August sees TRADITION fishing from Cairns to Cape Bowling Green for sailfish and baby black marlin. This also allows us easy access to the Outer Great Barrier Reef system. TRADITION is one of the few boats equipped and licenced to fish the outer reefs of Flinders, Flora , Holmes and Osprey Reef systems. The Flinders group is about 100 miles NE off Townsville, and is a favourite for us to fish as it does not get much fishing pressure.
Flora Reef is the southern atoll of the Holmes complex east of Cairns. Arriving at the corner of Flora we were attacked by about 8 wahoo, all over 40lb, leaping out of the water in a race to destroy our tackle. In previousyears we fished 30 lb line and must have released over 20 wahoo up to 50lbs and 5 more dogtooth up to 80lbs. When one wahoo was up to the boat, there were up to 8 more free swimming around the boat eating chunks that we threw to them. The ensuing loss of many poppers and jigs was expensive, but damn it was a lot of fun!!!
I have never seen wahoo fishing like this ever before, and that includes San Salvador in the Bahamas, the place to go for big wahoo. I had a guest who fishes the Bahamas for wahoo all the time , and he had never seen them free swimming and jumping out of the water to eat lures. Next trip we are taking heaps of flys, poppers and more jigs to donate to the fish gods, what an incredible place and trip.
Osprey Reef is NE of Lizard Island and has seen very few boats over the years, only 1 or 2 boats go there a year to sportfish!! Sails, wahoo, dogtooth, coral trout and GT's are all call this region home!!!!
If you love jigging, popper fishing and fly fishing for big fast and explosive fish such as wahoo, tuna, marlin,sailfish, coral trout these are the places for you!!!
These trips are available as liveaboard or mothership charters, and I have other boats available for bigger groups.
