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Fishing in Cooktown

Cooktown is unique for its close proximity to a myriad of angling environments. You can fish the outer reef for its legendary black marlin; the inner reef for coral trout, red emperor, mackerel and tuna. On the beaches, headlands and coastal flats you’ll find trevally, queenies, permit and the elusive bonefish; and in the estuaries chase barramundi, mangrove jacks, fingermark and crabs. And way up in the sweetwater jungle, perch and sooty grunter abound. This is a fishing paradise!

A very good mixed fishery right in the heart of Cooktown on a river steeped in history. This river is a great example of how a tropical estuarine system should be. Deep holes, submerged timber, sand flats, smaller inlets and tributaries, weed beds and all your mangrove species in one river. Brilliant family fishing can be had on the local wharf and immediate vicinity using a variety of methods. Many big barra, Spanish mackerel, queenfish and trevally are landed here throughout the year. 200 kilo Queensland Groupers can be seen patrolling the wharf area, but being a fully protected should not be targeted.

To really explore the system and appreciate it a boat is necessary. Bring your own, hire a tinny or take advantage of a local guided charter. If you enjoy lure/fly casting a vessel equipped with an electric motor will provide you with lots more opportunities and a heap more fun. Boats can be launched opposite the seaview Motel or at the Marton boat ramp 10 minutes north of town.

The main species you’ll encounter up the river are barra, jacks, fingermark, queenfish, trevally, bream, cod, flathead and the occasional black jewfish. Live herring work particularly well throughout the year, they can be caught fairly easy with a cast net and provide you with enough bait for the day. Those willing to use lure or fly can encounter a feast of varying opportunities year round on a system that on its day will rival anywhere.

Annan River

The Annan is situated 5 minutes south of Cooktown with a good boat ramp on the downside of the bridge. Take care when navigating on a low tide as it is very shallow and rocky in places. The Annan is a shorter estuarine system than the Endeavour and subtly different. Barra fishing can be had up and down the river and out into the mouth at Walker Bay where some big saltwater barra can be had both on lures, fly and liveys. Big jacks and fingermark are a common catch plus all your usual queenfish, trevally’s etc. Good mud crabbing can be had especially after the first rains. Upstream of the bridge extreme care should be taken, especially on low tide. Some big deep holes and snags to fish; again liveys and lures can work well. The mouth is sandy with the Esk river coming from the south and Saltwater creek from the north. 4WD access to the mouth is down the side of the Cooktown golf course out onto Walker Bay. Small tinnies can be launched here but caution is needed. Generally runs a bit cleaner and warmer than the Endeavour. Further information can be obtained from the Yuku Baja Muliku Ranger office

Archer Point

Following the road south out of Cooktown for 12 kms will bring you to the Archer Point turn off. Follow the dirt road for a further 6 kms and you reach the beach where you can find some limited camping. Beach launches are possible with a 4WD drive however there is a possible boat ramp installation going ahead. To get a good feel of the area go up to the lighthouse but hang on if it’s windy. There’s a reason why they’re considering this spot for a future wind farm so like most places timing is everything. During the winter months there are frequent sightings of breaching humpback whales. With town so close for amenities this is an ideal spot to have that camping, fishing, and family experience. Visually, it’s fantastic, fringing reef, sand flats, small tributaries, the wet tropics. It’s all here right on Cooktown’s doorstep waiting to be explored!

Throwing poppers around the reef areas especially on a good making tide can see you into some world class sport fishing opponents and the odds are considerably stacked against the angler. There are the remnants of an old wharf you can fish from and results can be amazing especially if the bait schools have gathered around the old pylons.

More info can be sought from the traditional owners Yuku Baja Muliku (T: 07 4069 6910)

Tropical Islands

Tropical Islands scatter this coastline and many are accessible by small boats when the weather allows. Some like Lizard Island are big enough to house luxury resorts, airstrips, camp grounds whilst others are relatively small. Camping is allowed on quite a few but booking in advance is necessary with QPWS. Strict regulations are in place to protect these stunning locations and for further info contact GBRMPA/QPWS for zoning maps and camping restrictions.Cooktown and Bloomfield charter operators will do transfers with camping gear. Helicopter transfers can also be arranged.

Fishing in and around these islands with a local base will present you with a multitude of choices right on your doorstep. Troll for Spanish mackerel; drop a bait for coral trout; sight cast on the flats for a big GT or go for a snorkel and get yourself a fresh crayfish. Walking the shallow reef flats with the sun coming up out of the ocean first thing in the morning with a fly rod in hand has to be about as good as it gets. Monster GTs, giant queenfish and the elusive bonefish patrol these areas but, like anywhere in the far north always beware of crocs they‘re not always confined to the estuaries.

If you can get the right tides and weather then this is surely what dreams are made of.

Heli-fishing

Going in by Chopper to that secret billabong, inaccessible headland or hard to access river mouth has to be one of the ultimate ways to travel and fish. Getting there is usually very quick and spectacular, flying over dramatic escarpments, stunning rainforest and the Great Barrier Reef. Flooded bridges and corrugated roads are no longer a problem and multiple fishing locations are possible in one day. This surely will ensure a very memorable experience of fishing far north Queensland.

Half day charters through to extended holidays are available with several local companies offering packages for that once in a lifetime trip.

Reef Fishing

Cod and NanygaiUnlike many spots along the eastern seaboard of the Great Barrier Reef Cooktown is the closest town to this iconic world heritage site ensuring your fishing time is maximised and not spent travelling. Inshore reefs lie just a couple of miles out and even though they are close shouldn’t be overlooked. However, travelling 10-15 miles out will certainly open up a lot more possibilities.Fishing the reef is fairly straightforward usually it’s a matter of working out which way the current is running onto the face of the reef, (pressure point) where the majority of predators and baitfish will be and dropping the anchor so that you hang close to these marks. Baits such as pilchards and squid work very well but those anglers wishing to experiment with soft plastics and jigs can also be rewarded with a multitude of species.

If however you want to chase red emperor and nannigai then a different approach is needed. These fish tend to school up in deeper water usually over rubble patches, raised areas or around old wrecks so whilst your trolling around for Spanish mackerel keep your eyes on the sounder and when you see some life mark it on the GPS and return later. If you are new to the area then nautical charts are great things to study and will give you enough clues to catching fish if you study them carefully. Zoning maps can be obtained from GBRMPA.

5 day reef closure dates (coral fin fish only)

2011 24 - 28 Oct. 22 – 26 Nov.

2012 12 -16 Oct. 11 – 15 Nov.

2013 2 – 6 Oct. 31 Oct – 4 Nov.

Game Fishing

Whether you choose light or heavy tackle Cooktown with its close proximity to the reef and the continental shelf offers the angler a world class destination. The variety of species on offer is outstanding especially when you consider how far you don’t have to travel to catch them.From September to December the marlin fleet from across the globe, converge on far north Queensland. Many choose Cooktown as their base, chasing the elusive 1000lb (Grander) black marlin and to fish the Annual Lizard Island Classic. It is during these months that big female marlin with their attentive males, are brought down the currents on the outer reefs feeding on the ample bait supplies. This provides the angler an opportunity to target these leviathans from the deep.

Smaller boats can target sailfish, wahoo, yellow fin tuna, Spanish mackerel, mahi mahi, GT’s and queenfish all year round with the right conditions giving anglers an abundance of opportunities on a variety of budgets.

Weather/Temperature

There are basically 2 seasons. The Wet, Nov – Mar and the Dry, May – Sept.

During the winter months rain is rare and the temperatures are very comfortable, however some years south easterly trade winds can be relentless and unless you have access to the right vessel, fishing offshore is limited. If you time your holiday with favourable conditions the results of ‘winter fishing’ can be amazing.

The wet season brings a different weather pattern all together. Days and nights get hotter and more humid and big clouds bubble and boil over the hills sometimes threatening rain for weeks on end but fails to produce the much needed deluge that will breathe a sigh of relief into the parched landscape. Fishing at this time of year can be dramatic and dynamic with perfect conditions one minute and biblical scenes of thunder and lightening the next.

No matter the weather and conditions Cooktown can provide you with so many choices, at any time of the year, but like anywhere in the tropics mother nature can often play a part in your experience…….but what an experience it will be!!

Key Species

River And Estuarine: barramundi, mangrove jack, fingermark, tarpon, queenfish, trevally, salmon, cod, bream, grunter, flathead, jungle perch, sooty grunter.

Barramundi closed season; 1^st November, midday – 1^st February, midday.

Inshore/offshore: marlin, sailfish, wahoo, mackerel, bluefin tuna, yellowfin tuna, coral trout, cod, red emperor, spangled emperor, sweetlip, fingermark, nannigai, queenfish, trevally, cobia.

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