Bathurst Heads – Princess Charlotte Bay Episode 6.

Travelling Australia

February 10, 2022

Episode 6 of our Princess Charlotte bay trip sees us parked up at Bathurst Heads, having one more go at the barra before our return trip to Cairns.

To see the trip from Episode 1 >> click here.

Bathurst Heads used to be a popular campground for anglers visiting the Cape.

The area is Aboriginal Land and was given back to the Traditional Owners.

Initially they were happy to share with campers, however littering and disrespect for the location has lead them to refuse further access to their homeland.

However you can still access the area by vessel as we did.

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To access Bathurst Heads by vessel, unless you have a larger boat like Mood Swings, you have two options.

Camp at Annie River and head out the Kennedy River.

Or a beach launch from Cape Melville Camp sites.

It’s well worth the visit due to the spectacular rock formations on the shore.

Rock formations at Bathurst Heads

Unusual rock formations — Swirls and squares were the order of the day with the rock formations

Bathurst heads rock formations — Spectacular fishing from these rocks for schoolies.

Fishing Princess Charlotte Bay

Bathurst Heads faces west and due to the strong easterly winds during our stay, provided good protection.

Bait can be sourced on the sand spits and beaches and while we were there, was abundant.

At times I’m sure the barra fishing is great here due to the rocks and structures and bait.

However on our visit we had extremely high barometer due to a massive high pressure system ridging up the coast.

And manged to jump a bunch of schoolies off because they were just nipping at the lures.

Something they do when they’re off their tucker.

Fishing for barramundi at Princess Charlotte Bay — Jumped off a few schoolies when we first arrived. Great spot.

Fishing the Bathurst Headland — What a lovely way to spend the afternoon.

Bait collecting — If you’re not fussed on lures, there’s plenty of bait to be caught on the sand spits and beaches.

Bathurst Heads makes a great base when the wind blows from South-east to North-east – our predominant winds. Our 6.5 m **Cairns Custom craft** makes short work of the chop.

Shark — Evening visit from Noah while anchored up.

Feeder Creeks leading into the Bay

No name creek Princess Charlotte Bay — Feeder creeks are small tributaries that run from the saltpans to the Bay. Around high tide, the mouth region is the place to fish for all kinds of species. We got smashed by **Blue Salmon** but there were large Queenfish and other pelagics – but we couldn’t get through the salmon. Lures used: **Pillager 95.**

Blackwood Island

Queenfish were abundant around Blackwood Island. Got lots of follows which made for exciting fishing. **Pillager lures** did the damage.

Estuary Cod — Yet another Gold Spot for Evatt – the Codmaster!

Blackwood Island — Parked Mood Swings behind Blackwood while we did some scouting. Makes a great anchorage in the prevailing winds from the S/E at this time of year.

Rock formations — Magnificent rock formations abound in this area. Like this one, a stone age version of the floating hotel (for those old enough to know what I’m talking about.

Cape Melville

Cape Melville is a great spot for camping and launching your tinny from the beach to explore these special spots.

For more info on camping in this area visit our Cape Melville blog.

Granite rock mountains at Cape Melville — You can also reach Bathurst Heads from Cape Melville. Beach camping beside the granite boulder mountains is spectacular.

Sunset from Cape Melville — Sunset looking toward the Flinders Group from **Cape Melville**. Beer O’clock.

To find out what gear we used on this trip, check out our gear and tackle cheat sheet.

The Pillager lures used on the trip can be purchased here >> Pillager Lures.

And the custom rod mentioned in the video was made by Ron Farren of Salty Dog custom rods.

Princess Charlotte Bay – Mood Swings October 2021 Trip Report

3 hour barra session on my new lures

Garlic Butter Trout Catch and Cook

Smashed by King Threadfin in Rockhampton

Fishing Cooktown with stick baits and jigs.

Best fishing rig for coral trout

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

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. 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.