The ultimate guide to barramundi beach fishing in Cairns
How-to
By Sophia McMeekin
Barramundi numbers are booming around Trinity Beach, making Cairns an Australian sport fishing hot spot.
Barramundi or ‘Barra’ season kicks off on February 1 each year, with local fishermen pulling in metre-long barra directly from the beaches around Cairns.
Widely regarded as Australia's best native sport fish, the skill and challenge involved in hooking a barramundi is second to none. But whether you’re fishing recreationally or in a competition, coming home empty handed is no fun.
Everyone has their own opinion about the best way to hook a barramundi, and no two techniques are the same. Whether you’re fishing from shore or boat, off the beach, in rivers, lakes, and estuaries, or day or night, you can hook a barra. The one thing the experts can agree on is the secret ingredient: patience and persistence.
If you’re looking to bring home a barra, we’ve got expert tips and tricks to make the most of your barramundi fishing trip in Cairns.
Locations
There are a few factors contributing to the Cairns beach-barra-boom, but the biggest of all is the quantity of fish remaining in the water, thanks to the introduction of new legislation in late 2015 removing commercial net fishing from the region.
Cairns is unique in the fact that you have a great chance of catching metre-plus barramundi from the beaches just north of town at Trinity Beach.
Keen local angler Dan Kagellis says visitors often think of Cairns as a place where you fish for barramundi in the creeks and rivers, casting lures at piles of snags.
“Sure, you can catch small barra in the creeks – up to 80cm, but on the beaches, you’ll struggle to catch a fish under 80cm,” he says. “You don’t need any special tackle – just a rod and reel big enough to handle a fish that might be bigger than 10kg!
“You’ll also need a cast net so that you can catch some live bait – both poddy mullet and prawns are excellent and easy to catch – especially after rain.
“All of the beaches north of Cairns have excellent fishing since the nets were removed and you just need to pick one.”
Anglers often like the zone where a beach meets a rocky headland or a creek mouth – both places offer comfortable places for predatory fish to hunt and ambush their prey.
“The outside of the stinger nets also form good habitat for barramundi in particular,” CAREFish’s (advocates in support of the net-free zones) Paul Aubin says. “Bait travelling along the beach gets hemmed in and the predators take advantage.”
But the beach isn’t the only spot to bag a barra. Lake Tinaroo was stocked with fingerlings several years ago, and is now home to some monster barramundi. This is a great spot to go barramundi fishing in Cairns if you’re new to fishing.
While the barramundi season is closed from November 1 through to February 1, you can fish all year round at Hook-A-Barra in the Daintree Saltwater Barramundi Farm.
Barramundi fishing tips for beginners
Conditions
Dawn and dusk is the best time of day to go barramundi fishing in Cairns. In the summer months, calm humid conditions are best. In summer, the rainy season can cause flooding, pushing bait out to sea and herding the barramundi around rocky foreshores and headlands.
Equipment
Barramundi can get big! Choose a quality rod and reel and at least a 20lb line.
Casting
When casting, try deep diving lures around existing structures like timber, rocks and weed beds. Trolling can also work well.
Bait
Large 6-8 inch lures are recommended.
Expert tips
Pro’ barra angler, Karim DeRidder, grew up on the Atherton Tablelands and has watched the fishery over several decades and says the new Net Free Zones are the best thing to happen to the Cairns fishery.
“Already the barra fishing is sharply improving, but the number of big threadfin salmon that are showing up is off the charts,” he says.
Karim is a lure fisherman, which means he uses artificial bait rather than natural. He shares his list of ‘must have’ lures for the area.
Lures to use in Trinity Bay
1. Soft plastic
Anything in the 3 to 5-inch range that gets down to where the fish are is a vital piece of your fishing kit. Whether it’s a soft vibe or a jighead rigged plastic, Cairns barramundi love them.
2. Shallow diving minnow
A staple of North Queensland, the ‘gold Bomber’-style jerk bait has a place in a Cairns beach anglers’ arsenal.
3. Deep diving minnow
When you need to get down and onto the same level as the barramundi to get a strike, you’ll need a deeper diving minnow.
Competition
Ready to put your skills to the test? The Tinaroo Barra Bash is a much-loved annual local event held at Lake Tinaroo on the Atherton Tablelands. This family-friendly fishing event has been held for 30 years, and is a catch-and-release tournament.
When: 27-29 November 2020.
Want more? We know just the place to catch the best fish in Queensland. Cast a look at our fishing page.
