Fast fish around Hinchinbrook Island

WELL hasn’t the year flown.

December already, wow. It’s been a crazy year for us, with clients from all over the world and Australia coming to experience the fishing at Hinchinbrook Island. We have had so many amazing trips and met so many fantastic people from all walks of life, all enjoying the same passion for fishing. We have created incredible memories and helped lots of anglers achieve their goals in catching PB fish and ticking fish off bucket lists.

Just remember the saltwater barra season is now closed, so let’s hope the big girls get a great wet season for a good spawn to provide excellent recruitment in the years to come. The main target species for us over the barra closure is the mighty mangrove jack, and boy does Hinchinbrook have a fantastic mangrove jack fishery. During the hotter months, the shorter coastal creeks in Halifax Bay and around the Hinchinbrook Channel really get infested with mangrove jack. For best results, cast lures into the snags with lures such as the Lively Lures Mad Mullet 2.5” Deep, Z-Man DieZel MinnowZ, Lucky Craft Pointers and my favourite the Lively Lures Ziggy 90mm surface lure for that amazing visual strike on the early morning low tide.

It is also important at this time of year to take advantage of opportunities. Sometimes on the bigger tides the sandbanks at the mouths of creeks and rivers can produce fantastic fast fish action including queenfish, small GTs and golden trevally on light spin outfits.  Simply keep an eye out for these fish busting up on the surface.

It is vital to slowly and quietly move the boat into casting range. Throwing lures into the schools of feeding fast fish can result in epic sessions, with double and triple hook-ups for a while ensuring fantastic fun and presenting a good way to fill some time while you are waiting for the tide to empty out so you can chase those little red devil jacks.

We would just like to say thank you to everyone for reading our articles over the year and also a big thanks to the Bush ‘n Beach crew for publishing such a fantastic magazine with a huge variety of contributors from all over Queensland and northern NSW. There is always something interesting and enjoyable to read in every magazine, no matter your level.

We are finishing up charters for the year in the middle of December and going to take a well-earned family caravanning holiday through central Australia, doing the Dinosaur Trail with the kids. Next we’ll head across to Uluru, Kings Canyon and the MacDonnell Ranges before trekking down into South Australia and back across central NSW to do some hunting and fishing on private properties and maybe try our hand at some impoundment bass and trout.  Then finally it’ll be back up to beautiful north Queensland.

We will be doing this trip over the wet season, and while it may not be the best time of year for it, sometimes the best time to go is when you can. So stay tuned for some articles from the road about these locations.

We hope everyone has a fantastic Christmas and enjoys spending time with family and friends on the water catching lovely seafood for Chrissy. Christmas time can be very busy on the waterways and boat ramps, so please show courtesy to other boaties and anglers and have a merry Christmas from the Crackajack family!

Until next year…