet season typify much of this coastline. Anglers using any type of bait, soft plastic, jig or vibe are well rewarded wherever they can find life holding between 5-25m of water. Some remarkable catches are possible within easy reach of the shore. Fish such as fingermark, coral trout, cobia, golden trevally, mangrove jack and tuskfish can be caught around reefs fringing and just offshore. While much of the southern Gulf of Car will experience turbid, wet season conditions, it normally remains clear and fishy in the far north on either side. As we move back up the western side of the Gulf, from around Groote Island up to Gove Peninsula, conditions tend to stay a little more favourable over Summer. This is a spectacular piece of coast, with stark white sand beaches and stunning bays all the way north. Access to this stretch of coast is very restricted due to traditional ownership. Most fishers are taking off from wither Gove or Groote Island on their forays.
TOP END NT
Once you head west across Arnhem Land, you are up into the Top End of the Northern Territory. During Summer months, this particular part of the coastline suffers a little from wet season flooding and monsoonal winds blowing in from the north. You could fill encyclopaedia with areas to fish along here. Bays, river deltas and ginormous mangrove expanses typify this low relief area.
As the myriad of inland waterways and wetlands begin receiving their annual deluge of rainfall, this top end of the Territory starts firing up. In fishing circles this is known as the ‘runoff’. The period where swollen wetlands and coastal plains begin tipping over into creeks, rivers and bays. Predatory fish such as the iconic barramundi and threadfin salmon line up in these locations to feast on an abundant supply of prey items. Early in Summer the months preceding this deluge can be exceptional for chasing barramundi. The buildup produces some huge barra along the Northern Territory coast and is one of the most likely periods to produce cricket-score catches. This happens because many of the fish are congregated around the coastal foreshore, rocky headlands and shallow reef patches in spawning aggregations.
Late in Summer, low-pressure systems start following something called the monsoon trough. Forming a band across the tropical north, it tends to be where the bulk of rainfall is conceived during this period. Cyclones usually come from singular low pressure systems hovering over the Coral Sea, in the Gulf or somewhere in the Indian Ocean. It is a tricky time to fish the Territory, but
the rewards are there for those willing to brave conditions. Having sweat and getting wet are two things you can take for granted once the storms break. Locals are usually more than happy to take up this challenge just to have the joint to themselves.
KIMBERLEY COAST
Heading west of Darwin and across the vast expanse of the Joseph Bonaparte Gulf, Summer is not for the uninitiated around here. The same monsoonal winds which make fishing tricky across the Top End, also reduce opportunities along the northern Kimberley coastline. The build-up to the wet can be spectacular as lightning shows and distant thunder are an everyday event. Fishing will also be red hot in November – December, evidence coming with all the northern pelagic species feeding in overdrive before the wet season takes hold.
Mackerel, trevally and queenfish are but some of the silver speedsters ready to challenge fisherman. Well off shore, sailfish and schools of long tail tuna make the most of calm conditions and clean water. With a smaller tide range, the stretch of northern coastline between the Berkley River and Mitchell River will have the most productive and consistent fishing. Water clarity is a major factor in fishing the Kimberley and less run correlates with a more pleasant fishing experience. Around the Cambridge Gulf on the east and right along the western coastline, huge tidal run tends to make the fishing tricky, especially with rain and river run-off thrown into the mix. The Kimberley can produce outspending fishing for shallow reef species. Coral trout, fingermark, emperors and snappers can be prolific, with various trevally there to ensure rods stay consistently bent. Along the coastal fringe, barramundi, mangrove jack, threadfin and blue salmon infest the shallow sand, mud and rocky bays.
PLANNING TRAVELS
Conditions are not always inviting, but they are often perfect for boating over Summer. Expect seriously hot weather and be ready to up your fluids. The ever-constant threat of a cyclone exists from around December right through till April however these days warnings allow plenty of time to plan and avoid. No need to rule out fishing the far north
this time of year, but ground your expectations in reality. Of course, this entire article comes with a crocodile and stinger warning. Summer is particularly bad for both. ACHTUNG! •