Hinchinbrook Island with Clinton Isaac (Australian Fly Fishing Lodge)

The night before a big session on the water I can’t sleep. I toss and turn until finally the alarm goes off and it’s time to get up and prepare myself for the day ahead. I don’t think its nerves but the anticipation and excitement of what will I be faced with on the boat.

Being on the water is more than just the fishing for me. It’s the excitement I get from seeing the vast array of wildlife the ocean has to offer. From sea turtles to dolphins, I have mastered the universal finger point and have the excitement of a 3yr old every single time something appears in front of the boat. It’s an excitement I pray will never change.

Recently we travelled to Hinchinbrook to fish with Fly guide and all-round top bloke Clinton Isaac from the Australian Fly-fishing lodge. We decided on doing a road trip rather than flying. This allowed us to keep tying fly orders as they came in and also, I love a good road trip.

The Australian fly-fishing lodge is situated in the port of Hinchinbrook. The lodge can hold up to 6 guests quite comfortably and it’s the perfect place to chill out after a day on the water.

Like most people I prepare my fly gear the night before. There’s nothing worse than running around the house at 6am looking for bits and pieces.

With my fly gear I like to keep things pretty simple. I think that sometimes people tend to make things seem too complicated. Twisted leaders, special knots and many more elements would make my head spin.

It has taken some time and I’m certainly no expert, but I have enough knowledge now to figure out what I need for different situations.

For Hinchinbrook Barramundi and Mangrove Jack, I use an 8-weight rod with a tropical floating line rigged with a 40-pound fluorocarbon straight through leader. I also take an 8-weight intermediate line for dredging and general creek use and a 20-pound leader is adequate in these situations. The reel I use has a spare spool which allows for the spool to be swapped over quickly when changing target species.

For the flats fishing I use a 10-weight rod with a full intermediate line. A suitable leader is chosen depending on the target species. I can also use this outfit chasing pelagics , or again, a quick change to a tropical 10 weight floating line will have me popping up some monster Queenfish.

Most importantly I make sure I’m covered from the sun. A good buff, hat, Polaroid sunnies, sun gloves and long sleeve shirt are essential.

As far as what fish we will be targeting each day, we really leave it up to Clint to make a plan. When booking a trip, it’s vital to discuss what species you want to target so that your guide can put you onto the right tides for your stay.

Morning breaks and it’s time to get up and prepare for the day.

With the tide high we head to the banks covered in fallen timber to fish for Barramundi. The boat pulls up to the location and before Clint can even stand up on his polling platform, I’m up on the rear casting deck and firing flies into the first snags.

It can get a bit tricky casting from the rear of the boat. As I pull my fly out of the water to cast, I manage to flick a spray of water across Brett’s sunnies as he casts from the front of the boat. This has me in fits of laughter but for Brett not so much. It’s like he needs little windscreen wipers on his sunnies to be able to see. At least the water causes no damage. Later on, as my arm became tired, I managed to put out a very sloppy cast and lodge my fly into his back. I quietly walked to the front of the boat, pulled the hook that had gone through his shirt and into his skin out and then quietly walked back to my position and begun casting like nothing had happened. I figured if I didn’t make a big deal out of it then no one would stress, and I was right. As much as it hurt him, he just continued on. And that’s what makes a great fishing partner. It is someone that can take you at your worst and still continue to encourage and support you no matter what the situation

Another issue I have other than tired arms is the ability to concentrate.

When your fly is in the water you have to give it 110%. No fluffing around, no looking to the next snag, no pulling out your phone for a quick selfie (you know who you are) just fishing what is in front of you. It’s that moment when your concentration wonders that the fish is lost. I had a moment fishing for Barra’s where I had put cast after cast into an area that looked so good with no rewards, and the moment I stopped stripping and went to scratch the side of my face from the annoying midges, a Barra slowly rolled over a snag, engulfed and spat out my fly and it was over. I had lost that concentration for a split second and the fish that I had been trying to catch for the past hour was gone. I’ve watched it happen to myself and Brett so many times. It takes a certain type of angler to be able to hold that concentration cast after cast. To be in that moment every second of every retrieve is exhausting. It’s funny, sometimes you can be right in the strike zone, putting a cast into a dark water log junction and you know there will be a fish in there, but somehow when that fish launches itself out of the snag you still Trout strike in some weird crossed up fashion and react in shock that a fish just attacked your fly.

And in some strange way that’s what keeps me wanting to chase these fish on the fly even more. The challenge, the concentration involved, the adrenalin of the chase, and the way you need to make that fly come to life, it all keeps me wanting more.

Brett had decided that he wanted to target Barra on poppers this time just to make things more challenging. We knew how rewarding it would feel to be trying a different technique, and we were excited at the opportunity to see a Barra smash a popper off the surface.

Well, it did pay off, but it wasn’t a Barra that couldn’t resist the popper, it was a Triple Tail and wow what a battle. The boat erupted as the fish crunched the popper off the surface and Clint called it for a triple tail. The pressure on Brett was immense as I kept calling it for a monster and Clint became the most excited, I’ve ever seen him on the boat. After a few photos and a big pat on the back the fish was released to swim another day, and we all knew we had just witnessed something amazing.

After such a high we started concentrating on casting for Barra’s again. I always find it tricky fishing for Barra. The way they can inhale the fly and spit it out without me even feeling it can become very frustrating. If only they would just attack like a mangrove jack. It seems I have a knack for catching Jacks. Whether it’s the length of the strips or the speed of the bumps I seem to catch more Jacks then Barras. I’m certainly not complaining, these fish hit like a train and drag you back into the snag so fast if you blink, you’ll miss it. The fly I’m most partial to when fishing for both these species is a gold bomber. The movement it has and the flicker and flash it shows off as it dances through the water is magic.

The afternoon arrives and we roll up the driveway and back into the lodge. With a few cold beers and plenty of laughs re living the shenanigans from the day on the water I start to wonder about what lies ahead for us tomorrow.

We had an amazing time on this trip. Plenty of Barramundi and Mangrove Jacks were brought to the boat. We spent time chasing meter Queenies on the flats and even tried to tease up some marlin around the islands but that’s a whole other story.

To explore or enquire about a trip to Hinchinbrook, the Link will take you to there.

Australian Fly Fishing Lodge

Recommended flies and tackle. Our advice is to focus on tying the flies listed by Clinton, as they a reliable and proven season after season.

See the Link below

Flies and Tackle

Author: Cherie Forbes