By Bob Ives
There a lot of reasons to go saltwater fly fishing in Australia. If you
didn’t have enough already, this brief guide will give you 8 more of
them. Here are the most popular saltwater fly fishing species.
Barramundi
Barramundi are fished for from the Queensland coast all the way up to
the northern coast, where they are more easily caught in slow,
continuously moving warm water from September to December. They love to
hang out around mangroves, submerged logs and other overhangs. Expect to
catch them weighing from around 10-20kg up to 1.2m range. They hit flies
aggressively and run for the snags putting up a strong hard fight which
may include acrobatics and leaps. Good places to fish for Barramundi is
river estuaries in the Northern Territory and the Gulf of Carpentaria.
Giant Trevally
The Giant Trevally can be found in warm marine waters from the
Queensland/New South Wales border and around the north over to the Shark
Bay coast of Western Australia around the tropical north coast, most
often in warmer water between September and March. They are typically
caught by fly fishermen in sizes ranging 5 to 15kg, but can weigh up to
50kg. Look for them along reef drop-offs and shallow isolated pieces of
reef located a distance offshore. They are also hard-hitters and will
run deep on you heading for water rocks. in Australia , the best place
to go fly fishing for them is the Gulf of Carpentaria and the Northern
Territory.
Threadfin Salmon
You will mostly find Threadfin Salmon (also called Blue Salmon) in
Northern Australian estuaries along the coast from the Fraser Island in
the east to the Kimberley region in the west. They like mud flats, muddy
rivers and like to stick near the coast line along beaches and bays, and
are mostly caught in warmer waters between September and March. Fly
fishermen typically catch them under 3kg, but the can grow to 5 times
that size. When hooked, these fish are likely to run and jump, giving
the fly fisherman a good workout. Look for them in the coastal waters of
Northern Territory, Western Australia and Queensland in the winter
months.
Queenfish
Queenfish can be found year around in the northern waters of
Australia anywhere from Yeppoon on the east coast to the Pilbara in the
west. The best times are March through May, and September and November.
They like inshore areas, sand flats and shallow isolated pieces of reef
located a distance offshore, as well as the upper tidal reaches of
northern rivers. Fly fishermen typically catch Queenfish that weigh from
1 to 7kg from around eddies, reefs and rocks on the falling tide. They
run hard and long when hooked, and are very ‘showy’, giving the fly
fisherman his money’s worth. Look for them in The Gulf of Carpentaria,
the North Queensland Coast and the Arnhem Land coast in the Northern
Territory. |
