Big Coral Trout
Back in Time – 1770
Hook, Line and Sinker’s latest road trip to shoot more fishing programs took the boys north from Brisbane to the town of 1770. One of Central Queensland’s most beautiful spots, Nick and Andrew both found the fishing fantastic!
It’s about a 600 kilometer drive from Brisbane to 1770. We picked up our Triton Fastback from Brisvagus first thing in the morning and were on the road before lunch. The drive takes you through Gympie, where we stopped for lunch and to stock up on some batteries for our sound gear.
It was somewhere near Bunderberg that our nice, easy trip in the Triton turned a little interesting. For some reason, the GPS we had brought with us had a nervous breakdown and told us to turn left off Highway #1 (completely the wrong direction!)
Even though there was a signpost to 1770, we thought maybe the GPS knew better and would take us on a miraculous shortcut, meaning we’d be fishing even sooner! Needless to say we turned up at our final destination about 2 hours after we thought we would! We got completely and utterly lost. Not a great start, but after a good night’s sleep we were greeted by a sunny, and more importantly calm day.
Joined by our friends from Wilson Fishing Tackle and a borrowed boat, we set off early from the tiny town’s boat ramp and headed out to sea – a long way out to sea. Fitzroy Reef is an 80 km boat ride, but the conditions were calm and we arrived after just under 2 hours. The reef is the bottom end of the Great Barrier Reef and as soon as you arrive you note the beauty of the place. Crystal clear water, sandy atolls and a calm lagoon inside the reef itself, it’s the sort of spot you could spend several days camped out at.
We had two day trips to the reef while we stayed in 1770 and caught a heap of fish! Partly due to some magnificent weather and partly due to some local knowledge from our Wilson boys, we caught Red Throat Emperor and Big Coral Trout. The highlight of the trip was catching a couple of massive Spanish Mackerel! These fish were huge – probably 25 kilos and once hooked up gave us a fantastic battle on light line.
We lived like kings for five days, eating fresh seafood every night and enjoying the sights and life that is a laid back, coastal Queensland town. They say 1770 is going to be the next Noosa, let’s hope it doesn’t happen too soon, because occasionally you find a spot in Australia is still like it used to be – and 1770 is one of those places.
Hook, Line and Sinker goes to air on Southern Cross TEN in Qld, NSW and Vic and on Southern Cross TV in Darwin and Tasmania. It also airs on Central and on Spencer Gulf networks. Check out the show on the web at www.hooklinesinker.tv
