Cairns Sportfishing
Cairns Sportfishing
Ready to catch some fish in Cairns? Cairns Sportfishing is here to make it happen! With Captain Gavin at the helm, you're in knowledgeable and experienced hands.
The fish in these waters include Coral Trout, Giant Trevally, Nannygai, Wahoo, Spangled Emperor, Sweetlip Emperor, Barramundi, and more with any luck. You'll target your catch by light tackle fishing, popping, trolling, jigging, bottom fishing, or maybe something more specialized in this area.
Capt. Gavin welcomes children aboard, so the whole family can come and unplug for the day! Be sure to ask if child-sized life vests are available, otherwise you should bring your own. And, you can't go wrong with snacks so that nobody gets cranky on an empty stomach!
You'll be fishing aboard a 20' Eagle Ray center console with a capacity for 5 passengers however if it is a reef adventure we only take 4 pax .we also limit by age to reef to between the ages of 14years and 60 years for safety reasons . It has everything you need for a productive day on the water. There's a toilet on board for your convenience. Rods, reels, and tackle are covered by the charter, as well as lures. Live bait is available, but be sure to ask about it so you know if you'll be catching it yourself.
You might need to purchase a local fishing license before the trip. This information is usually available online, or you can ask the captain. Some species may be off-limits or require a special tag, so make sure you know what to expect.
It's always wise to bring sunscreen (non-spray), and sunglasses. Drinks are included, free of charge. Alcohol is allowed in moderation, just be sure to avoid hard liquor as well as glass bottles.
Now, come aboard with Cairns Sportfishing and get hooked!
Ready to catch some fish in Cairns? Cairns Sportfishing is here to make it happen! With Captain Gavin at the helm, you're in knowledgeable and experienced hands.
The fish in these waters include Coral Trout, Giant Trevally, Nannygai, Wahoo, Spangled Emperor, Sweetlip Emperor, Barramundi, and more with any luck. You'll target your catch by light tackle fishing, popping, trolling, jigging, bottom fishing, or maybe something more specialized in this area.
Capt. Gavin welcomes children aboard, so the whole family can come and unplug for the day! Be sure to ask if child-sized life vests are available, otherwise you should bring your own. And, you can't go wrong with snacks so that nobody gets cranky on an empty stomach!
You'll be fishing aboard a 20' Eagle Ray center console with a capacity for 5 passengers however if it is a reef adventure we only take 4 pax .we also limit by age to reef to between the ages of 14years and 60 years for safety reasons . It has everything you need for a productive day on the water. There's a toilet on board for your convenience. Rods, reels, and tackle are covered by the charter, as well as lures. Live bait is available, but be sure to ask about it so you know if you'll be catching it yourself.
You might need to purchase a local fishing license before the trip. This information is usually available online, or you can ask the captain. Some species may be off-limits or require a special tag, so make sure you know what to expect.
It's always wise to bring sunscreen (non-spray), and sunglasses. Drinks are included, free of charge. Alcohol is allowed in moderation, just be sure to avoid hard liquor as well as glass bottles.
Now, come aboard with Cairns Sportfishing and get hooked!
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Trip availability and prices
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Customer reviews
Rating
Anglers' gallery (59)
What anglers say
Reviews (63)
William Cherry5.0VerifiedGreat Barrier Reef-Great fishing!!
Full Day Trip – Inshore&Reef on January 20, 2026 • 1 adultRight from the start Captain Galvin worked hard and it continued to the last minute. The quality and quantity of fish was excellent! We caught about 15 different beautiful species. Nannygai,gold band snapper and mother in law fish were huge and very hard fighting!! Stripeys, honeycomb cod, and tomato cod were some of my favorites and gougeous! It was the trip of a lifetime! Thank You Captain Gavin for the trip of a lifetime! See you again mate…
Robert Strickland5.0Verifieda bright light
Full day – Topwater Fishing on April 5, 2026 • 1 adultConditions and fishing were not ideal. However Gavins vibe, personality, persistence to achieve the best experience for his client shined bright. I truly will remember this experience and hope to fish with Gavin again one day. He is a top notch guide. in the end we achieved the desired result wbd caught a few ifnout target species. i highly recommend him as your choice for a fishing guide
Denise Books5.0VerifiedGreat day at the estuary
3/4 day estuary fishing on March 11, 2026 • 2 adultsGavin was our captain and we had an amazing time. We netted our live herring for bait and set out to fish. While we did not catch our target fish. Our first catch of the day was a mud crab. We also caught a little grunter and a gold spot cod, a queen fish, a barred grunter and two nice sized blue thread salmon. It was a very successful day on the water.
Taylor Byfield5.0VerifiedA must book!
Half Day Trip – Estuary Fishing(am) on January 2, 2026 • 2 adultsGavin was an absolutely amazing captain! Had a struggle in the morning trying to get live bait as the tides were changing but still managed to get us onto a good array of fish and showed us some really cool spots! Amazing bloke and full of knowledge, would recommend him to anyone looking to go fishing in Cairns!
Leya Duigu5.0VerifiedGreat day out on the water
Full day – Topwater Fishing on September 24, 2025 • 2 adultsSpent a day fishing in the estuary with Gavin. While this wasn’t our first choice the weather had other plans and we found ourselves fishing throughout the estuary for the day and had a great time doing it. 2 spots had lots of nibbles and kept us busy. Gavin was knowledgeable and professional. Would definitely recommend.
John Cassar5.0VerifiedGreat day fishing
Half Day Trip – Estuary Fishing(am) on January 2, 2025 • 5 adults • 3 childrenCaptain Gavin was amazing. Took time to explain all his tricks to catching target fish. I had the family onboard and Gavin was great with them explaining all the best fishing techniques. And best of all we caught all the target species. Thanks for a great day out, highly recommended. Cheers John
Deeezeee Xxx5.0VerifiedGood fishing experience
Half Day Trip – Estuary Fishing(am) on January 1, 2025 • 3 adultsThe captain was very nice and provided us with a lot of fishing knowledge. Even though we were three rookie fishermen, the captain was still very patient and helped us solve any difficulties. And they also gave us more fishing time free of charge. Overall, it was a very interesting trip.
Bruno Heutz3.7Verifiedextra money, no fish
Half Day Trip – Estuary Fishing(am) on August 7, 2026 • 3 adultsthe day before we left we got a message that we should pay extra due to high petrol prices (95dollar) and extra 2,5% for paying with a card. in totan more than 900 dollar for a 4 our trip without catching 1 fish…
Nick Carver5.0VerifiedThanks Gavin
Half Day Trip – Estuary Fishing(am) on September 6, 2025 • 2 adults • 1 childGavin is a great guide and runs a great charter. We caught a range of species and I picked up a few tricks to take with me. Whilemluck wasn’t on our side in the Barra department, I’d still recommend Gavin to anyone after a great value charter. Thanks again.
Michael Hewitt5.0VerifiedGreat experience
Half Day Trip – Estuary Fishing(am) on June 22, 2025 • 2 adults • 1 childOn a very slow day for fish taking the bait we thought we going home empty handed, but captain Gavin tried one last shot at finding the right place and my son caught a beautiful Goldband Snapper!
Rating
Anglers' gallery (59)
What anglers say
All reviews (63)
I had a great 4 plus hrs without success as far as catching fish. Just one of those days. We tried various locations and I enjoyed the experience. I will book again next time im up here from Vic.
hi colin thanks for the kind review yes sometimes the fish win not often but yes sometimes it was a pleasure to have you on board and looking forward to having you back on board. enjoy the rest of your break here in cairns cheers gavin cairns sportfishing
We had a great fishing trip and Captain Gavin was really helpful, attentive and even teaching us on how to hooked the fish better. He was also thoughtful to my friends who were having seasickness. He made sure everyone were able to catch fish and always asked what we wanted to do for the whole trip. Can't thank you enough for the experience and also accomodating my request to find a good fishing spot to place my late husband's ashes in the reef. Thank you and hope to see you next year.
thank you for the kind review. yes we had a great day .didnt we .the weather was excellent. we caught some nice fish .everything was just perfect i think .enjoy the fish it will be delicious and i most certainly will look forward to having you guys on board next year cheers gavin cairns sportfishing
Right from the start Captain Galvin worked hard and it continued to the last minute. The quality and quantity of fish was excellent! We caught about 15 different beautiful species. Nannygai,gold band snapper and mother in law fish were huge and very hard fighting!! Stripeys, honeycomb cod, and tomato cod were some of my favorites and gougeous! It was the trip of a lifetime! Thank You Captain Gavin for the trip of a lifetime! See you again mate…
Hey BIll thank you for your kind review .yes we had a great time .i love nothing better to be able to showcase our wonder of the world ,the great barrier reef and it was a pleasure to have you on board catching plenty from big to small to the bust offs we had a great time .look forward to the next time your here in cairns to do it all again enjoy the rest of your stay here and we will catch you next time cheers Gavin cairns sportfishing
Conditions and fishing were not ideal. However Gavins vibe, personality, persistence to achieve the best experience for his client shined bright. I truly will remember this experience and hope to fish with Gavin again one day. He is a top notch guide. in the end we achieved the desired result wbd caught a few ifnout target species. i highly recommend him as your choice for a fishing guide
hey robert thanks heaps for the kind review. yes it was a bit slow today at least we still managed to turn a reel and sometimes thats fishing too thanks again i had a great time also enjoy the rest of your break here in cairns catch you next time your here in cairns cheers gavin cairns sportfishing
We really enjoyed our charter. Gavin is great, very knowledgeable and generous in sharing his tips and tricks. We didn't catch anything to take home, but had a great day out. Would highly recommend to anyone in FNQ.
Hey David thanks for the kind review yes sometimes this time of year can be hard we will get the bigger ones next time enjoy the rest of your holiday here in Cairns cheers Gavin cairns sportfishing
FAQs about Cairns Sportfishing
- AU $220 per person - Half Day Trip – Estuary Fishing (4 hours)
- AU $220 per person - Half day trip estuary fishing (pm) (4 hours)
- AU $480 per person - Full Day Trip – Inshore&Reef (8 hours)
- AU $880 per group, additional AU $220 per person after 4 guests - Half day trip -estuary fishing (pm) (4 hours)
- AU $880 per group, additional AU $220 per person after 4 guests - Half Day Trip – Estuary Fishing(am) (4 hours)
- AU $1,250 per group - inshore wonky ,wreck and headland (4 hours)
- AU $1,320 per group, additional AU $330 per person after 4 guests - 3/4 day estuary fishing (6 hours)
- AU $1,760 per group, additional AU $440 per person after 4 guests - Full day estuary fishing (8 hours)
- AU $1,920 per group - Full day – Topwater Fishing (8 hours)
- AU $1,920 per group - Full Day Trip – Inshore&Reef (8 hours)
- Toilet
- GPS
- Fishfinder
- Snorkeling equipment
- Live bait well
- Ice box
- Rods, reels & tackle
- Live bait
- Lures (Each lure used if lost must be purchased)
- Drinks (We supply water and soft drinks )
- Inshore fishing
- Offshore fishing
- Reef fishing
- Wreck fishing
- Flats fishing
- Light tackle
- Bottom fishing
- Trolling
- Jigging
- Popping
- Barramundi
- Coral Trout
- Nannygai
- Spangled Emperor
- Sweetlip Emperor
- Trevally (Giant)
- Wahoo
Your captain
Portsmith, Queensland, Australia
I have grown up around boating and fishing, am very passionate about fishing, and love to show people of all levels and experiences in fishing and boating an absolutely awesome adventure.
Real catches by this captain
What is the boat like?
What kind of fishing will you do?
Which fishing techniques you can try
Which amenities are available onboard
How cancellations work
You can cancel or modify your booking up to 7 days before the trip date, free of charge. If you cancel or modify your booking later, or fail to show up, you'll forfeit 100% of what you've paid.
What the listing policies are
Pickup not included
Transfer to/from departure site is not included in trip rates.
How you can pay
When the captain confirms your trip, FishingBooker charges your credit card a 10% deposit to guarantee your reservation.
The remaining balance is to be paid directly to the charter operator on or prior to your trip date in one of the following payment methods:
Cash
Visa
Mastercard
When paying the remaining balance with a credit card, an additional 2.5% charge will apply.
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