houseboat fishing holiday - where to?

[Screaming_Eagle]

my good wife is giving me a week on a houseboat for my birthday this year. #anyone got any good/bad reports re houseboat fishing trips. #i'm open to any suggestions re location. #thanks.

[westie]

Leave her home and take me #;D ;D ;D

[rabbitohbill]

Clarence River!.....ifyour in it for the fish

[Navi]

coomera river house boat's head up river towards the pin Qld ,things get rough head south from the pin in sheltered waters to tipplers to the pub....

Cheers Chris Aka Navi

[jefro]

Hinchinbrook island missonary bay most fun you can have with your pants on. Iam a frequent visitor.See hinchinbrook rentayatch.

[robersl]

we did noosa river house boats had a good time but boats in need of repair badly

[strongy]

Everyone has their own spot , but i can`t go past the Sandy Straits behind fraser island, we go every year( this year is our 8th straight) and its great , the best company we have found in my personal opinion has been Rainbow beach house boats , top boats and nice people . and from their home base to Kingfisher resort its 60 odd klms of waterways , i`ve said it before ,,gods country . ;)

[thumps]

i hate you...and your wife ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D
(only joking)
jealous face here [smiley=furious2.gif]

have a great trip wherever you go..and happy birthday

[land_based]

I spent a week on one down in the hawkesberry river in sydney one year, incredible system, hundreds of little bays you can anchor up for the night , sit back crack a beer, and chuck a few yakkas out for monstor jew!!

[skippa]

There is only one place ..... The Whitties [smiley=2thumbsup.gif]

(that's the Whitsundays)

[Screaming_Eagle]

thanks guys. i'll do some research based on your suggestions and put the options to the finance minister.

has anyone been on the houseboat at weipa? i've been up there before but wondered what the quality of the boat and tender were like.

cheers
screamer

[Jitlands]

Do the Straights out of Tin Can

[Seamus]

I agree with Robersl - Noosa houseboats only have a fleet of five boats, and I know that at least the two smaller ones need some serious lovin'. Other than that, the houseboat way for holidays is one we'll be doing again, just in another location. Enjoy :D

Seamus

[rwb1955]

Nice houseboat on Awoonga Dam and the barra are on fire up this way.

[kc]

Hey Screamer, send me a PM. I have been on the good ship Tillimay in Weipa 8 weeks in the last 2 years. It is sensational and Steve has a new one being built at Cairns Custom Craft now....Tilli two.

Have some great pics and the tenders are real boats. 4.5 meter Fishers with 60hp Yammy 4 strokes, bait tanks, rocket launchers and under floor well. Also a 4.5 Quiny Top Ender with 50 hp Honda 4 stroke. Side console, all have sounders.

I can say without hesitation THE BEST FISHING HOUSEBOAT operation in Qld...maybe even Australia and the fishing is mindblowing.

KC

[skippa]

Kev,

Do u mean it's better than cruisin the Whittys?? tell me more ....


Tony 8-)

[kc]

Hi Tony,

Mate I have lived in the Whitsundays for 22 years and the operation in Weipa is outstanding. Not the glamour but infinately better fishing....wild, remote and while the houseboat does not have the same bells and whistles as some of the yachts and cruiser available here is the most functional and practical fishing platform I have ever use. Just as a little thing it has rod storage for at least 30 rods and about 3 times the amount of fridge space. You also get real fishing platforms as tenders which is a big plus.

KC

[major-defect]

I've been to Noosa river and Hinchinbrook on houseboata and hinchinbrook wins hands down.But that weipa one sounds good.

[Tony_N]

KC

That operation in Weipa sounds like the ducks nuts. Why not post the pics and details here for us all to see?

Tony

[strongy]

The best fishing i ever did from a small boat was many years ago at weipa , best fish and plenty of them , didn`t know until now there was a houseboat company up there , thanks Kc.

[jock01]

hi,am new to this so bear with me!doing the tilly 2ina couple of weeksany hints or suggestions would be more than welcome; thanks :)

[kc]

Hi Jock, I'm up their for 4 weeks from 29th April.

Plan at least 2 days anchored at Boyd Bay and work from the tenders from about 3 miles wide of Red Cliffs down to Pera. Tuna and GT should be on the chew on bait balls. Sharks will drive you mad but 100 hook ups a session are pretty common. Take LOTS of tuna slugs.

2 nights at bridge. Work in tenders upstream to where the river narrows (about 15 minute run)...all the snags along the left will have plenty of barra. Just above the bridge on the Weipa side. Last 1/2 run out for barra and king salmon. Early flood, same spot for grunter and around the bridge lights at night for as many queensfish as you want.

3 days in the Nominade...all the usual rules for creeks apply. The big rock bars on the right. Opposite the hut at the mouth of the pine fish well on rising tide for barra. Usually only in less than 2 feet of water and off the beach down at the point (ocean side) past the hut (1 kl) is the best fly fishing spot for queenies I know.

Have fun..just leave me a few

KC

[jock01]

kc,thanks;will bear that in mind!weve got a spot early april so hopefully things will be looking good.the plan is to do some lure chucking and some fly fishing;the main targets being queens terevors and tuna.can you tell me if pantyhose are the right wading accessory or do we need something else?we are mostly victorians so any info is good info.thanks again.

[catchy_fishy]

zimbabwe, Lake Cariba for tiger, tilapia, bream

[kc]

Jock I was up ther last in November and the boxies were thick!! That said I was also there last May and did not see one. Panthose are just adaquate. I have used before and been stung through them, but not badely. Proper lycra stinger suits are better if you are worried. All the beach fishing is over sand and in clear water so keep an eye out and you would be reasonabley unlucky to get hit anyway.

Tuna and trevors you will find down Pera heads/boyd bay area from wide of rec cliffs right down to clump.

Queenies around most of the shallow reef area, pareticularly out from Red Cliffs but if you really want some fun on them go to the bridge or mouth of the pine.

Have fun and leave me a few

KC

[Mugil]

Was lucky enough to do three houseboat trips last year.
First was the Tillimay in Weipa last March, great setup as the lads have already said. Second was a rather luxurious huge vessel on the Murray River in SA although that was more relaxation with the family than serious fishing. Last was the houseboat at Awoonga.
Thoroughly recommend all three. Pm me if you want more info.

[jock01]

sorry;mugil and kc new member/no pm's.steve is getting us a guide for day 2;hoping the mouth of the pine is a good start.we are a party of 6with 2 tenders,they sound like quality boats so thats reassuring.we are taking lots of gear but don't know what tuna slugs are-will bucktail jigs do the same job?can we buy good gear in weipa?is it easy to send a tender back to town when we run out of lures?arethere any reccomended inclusions apart from the obvious?what are the sandflies /mossies like-will-bushmans keep them at bay?do we take oyster knives?crab pots?is ther plenty of outside lighting on the tillymay?

[kc]

Hi Jock,

Yes you can buy gear in Weipa..bit dearer than home but not too bad. The shop opposite the woolies has a pretty good range, as does the newsagent/general store out behind the main centre.

Generally, once you leave port, you are too far from anywhere to run back in, except from the bridge (by taxi). Steve is just so helpful that he will often run stuff out for you if really needed. I would plan to have a mid week overnighter at the bridge and then Steve will restock you with lures/beer/ice/beer/bread/beer & beer etc.

Tuna slugs are any shiny casting baitfish profile, try for weights about 70gms that can cast like a bullet.

Heaps of sandflies up the Pine but Bushmans does the job. Usually pots on the houseboat but crabbing in Weipa is very "different"...not a trick I'm prepared to share (want some left for me) and oysters are everywhere but only small.

Heaps of lights on the houseboat so no problems with that.

You are a bit game going so early in the "season" but if you jag it with the weather you will have a ball. Who is your guide? Dan?

Cheers mate

KC

[Mugil]

Kc’s summarised well. To add a little … your bucktails are still good for jigging at the leads. (shipping channel markers) drop them to the bottom, crank them up fast and hang on. The outer leads are the more reliable.
Oysters are mainly small but tasty, if you look hard you will find an occasional big blacklip oyster among the smaller ones, can be hard to pick though, sometimes have small oysters on top of them.
Restocking is as Kc mentioned easy enough with Steve’s help. If you are in the Mission River you can take a tinnie into the beach that backs onto the camping ground then is a short walk to shops.
Similarly there is beach behind the pub if that’s the supplies you need.
A small castnet is very handy for getting livebait in the estuaries. A bait jig is good for same at the leads or bridge. We caught some nice tiger prawns with the castnet at night in the lights behind the Tillymay in the rivers.
Without stating the obvious look out for crocs they are everywhere.

Good luck

[jock01]

guys;not sure of the guides name;we'll leave that to steve.have recquested one with fly experience to give us a few tips.we are a bit earlyin the seasonbut the boats were booked out and this was the gap.none of us have done a lot of tropical sportfishing in the last decade so things will take a while to get moving and this trip will probably be the death of a few old favorites;but we figure that if we don't get too much wind we'll be right.by the look of the terrain I imagine we should be able to find shelter regardless.do you know if the cape york grog restrictions apply on the water;this has the crew worried?we can locate plenty of tuna slugs and will probably make some generous contributions to the local tackle purveyors;are kawa kawa worth eating as sushimi?does steve provide an adequate first aid kit?does the plotter contain lots of fish rich anchorages?thanks for your time.Jock!

[kc]

Lots of questions Jock....sounds like your getting a bit excited!!

Most areas OK for grog restrictions, only problem is well up the Hey.

Most areas sheltered but is exposed down Pera way, particularly in a Northerly.

Adaquate first aid kit on boat (survey requirement).

Kawa Kawa are pretty ordinary any way you (try to) eat them. Not many up there. Most Tuna are longtail (yum)

Plotter has a few marks but never seem much good. All mine are in a hand held........& I'm not THAT helpful!!

Look forward to some reports when you get back...which is just before I go!

Have fun

KC

[Mugil]

One other point of significance re the houseboat. When planning on where you will go take into account tide times and if travelling up/down any othe river systems try and coincide where you are heading with the tide.
Ie travel up rivers with an incoming tide and downstream with an outgoing tide.
If you do it the other way you will waste a lot of fishing time. Tillymay has adequate power but with the tidal flow in the rivers she doesn’t go real fast against it.
Also if planning on dropping into one of the beaches I mentioned previously to restock provisions, try to do that at high tide… much easier.
Don’t worry about being too early in the season. Having lived there for a few years, I prefer end of wet season before the incessant southeasters start. Everything is green and lush, humidity has dropped, freshwater runoff still happening, good chance of calm conditions and fish aplenty.

Have fun.

[jim_farrell]

Jock, you have us all salivating. Keep a good diary and fill us in on your return. Good luck mate.