Sweetwater Fishing Forums
General Category => General Discussion => Topic started by: poddy mullet on August 01, 2011, 09:56:50 PM
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Over the past fortnight a group of keen Dubbo fishermen and hunters travelled almost 3000 kilometres to the isolated Far North Queensland Aboriginal settlement of Pormpuraaw to chase a variety of sports fish and to hunt wild boar that plague Australia’s Cape York. Situated between two rivers, the Edward and the Coleman, Pormpurwaa features terrific estuary fishing for Barramundi, Threadfin Salmon, Grunter, and Bream. The nearby reefs also offer great sports fishing for a variety of sea-going species, but the sandbars at the river’s mouth can be very tricky and it is best to seek advice from a local, or the police as we did in our case.
According to queenslandholiday.com, two groups of Aboriginal people live in Pormpuraaw: being the Thaayorre people who are traditionally from Pormpuraaw, and the Mungkan people who are traditionally from the north. Many traditional arts and crafts are still practiced here, such as the weaving of dilly bags, dot painting, spear making and canoe carving. A stroll through the streets of the town has a real “back in time” feel, with the locals keen for a chat and offering a smile and a wave to passersby.
Pormpuraaw has one of the oldest crocodile farms in Australia. Set up in the 1970s when crocodiles were becoming endangered, the Edward River Croc Farm has been responsible for repopulating the local rivers - so there is no swimming in saltwater. As we launched our boat for a day’s fishing we could easily see a large saltwater crocodile on the opposite beach, unworried about the happenings on the boat ramp.
The fishing didn’t disappoint, as our chosen method of trolling the deeper bends soon produced plenty of fast paced action that had line peeling of everyone’s reel as we hooked around 18 Barramundi for the day’s fishing. Barra Classics in a predominantly bright green colour and the Jackall DD Cherry produced plenty of fish on the day, with the average depth of only around three metres suiting the shallow running lures down to the ground.
Visitors do not require a permit to visit Pormpuraaw, but are required to check in at the council offices on arrival. As Pormpuraaw is an Aboriginal community the customs of the traditional owners must be adhered to at all times and alcohol restrictions apply for this area.
Matt Hansen
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Good report Matt, just goes to show you don't have to go to the NT for good Barra fishing. Not having to worry about permits is also a great incentive to go there.
Cheers mate,
John
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Hi Matt,
Sounds like a fun trip for the Codgers as usual, nice work.
Cheers Lyndon.