After 17 years in the marine industry, mostly spent in the charter and commercial sectors, I have been lucky enough to fish places most Aussies would only dream of. I have gone fishing from the outer reaches of the Great Barrier Reef to chasing gear-wrecking black bass 350 nautical miles up the fly river of Papua New Guinea. Then there’s the western shoals of North-Western Australia, and now dipping my feet into the blue waters of Vanuatu. Below is my dream fishing calendar for 2022.
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My Dream Fishing Calendar for 2022
I often find myself pondering that given the chance and unlimited funds I’ll go fishing all year for the rest of my life. I even came up with plans about how I would do it and who I would go fishing with if that were to happen. So here are just a few of my top spots.
January
Blue Marlin – Exmouth, Australia
I don’t think there’s anyone who could go past Eddy Lawler and his Peak Sportfishing team when it comes to chasing a record-size blue marlin. His record 1089.7-pound Blue, which he caught on New Year’s Day of 2018, burned Exmouth’s legacy into world game fishing history. As Exmouth is renowned to be the hallowed ground for big game fishing, it is the perfect ground for consistent quests for giants including blues, blacks, stripes, or sailfish.
February
Giant Trevally – Great Barrier Reef
Skipper Jason Legg of Topwater Sportfishing Charters in Cairns is one of the few people I’d trust to land me a stonker giant trevally while fishing from a custom 40 foot Pleysier. Though casting poppers from a game boat may not be everyone’s cup of tea, it certainly gives an angler the upper hand on the comfort side of things when you want to fish those outer reaches of the Great Barrier Reef for a few days.
March
Barramundi – Northern Territory
With the wet season coming to an end, the swamps that were filled up from the monsoonal rain start draining out into the main estuaries that are abundant throughout the Northern Territory. During the wet season the barramundi that went up as fingerlings come out slightly bigger and along with them an abundance of bait is funneled into the main estuary systems where the barramundi ambush the unsuspecting prey. Guides drive three hiurs from darwin everyday to get to remote areas for liveaboard or lodge fishing. When lodge fishing, you won’t be able to go past Dhipirri Lodge. Vision Sportfishing also offers day trips and liveaboards to river systems you can only access by boat.
April – May
All Things Pelagic – Vanuatu
Cold currents pushing through bring an abundance of sardines and we all know what follows these guys, EVERYTHING. Although you can catch big yellowfin and blue marlin year-round, at the start of April you can expect to have shots at big wahoo, yellowfin tuna, blue marlin, and big sailfish along with our reef-dwelling species – the dogtooth tuna and giant trevally. Being able to cast, jig and troll for all of the above you can’t go past the versatility of our Edgewater 32’s. Ocean Blue Fishing Adventures is one to add to your fishing calendar!
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June
Kingfish – New Zealand
Enchanter Charters offer liveaboards to the Three Kings which is 60-kilometers (30 miles) off Cape Reinga, the most northern point of New Zealand. The outstanding water conditions created by the combination of two oceans converging allow ‘Three Kings’ to offer anglers some rod-breaking kingfish caught on jigs and also topwater. Or, if it suits your taste, you may opt for inclined bait fishing for them as well. You may even have a shot at striped marlin on the way out.
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July
Baby Black Marlin – Fraser Island
July is the time of year that brings in abundant bait as well as humpbacks, big cobia, and our target species, baby black marlin, into Fraser Island. All the bait getting pushed up onto the sandy flats makes hunting for the juvenile black marlin easy at that time of the year. I’m sure you’ll all agree that billfish fishing doesn’t get any more fun than catching these guys in a few meters of water on light spinning gear. Give Charles from Hervey Bay Sport Fishing a call to add this experience to your fishing calendar.
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August
Sailfish – Kuala Rompin, Malaysia
Although this destination is just north of the equator, it deserves mention as it is a world-renowned site for sailfish fishing. I think it’s worth devoting an entire month to fish in Rompin to experience the largest aggregation of Sailfish.
There is year-round fishing available as well. When the warm currents get pushed in from the South China Sea between August to October, you can take charters from Ocean Blue Fishing Adventures to take advantage of the abundant anchovies and slimy mackerel, among other types of baitfish which drive the sailfish to congregate in the waters of Rompin.
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September
Dogtooth Tuna – Vanuatu
Vanuatu’s tropical climate and deep ledges make for the best home to some of the biggest doggies in the world. Though you do have an excellent chance to be humbled by one of these brutes all year-round, I think going in September is the best as it’s right before the tropical cyclone season. It’s also the prime time to get them in shallower water before they spawn, which usually happens from the end of November until mid-December.
October
Black Marlin – Cairns
Anglers tend to flock to Cairns anytime between September through December, as it is the best time to go on the hunt for 1000-pound black marlin that Cairns is so well-known throughout the world for. Even with so many charter operators running out of Cairns and Port Douglas, it can be pretty tricky to secure your spot on a boat for the few months that the black marlin season runs as most anglers will book at least a year in advance. Nevertheless, chasing monster blacks on the Great Barrier Reef is a definite must-do for any angler.
November
Grand slam – Exmouth, Australia
September in Exmouth means the availability of almost every type of billfish. This is why I think the place deserves another visit in November, as it offers anglers the opportunity at a grand slam, catching three species of billfish in a single day. There is no better place in Australia than Exmouth for anglers who are keen to achieve this milestone.
December
Exploration Trips in the South Pacific
With the excellent weather in the southern hemisphere in December, I think it’s the perfect time to explore the South Pacific with Luke Wrysta from Rock Expeditions. Luke has successfully pulled off many trips where you wouldn’t even think of going, like Kanton Atoll, Papua New Guinea, and a lot more. A must-add to your fishing calendar.
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