Odyssey Fly Fishing

THE FISHING

Each year during the fall months of September, October and November, The Nomad schedules some select weeks that are fully dedicated to fly fishermen. The Nomad is situated during these weeks in the far north of the Coral Sea, where it allows fly rodders to fish the isolated Claremont Isles and or Bligh Reef. This part of the Coral Sea is about as remote as it gets and for fly fishermen, these locations are ideal because they offer an enormous variety of ideal fly fishing environments.

The Saltwater Fly Fishing Adventures based from the Nomad typically consist of 6 full days fishing, combining a mixture of flats fishing, along with boat based fishing. There is also a 9 day extended trip to this area that is offered once every other year. The option is there for guests to choose to wade all week or fish from a boat. Flexibility is the key for these weeks, which allows anglers to take advantage of both their preferred fishing environment and the weather conditions. The logistics, boats and general details of the saltwater fly fishing trips are the same as the Lagoon Explorer Trips, but the focus of the trip is all about saltwater fly fishing, and only anglers interested in fly fishing are permitted to book onto these weeks.

During the fly fishing trips, there will be a maximum of 2 anglers fishing from each boat, with a few anglers being guided around the flats at any time. Accommodation is either shared or private cabins onboard the Nomad Mothership. This area is optimal for fly-fishing enthusiasts because it offers an amazing series of sand and reef flats. The outer edge of the reef, as well as rivers and islands, give fly rodders an enormous variety of options and areas to fish.

What makes this place so special from a fly fishing perspective is that this trip offers outstanding inshore and offshore fly fishing. The diversity of angling environments and unprecedented number of species available on the fly makes this trip, the ultimate fly fishing experience on the planet.

Around the anchorages you’ll find a series of islands, sand flats and reef flats that are unmatched anywhere else in Australia. Virtually every shallow water species, from GTs to cobia to permit, queenfish, golden trevally and every other tropical saltwater species you can think of has been caught while wading and sight casting these flats. For those that love walking the flats and sightcasting to their fish, this is probably the number one location in all of Australia!

And if that’s not enough, head west of the anchorage and you’ll hit the coastline with some of the most remote rivers in Australia, just teeming with fish. These rivers cannot be accessed by land, as there is simply no way to drive there, and the mothership operation with small shallow draft tenders is the only real way to access these highly productive rivers. The barramundi and jack fishing is outstanding in these clear shallow sandy rivers, and the queenfish at the mouths of the rivers is excellent.

BOATS AND EQUIPMENT

2 18 foot center consoles Ocean Whalers powered by 90 HP four stroke engines, 2 25 foot center consoles powered by 300 HP four stroke engines.

GETTING THERE

All international guests will first fly into Sydney and then from Sydney, up the north coast to Cairns. From Cairns, it’s a flight and a 4×4 drive. Clarement Isles and Bligh Reef are both accessed via Portland Roads to the far north of Cape York. To meet the Nomad team at the pickup point for these two destinations, guests would fly from Cairns to Lockhart River and then catch a landcruiser transfer to Portland Roads. We will organize the landcruiser transfers on everyone’s behalf and we’ll add your name to our 2015 allocation for the Skytrans flights to and from Lockhart River. The pricing for these transfers and flights is to be confirmed in early 2015, with payment for these transfers due with your balance payment three months prior to departure. Pricing includes a stay at the Portland Roads Guesthouse on the first night of your trip, including buffet seafood dinner and breakfast.

The Nomad Mothership will be anchored off the beach at Portland Roads on that first morning. The crew will come and pick up the guests off the beach using their centre consoles and take them out to Odyssey for the safety briefing, then the fishing grounds are 25 miles out to the east. In calm weather it would take about an hour to run out to the reef in the centre consoles with odyssey chugging along behind. Everyone then meets at the first anchorage that evening.

Slipstream is a full service travel company that can handle a variety of services relating to your trip. For assistance, please contact us directly at 1 866 644-7703.

RATES FOR 2024

$8,900.00 USD per rod