P8 - FISH & BOAT, February 2019 Fishing Hooked On Mackay By Brendan Pollard RRoocckkyy DDaamm CCrreeeekk The 1st of February isn’t faraway, and the countdownis on for the biggest day ofin the south.We arequite spoilt withreally the year, and we aren’t talking about so much coastline Christmas. For Queenslanders, this to check out with day spells the opening of the saltwa- just on 23 local ter barramundi season for 2019. boat ramps to get For many of us, it’s been a long you on the water. 3 months looking back at photos Keep in mind some and videos of the previous year and of our boat ramps are counting down the days, and hours very tidal dependent and remaining. require further research before head- The past few months have seening off on a fishing expedition. some great rainfall on parts of With so many options to choose Central and Northern Queenslandfrom, there is a creek or system that which has given our barramundi asuits all types of fishing from lures, perfect chance to breed, with a great live bait and fly-fishing. wet season and the results for 2018 Local knowledge or advice is a the coming 2019 season is shaping must before setting off on your very up to be a cracker. own adventure as a lot of our sys- I know by now most people willtems can get very shallow or run dry have the 1st day crossed off on the at the mouths, and I will be one to calendars and boats, rods and reels admit we ourselves have been high ready to go. If you haven’t planned and dry a few times at the amuse- a trip to open your account for 2019 ment of passing boaters, but this is Mackay is really turning it on with some quality barra then now is the time to be looking all a part of the adventure. and the opening of the 2019 barramundi season will into your options and getting plans Honestly who hasn’t done this be- continue to see more quality fish hitting the lures. in place. fore? The area can be testing at times Here in Queensland, we are very with larger tides and shallow creeks, spoilt with many great fishing loca- but the rewards are well worth it tions to choose from, with destina- with our creeks teaming with trophy tions like the mighty Fitzroy River size barramundi, mangrove jacks and and miles of shallow sandbars that booklet and planning around a me- Google Earth map as they can often in Rockhampton, the net free zones some great size flathead being regu- bring many boats unstuck - there’s dium to small tidal run, this will be taken at different stages in the in Mackay, or the miles and miles lar catches. nothing worse than giving the prop make the trip far more pleasant and tide. Utilising both applications can of magic channels that make up the Since the removal of commercial a rub back. easier to navigate and fish under help with smooth navigation of the Hinchinbrook region. nets from the Northern waters of We will be the first to admit we electric motor power. new location. All of these regions have played Mackay, the catch rate has increased have spent many dry hours sitting This day and age the technology Now, you are probably thinking host to many trophy barramundi dramatically. high and dry waiting on a tide, thank developed can help the everyday an- great, impoundments AND salt, I captures over the last few seasons Head over and check out some ofgod for the esky! glers like ourselves gain some much- will have to pack twice as much gear, and are great options when planning the data that has been collated over The tidal change in the Mackayneeded knowledge of a system with-but this isn’t the case! your next barra- Since the removal of com-the past 2 years ondistrict can be quite large and es-out having to leave the comfort ofWe have put together a list of lures mundi road trip. s from the North- cies such as barra,capturesof spe- pecially around a full moon withtheir armchair. that we believe are a great crosso- Beinglocals in mercial net up to 5.5m of run being common. We like to spend hours looking at ver for both the impoundment and the Mackay re- ern waters ofMackay, the threadfin and These are less than ideal conditions Google Earth searching for possible the salt systems, but if you’re any- gion, we think of catchrate has increased mangrove jack on for fishing some of our systems and fish holding locations but also to thing like we are, then you will pack ourselves as pretty dramatically. the Info fish web- planning and researching the area is help navigate the snags and channels 3 times as much gear as we really lucky with all the site (infofishaus- what can make all the difference be- in and out of the system. need and only use a quarter of it. options we have when it comes to tralia.comau). tween cooking fresh fish or a steak One tip we have discovered thatAlthough, you can never have too seeking out that elusive barramundi. The past few years have seen the on the BBQ that night. can be quite handy is the use ofmuch gear! Well, that’s what I keep You may ask, “Why Mackay?” Well, rivers such as Murray, Victor and ST For first-timers visiting our area, google map’s satellite image, it’s well telling the missus. why not Mackay is the question. Helens thriving with life and it’s not we advise grabbing a local tide time worth cross-referencing against the Continued next page We have endless fishing opportu- strange to hear many stories being nities and kilometres and kilometres told by live baiters at the ramp about of coastline to explore. the amount of juvenile barramundi Holly Brand outdoing the boys once again, working hard body’s amongst the snags. One of the best parts about the being caught as by-catch in their Mackay district is that if the weather cast nets. takes a turn for the worse and the This can only mean one thing, salt options are inaccessible, then “from little things, big things grow”. we still have world-class Impound- The next few years we believe will ments like Kinchant and Teemburra see Mackay grow into one of the dams that are stocked full of barra- premier barramundi locations in mundi and sooty grunter, making for Queensland. a great plan B. Both dams have great Mackay’s rivers are dotted with facilities for launching your boat and many sunken rock bars, or timber house some monster fish that have laden banks and care is advised when been thriving there for many years. exploring one of the estuaries for the The Mackay coastline spans forfirst time. more than 100Km from the net free If you don’t find one of these unfor- zone of St Helens in the north to giving snags then there is the miles The boys getting another one to the net.