Australia is the latest frontier on the saltwater fly fishing map. For years we have heard fantastic stories from The Land Down Under, and finally we had to go explore it for ourselves. What we encountered lived up to the hype that has been building momentum among saltwater anglers worldwide for years… Our 1st stop was the West Coast of Cape York, the spike on the north east corner of the continent of Australia, pointing directly up at Papua New Guinea.
The diversity of species in the coastal waters of Cape York, Far North Queensland, cannot be overstated. It is literally unbelievable how many strange and beautiful random fish species you will encounter while targeting multiple trophy fish that you can’t find anywhere else on earth. A Grand Slam of Barramundi, Blue Bastard, Milkfish and the elusive Anak Permit is a unique and incredible feat!
As passionate anglers, constantly searching for pure wild, we never cease in our search for unexploited places where we can experience Mother Nature, unmolested. For anglers like us, searching for opportunities to cast at fish that have never seen a fly, Cape York Australia has to be near the top of your hit list. The Gulf of Carpentaria ranks as one of the wildest places left on this planet, with fishing that is unmatched anywhere else on Earth.
Reservations & Rates
$10,466 USD per person (double occupancy) - 6 nights /6 days angling
Inclusions
Your angling package with Weipa Sports Fishing includes round trip charter flight from Cairns to Aurukan; Ground and water transfers to the liveaboard, 6 nights shared accommodation; 6 days guided fishing (2 anglers to a boat and guide); all meals, soft drinks and bottled water.
Non-Inclusions
Not included in your Cape York Australia package are international flights; ground transfers and overnight accommodation in Cairns; tackle and flies; gratuities; alcohol; mandatory emergency medical evacuation policy (we recommend Global Rescue); travel insurance; personal expenses.
Travel Insurance
The Fly Shop® is not in the insurance business, but we recommend Travel Guard coverage as a service with a desire to see your best interests protected. It is impossible to know when an unfortunate situation (loss of luggage, fly rods, illness in the family, or an accident) may occur. However, such things can and do happen, and this insurance can provide a means of recourse against non-refundable financial losses.
• Travel Insurance Information
Seasons at Cape York
The season traditionally runs from Mid-March through Mid-December. January and February are the rainiest months and it is hot and humid. Monsoon winds can also blow incessantly in those off months… You don’t want to be there!
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The spring season (February through April) accounts for the nicest weather of the year, with less wind and more "picture perfect" tropical days, which also makes this the most popular time of year in the islands.
The monsoon winds – and peak windy period – runs from Mid-December to Mid March. The wind can still blow other times of the year, however it is still very much fishable.
Entry Requirements:
Everyone traveling to Australia must have a passport valid for at least six months beyond the end of travel. A Travel Visa, or an approved Electronic Travel Authority (ETA), is required for foreign nationals to enter the country. We will walk you though the easy process to obtain your visa or ETA in the weeks leading up to your departure. Make sure your passport will be valid for 6 months after your return home, way in advance!!! You do not want to find out at the last minute that your passport is expiring 3 months after the trip. It will hamstring all of your plans!
Getting to Cape York
Getting to Australia is easier than one would think. There are convenient, direct daily direct flights from the US West Coast on Virgin Australia and other carriers. It’s a long flight, 14+ hour flight from LAX to Brisbane, but the reliable flights on one of the world’s best airline companies makes the travel simple and painless. Spending a few extra days in Cairns on the way in is also highly recommended.
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Plan your International Air Travel to arrive in Cairns, Australia (CNS) no later than a day BEFORE your scheduled arrival day.
Day of Entry - Charter Flight to Aurukun:
Guests are requested to arrive in Cairns the day before the charter flight to the Mothership. The charter flight out to the ship is very early in the morning in order to get a full day of fishing on arrival.
The group will meet an hour before the scheduled departure time (approximately 5:30 AM) at the charter flight hangar (not at the main international airport). Everyone will weigh in and check in their luggage.
There is a weight limit of 20 kg (44 pounds) per person on the charter flight. You can leave excess clothes, books from the plane, your flying outfit, anything extra at all, at the hotel that you stay at on the way in and out. Pack carefully and be very aware of this weight limit! If you go over, they will end up leaving food like the lettuce for salads, or the limes for cocktails… or the cocktails! There is daily laundry service onboard the mothership, you only need 2 sets of clothes! PACK LIGHT!
Upon arrival at the landing strip at Aurukun, guests will load their gear in pickups and drive 5 minutes through the village to the boat launch where the guides will be waiting in their tender boats. From there it is only about a 15 minute water transfer to reach the anchorage of the mothership, The Eclipse D. Move into a room fast, get your kit on, put 2 rods together, grab a breakfast burrito in tinfoil, and you will be back on the tenders, headed out to go fishing by 8:30am!
The Eclipse D, your Liveaboard Mothership, is more of a big barge than a seafaring yacht. This allows for it to be very stable and spacious. It does not steam to new locations throughout the week, you will stay on the same anchorage in the estuary, near the mouth, for the entire week. This is dead center at the heart of the entire fishery, giving you endless access to best water up the creeks, out along the beaches, or out in the deep Bluewater. You are in the right spot already!
Weipa Sports Fishing boasts the most experienced crew in the region. These guides are super fishy and absolutely relentless. As for the boat, The Eclipse D measures 65ft in length and can accommodate a maximum of 8 anglers a week in 4 double occupancy cabins. A dining salon and lounge hosts guests in air-conditioned comfort for meals if needed, but most dinners are served on the open-air top deck.
Fishing Days:
On arrival the group will spend the next six days fishing and exploring the immense estuary system, stalking the shallow coastal beach flats, and hunting out in the Bluewater. The diversity of this fishery can not be overstated.
Each evening you will discuss with your guide which species you would like to target, which will let him decide which direction to point the boat the next morning. Typically, anglers will be up early and after a quick breakfast head out in the twilight of the morning. You generally stay out on the water with a packed lunch, especially if the prime tides coincide with lunch, or if you just motored too far. There is the option to come back to the mothership for lunch if it makes sense, It usually is not, and is a waste of time on the water.
Day of Departure:
On the morning of your departure you will reverse the arrival process and then fly from Aurukun back to Cairns. You will be back in town by 10am. This gives you plenty of flexibility to either jump right on a plane home that day, or relax and spend another night in Cairns, taking a morning flight home the next day. If leaving the same day as the charter fly back from the boat, do not book departing flights before 2pm, to stay on the safe side.
Lodging at Cape York
The Eclipse D, a 65 foot Power Catamaran, is an extremely well equipped expedition vessel which boasts the most experienced crew in the region. The 65’ foot vessel can sleep 8 guests comfortably in double occupancy cabins. The spacious vessel’s large public areas are perfect for relaxing with the entire group together. The covered top deck is the place to be after an awesome day on the water. First, cocktail hour and hors d'oeuvres will be served at the large dining table up top. Dinner is then served up there as well, then followed by any after dinner shenanigans…
Fishing at Cape York
The fishing in this area is all done from the tender boats, No wading. The number one reason being Saltwater Crocodiles! You just don’t want to be in there with them. But also, you can’t wade in the estuaries due to soft bottoms, and the beach zone is different from standard expansive flats… The awesome part though is that the tenders are custom built with casting platforms in the bow, as well as the stern, so both anglers can fish at the same time!! Now, I wouldn’t suggest both rods cast at the same tailing Permit or Blue Bastard, but it is awesome when blind casting for Barra’s in the Mangroves, or working a baitball in the bluewater!
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As mentioned, the list of species is enormous, but the target trophy species include Anak Permit, Blue Bastards, Barramundi, Queenfish, Golden and Giant Trevally, Milkfish, Tusk Fish, Long Tail Tuna and more!
Weipas Sports Fishing has chosen a location with some of the most amazing diversity of water types of any fishery we know, here is a quick look at each:
The Estuary is amazing, the final basin of 3 large freshwater rivers mixing together, before they enter the ocean. There is endless possibility in this labyrinth of mangroves, channels, pockets and flats encountered upstream. This is Barramundi heaven and one of the best places on earth to shake hands with a true trophy over 100cm… The benchmarker for life fish! Permit and Milkfish can also be found in this maze of dark water.
The beach fishing north of the mouth of the Estuary is like a long linear flat, a 40 to 100yd strip of shallow water that stretches on forever. This is where you find the tailing species, Anak Permit, Bastards and Tuskies. White sand beaches with lapping waves, corral head points, deeper flats covered in bombies, and even areas with dense seas vegetation, like kelp… These shallow waters can be very diverse, even within itself! This is the place to sight cast at some of the most coveted tailing species in Australia!
And then there is the Bluewater! Out here you can encounter pure mayhem! Follow the birds to the baitballs where you will find an all out warzone. The birds are diving on bait pinned to the surface by the predators below. In situations like this, you just need to get a big steamer in the area and start stripping like your life depends on it… Odds are the fly won’t make it back to the boat, attacked by a number of potential assassins, like gig Queenfish, Giant Trevally, or Longtail Tuna. This is explosive fishing, and an absolutely incredible display by Mother Nature. You will leave this scene worn out…
Anglers will fish with one highly skilled, experienced, professional fly fishing guides for every two anglers. These guys are fantastic and will do their absolute best to put you in front of the species that you prefer to cast to. They know thesis waters like the back of their hands!
What Makes This Destination Special and Unique?
• Cape York offers unmatched species diversity. Anglers can expect to target trophy sized Anak Permit, Blue Bastard, Milkfish, Barramundi, Black Spot Tuskfish, Queenfish, Golden Trevally, GT’s, Tea Leaf, Diamond and other Trevally species, multiple Tuna species, the wonderful and amazing Mudskipper and many, many more! Australia is one of the best places on earth to pad your list of life species, and it is the only place on earth where you can tick a few of those boxes…
• The remote location that Weipa Sports Fishing utilizes has zero competition. You can drive a boat 2 hours in any direction from the33 Motherships anchorage and not see another angler. This lack of pressure ensures that the fishing will always be as good as it can be when you get there and lack of pressure always means that you catch more fish.
• The diversity of types of water and types of fishing is amazing. You can sight-cast for fish in the shallow flats, fish the thousands of fingers of mangrove line channels in the estuary, and you can even go out into the Bluewater and target pelagic fish. Not only does this water diversity vastly increase the number of species you will encounter, it is also great protection against the weather. You can easily go hide and keep fishing when other fisheries would be blown off the water.
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