# Fishing In The Whitsundays



## Flump (Apr 17, 2006)

Hi Guys and Gals,

I'm off for a week up to the Whitsundays and am planning on doing a bit of fishing while I'm up there. Can anyone let me know of any good methods to use. I currently thinking of taking some HB's, SP's and metal slices and chances are I will be walking the sand banks and beaches casting lures. Any hints and tips greatly appreciated.

Oh yeah, are any of the areas marine parks with no fishing? I've not been able to find any references to any but I'm sure there are some? And do I need a license?

Cheers......Nick


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## spooled1 (Sep 16, 2005)

Hi flump,

Have a read of my Hinchinbrook post. Apart from that, try to make friends with the people who work in the resort etc. They might have a cast net you can borrow and chances are you'll find someone who loves to duck off for a fish imbetween shifts.

Usually you catch the herring off the wharf. If you have a really small jig that would work if you don't have access to a cast net.

Live herring is the gun bait. Dead herring is good too. Walk out to the headlands and send out a bait under a 5/0 hook and a small ball sinker around turn of the tide, maori time or dawn and sunset.

Re: lures, look for a HB few barra lures around 60-120mm. In grey mullet colours or gold. Get some that dive from 1m-3m and a couple of tough poppers. Buy the good aussie brands.

On my trip up north I used 50lb braid and still got busted up on more than one occasion. 30lb mono might have more resistance on the coral.

Have fun and take the resort kayak out to the headlands and slow troll a herring. Get ready for the - BANG!!!!


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## yakfly (Jun 8, 2006)

gday nick
on your way thru proserpine stop in at proserpine bait and tackle,its on the highway.Lawrie the owner is the resident guide at Peter Faust dam but should be able to give you the good oil on whats happening round the traps elsewhere.Yes there are park zones that youll have to avoid and yes there should be maps available,otherwise try the DPI website i think youll find a link on Browniescoastwatch.com.
Mate you could always try in the dam,the barra are on the chew and theyre big (1m+ range) if you see the shags and birds hanging in one spot have a troll past. spots to try are Dingo Beach which is sheltered from the strong SE that sometimes blow up and just out the front of shute harbour round the many islands that are there.Usual suspects like tuna,mackeral,GTs and queenfish are usually round this time of year.i think there was also a guy who runs yak tours out of shute harbour but i dont know if hes still doing it.


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## hairymick (Oct 18, 2005)

Heya Nick,

what islnd ya going to?

there are lots of marine parks there and the resort beaches are usually no fish zones but is usually only a short walk to get out of the zone. if you can get hold of a yak, I would try trolling big HBs around the headlands for trout & cod.

A big trout will rise 4 or 5 metres from the bottom for a lure and when they do, they king hit the thing like nothing else. good luck mate.


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## Dodge (Oct 12, 2005)

Flump said:


> And do I need a license?


Not in Queensland, unless fishing in a freshwater stocked empoundment then you require a permit at some locations


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## BJT (Feb 24, 2006)

Are you just staying at airle beach or going to an island? I went to lindeman island earlier this year and it was great, i did'nt get 2 go fishing tho. And of the jetty and lindeman looked like a gun spot for fishing with millions of baitfish swimming around. I also saw some bloke fishing of the jetty with a hand reel (did'nt talk 2 him tho cause our boat was leaving).


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## Flump (Apr 17, 2006)

Hi Guys, I'm back 8) .

Didn't manage to get any fishing done  , but the holiday was much over due and I think the best we have ever had :shock:     :shock: . There were plenty of kayaks out on the water, but none were rigged for fishing 

We arrived at Hamilton Island last Monday and got the ferry across to Shute Harbour, then on to Airlie Beach. Tuesday morning we went out on a 60 year old wooden tall ship called the Derwent Hunter for a three day sail around the islands. All I can say is anyone who lives up there truly has some amazing scenery and the best "fishy" looking spots I've seen. We did plenty of snorkelling and saw some amazing fish, with the highlight being a Maori Wrasse called Elvis. At around 1.2 metres long it was huge and easily the biggest fish I've seen in the flesh. It seemed to take an interest in me and just kept following me around for about 20 minutes so I got some great underwater photos. While the Wrasse was swimming around me a 1 metre long GT decided to come and have a look too :shock: , the sight of both huge fish swimming together was brilliant. Also saw plenty of Parrot fish, Coral Trout and numerous others I have no idea of the name of :!: .

If anyone fancies a bit of a sail around the Whitsundays on a traditional old style boat, look up the Derwent Hunter. Us and the fellow vacationers all had a fantastic time thanks to the relaxed and easy going crew who couldn't be more help if they tried.

Next time I'm up there I will definately be fishing :twisted: :twisted: :twisted: :twisted:


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## yakfly (Jun 8, 2006)

great read flump
should have hired a yak mate,got onto mack tuna just out at the mouth of shute harbour when i was up there last.was the wrasse at hook island or just out on the reef somewhere


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## RedPhoenix (Jun 13, 2006)

Unfortunately, due to the change in ownership of this web site and the lack of response by the owners to my requests to remove my email address from all administrative-level notifications and functionality, I have decided to remove my posts on AKFF. Thank you for the great times, the fantastic learning experiences and the many many fish. If you are desperate for the old content of this particular post, it is available below base64 encoded and bzip2 compressed.

Red.

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