It certainly is a trying time at the moment with the whole spectrum of extreme weather seemingly being turned on with lots of wind creating dust storms and fanning fires, but sadly not too much of the wet stuff to put them out.
The rivers in our region in the northern western part of the state have major stretches that are completely dry.
I distinctly remember my grandfather telling me stories about exactly the same occurrences that took place at the start of the last century when he was a young stockman.
When fishing our inland waterways is not possible, its always a good excuse to cast your lines further afield. Almost all fisherman have a special fondness for the tropics of North Queensland and the Northern Territory.
The lure of barramundi and mangrove jack is enough to set the heart racing for any inland angler. The good news is that the really good tropical species starts not too far north of Brisbane.
We have had great success around Bundaberg and the wonderful river systems there. Pushing further north to 1770 is where you really know you are in the tropics.
Great estuary species like queenfish, trevally, mangrove jack and legendary barramundi start becoming more prevalent. Just to keep things interesting saltwater crocodiles are starting to occur here too.
Our favourite tools of the trade in these locations are pretty much exactly what we use to chase yellowbelly and murray cod in the Western rivers.
A well presented live prawn or soft plastic lure around 10 to 15 centimetres in length will be the undoing of many a hungry tropical sport fish.
Casting slowly along the edge of mangrove lined tributaries or where they empty into these river systems is the key to unlocking a lot of tasty fun. It's well worth the effort.
