Fishing the Whitsundays

If you're really mad about your fishing, but don't often get the chance to get out amongst it, there are a number of Sport Fishing charterers operating in the Whitsundays. Most of them depart from Airlie Beach, although it is also possible to get day trips from Hayman island and Hamilton Island. The fishing in the Whitsundays is totally world class with some Australian records having been well and truly busted in this area over the last few years.

Styles of fishing

You can spend a day bouncing the bottom with lead and bait aboard MV Jillian II around the Whitsunday Islands or you can jump aboard Sea Fever for a day and travel as far as the outer Great Barrier Reef for some reel screaming action amongst the big bities. If you want to get the most possible time at the fishing grounds then a good choice is Wild Sport Fishing who operate an overnight liveaboard sport fishing adventure right out of Airlie Beach. Their trips last either 3 or 7 days and depart every week.

Bottom Bouncing

Most people are familiar with this style of fishing. Basically you get a hook, put some kind of bait on it (usually dead, although sometimes live) add a lead weight and drop it to the bottom, or very near to it. This is the most common form of fishing and produces excellent results IF YOU KNOW where to drop the bait ! This is where the best charter boats excel and with local knowledge about the local tides and reefs in the Whitsunday islands, they can consistently put you on top of the fish. Whether the fish are biting is another matter all together ! You can expect to be hooking into fish such as Coral Trout, Emperor (so many different varieties) and the occasional pelaegic that cruises by.

Throwing lures

Throwing lures is a very addictive form of fishing and is considered more a Sport Fishing activity. People like Wild Sport Fishing and Sea Fever in Airlie beach and Nomad Sport Fishing operating from Mackay do this very well. They know what lures to use and can have you throwing stick baits and poppers right amongst huge Giant Trevally, Coral Trout and many other big pelaegics. Both Wild Sport Fishing and Nomad Sport Fishing operate overnight liveaboard remote outer reef vessels that use smaller fishing tenders to get right up amongst the action.

Throwing Poppers

Although this is virtually the same as throwing any lure, the guys who get into this truly love it and it tends to dominate their fishing. I know, because it happened to me! Depending on what you're chasing, or more often how tired your arms and shoulders are from the last fight, you can throw poppers from a few inches in length right up to about 9 inches and even longer. If the water along the reef edge is clear (and it usually is way out on the reef), you'll often see Giant Trevally chasing your lure as it flies through the air. You'll see your popper hit the water and as you pump it through the water throwing spray in all directions, you'll witness the hit and feel the power of a Giant Trevally as it engulfs your lure and makes for the reef. You've got just a few seconds to stop the fish and turn him before your get wrapped in the coral. Giant Trevally like fast flowing water around the reefs and narrow passages which makes getting in to their territory almost as much fun as catching them and with Giant Trevally growing to weights in excess of 80kg, this is no easy task - but throwing poppersis highly addictive and extremely entertaining.You'll catch almost any type of fish with this method and I'm often suprised what comes shooting from under a ledge, way down deep to hit my favourite (and badly scarred) 9" popper.

Jigging

Jigging is one of the more recent forms of Sport Fishing to take on, but it really is an exciting way to spend some time. And spend some time you will unless you are with experienced guides. Basically, you take a silver (or not) heavy lure, and drop it down. Then with rapid 'ripping' motion, you drag it up. If there is anything near by that eats live baitfish, you can expect it to get nailed! Now here comes the trick. As we all know, the ocean is not full of fish, they tend to hang out in particular places, so not only having a good sounder, but also knowing exactly what it is telling you is critical. If you are dropping heavy jigs down 30m and ripping it to within a couple of meters of the surface, it will only take half a dozen times to start to feel the strain. Go for 30 minutes and you're doing well. Of course, if there are no fish near where you drop it, or they are not feeding, you're wasting your time! If you are on top of the fish though (and usually you are targetting some very big pelaegics who are in turn targetting a school of bait fish, then you are truly in for some action. Because you are attached to the line directly, any hit is a big one and you will instantly feel the power of the fish transmitted to your arms and shoulders. Feel this once and you'll keep going back for more. This is another very entertaining form of fishing, more so than dangling a bait and waiting for a hit.

Soft Plastics

This form of fishing has really taken off which is evidenced by the huge array of soft plastic lures and baits available in your quality tackle shop now. You'll see there are as many soft plastic designs as hard body lures and there are all sorts of hybrids in between. Soft plastics are basically lures, but as their name suggests, they are made of a soft, bendy plastic much like rubber. They come in a huge and dazzling array of sizes, shapes and colors and even some coated in pheromones and other tasty stuff. They can be fished in so many different ways and changed quickly so as you move from one fishing ground to the next, you can easily change your target species. Some soft plastics are smaller and mimic little bait fish, others are shaped like worms or prawns. You can even find them mimicing small crabs and even frogs ! There are some very large ones that are great trolled and mimic a juvenile tuna or larger ribbon fish. These can be awesome lures for really big pelaegics such as Wahoo, Spanish Mackeral and even Bill fish and Sail fish.

Trolling

Trolling for fish must be as old as the boat. I'm sure when the first log drifted off shore with the first sea farer, there was a lure trolling behind. The sport has come a very long way since then and today, trolling accounts for the majority of really big pelaegics like Billfish, Sailfish and Tuna, Spanish Mackeral and Wahoo. Here in the Whitsundays, it can really be a hit and miss affair and agood guide or fishing with a professional outfit like dedicated charter boats will more than likely get you onto that big Gamefish you've always talked about hooking in to.

GBRMPA

The Great Barrier Reef is managed by the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority (GBRMPA) and is zoned into sections to allow enjoyment of the resource by the greatest range of interests. As such there are places where you can fish and places where you can't. If you're coming into central and north Queensland to fish, you will more than likely be entering into the GBRMP and need to know where you can and cannot fish. Check all the latest Great Barrier Reef Marine Park zoning maps BEFORE you drop a line in the water!

Catch and release

The Whitsundays is a truly awesome fishing ground and it's not that way by accident. The GBRMPA zones and Fisheries size and bag limits have helped to sustain what was once a dwindling resource. But there is more you can do... If you go fishing, don't just take your bag limit for the sake of it. Take only what is legal and you will actually consume. Think about fishing for the sheer sport. Most of the best Sport Fishing outfits encourage a catch and release program.