Cooktown 2008 – Chasing Big Blacks in F.N.Q.
October 28th, 2008Sunday 12th 5.30 am saw me standing in the carpark at Yowani waiting for Gary Cairns to pick me up for the Cooktown trip. We picked up Ron Smith at Goulburn and 9.30 saw us at Sydney Airport with all our gear ready for the Cairns flight. Pick up a car in Cairns and off to Cooktown but first…… Bill’s got toilet problems. Gary managed to locate a toilet in Cairns but you trying getting it on a Sunday afternoon. No chance but we did manage to get hold of some tackle that Bill needed. Off to Cooktown where we met Bill and his deckie Darren and joined them for a meal at the local RSL. Great to be there but the weather forecast wasn’t too promising. 20 to 30 knots and rain…. thru to the weekend. Showers were coming through as we ate. Then back to the boat for on of those 200% humidity 30 degree nights that only the tropics can provide.
Monday saw us trolling for bait fish as we headed out to Ribbon no. 3 for our overnight anchorage. Gary started the day well with a good size GT and ratchets kept singing with 18 fish and 6 species by the end of the day with some good sized Spanish Mackerel, Scaly Mackerel and a couple of Northern Bluefin Tuna. A good days fishing even though our anchorage was in a green zone which curtailed our end of day relaxation.
Tuesday and it was decided as Ron and I had not caught a Big Black I was first on strike, Ron next with Gary to follow. Out to the shelf and 11am and we have a fish. Bill called it at 200lbs and on the 130 Penn it did not take line once I was in the chair. Tagged and released and Ron was on strike and ready to go. Promising start when we saw a fish that Bill called at 400 within the hour but it didn’t take a bait.
At end of fishing Friday Ron was still on strike and over fishing for Big Blacks. Was it the fact that we had had a full moon on Wednesday? Or was it a particularly slow season? The fact that the other 6 or so boats working the area had not seen fish, in fact one had had a fishless fortnight doesn’t make it any less disappointing but then that’s Fishing full stop. You should have been here last week.
In the mean time, the non Big Black time we had had some fun with the reef fish at No 5 Ribbon where we anchored at night. We caught lots of red Bass, some of good size, some good Flowery Cod, Gary catching a 15kg+ brute on the first night and I finished with a half Cod on the last with one of our toothy friends relieving the Cod instantly of all behind the pectoral fin. Gary got a decent shark and Ron gave the Spangled Emperors a caning and caught a Coral Trout on a piece of Bacon, the only Coral Trout mind you. Very pleasant evenings with a few beers… before retiring to the shoe box to sleep while someone throws buckets of water at the wall 2’’ from your head with the rapidity of a machine gun. To be honest I’d take a swag rolled out in the bush somewhere any day over a nights sleep in the bunks in the bow. Maybe that’s why we saw a lot of the smaller boats tying up besides mother ships (smaller boats being 43 footers). Half their luck.
Our last day saw us forsake the Big Blacks for a day of bait fishing and an early return to Cooktown and once again we managed some good Spaniards and Scalys and another Northern Blue. The two Spaniards and a Scaly were packed in ice and joined our luggage for the trip home.
Perhaps a bit of disappointment on the fish front but great company and being out on the edge of the reef for 5 nights is a great experience. If only Queensland could get the weather right.
And I have to thank Gary for all the organization that is involved in a trip such as this. Makes the trip very easy when someone else does all the legwork.
And as for the Big Blacks ….there is always a next time………..
Greg Flowers
