Mates and fishing, they go hand in hand, don’t they? There’s got to be many out there who have made lifelong friendships with a rod in hand.
At Creek to Coast, we reckon mateship comes in all forms and we wanted to hear from some of the best mates out there and treat them to a fishing trip of a lifetime. There were some incredible entries, but Krista Quirk’s really shone for us!
“I guess for me I sort of appreciated what mum and dad did for us growing up. There was three of us running around like madmen…We’d catch 10 fish and Dad would only catch two, but the realistic side of it is that he was spending the whole time untangling our line because we’ve thrown them over each other as kids. Doing the bait and all that kind of stuff. So he never got to fish that often…
So that was one of the reasons why I entered because I thought this is the perfect way to say thank you to dad for everything that he did for us.”
With Krista and her dad Soren all packed ready to go, we jumped a plane up to Cairns and set about showing them the best that Tropical North Queensland has to offer.
We’re all very aware of how incredible the region’s coastline is, but there is one little body of water about half an hour from Cairns that is properly Jurassic! Copperlode Dam supplies Cairns with its water supply, but it’s also home to PLENTY of Barra, Sooty Grunter and Archer Fish that you can try for, just as long as you go with Kim Andersen! Kim runs Copperlode Fish and Kayak and has the luxury of being the ONLY guide to work the dam. What do you reckon, how’s that for odds?!
Travel up the beautiful coast road from Cairns to Port Douglas and you’ll pass through acres upon acres of heritage-listed rainforest. On the backs of the Daintree River, sit Hook-a-Barra. They are first and foremost a sustainable Barramundi farm, but maintain a few catch and release ponds where customers can come and try their luck to catch Australia’s iconic sportfish. Trust us, it’s not going to take long for you to jag one at Hook-a-Barra.
Offshore, the Cairns and Great Barrier Reef region is second to none. On the doorstep of the Great Barrier, the fishing potential is off the tap. One minute you can be fishing a bombie coming out of 40m of water, the next you can be floating across reef flats that are less than 2m deep. The list of species on offer is long and colourful! From massive Coral Trout and Lipper that patrol the flats, to big GTs and monster Spanish
Mackerel that harass bait, it’s a fisherman’s dream! The team from East Coast Angling have an incredible knowledge of these waters. They have two awesome fishing boats in their fleet, which means your day on the water will be both successful and comfy! They also run mother boat trips, definitely ask the question.
If you’re keen to book a fishing trip with your best mate, head on into your local BCF to gear up! Even better, why not ask the team instore in Cairns to point you in the right direction. They are all fishos and love it just as much as you do.
The brilliant team at Novotel Cairns Oasis Resort have your rooms waiting for you! Trust us, they’re very comfy and with a bar, restaurant and your own beach IN the hotel, you can’t ask for much more.
Nestled amongst the greens of Port Douglas, the crisp white façade of the Mantra PortSea is a sight for sore eyes (and backs) after a hard day’s fishing offshore. Put them on your list for Port Douglas accommodation.
