Over winter, the AFO team hosted their annual milkfish trips to a remote location on the west coast of Cape York.
The phenomenon our guides found there 6 years ago, provides one of the only targeted milkfish fisheries on the globe. It’s true milkfish are caught elsewhere but these are often cast-and-hope fisheries where you put your weed fly in amongst a carpet of weed and hope a fish mistakes it for the real thing.
With a tail and shape like that, no wonder milkfish pull so hard.
On the other hand, the action we base our trips around works on the reliable ‘worm hatch’ fishery. Often, anglers get to see a fish eat a worm and then present their fly to that fish.
A big milkfish with the successful fly visible.
Milkfish are powerhouses to say the least. Many experienced angler’s are surprised by the speed and stamina of hooked milkfish, with genuine 100 metre runs and 30-45 minute fights.
The worm hatch provides the sort of fishing that keeps most of our guests coming back for more.
Due to the uniqueness of this fishery, it’s remoteness and because the peak worm spawning season is short – you have to be lucky to get a spot on these trips. If you register your interest well in advance then you might get the opportunity to experience this developing flyfishing phenomenon.
For more information on these special trips, contact Dave Bradley through his website http://www.australianflyfishingoutfitters.com.au/
