Colby lesko explores Mission beach, located about 2 hours drive south of cairns and is a tropical fishermen’s paradise
The township appears to fly relatively under the radar for fishing and tourism in general when compared with that of Cairn’s and Port Douglas, making it even better. The beach is tucked behind the shelter of inshore islands while the reef is roughly a 40km run from the ramp leaving plenty of options for the Boating Anglers! The islands provide a close option on windy days while the run to the reef is a must when conditions allow. The closer pieces of reef can be hit and miss while the further outer edge (60 to 70kms) provides some exceptional fishing.
The fishing options are endless here as there is something for everyone, bait fishing at night for tasty reef fish is common amongst the locals while the Game and Sport fishing is also exceptional. Targeting the reef flats with small stick baits, soft plastics or bait can turn up some awesome numbers of coral trout and reef dwelling species. While fishing the edges of the reef where the currents pushes past with stick baits, poppers, bibbed minnows and jigs will turn up the more pelagic fish species such as Mackerel, Tuna, Trevally and Cobia. Trolling a spread of lures between reefs will also result in action from these pelagic species and will also put you in with a chance of a billfish. Bait ball action is also commonly found off mission beach and casting into this frenzy or trolling a spread of lures around it can turn up some great fish.
Inshore options
Scenery at Dunk island
The inshore options at mission beach can vary greatly as some days the inshore fishing can be red hot while other days it seems almost impossible to find fish. It’s hard to predict what the fishing is going to be like and if the weather allows running past the inshore options to fish on the reef this is almost a must. However if the weather isn’t the best yet you feel like having a fish regardless the inshore islands around mission beach are the perfect option. Dunk Island is the biggest and closest Island to the township of mission beach however there are many other smaller island located to the south of dunk just be careful of the green (no fishing) zones. Trolling the eastern side of Dunk Island you can expect to catch tuna and mackerel while targeting the Bommies off the south-eastern tip of the island produces the best bottom fish. Jigging or bait fishing around this South-eastern tip can turn up all sorts of reef species from Coral trout to Nannygai. While most reef fish may be small we have occasionally turned up the odd cracker so it can pay to fish through the small stuff. The Spanish mackerel found inshore are often cracking fish as well and some of our biggest Spanish have come from this area. Casting poppers or stick baits at any prominent current lines or nervous bait can also result in Spanish mackerel and GT’s. There are endless small reefs, island edges, holes and flat’s to explore around these islands so always keep it in mind for those windy days.
The offshore Options at mission beach match that of anywhere in FNQ, from Marlin to Dogtooth tuna and Red emperor to reef Jacks the area is full of surprises. The closer reefs generally fish little slower than the further reefs and weather permitting we will now travel 60km to 70kms for a day’s fishing. Once you’re out around this outer reef edge the fishing can be insane. Up on top of these reefs on the flats, you can expect to tangle with all of the reefs standard flats fish with Coral trout aplenty. Yet fishing around and just off the edge of the higher reef is now where we spend most of our time. Out here Jigging Dog tooth tuna on any of the deep drop-offs (60 to 100m) that hold bait is a possibility while you fight with the by catch of rosy Job fish, Green Job fish, Coral Trout, Red Throat Emperor and Trevally. Trolling a spread around these edges can also result in Dolphin fish, Wahoo, Marlin and Yellowfin tuna. As with all big pelagic fishing these fish move around with the current and bait so always keep your eyes open as you travel, for hints to where they might be holding. So while you have a pelagic playground around these reefs the bigger reef fish are also often found lurking around these areas close to the bottom. Fishing the rubble patches in 50 to 70m close to the reef edge at night provides the best bait/bottom fishing I have experienced. Red emperor, spangled emperor, large mouth Nannygai, Jobfish, reef jacks are all common captures in a night fishing here. Bait fishing with a paternoster rig usually brings the best results with fresh fish fillet or squid proving gun baits.
It’s important to keep moving when fishing the outer edge until you find an area that is holding bait and producing some hot fishing. The bottom fish often appear to fish the best around areas of high bait while for the Pelagic’s it is a must. So if your marking bait on the sounder and the bottom fishing is good chances are the pelagic fish won’t be far away. But if you’re not marking bait and the fishing is quiet it may be best to try another edge. Bait fishing for reef fish at night on the rubble patches can be a little trickier due to disturbance on the sounder and it’s often hard to tell what’s down below. Setting up big drifts over likely looking ground or areas that have produced during the day are the best options. Once you drift over a good patch the fish will often come in thick and fast for a quick period. Simply drop a couple marks in your plotter and re-drift this area again once the fishing slows down. This can make for some red hot fishing for big Jacks, Emperor and Nannygai securing some exceptional table fish.
A mission Beach dog tooth tuna not many places in Aus you can catch these amazing fish!
The township of Mission beach its self has a number off accommodation options with caravan parks and holiday apartments so it shouldn’t be too hard to find somewhere to stay for the traveling angler. The boat ramp is located at clump point, a short 5 min drive from town and there should be no issue launching the biggest of trailer boats on a high tide. The weather appears to be the best over the months of August, September and November as there is calmer weather around this time of the year. For those anglers that may be in the area without their boat, there is also a charter business that operates out of mission beach. So next time your thinking of a tropical fishing getaway make sure you look into a trip to mission beach! I have been traveling to fish these waters for 5 years now and plan on doing so for many more.
Growing up fishing from a young age Colby is currently studying fisheries and aquaculture at Warrnambool in Victoria’s southwest. He enjoys targeting a variety of saltwater and freshwater species and travels around exploring new fisheries any chance he gets. Colby is an avid lure fisherman with chasing Murray Cod and Trout taking up a large amount of his time.
