Easter Monday Fishing report 20160328

Seeing we slept in a donga 60 metres from the parking area of boat trailers at Dundee ramp we were the first at the ramp Monday morning, number one was our launch number - it was number 16 yesterday.

The morning weather had a moderate easterly wind but the further offshore we got the rougher the seas and chop
So it was a bumpy ride to Blaze point
looking back towards Dundee Beach gave us an awesome view of a rapidly rising column of cumulus cloud above Bynoe with its rising tip in the sun, the lower part dark and ominous, at times with lightning zipping from top to bottom, it was superbly breathtaking scenery

Not a bird or slash was seen along the way
We continued on to the couple of areas that we found the tuna yesterday in hope of something to cast to
Again no birds or any indicators of the presence of target species

We soon found ourselves almost to Perons again without a cast in anger
The water on the NW side of the north island was chocolate milkshake in colour
Not to Peter's liking at all - nor to fish as none we seen
 We kept moving around the island to check out the rest of the island hoping for cleaner water and some sign of the target species

The further we got around the north island the cleaner the water got - there were emerald waters,  aqua waters, and blue waters, the lines of those colours joining would surely have fish hanging about

On the SW corner of the north island we found a large curved sand bar starting to be exposed by the dropping tide
We could not see any activity but the location screamed fish in a back eddy on the inside of the front corner. It had a slightly deeper pocket of water behind it. The first cast had twenty or so queenfish attack the fly shouldering each other out of the way to get the fly as if they had never seen a fly before and were starving.

Every drift past the corner had many, and I mean 'many' fish attack the fly, attacking even the knots that joined sections of the leader. Mostly 40-45cm queenies but also golden trevally and brassie trevally - all using the flowing tidal water to make the fight more than you would expect for fish that size

Peter had a great time with a floating line and a white gurgler that in the end of all the chewing it endured looked nothing like it should have and still get attention from the many fish tucked in behind the tip of the sandbar as the water swirled past. Peter would get a hit on the surface, lose the fish as it went deep and get hit again before the fly floated to the surface. Great fun!
But it became too easy, to the point of us starting to look elsewhere so bored with catching fish every cast (yeh sure! no it was too easy!)
We tried the other corner of the sand bar but although looking just as good as the other proved to be barren of fish, maybe another tide and time it would fire up.

The weather conditions had calmed considerably to having no chop at all.
We ventured over to the SW corner of the South Island which I had briefly stopped on that trip to Anson Bay with the lure tossers a few weeks back
It had looked promising then and more so now with the super calm conditions
Peter had been tossing about a monster huge popper hoping for a mega GT or metre plus queenie

I was giving him a bit of a hard time about it and suddenly a 80cm queenfish that did I a sort of headstand once hooked for a few flicks of its tail before racing off, just to show me who should be casting instead of bagging out a mate.
The next cast another to Peter, and then another responding to his casting efforts.
at one time not 15metres from the boat a large queensfish was just sitting in the water not even moving but before I could cast he saw us and left a huge hole in the water with his trusting tail.

The SW rocky point of the south Peron Island is right up next to deep water and it is one of the fishiest spots I have seen

We got Macks, jacks and cod. Regularly we had several large queenies shoulder each other in combativeness to be the first to attach themselves to our offerings. Some even swam under the boat after following to the boat circling around actively seeking something to devour. All this in very clean water - so visual, so exciting, we had to keep casting and casting to see more of it!

Half way along the front ledge as we wind drifted along, in just 10 feet of water, I had two very big queenfish push each other aside so much that they totally missed my offering, so a quick recast back to same spot and instead I got a good 54cm mangrove jack that rose from the rocky depths to hookup.  Then moments later Peter hooked a plate sized jack off the outer edge of the same rocks, it was followed and harassed by two other fish slightly large then the jack. At first we thought them to be more jacks. I had just dehooked mine, so quickly I cast toward Peter's trio, hoping to entice the bullies next to Peter's mangrove jack. Peter was keeping the trio in the water near the boat. With the third cast I finally attracted the attention of one of the accompanying fish to my fly and two subtle strips and longish pauses later sees the bigger fish suck down the clouser and the line goes tight after a strip strike. So awesome the visualness of the episode that unfolded. It turned out to be a pair of estuary cod that were harassing Peter's jack.

We were trashed physically by the heat and action of the last few hours, so put up the canopy, prepare some lunch and trolled a few lures around and past the rocky point a few times - lunch was repeatedly interrupted first by mackerel, then big queenfish, followed by huge shark, then a thick as a leg barracuda - all taking a liking to the lures we trolled while eating our lunch and puttering around the water off the rocky SW point of the south person island.

We found some cascading water flowing off the higher reef, forming a natural fish attracting device. There was a little movement of fish moving about but many casts didn't produce a take. This place would fire at other times. We will be back to find out.

Time to head back. Wind increasing as too the chop. By the time we get to Dundee ramp it's 4pm and no sign of fish activity along the way. Blaze Reef off Point Jenny was only a meter or so under the water level given stage of the tide. We again cast the water to a froth for no result but the place would go off at other times for sure. There was a few moments of thought and talk about trying north of Dundee again but tiredness of two big days of good Swoffing won in the end.
We were home by 6pm - that highlights the awesome fishing so close to Darwin - are we not blessed living in this wonderful place of the Top End!!!

All the way home we were planning future trips - Coburg when I get my new trailer for my boat (currently on blocks due to cracks in main frame of trailer), very close by Vernons leaving from Nightcliffe ramp using a predawn high tide, back to Perons again really soon, keep an ear out for bigs Macks running off Dundee and getting amongst them

So many, many options when fly fishing and living in Darwin. Bring it On
Off now to the tying bench as lots of flies to replace after this recent weekend!

Keep an eye out for the video of Easter Monday - up on blog soon