Craig Daly from Clearwater Flyfishing guides, an AFO guide, dragged his mate Andy Burford up to the Hinchinbrook area. This was to be Andy's first shot at tropical saltwater flyfishing and after a start like Andy got it won't be his last.
The start of the week the weather dial was set to glamor, a cool snap came in on the first morning, but the sky was clear and the wind low.
We hit the flats in search of Trevally and Queenfish, we found big Flathead and Barramundi instead..

Andy turned out to be right at home on the salt, he knew to keep away from the trout strike method, I told him to just keep pulling and did everything right. The weather stayed good for the next couple of day so we stayed on the flats, but found other fish to frustrate us.


Over the next two days the guys got their first Permit, several schools of Permit contained some big fish, awesome sights of 20-30 tails breaking the water, flashes of feeding fish in deeper water and nervous casts to fast appearing and disappearing fish. Out of 5-6 bites we landed 2 Permit, we caught some crusing Giant Trevally and cast to one of a genuine 60lbs, although we never strayed far enough from the Permit schools to find other fish.
The weather would come in a cloud us out of Permit contention, so we wandered the area in search of other species.
Tarpon, Trevally, Barramundi, Blue Salmon, Mangrove Jack, Cod, Barracuda and more Flathead where captured mostly in a couple of feet of water.


Highlights of the trip included, the Permit schools and getting several bites, the 60lb GT in two foot of water, a school of 5 kg GTs all trying to eat Andys fly in clear deep water but none did and renaming a flat after making several presentations to a huge Barramundi, approx 110cm, in 18 inches of water. It finally spooked after it almost hit the bow, Andy was crouched on the deck casting a fly on it's nose for no response when it exploded off the flat. Big Julie Flat....