Cooktown to Hinchinbrook in 10 days

Just got back today from a 10 day holiday up in North Qld. The first 5 days we had crappy cold weather with heaps of wind and dirty brown water. Fishing was useless which made for a great driving holiday and a perfect opportunity to check out the amazing outback.

At Tully Gorge we were just about to go back home when we saw a blue streak inbetween the rain clouds. We drove to Cardwell and managed to get a beach cabin at Hinchinbrook Island. By 2.00pm Monday it was blue skies and a 5 knot wind.

Over the next 4 days the wind was non existent and it was blue water and blue skies all round. On the island kayaks it was half scary and heaps of fun. There's a lotta sharks out there.

My wife and I saw dugongs, turtles and fished through the postcard.

With a short rod loaded with 50lb braid and a live sard, I slow trolled and got nailed by a small barra. It did the leap and threw the hook. A little later I caught a nice wolf herring which I later heard is the gun Spanish Mackeral bait. Too late I released it. The next day I tried again and got a small spotty, a trevally and a massive 8kg catfish which snapped my rod as it dragged it under the yak. (This was a daiwa heartland IM-6, 3 piece baitcast traveller) That night I used my landbased stick off the wharf and was hit by a head shaking freight train. I fought the fish for about 5 minutes before it beat me. The local guys I was fishing with reckon it was a huge barra. All I can say is that it was bloody huge.
Yesterday morning it was back on the yak for an hour before leaving the island for a nice 3.5kg Cobia (pictured) which ended up as lunch.
At 5.00am today we were at Cairns airport. Great holiday - Hinchinbrook is the best place ever. Great staff, great fishing and a magnificent place.