Bad weather on the outer reefs of far north Queensland is the default setting through May, and a recent video posted by Ocean and Island Fishing Adventures captures the reality of a Plan B inshore day when the swell shuts the proper reef trip down.
The host opened the session in the boat ramp at Mariah Creek, on the FNQ coast inland of King Reef and Caramine Beach, with the reef off the menu. "It's a little bit too rough to get out to the reef today. It's actually no wind at all, but a little bit of swell out there," he said. "So we're just going to staying close. We're actually taking the leave boat out. We're going to go out to the close reef, King Reef, just out from Caramine Beach."
The plan was straightforward. Cast-net some live bait on the way out — herring, plus a few mullet — and run to a small rock with enough current near it to hold fingermark. The pulse of energy off the cast net was almost embarrassing. The host described pulling a whole net full of herring on the first throw, with a handful of mullet for variety. "There was a heap of fish there. Got a whole net full," he told the camera as the bait splashed into the live well.
On the rock, with a live herring drifted close to structure, the first hookup came inside minutes. The host was rigging sunscreen when the rod loaded up. "That was a solid fish, bro. Felt real shaky though," he said as the fish unbuttoned. The crew estimated it at three to four kilos, possibly a red emperor by the way it head-banged on the reel. The reality on the day was kinder. A run of smaller bites produced one keeper fingermark at 42cm from his mate Jay — "got one in the boat" — and several missed strikes from larger fish that did not come up.
With the bite quietening on the rock, the crew ran back into the creek to fish for whatever the mangroves would give them. Live herrings sat in the rod holders, drifted into mangrove edges. The first hit was a barramundi-shaped fish that came up just a little undersized — "a little bit small, but welcome to take him" — and was returned to the water. The next was the fish of the day.
"We got a big jack. Cracky jack," the host called as the rod loaded. "This is a nice big jack, man." The fish came up against the mangroves on a live herring and was netted at around 40cm. Within minutes Jay was on again. "Another jack. Another jack," the host said, panning the camera across. "Two jacks in about what? Five minutes."
A small grunter and an undersized jack rounded out the catch. Several fingers were bitten in the process. "He bit my finger, too," the host laughed of his mate's third encounter with a small jack. "Yeah, I learned that. Keep everything away from his face."
The day ended without monster fish but with bait in the live well for next time and a workable plan when the reef shuts down. "It's been an all right day. Got a few fish. Wasn't crazy good, but wasn't bad either. So definitely want to come back out here when there's a bit more run," the host said before packing up around 3pm.
For visiting anglers in FNQ navigating an unsettled weather window, the session is a workable template. Cast-net herring on the way out, fish them live around inshore rock and creek structure, and accept that the headline fish — a big red on the outer reef — will still be there when the weather turns. The smaller mixed bag in close is its own reward.
