Granny and I went down like rocks here on the west side of Cape York Australia last night but woke up at midnight. The first night with a 19 hour time difference from home can make it hard to get a good night sleep. My trick to get back to sleep is half a sleeping pill. It worked. We both slept deep till 5:30 AM and woke up ready to fish.
Granny and I are fishing with Josh Hutchins of Aussie Fly Fishers (AFF). Our accommodation is a comfortable house in the town of Weipa, Queensland. The schedule is breakfast at 6:45 AM then head out fishing. This is not a lodge on the water so boats are parked at home and trailered to a ramp. Today we launched five minutes away on the edge of town.
If you follow fly fishing on any sort of social media you likely follow Josh and his unique and thriving AFF guide business. AFF covers some of the best waters of Australia including trout fishing in Tasmania. While this week finds Granny and I on the west side of Cape York, in November/December of 2025 I’ll be hosting a group of friends through Yellow Dog Flyfishing to AFF’s Wessel Islands location. Josh has a lifetime of experience fly fishing not only in Australia but worldwide and we are fortunate to fish with him this week.
It was a 40 minute boat ride to our first cast. Conditions were calm and ideal for searching for permit and more. While this weeks “official target” is for my first Anak permit, watching Granny catch some fish and knocking off some new species for the list is planned as well. With such textbook casting conditions I put my lady in the bow and took in the scenery leaned back on a cushioned Yeti.
Flats fishing in northern Australia is not only different than most because of the species of fish, but in other ways too. The boats used here are larger than a typical Caribbean flats skiff and rather than pole along, all movement is done using a trolling motor mounted on the bow. The wildlife is unique as well. On our drive this morning we watched a wallaby bounce along the beach and I’m certain he did this warily because often hiding in the surf are the enormous Australian saltwater crocodiles. Perhaps another reason for using trolling motors instead of push poles. Photo by Josh
We drifted the flats for a few hours and didn’t see much. Unfortunately for our flats fishing hopes, our trolling motor died. At first it was calm enough we didn’t need it but soon the daily breeze kicked in. Being we have seven fishing days it was no big deal. Furthermore, as we’d been floating along we could see birds and fleeing baitfish out to sea. We went for a look and found schools of blitzing longtail tuna.
Targeting tuna on a fly rod is a challenge for all involved. All species of tuna hunt at astonishing speeds and strategically intercepting them is a task for any boat captain (see Colombia last May). Then, once in position it’s up to the angler to make the quick and accurate cast. Despite battling jet lag, Granny was up for the task. The chase was on!
It wasn’t easy but Granny hooked a winner of a longtail. It was large and like all large tuna do, this one tested her strength. Her fish made several long screaming runs. The runs were more hectic than normal because there were sharks hot on the trail. Granny loosened the drag of my Bauer in order to let the tuna outrun the sharks. Once the tuna succeeded, Granny reeled full speed even with the fish still fighting. It takes a perfect bend in the butt of the rod to do this without breaking off. Sadly the sharks returned just as Josh lifted the leader and I reached with the net. A hungry bull shark sipped the tuna off the surface like a trout taking a mayfly spinner. Certainly a bummer but also a sight to behold.
Rather than give up on the tunas, Josh revved it up and we ran about two miles from the sharks and found more longtails. Granny was bushed from her strenuous battle. I took over and hooked up. In my mind I was vividly remembering my oversized yellowfin last May hoping this fish was smaller. Indeed it was and five minutes later I added longtail tuna (Thunnus tonggol) to my species list.
The longtails continued to bust and there were also a few cobia mixed in. Then, the most amazing sighting occurred. A small black marlin greyhounded through the bait two times. Josh and I both saw it and let out a “Wow!”. Of course I dug out my 12-weight which had a GT streamer on but we never saw the incredible billfish again.
We had a blast chasing tuna for a few hours. We hucked some poppers and hooked a few more but each spot more sharks showed up. Josh suggested ending the day with a look up a river near Weipa for barramundi. Granny and I were stoked with the idea but we ended up not finding them. However, we found another new species for my list – the archerfish (Toxotes ?). This little guy ate a 3/0 streamer in the mangroves. This fish is famous for shooting water spouts at insects knocking them out of the trees then pouncing on them and eating them for dinner. I’ve seen them on a David Attenborough special but never expected to see one on the end of my line!
It was a fantastic first day with Josh and the Aussie Fly Fisher. While we didn’t get to hunt for the Anak permit we scraped out some cool new fish and had a very enjoyable day. We’ll get right back on the main goal tomorrow. Now its time for a fabulous Thai shrimp dinner and sleep.
I’m enjoying your writing, story telling and photos. Fun to read.
Enjoy your time in Australia!
Pretty amazing!
Glad you all are enjoying the reports! I’m a little behind but its all coming. Incredible trip so far!