Port Douglas

FISH CATCHING TRAVEL

Brought to you by  waderight2-50

** For a super deal on your Wade Right use promo code FCT15 and get 15% off on your online  order!**

We were so fortunate on getting to Cairns and then Port Douglas.  There was a giant, and I mean monster, cyclone off the coast of Cairns on our arrival in Sydney.  As the week progressed it spun slightly south and we were fortunate to be able to fly around it and make it to Port Douglas.  It turned out to be really hard on the folks on the coast for hundreds of miles.  Once it spun ashore it rained for days on the coast causing massive flooding and town after town were inundated.  We were so lucky and felt for all the folks as the cyclone raised hell for a week.

The beach a block from the resort.  Note the swimming area.  Surrounded by a chain link net it keeps out all the stuff, you hope, that can eat you!

We hoped in the rental car and headed to Port Douglas, an hour from Cairns.  Port Douglas, a town of around 3000 that swells to as many as 50,000 during their winter season which started a week or so after we were there.  Snorkeling and diving the reef, trips to the Daintree forest, camping, fishing, bike riding, it is a great town for experiencing all the reef and rain forest have to offer.  But the town was quiet while we were there, and the great eating and craft beer drinking continued.  Every night as it would get dark the parakeets, starlings, and cockateels would come to roost and were as noisy as possible.  And it was cool to see the big fruit bats, stuff right out of the horror flicks.  And sun rises and sets that were out of this world.

And I would give a shout out to “by the Sea Port Douglas”, the resort where we stayed.  A trip to Australia would not be complete without a trip to Port Douglas.  And the resort was not only right next to the beach, they have bikes, coolers, ice, carts, books, movies, laptops, among other things that are free to use.  It was reasonably priced and in the heart of town within walking distance from the marina and all the food and shopping you can stand.  If you are fishing there is plenty of things for the family to do with the reef, the Table Lands, and the Daintree forest, all close and easy to drive to.  The ladies at the resort will set it all up for you and are extremely helpful.

https://www.bytheseaportdouglas.com.au/

                            Fishing the rocks.  The landscape was beautiful.

Once we arrived the guide called and there was a north wind coming the next day and it might be a little uncomfortable on the reef.  He asked if I could change one of the days, and as I had 2 open that was not a problem.  Plus no matter where you fish if the guide doesn’t want to go it is definitely time to stay at the dock.  So that left us with day 1 for a drive through the mountains to the  Table Lands and then a visit back through Cairns.

               Red kangaroos, they are considered part of the course.

In the late 60’s and early 70’s the giant black marlin fishing exploded and turned this area on the Great Barrier Reef into the top fishing destination in the world.  Great fisherman on great boats flocked to Cairns from October through December for a chance at a 1000lb black marlin.  Much of the evolution in big game fishing and equipment came from Cairns during this period as the most famous fishermen in the world descended on Cairns to catch the greatest game fish in the ocean, a black marlin grander.

                                                           Hallowed Ground

As a boy I saw Curt Gowdy and Lee Marvin catching giant fish, and dreamed of catching my own marlin.  Every Saturday I waited for American Sportsman hoping that they would marlin fish.  I dreamed of it constantly.  I had never seen the ocean, unless you call an ocean of corn fields one, but I never missed a chance to catch a glimpse on tv.  I finally caught a marlin in Puerto Rico, but have never lost the desire to see the reef and make it to the Cairns Game Fishing Club.  For me being there was a visit to hallowed ground.  And for this boy it was all it was cracked up to be.

                                  These pictures do not do this place justice!

We stopped at the Cock and Bull to eat lunch and see the club.  Unfortunately the club was closed until 5 but the waitress was kind enough to open the club and let us see what for me was everything I dreamed about as a boy.  Huge fish, famous fishermen, the club is real fishing history like no place else on earth.  These folks were on the cutting edge of a revolution, and fish of epic proportions were landed every season.  Just when a person might think he is all that in the fishing world there is nothing like a visit to the club to put that in perspective.  This is a place where dreams are realized, and when you see these giant fish it is impossible to not be impressed.

                                  Some of the greatest fish ever taken on the reef.

One of the places we stopped on our first day drive was Bransfords Discount Tackle.  The salesman was really informative and friendly and took time to just talk about fishing.  On the wall were pictures from the early days of Black Marlin fishing on the Great Barrier Reef.  Pictures of Lee Marvin and Ernest Borgnine catching giant fish in the early days.  And coming from the ceiling was a reproduction of the front half of Lee Marvin’s grander.  The history here is so impressive.

                                    Of course I hoisted a pint to my heros.

Our drive that first day took us up the mountains into the rain forest in an area called the Table Lands.  As you rise up winding roads into the mountains it flattens out and some of the best fruits and vegetables in world are grown here.  Along with the fields of sugar, there is tons of stuff grown in this tropical region.  And of course they have a problem with wild hogs.  There are lakes in the region and it was interesting how there were swampy areas so high in the mountains.  And when you see the gauges for high water it becomes real apparent why some folks have SUV’s with snorkles on them.

                                   Everywhere you looked it was beautiful.

So after a great day driving the area it was a great meal and to bed filled with anticipation of the next days fishing.  I was to meet the folks on the Dragon Lady at 8:30 at the marina, a short walk from our motel for my first day of fishing.  The Boss wanted to come that day to experience the reef so she tagged along to take pictures.  So I will close with that and start on the 4 days of fishing.  It was not what I expected in some respects, and much more in others.  One thing about fishing in so many places, I have learned one thing, expect nothing particular, because you just never know.

*********************

Get Inhaled!

*******************

Time to catch up on a couple of comments, back to the real world we go.

Welcome home!!! Fish are biting at Fayette Lake. Took my wife out Thursday night and she caught two 8′ s on top water, she was in heaven! Got a trip to Costa Rico at La Grange CCA banquet recently and will be going in 2018. Sailfish is on my wife’s bucket list.
Rest up and tight lines,
Rusty

Sounds like the fishing on Fayette and Coleto is hot right now.  I have seen several big fish on line this week from Coleto.  Congrats to your wife, the kind of day that keeps us fishing.  And you should have a great time in Costa Rica.  My trip there was exceptional, and we caught a bunch.  Good to hear from you.

********************

Lelia dropped me this comment after reading the blog post on the Powderhorn.

Thanks! I plan to bring my RV to camp at Magnolia Beach soon. I’ll be bringing my 12-ft kayak and your helpful tips will really give me a good start. I’ll check with the marina when I arrive for more information. I’m also eager to do some crabbing and shrimping, so am hoping this area is salty enough. On the satellite view, it looks like the pass into Powederhorn Lake might be ideal for shrimp.

Good luck on your trip.  The pass out of the Powderhorn is full of shrimp during the fall.  It is a shrimp nursery and I have seen them rolling out of there on a full moon falling tide in October.  Please be sure to review the regs, if memory serves me right there are some specific rules for that pass.  And there is the crabbing bridge which you will cross when you first come out on the island and both the lake and the bay have crab traps so there are some around.  So have at, there are plenty of areas for your kayak.  Let us know how it goes, we would love the report.  And thanks for reading.

*****************

And I got this tongue in cheek comment from catfishtom.

You are so blessed to Fish the way you do all your life! Enjoy your trip to the down under while you are there! If you do not want to come back to the Northern Hemisphere, can I have your boat here in Texas ? LOL Enjoy Life while you can I will if You give me your boats! Again LOL

Can I and my neighbors have your 2 boats or not? Jeff and Korbin and I wii enjoy them while you enjoy the down under trip.

Have fun while you can

Trust me, if I could have stayed forever you would have scored, but life goes on.  And you, Jeff, and Korbin are welcome on the boat anytime.  And yes I realize just how lucky I am, trust me.  This boy from the cornfields of Iowa thought trips like this were a dream, and they are.

*******************

I know most of you have been waiting for the fishing and I am going to do it right now.  I just needed to post this stuff in order trying not to forget the tons of stuff I have already forgotten about the trip.  So the fishing is coming.  And in the morning the boat will be on the truck and headed out the driveway.  Where I have not decided, but it is usually Coleto Monday and there have been some big fish posted on line this last week.  So keep stopping in and thanks for reading my stuff.

Good Luck and Tight Lines

About Redfishlaw

I am a retired attorney who just loves to fish. I was a freshwater guide for about 20 years and now have moved to the salt. I am not the greatest fisherman, but I am committed. So if you love fishing, and want to learn what little I have to offer, stop by anytime.
This entry was posted in Fish Catching Travel. Bookmark the permalink.