BC Fing Great!

When my good wife suggested that I fly up to my brothers-in-law place for three weeks of camping and fishing it was something that I couldn’t miss.

My brother-in-law Tom lives at Mirani near Mackay and thus has access nearby lots of tropical mangrove creeks, freshwater rivers and dams.

I had a bucket list of three species I wanted to catch one last time before I got too old and too far from tropical Queensland – Barramundi, Sooty Grunter and Saratoga – and Tom did everything possible to help me achieve my bucket list.

He provided top quality rods, reels, lures for me to use and most importantly the local knowledge, experience and patience to get to the right spot at the right time.

Over the three weeks we caught barra, blue salmon, mangrove jack, queenfish, cod, trevally, sooty grunter, saratoga, mud crabs, drank a few (a lot) beers, and had some bloody good tucker (in addition to being a great fishing guide Tom is a master chef). 

So fishing, fishing, beers, dinner, fishing, fishing, beers, dinner – repeat repeat.

To put things in perspective it wasn’t just driving down to the local boat ramp and cruising out to catch fish. For example, to fish the Thompson Creek, it went like this:

• Up at 4:30AM to drive 160km to the creek

• Launch down a very steep, very slippery mud ramp that required chocks behind your wheels to stop the car sliding down and then make your way through the mud to get to the boat.

• Navigate through sand bars, rock bars, and channels to get upstream as the tide was dropping.

• Fish standing in the full sun casting lures at every snag for over four hours.

• Being very careful not to put any part of yourself near the water as the monster saltwater crocodiles were always present. DON’T FALL IN!!

• Make your way back to the mud ramp, retrieve boat, drive 160km home, clean fish, drink beer.

• Repeat for three consecutive days 😊

Didn’t quiet achieve my bucket list – lots of Barra, a nice Sooty and help land a Saratoga – but what I did go away with are memories to keep an old fella happy and stories to tell. 

Thanks, Tom, for a “once in lifetime” experience!

Short slideshow is HERE