Well as March’s go that sure was a windy one, 2 cyclones later and we still were locked up in the marina with 3 meter seas constantly pummeling the rock wall outside. Despite all this we still managed a couple of trips in the lulls between the storms.
To start with I would like to mention just how hot the barra fishing got out at the dams just after cyclone Hamish went through. The first day after it passed was very calm and muggy – perfect barra conditions. We made tracks for Kinchant dam at about 4 in the arvo and started trolling by 5 pm.
At first the fishing was slow but as the night went on we managed to boat 12 fish in about 3 hours. Most of them were around the 75cm with a few bigger and a few smaller.
While they aren’t the biggest fish they sure are great fun on 3 kilo line While the bite has slowed out there since that night you can still pick up quality fish by working the edges of the weed beds with lures like the big x raps and the RMG scorpions. Jump on our web site to view some of the impoundment barra video action.
While the trips offshore were few and far between, when we did get out the fishing was absolutely phenomenal. I know I wrote in February’s report that it was quote “the best reef fishing I have ever come across” – well if the few trips we got in this month were anything to go by I think March would have been even better. Every trip we did our guests came home with a massive 160 litre esky simply overflowing with quality reef fish.
The bulk of the catch was made up of Large mouth Nannygai to about 9kg but also many large red emperor were taken as well as good coral trout and large grassy sweetlip were in abundance. On one particular trip we filled the ice box in one 15 minute drift.
This drift was particuly strange because large amounts of the fish coming up were the southern knobby snapper. While it is not unheard of to catch them up here it is a very out of season catch for this time of the year.
Anyway when you bag out that quickly that quickly we were sort of left with very little to do so we decided that a celebratory swim and lunch at one of the local islands was in order. It’s a bloody tough life I know.
Stand out catches for March were a 10.7kg red emperor (along with quite a few slightly smaller ones), several 9kg nannygai, a 5kg trout and several 5kg snapper.
Initially we used the poor weather to put the final touches on our new 41 foot steber – Mako. The boat was in need of a slipping so for about a week we grinded and sanded and prepped and painted.
It turned out to be time well spent as our fuel burn has dropped considerably and the speed of the boat has increased by a few knots. This luxuriously appointed boat is now available for up to 3 days of non-stop reef fishing action.
She is equipped with a really hot shower and can sleep up to 6 in comfort. To top things off she is also fitted with an oven and big freezer so you can enjoy one of my famous roasts on the great barrier reef while you sip on your beer and watch the sun sink over Australia.
The latest Shimano fishing equipment is also supplied as is all bait and food.
Jump on our website for more info on Mako as well as prices and any other info you might want about reefari. Remember guys booking are essential as we fill up really fast, particularly the weekends so book early.
Anyway that just about brings this months report to a close.
Anyway guys, that pretty much brings this months report to an end. Don’t forget to check out our website at www.reefari.com for more info. Or jump onto YouTube for some awesome video action at our Fishing Channel
Tight Lines Everyone