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Spectacular storms at the Palm Islands

Cruising the Palm Islands – Storms at Fantome

Cruising the Palm Islands on our way to the Swain reefs, we encountered some serious storms.

Mostly because travelling in a La Nina event was always going include some storm dodging. So we certainly expected it.

Hence we like to be prepared. We have been caught before by a big storm anchored at the Palm Islands and it was a doozy!


We have a compilation of storms stories (both horrific and educational) in our storms at sea blog post.

The fishing around the islands however is exceptional with many Wonky Holes found here covered in large-mouth nannygai.

And we have a comprehensive course on how to find these fish holding gems called Wonky Holes – access the course here.

The Palm Island group is located between Cairns and Townsville in Far North Queensland and includes Pelorus, Fantome, Great Palm and Orpheus Islands.


Orpheus Island is known for it’s flash resort. Thus it was touted as the location for Wiliam and Kate’s honeymoon.

Great Palm has a checkered history and the location of great suffering for First Nations people of Australia.

Fantome Island housed a virtual prison for people with leprosy from 1928 to 1973 and is the subject of a very interesting documentary.

The ruins are still visible and the history is in stark contrast to the stunning white beaches and reef flats surrounding the island.

We take a walk on the island but not before a quick fish with our mate Mel Kenny. One of our original Fish Smarter fishing students, Mel is an accomplished angler.  She came across Halifax Bay from Taylors beach in her boat for the visit.

Join us for our video cruising and fishing the Palm Islands. What did we catch? And did we get smashed by the storm?


 


WATCH THE NEXT EPISODE HERE

WATCH THE PREVIOUS EPISODE HERE

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A MUST SEE LOCATION

Fishing around the Palm Islands.
Fishing around the Palm Islands can be very productive at times. Reef edges, drop offs and wonky holes abound.
The ruins of the Fantome Island leper colony are a sad reminder of our past.
The ruins of the Fantome Island leper colony are a sad reminder of our past. The island is the site of over 200 graves.
The Palm Islands group is located between Cairns and Townsville.
The Palm Islands group is located between Cairns and Townsville, hence it is reachable even in a trailer boat. But beware of storms in the summer months. Oz cyclone chasers are a subscriber service that we find very helpful.

FISHING THE AREA

Coral trout
The area is littered with drop offs and structure, consequently it was not hard to catch a plate size coral trout for lunch.
Catching live bait with a cast net
Catching live bait off Fantome beach is not hard as it is the perfect location for mullet. However it pays to keep bystanders (and dogs) well back lest they scare off the bait.
Mullet caught in cast net
Likewise, throwing a cast net results in a bite size morsel for a big predatory fish if every I’ve seen one.
Coral trout for lunch
An abundance of fish means it’s easy to catch lunch. Furthermore, Evatt cooked up some Moroccan style coral trout with lettuce and ceasar sauce (paul Newmans own) spiced with some fresh chilli yum

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MORE EPISODES AND FISHING CONTENT

I hope you enjoyed Episode 5 of our south to the Swains series – cruising the Palm Islands.


If you’ve missed the start, simply click here to bounce back to episode 1


And while you’re here, why not take a look at some of our other tips and fishing action videos below.

• Gear and tackle cheat sheet and other free training
• Princess Charlotte Bay

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Picture of Ryan Moody
Ryan Moody
Ryan Moody started his fishing career on the reef boats before catching bucket list marlin for the likes of champion heavy tackle angler Johnno Johnson, INXS and the King of Sweden. Branching out in the late 80's to guided barramundi fishing, Ryan has made a name for himself as a Big Barramundi specialist and to date has put clients onto over 2000 metre plus barra. That is over 2 kilometres of metre plus barra! With attitudes changing from 'keep all you can' towards catch and release, Ryan has decided to share his extensive knowledge and hopefully inspire people of all ages to get out from behind the computer screen/TV and into the fishing outdoors lifestyle he has spent his life perfecting.
Picture of Ryan Moody
Ryan Moody
Ryan Moody started his fishing career on the reef boats before catching bucket list marlin for the likes of champion heavy tackle angler Johnno Johnson, INXS and the King of Sweden. Branching out in the late 80's to guided barramundi fishing, Ryan has made a name for himself as a Big Barramundi specialist and to date has put clients onto over 2000 metre plus barra. That is over 2 kilometres of metre plus barra! With attitudes changing from 'keep all you can' towards catch and release, Ryan has decided to share his extensive knowledge and hopefully inspire people of all ages to get out from behind the computer screen/TV and into the fishing outdoors lifestyle he has spent his life perfecting.

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