Who's been saltwater fly fishing? The Tropics

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Post Options Post Options   Likes (0) Likes(0)   Quote Cheeko Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 06 May 2019 at 8:28pm
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Great video Johan. Bugger about the weather - I had a bad weather experience the first time I visited too and fished six days for a bonefish on the last morning before flying home. You will just have to go back and hope the fish gods are smiling. I can't wait to get back next year.
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Post Options Post Options   Likes (0) Likes(0)   Quote FISHBYFLY Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 07 May 2019 at 5:12pm
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fantastic JohanThumbs Up
those lightning storms certainly freak ya out!
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Post Options Post Options   Likes (0) Likes(0)   Quote Jofly Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 07 May 2019 at 6:38pm
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Thanks, glad you have all enjoyed the video. Was a great trip and I am already thinking how I will get back there next year.
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Post Options Post Options   Likes (0) Likes(0)   Quote Snuffit. Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 14 May 2019 at 1:21pm
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Really still not sure if Queensland is the tropics, but its a damn  sight warmer than here so I'll go with it. A week in Hinchinbrook fishing with Dave Bradley and his crew Jon ("Snelly") Snell and Amos ("Famous") Mapleston. We'd hoped to chase permit but only had weather for it on day one. Ol mate Aussie Steve nailed a permit and a goldie with his first 2 casts!! I fished with Snelly and we saw masses of rays but didn't get a shot in on a target species all day. The rest of the week our team of 6 anglers rotated guides/boats and fished hard out for barras and a host of other species that exist in the mangrove swamps. I personally caught:

Barras
Jacks
GTs
Queenfish
Cod
Archerfish (yes! true!)
Grunters - gold and barred (some conjecture about whether a "golden grunter" is actually a species)
Perch of various sorts

To give an idea of what's available, we held an informal comp with each non target species worth 5 points, barra worth 20, goldie 30 and permit 50. Dion and I won with 115 points and no target species caught so that's 23 fish across a dozen species to hand.  Its friggin unbelievable whats on offer up there compared to here.

Barra are tough to hook up on. Over the week I rolled maybe 10 and got hooks in 3. For a start they hang out deep in cover so you need to get your fly through a heap of trash to get at the fish, next they seem to attack the fly side on and slash and miss or fully engulf it rear on then exhale the fly in a second. And, you need to bash your fly into cover cast after cast, hour after hour so when one hits its a "holy fk!!" moment...

Anyhow I'll stick some shots up later on. I'd highly recommend Dave's operation (Australian Flyfishing Outfitters) to anyone who's keen for a real mix of action.




You cant eat my toast fish
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Post Options Post Options   Likes (0) Likes(0)   Quote piscisfly Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 14 May 2019 at 2:44pm
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Sounds like a great trip Nick! The variety of species available in Queensland, especially the tropical north, is amazing!
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Post Options Post Options   Likes (0) Likes(0)   Quote FISHBYFLY Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 14 May 2019 at 5:23pm
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sounds like a great trip Nick,warm and fishy,perfect!
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Post Options Post Options   Likes (0) Likes(0)   Quote FishMan Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 14 May 2019 at 6:32pm
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Sounds fantastic. Looking forward to the pics
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Post Options Post Options   Likes (0) Likes(0)   Quote Jofly Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 14 May 2019 at 8:05pm
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Sounds like a great trip!
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Post Options Post Options   Likes (0) Likes(0)   Quote Snuffit. Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 15 May 2019 at 2:09pm
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Steve with 2 casts worth of fish-of-a-lifetime


Jon Snell with a nice barra


Jack


Where barras hang out. As I said the casting is relentless. Weedguards on barra flies are unbelievably effective.


Jase with a barra





Grunter






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Post Options Post Options   Likes (0) Likes(0)   Quote piscisfly Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 15 May 2019 at 2:11pm
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Great photos!
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Post Options Post Options   Likes (0) Likes(0)   Quote FISHBYFLY Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 15 May 2019 at 6:32pm
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Cool
Clap
How pretty are those permit and Goldens?
So cool
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Post Options Post Options   Likes (0) Likes(0)   Quote FishMan Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 15 May 2019 at 7:13pm
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Brilliant! All great fish. Love the barra
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Post Options Post Options   Likes (0) Likes(0)   Quote Jofly Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 15 May 2019 at 8:29pm
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Oh wow, looks like a great trip!
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Post Options Post Options   Likes (0) Likes(0)   Quote Snuffit. Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 16 May 2019 at 2:16pm
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One thing I didn't mention - their version of the sandfly is a tiny little "no-see-um" meat eating, flesh-boring cnut I mean gnat of a thing. Wear longs. Take heaps of insect repellent and not that watered down Bushman crap I took which is only 20% Deet. Take full on plastic-melting, titanium-destroying Deet. My feet look like when Deadpool takes off his mask. Dead
You cant eat my toast fish
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Post Options Post Options   Likes (0) Likes(0)   Quote neil c Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 16 May 2019 at 4:42pm
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Nothing wrong with that spread of species Thumbs Up glad you got into some of what the area can conjure up, it's the kind of place that gets under your skin and every victory can be hard earned, I miss it heaps. Dave and his AFO crew are all top fishos that know the area very well, if it isn't already then it really should be near the top of your destination wish list.

The clouds of mangrove sandflies will do your head in on calm days, there is a good reason Snelly has everything done up tight, the sods will crawl up shirtsleeves or down collars.....other than that it is a fantastic place LOL

See any crocs?
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Post Options Post Options   Likes (0) Likes(0)   Quote Snuffit. Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 16 May 2019 at 9:12pm
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Hey Neil how’s Turangi? Yeah we saw crocs up to about 3m. You may have seen that video recently of the dog that was taken from the Cardwell foreshore? That was close to where we stayed. Lady at the motel said there was a 5m beastie hanging around
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Post Options Post Options   Likes (0) Likes(0)   Quote neil c Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 17 May 2019 at 8:34am
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Turangi is great mate, no crocs or snakes here and you can actually see the sandflies LOL

Yeah saw that vid, we had them around the old home grounds of Mackay but as you go further north you never get complacent. It still amazes me how an animal of 4 -5m can be sunning on a mud bank and silently slide back into the water and be gone from sight as if never there. 
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Post Options Post Options   Likes (0) Likes(0)   Quote muchalls Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 17 May 2019 at 7:29pm
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Originally posted by Snuffit. Snuffit. wrote:

One thing I didn't mention - their version of the sandfly is a tiny little "no-see-um" meat eating, flesh-boring cnut I mean gnat of a thing. Wear longs. Take heaps of insect repellent and not that watered down Bushman crap I took which is only 20% Deet. Take full on plastic-melting, titanium-destroying Deet. My feet look like when Deadpool takes off his mask. Dead


Just the fish thanks, just keep posting pictures of the fish.
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Post Options Post Options   Likes (0) Likes(0)   Quote Mike.Thomas Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 22 May 2019 at 3:57am
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Not Really the tropics, but not NZ! I have a flat overlooking Portsmouth Harbour in England and the very large Mullet that hang around right in front of my place are driving me nuts! I am pretty sure they are here to breed, not feed as they just will not look at anything. Anyway today I was fishing down there while some very large Mullet ignored my fly, then I saw a grey shape moving left to right about 30 feet out, a quick cast 3 feet in front of it produced an immediate response and I was finally in, hooray at last, two years of trying and finally I have one! Hang on for a big Mullet it's not pulling as much string as I would expect, they are not called the British Bonefish for nothing, anyway after it went through about five clumps of weed about 5 minutes later I get it close enough to get a good look and it is a really good size Bass!
I have never been so disappointed to land a really good fish, a PB for Bass on fly at about 4lb +, but still not a Mullet!LOL
All the best
Mike
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Post Options Post Options   Likes (1) Likes(1)   Quote FishMan Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 22 May 2019 at 5:48am
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Good stuff Mike I think I'd be happier with the bass. That's a nice specimen   
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