Ram Road Trip Part 10

On the East Coast ’m on a Ram Road trip to Hinchinbrook to join up with fishing guru Ryan Moody.

Ryan has guided anglers to over 2000 metre plus Barramundi, which means he knows a thing or two about fishing. His fishing coaching courses see him specialise in Barramundi, Fingermark, Wonky Holes and Sounder Skills so he’s a handy guy to spend time with. www.ryanmoodyfishing.com

We launch the boat at Port Hinchinbrook a beautiful part of the North Queensland Coast. Access to the huge island and offshore reefs has made this a favourite fishing destination for many keen anglers.

You can target Barramundi and a mix of other great sportfish in the channel and creeks on the mangrove lined shore. Then there is the option to fish around the other islands offshore and of course it’s only a skip away from the Great Barrier Reef.

We start the morning looking for some bait in the channel leading out from the Port Hinchinbrook boat ramp.

A few casts gets us some healthy sized Mullet and on my second cast I snare a female Mud Crab who is quickly released back into the creek to create more muddies.

It’s always good heading to the reef with a dozen or more live bait swimming in your tank.

Ryan and I head east in the boat to hit some fishing hot spots with lures and live bait’s.

We get side tracked a few kilometres out when a huge flock of feeding birds including Terns are diving down picking up the pieces of baitfish a pack of Tuna are gorging into.

As we get closer we can see that the bulk of the predators are Mack Tuna. A prized light tackle sportfish, but not so great to eat.

And it’s fresh food by the baitfish load out here today. The Tuna are in a gang tackle feeding frenzy and all we have to do is catch up with the rapid transit schools.

I’m cocked and loaded with a chrome jig eager to cast across the chopping pelagics and rapidly surface skip the chromie back to me.

The secret is to match the hatch. By that I mean your chrome lure has to match the size of the baitfish getting munched.

If your lure is too big then even though you cast right in the thick of the feeding frenzy you still may end up without a strike.

Trying a few different size chrome lures will eventually narrow down the size of the baitfish the Tuna are feeding on.

I always carry a mixture of sizes and colours as sometimes they are feeding on matchstick size baits. I generally always have one rod set up with a chrome slice attached before I head out.

These Mack Tuna had balled up a large school of fish around 25 grams in size and from my first cast I was on the money.

After a 10 minute tussle the first of a number of Mac Tuna made it to the boat.

They fight hard for their size and have a unique tattoo like marking on their upper flank, which makes them easily identified.

The sea conditions were nice and flat with light winds, but as always in the hot tropics I’m wearing my waist belt PFD lifejacket. And even though Ryan is speeding after the tuna schools he’s keeping an eagle eye out for other water users. Remember Speeding incidents are likely to be serious so if in any doubt, slow down.

Sometimes these baitballs have a combination of Spanish Mackerel, Trevally and Tuna all ripping in for an easy meal. Of course where there is this type of action the “tax man” Sharks always take their cut of the prize.

A quick cruise back to the boat ramp with a couple of deep water live baiting stops along the way makes the most of a breathtaking North Queensland fishing day.

My Ram Road trip continues next week as I pack the truck for my next journey through SE Queensland. Plenty of fishing mates down south who are keen to get on board so see you at the boat ramp.

My Ram Road trip continues next week as I pack the truck for my next journey through SE Queensland. Plenty of fishing mates down south who are keen to get on board so see you at the boat ramp.