MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Dear readers, friends  & fellow anglers,

Wishing you all a very Merry Christmas and wonderful New Year!

Can't wait for the barra season to open ha ha! and lets hope we have a big "wet"

Kindest regards, Les
Aurukun Fishing Charters

Who Said Friday 13th is Unlucky!

"I need a break I told myself" (the only person that will listen!)....so after a few quick checks with the boss, the guides and chef, I was off to Aurukun for the weekend. It was Friday 13th.....was I scared?
No way, a little apprehensive.......well, maybe!

Phew; the flight was smooth and without a hitch. Thanks Skytrans.
Our chef Mark picked me up right on time and I was soon zooming across Archer Bay to the mother ship, the Pikkuw. My home for the next three days..............fast forward!

OK, OK, OK......so you want me to stay up here for a couple of extra days and attend a very important ceremony on behalf of Wik Projects. I'll do it!
Oh, and we also need someone to guide our next group of clients........Hmmmmm! A quick weekend trip had suddenly turned into almost a fortnight. Two weeks of fishing, guiding, sight seeing etc. Yes, I can do that.

It was not all fishing however, as being a break between charters, there was heaps to do. Servicing outboard motors, washing & cleaning, scraping the hulls of our new sportfishing dories and general maintenance. There is always plenty to do around a charter boat, but we still managed some time to play.

 

 

Terry (head guide), Mark (chef) and I, managed a couple of hours each day to go test a few likely spots for old bucket mouth. We were not disappointed and once I realised that I was to guide the following week, I was quickly into "learning" mode. Not that I needed a total intro to the place, I usually guide for several weeks a season and am fairly familiar. But different times of the year, varying tides and prevailing conditions do play a major part of any angling success. A bit of recognisance work does not go astray.

In the limited time available prior to clients arriving, we did however manage to check out the upper reaches of the main Archer, the shale bars near the mouth and the rocky headlands along the coast. We caught some lovely fish and there are a few pics hereabouts to testify to that. One memorable session was had casting to the rocky foreshore north of the river mouth. In this location the bauxite deposit has left rocky reef stretching right from the shore line. At low tide, barra (and other species) find this structure a magnet..........if there is no swell running you can get right amongst it so to speak. Casting shallow running lures like the ever reliable gold bomber to pockets in the rock structure can produce amazing fish action at certain times of the year.

This is also cod city! Literally dozens of small estuary and gold spot cod inhabit this terrain and this day it was hard to get the lures past them in order to find a barra. At one juncture, Terry had hooked up to a rat cod, only to have this engulfed by an even bigger one. After a hard struggle, Terry managed to pull the beautiful cod from his rocky home, take a quick pick and release it back to the briny.

Most locations produced fish.......the size of the barra however was a little down on previous trips. One explanation given is the fact that the past wet season was almost non existent right across the top end of Australia. All those big barra caught upstream above rock bars / rapids and in land locked lagoons did not have a change to "get out".......just wait till next year maybe!

 

 

This has however not stopped the more than occasional big barra and still many over the magic metre mark being caught each week. (Check our Facebook page for regular updates)

That's it for now......I'll let the images hereabouts tell the rest of the story!

NOTE - several weeks ago TV presenter Rob Paxevanos from Fishing Australia brought his film crew to Aurukun. We had an absolute blast and the fishing was awesome. The first of three episodes is to air this weekend on WIN TV Saturday 12th October from 5:30 pm
Check it out!

Regards, Les

Keith Graham's Aurukun Recollection!

  Daytime barra fishing on a full moon is something I try to avoid. Old silver sides often fills up at night as the moon silhouettes easy prey baitfish, then tends to lay low during daylight hours.  A few weeks ago good mate Les Marsh asked if I wanted to take a quick 3 day trip to fish with Aurukun Wetland Charters staying on the ‘Pikkuw’.   Les needed some pics and video footage and I was ready for a break.  Les also invited Mike Harvey, the chief of Prime Radio in Cairns, who  loves his lure fishing.

 

          The Skytrans flight took less than two hours as we winged our way across Cape York to experience on of the most extensive wetland systems in Northern Australia. Its an awesome sight on the approach to Aurukun as three mighty rivers converge to spill out into the Gulf of Carpentaria , namely the Archer, Watson and Ward. A few miles down the coast  the Love River can be seen, yet another magic barra fishery.  We were met at the airport by the  crew and were soon being whisked away to the ‘Pikkuw’, our floating base for the next few days. This air conditioned  aluminium  vessel was custom built by the WIK group and takes six anglers and 3 crew in comfort, and I can tell you that the food is excellent ! It was late afternoon as we sat on the top deck planning  the next days sojurn  to get well upstream in the freshwater reaches of the mighty Archer. I’ve been lucky enough to fish these parts  a few years back and the scenery, as well as the fishing is just the best.

          First light the next day saw us loading the the newly built river punts. Terry Holman designed  and fitted them out with plenty of casting room, built in esky’s and powered by 60hp Yamaha’s.  A quick breakfast followed then away to try the  nearby mangrove fringes as the tide dropped. First cast, and would you believe  I hooked a feisty 60 cms. barra,  how good is that! Les and Mike quickly followed suit and it was on for young and old. All around the boat baitfish were flicking as barra’s and other predators chopped at them, which created an exciting atmosphere. It’s been a while since I’d seen such surface action,  yep the bite was ‘on’.

 

          In between taking some video footage and the odd pic or two I hooked into a dozen fish or more in the 55 to 65 cms range.  Full of mischief these salties didn’t give up easily as we released fish after fish. You couldn’t wipe the smile of our faces as we enjoyed solid action for almost an hour with only the dropping tide beckoning our exit before getting stuck on the mud bars. Shallow lures worked so well and included Flat jacks, F1.11’s and  the new Zerek stikbaits. As we motored upstream past paperbark stands and pandannus palms we clipped on deeper divers such as Rapala SR9  Shadraps, Suspending Shads and  Barra Classic 10+ minnows.

 

         Almost an hour later we arrived  at  the  meandering  & slow moving   freshwater reaches.  Spectacular in their remoteness and so much bird and wildlife it was like being in an open zoo. Every keen fisho should experience these untouched wilderness areas  and remember to leave them as they were found.      We dropped the pick alongside a huge  set of snags which Les told us  they were sitting in 3 to 4 metres of water. The first tentative casts in amongst the timber were worked back slowly using ‘jerk & retrieve’. No hits?      We all put some penetrating casts  into the tangled timber hearing the lures rattle  as they made their way back but the bite wasn’t happening!   That full moon maybe???      I managed a 65 cms  fish just before we decided to leave, a consolation prize Mike reckoned.

         We were doing all the right things and just needed a  lucky break. Another arm of the Archer veered off to the right and  we settled into a slow moving cast and retrieve of the likely looking spots…….it looked good!    Les connected onto a 70 cms. plus barra and had it almost to the boat when the hooks pulled. Typical of when these fish are not really feeding well, they just strike at the lure out of instinct more than hunger and you often end up with an outside lip hook that can easily pull.   Mike boated a 64 cms barra that gave him  the run around the motor,   maybe our luck was about to change!

 

          A huge snag laying parallel with the bank beckoned a long cast to work through and under it.   First cast I saw a big flash, and it missed the lure. Knowing he’d probably come back if I paused the lure in the same spot I cast again. There he was…’boof’ he climbed all over it, but right in the middle of that timber.    I lifted the Loomis rod tip and locked down on the spool to pressure him out…..it was touch and go, then he started to come. What a fight in this tight timber country as a 76 cms barra came to the net.   The action was getting better as the day wore on.

 

          The odd barra snaffled our lures every ten minutes or so, which for most fisheries would be fantastic but knowing how Aurukun can fish this was slow by their standards. Never the less we had a great time for the rest of that day and most of the next taking 50 plus barra, half a dozen jacks, tarpon and trevally.  The saltwater reaches did fish better  on the run out tide and we didn’t have the time to fish the mouth or into the Gulf waters where huge   schools of  metre plus queenies were seen the previous days. One of their clients had hooked and landed a 30 kilo GT on barra gear a few days earlier near the mouth of the river.  There’s some  top fingermark, grunter, salmon , giant herring and mackerel action out there for clients to en joy when the calmer weather allows.    It’s just one of those magical places that consistently  produces world class sport fishing .

      It was a tough call to fly out the next afternoon but I know there will be a next time !

 

   Often I’m asked what tackle we take on these trips….here’s a quick rundown.      I use a G.Loomis GL2 644 baitcaster teamed up with a Shimano Chronarch reel and 20 to 30 lbs Bite Motion braid.   My spin outfit is a 6’6”   Raider rod rated around  6 to 8 kilos. I team this up with a Daiwa Certate  3500 loaded with  20 to 30 lbs. Sufix braid.    For leaders I use Jinkai  Red in 40 lbs., and often attach a 60 lbs. x 20cms tippet using a blood knot.   ( this gives that extra abrasive resistance at the business end).

 

By Keith Graham!

   Note.    If you want to fish on the ‘Pikkuw’ based on the Archer River please ring  Pam Marsh at on 0448-563586

Mighty Milkfish!

To some anglers..........salt water fly fishing is the pinnacle of the sport!

Exponents of the long wand are often seen as a dodgy lot....not well understood by fellow anglers. Sometimes the effort for reward just does not seem to stack up. But then fly anglers often have a totally different mind set to the rest of us.

A magnificent barra from the upstream Archer River

Often its not about quantity (I can catch 100+ barra a day on lures when the run off is in full swing), its more about the quality. The harder it is to entice a fish to eat your carefully chosen presentation, to skillfully place that "imitation" baitfish / frog / crab / insect or worm, the more they seem to enjoy it.

And then we have those very special fish..........you know, the ones that are considered the Holy Grail of fly fishing.

• Indo Pacific Permit
• Monster Tarpon
• Golden trevally
• Bonefish &
• Milkfish

What's this....milkfish!

I know that this list is no all encompassing so don't reply and tell me that I should have included this and that. This article is not about comparing targets, singing the praises of this fish over that etc.

Its all about getting a closely held secret out.....that at certain times of the year, when conditions are right and the tides and moon help nature do its magic......we have the spectacular milkfish as a prime target up at Aurukun, in the magnificent Archer River.



Golden Trevally....on fly!

Personally, I am not a keen fly fisherman - I do own 4 outfits however and have dabbled in the art on numerous occasions. I have landed a tripple several times (Barra, queenie & GT)...easy you might say.

But the mikfish is an entirely different proposition!

And we do have them, and we do have the guides that know how to catch them!

What a magnificent specimen - check out that powerful tail!

So, if chasing one of the worlds premier light tackle fly fishing targets gets your heart pumping!
If you love the challenge of placing that imitation "thing-a-ma-gig" right in the slot!
Get stoked by the mighty tail swirl as the metre long milkfish engulfs your fly!
Or just enjoy the smell of burning skin as the powerful beauty peels of metre after metre of line and backing!
You will need to sit down, take stock and reflect on what just happened over the last 20-30 minutes.

GOOD LUCK.....BRING IT ON!

www.aurukunfishingcharters.com

This could be you!

The Pace was set.....by Simon!

Oh how I love this job....to be able to write about the fantastic fishing on offer up at Aurukun is rewarding enough. But to have it all penned by a very happy client is awesome. Check it out here!



The mighty Pikkuw (means crocodile in native language)

Hey Les,

Just a quick one to send those pics I promised and to pass on our many thanks to Terry and the boys up on the Pikkuw.

What a fantastic trip Nathan Shaw and I squeezed into just a few short days. As usual Terry and Ian went right out of their way to put us onto good fish and make sure we had a great time. The new tenders were a pleasure to fish from, well fitted out and perfectly desgined to explore the endless waterways up there.

 



Is this a good barra Terry?

What about this one?

Just a typical "small" barra

With the super low tides at that time, we found the Barra waiting on drains during the last part of the run out. Walk the dog lures with a pause right at the edge of the drop lead to some great surface strike`s and a few memorable sessions.



Metre long queenies....we just love em!

How's this for a queenie

Yeah!....another monster!

Out the front on the first morning we found hoards of big Queenfish smashing the whitebait and our surface lures were met with instant action. Watching packs of metre-plus Queenies shouldering each other out to monster your lure right at the boat was exciting stuff and lead to double, even triple hook ups on line burning fish. After half a dozen or so were boated we headed back up river to chase other species. 

 



WOW!......toga's!

These are quality all right!




This is s nice toga

After pouring over the maps one night, we singled out a large freshwater lagoon up the mighty Archer River and trekked into it the next day. After a slow start, we found a flooded swamp arm with plenty of shade and the Toga were home. Skipping soft frogs along the top had instant results and after repeated strikes Nathan hooked and landed an 80cm model in tight timber. What followed was an awesome session, watching saratoga leave a bow wave`s as they honed in to smash a surface lure is hard to forget. At one stage a "Tea Bagged" lure hanging from a branch lead to a huge Toga leaping clear of the water to swat it out of the air like an insect. After too many strikes to count Nathan ended up landing 3 big fella`s, and left me with the age old storey of the one that got away.

 



Now that's a nice jack

I guess this is what the river is named after!



Nice little river trevally

Back in the river on the last morning we headed up the Watson into the fresh. What a beautifull part of the river as it leaves that salty tidal influence. We busted out the light gear and nailed small Barra, several Jacks, Archer fish and Trevally to end an awesome few days.

Cant possibly sign off without giving Mark the Chef a mention. He runs a tight ship and kept us all very well fed with a constant stream of hearty dishes. Nothing better than coming back at sunset after a big days fishing to a Queenfish Nummus washed down with a cold beer, thanks again mate.

 

Its my water hole!

 

This is Terry....recognise him!

 

This is a quality barra fishery....second to none!

 

This was my third trip up to Aurukun, and I am already planning another return visit. The location, fishing and effort that Terry and the boys go to has to be seen to be believed - a magic place.

Simon Pace

Thanks again Simon....I'm sure we'll see you there again real soon.

Comments from a Client .....GOLD!

We all know that in this day and age of modern technology, we can say and do almost anything as far as marketing goes. But the very best form of marketing is "word of mouth" from a happy client, one willing to tell you how it is, and prepared to put their name to it.

And so I'm going to let Mal Shultz "tell it like it is", or more to the point, how his group found us!

"Hi Les,

A little late with our photos of some good fish caught on our last expedition under the guidance of your team of Terry, Ian and Mark the resident on board chef, but better late than never. 

We normally do not repeat our fishing trips as there are so many places to discover and enjoy. However after last year when 5 of us  had a fantastic time catching Barra, Jack, Jewfish and many other species, four of us guys from Taree in NSW  decided to make an exception and revisit Aurukun and the Pikkuw.

Obviously catching fish is the great attraction. However there are many elements to a great fishing holiday and catching fish is only one of them .

Its larger than life up here!

Firstly there is the wonderful experience of being in a truly remote and largely uninhabited part of Australia.  We all love that and it seems like a common thread in all our fishing expeditions. We also well appreciate and acknowledge that it is a privilege to be allowed to fish in these traditionally owned waters. . 

The boys are cruising!

Secondly, the element of a very relaxed atmosphere, friendship and fun created by our hosts was the core of a great holiday. Terry  Ian and Mark again went out of their way to ensure we were all safe, well looked after, fed and entertained.   How Ian can remember all those jokes is beyond me! 

Trent Jennison , pictured here with Noel Gilmour

Noel Gilmour with his very own!

Terry and Ian never stopped exploring their favourite spots and kept striving to ensure we caught fish despite a slower season to last year. Their persistence was rewarded to our delight with several large Barra being hooked around and above the one metre mark.   Trent Jennison, pictured here with Noel Gilmour, topped the class with a 1.2 metre monster and I later joined the club with a 1.04 m Barra. Rob Moore had caught a 1.02 metre Barra last year and a 93 cm Barra this year. Noel also hooked a couple of one metre “horses” this time but was outgunned into the mangroves.

Terry Holman is obviously a very conscientious guy, a great guide and managed all daily matters with quiet precision and good humour. Thank you Terry.

All in all we can thoroughly recommend a fishing experience to Aurukun and Aurukun Charters.

There is a great temptation to pay another visit sometime in November when we believe the bar is raised even further at this great fishing location.

Thank you to all involved in this charter.

Mal Shultz, Noel Gilmour, Rob Moore and Trent Jennison

Taree NSW."

 

I can assure you that I have changed nothing in the above text apart from removing a couple of spaces between words......how good is that!

 

And just to top it off, Mal proves that he has a sense of humour too with this little "explanation" of why mates will go on a fishing trip and do silly things Ha Ha!

 

"You might note a pic of all of us wearing orange hats. Our first year was our initiation of casting into tight spots .The amount of times we cast into trees with Terry and Ian having to yank lures out was enormous. As the leaves would fall Terry said we were worse than the defoliant Agent Orange!

 

The official "Agents Orange"....lovely guys!

Subsequently we had caps made up in Orange with an embroided tree and fishing rod with a lure up in the tree and big letters say “Agent Orange” on the front and Aurukun Fishing Charters  on the back. Terry was invited to take the micky out of the worst casters of each charter. He kept them for our second visit and thus the picture."
 

Good as GOLD!

So, when are we going to see YOU up here?

Kind regards, Les & the Pikkuw Team
www.aurukunfishingcharters.com