The Wonders of Weipa
Back from a week at Weipa and I thought I'd give you a heads up about this trip which should be on your go to list.
Lets start with getting there. We were on a Qantas flight Melbourne to Cairns and Cairns to Weipa on a Sunday and back the following Saturday which gives five days fly fishing the Weipa hot spots. The outfitters for us were Fish's Fly and Sports Fishing who looked after us with an all inclusive package which included a shuttle service to and from the Weipa airport to our accomodation. A stop for extra supplies was very welcome!
Our accommodation was excellent with a chef making great meals. Our guides, including the owner Mark, were extremely knowledgeable, professional and great company.
We took 8 through to 12 weight rods, however, we only used the 8s and 9s. These seemed to cover all situations. The reels were large arbour and of high quality as the fish seem to know how to get you onto the backing. Backing required 50lb braid with a couple of 100 metres. The fly lines we used were Tropical Floating with clear sink tips. Leaders need to have a heavy butt and need to be approximately 10 feet long. A breaking strain at the tip of 20 to 25lb. The guides may chop a bit off this leader length and add bit of 30lb Mono. We liked to use a bit of 30lb Fluorocarbon as a lot of the critters have very sharp teeth and I don't mean the crocks. An extra fly line and extra rod is not a bad idea.
I took too many patterns (is that something to do with owing a fly shop). The standout fly was a White/Silver Clouser, lead eyes and in hook sizes 1/0 and 0/1. I had about 20 of each and we only lost 8. A list of flies worth taking wold be something like this: White Silver Clouser White/Olive Clouser, Orange Big Eye Shrimp, and a couple of crab patterns. Depending on the time of year you go you may want to add some deceiver patterns species list is something like this: Barramundi, Blue Salmon, Coral Trout, Mangrove Jacks, Finger Mark, Mackerel, Tuna, Queen Fish, Trevally, Permit, and the list goes on. There are something like 50 tropical species in the region varying at different times of the dry season.
First timers to the region should be prepared for first runs from the fish using up the total fly line and anything up to 30 metres of backing or more. These can be average sized fish. The drag will have to be cranked up as you fight the fish. Most fish hooked strike with lightening speed whilst you are stripping line and they tend to hook themselves, however, it does not hurt to second set if you get the chance as most of the species have hard mouths. There are also plenty of opportunities to sight fish.
TIPS: A buff, peaked cap, quality polaroid sunglasses, sunscreen 50+, fingerless sun gloves with leather trim on the fingers, salt water wading boots and wading socks, light coloured long sleeved wicking shirt, light coloured long pants, boat shoes or sneakers can be handy.