Captain
John Hangodi

Member since July 2014 Cairns, Australia
Background
Captain John Hangodi has 35 years of international guiding experience, including 15 years as partner at renowned Knight Inlet Salmon Lodge in B.C. Canada. Today, he's swapped the Pacific and the West Coast rivers for the peaceful estuary of Cairns and has been operating Paradise Sportfishing for 20 years.
Techniques
On a charter with Paradise Sportfishing we specialise in live bait. Each charter commences with John or his assistant guide throwing the cast net in search of Herring,Sardines,Prawns or Mullet. Sometimes it only takes a couple throws to get enough ''livies'' to last the morning. Then it's time to anchor up on a wreck,snag,drain or rubble patch and put the live baits down. Simple but most effective gear: single hook and sliding sinker. Let your bait hit the bottom and.......WAIT!!

Hey, I'm Captain John Hangodi

Cairns, Australia
Background
Captain John Hangodi has 35 years of international guiding experience, including 15 years as partner at renowned Knight Inlet Salmon Lodge in B.C. Canada. Today, he's swapped the Pacific and the West Coast rivers for the peaceful estuary of Cairns and has been operating Paradise Sportfishing for 20 years.
Techniques
On a charter with Paradise Sportfishing we specialise in live bait. Each charter commences with John or his assistant guide throwing the cast net in search of Herring,Sardines,Prawns or Mullet. Sometimes it only takes a couple throws to get enough ''livies'' to last the morning. Then it's time to anchor up on a wreck,snag,drain or rubble patch and put the live baits down. Simple but most effective gear: single hook and sliding sinker. Let your bait hit the bottom and.......WAIT!!
245
Reviews
9
Fishing Reports
Verified

My Charter Listing

Paradise Sportfishing Adventures

Excellent
4.5 / 5
(245 reviews)
Cairns
 4 bookings in the past week.
Trips from US $98

Fishing Reports

QUALITY FISHING AROUND THE NEW MOON
QUALITY FISHING AROUND THE NEW MOON
Feb 20, 2020 Cairns
The fishing heated up around the recent new moon in Cairns' Trinity Inlet. Although the live bait was challenging to find,the extra effort with the cast net was well worth it. The morning incoming tide was the most productive. Fishing on pressure points,some solid Barras were unable to resist the live baits. Queenfish and Blue Salmon also made an appearance. As the tides are getting smaller,we will be able to target the deeper holes again. The Full moon is soon approaching and the Big Tides are sure to produce some hot action again. Cheers Paradise Sportfishing Cairns
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Summer Fishing Reprt
Summer Fishing Reprt
Feb 26, 2017 Cairns
It has been super HOT,WET and HUMID,but the fish have been biting. We've had plenty of rain in recent weeks and Trinity Inlet has had a solid,much needed flush of fresh water. While the live bait has been elusive at times,it's been worthwhile putting in the extra effort to get Sardines,Mullet and Prawns. The Black Moon is upon us once again with big incoming tides pushing hard in the mornings. Fingermark,Jacks and Barras have been hooked the past couple of charters. The pressure points right up close to the mangroves will continue to produce some solid predators during the next few mornings. Then, in a few days time when the tides get smaller ,we can get back to fishing the deeper runs and wrecks. The goal on every charter,is for you to end up at the Salt House Restaurant at The Pier getting your catch prepared for lunch or dinner. It's not a 100% success rate,but we put in a consistently strong effort on each outing. In the past couple weeks,Queenfish over a meter,Fingermark up to 70cm and Barras up to 80 cm have been landed. Cheers, John H Paradise Sportfishing Cairns
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SUMMER CONDITIONS HEAT UP THE ACTION!!
SUMMER CONDITIONS HEAT UP THE ACTION!!
Sep 21, 2016 Cairns
The recent northerly winds are a sign of the return to Summer Conditions. The water temperature in Trinity Inlet has been on a steady rise for the last couple weeks! The BARRAMUNDI are definitely becoming active and there have been a number of hookups on recent charters. The start of the peak Barra season is still another month away,but already we are getting consistent action. Taking the time to chase Mullet with the cast net has become worthwhile again! The other species,Queenfish,Mangrove Jacks,GT'S Fingermark etc have all become much more active. One of the recent highlights was Local Junior Angler Ruben from Edmonton landing hid first Barra. It was a 67cm very respectable Whopper!! Check out the smile in the photo. Tight Lines,hope to fish with you soon, John H Paradise Sportfishing Cairns
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Seasons Are Changing
Seasons Are Changing
Aug 26, 2016 Cairns
It came without warning! All of a sudden the last few days the temperature has been on the rise and the winter conditions are leaving us! I always look forward to the arrival of September as the fish in the inlet begin to switch on from the rising water temperatures. Sure enough the last few charters have produced some quality fish. Our friends Taylor and Chlorise from Canada and France caught a mid sized Barracuda.While not a table fish it did put up a great fight. Ted and Jill caught a nice Queenie that jumped several times.As they were caravanning it was just the right size for the evening meal. The best fish of the last couple days was Chad and Rachael's 80 cm Jew Fish! It put up a terrific fight and was cooked up tropical style wrapped in a banana leaf!! The live bait continues to be abundant and along with the usual sardines a few prawns have been collected as well. Once again the black moon and the incoming morning tides are but a few days away. Big baits on the pressure points in close to the mangroves should start to produce some early Barras! Cheers John H Paradise Sportfishing Cairns
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Tropical Winter Fishing in Cairns
Tropical Winter Fishing in Cairns
Aug 10, 2016 Cairns
We are in the middle of Winter here in Cairns and the conditions have been tough! Along with the low water temperatures we have had unseasonal rain thrown in to the equation. Quite a few mornings we have had the rain coats on during the entire charter. The good news is that the live bait has been abundant,and except for the elusive Barramundi the other species have been on the bite. Some solid Queenfish,Giant Trevelly,Fingermark and the occasional Threadfin Salmon have been landed. I have had to go to lighter leaders and smaller hooks as the predators are just a little more weary this time of year. Rather then the large live baits that work well during summer,the smaller herring and the occasional fillet bait have been producing. The Salthouse Restaurant at The Pier has done a fantastic job of cooking up the fresh catches for our anglers. Don't let the wet conditions discourage you as it is still in the high twenties and the fish are still active. The full moon is upon us tomorrow and the big incoming tides in the mornings will surely produce good action for the next 4 to five days. Cheers, See you soon. John H Paradise Sportfishing
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Fishing Cairns in Winter Conditions
Fishing Cairns in Winter Conditions
Apr 30, 2016 Cairns
The tropical summer has definitely come to an end with wintery conditions upon us. It won't be long before the water temp will be 26 degrees and the Barramundi will be feeding less frequently. However last weekend we still managed to get into some excellent action regardless of the cooler temperatures. Glenn brought his daughter Jean out for a morning of live baiting to settle the argument regarding who was the best fisho in the family. As locals to the Cairns region they were not expecting a Barra due to the time of season. Extra time went into getting the live bait. A solid supply of Herring and a few Mullet. No sooner did the lines go in and the back rod with a very small herring on a split shot sinker took off!! A heavy fish gave Jean a thriller of a fight! It stayed deep and even tried the ol' wrap around the outboard trick! Most Barramundi jump especially when hooked in shallow water.This one did not perform any leaps and we were all happy to get it into the landing net! A very respectable 74 cms....Jeans first Barra!! She also caught a big Tarpon that jumped 1.5 meters straight up! We later realised that it was being stalked by a monster Barracuda which explained the high leaps. Although the Barra fishing has slowed,Gt's,Queenfish, Fingermark and Threadfin Salmon continue to take live baits consistently. Tight Lines John H Paradise Sportfishing Cairns
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Customer reviews

Rating summary
Excellent
4.5 / 5
out of 5 stars from 245 reviews
See details
Boat
Excellent
4.5 / 5
Crew
Excellent
4.7 / 5
Experience
Excellent
4.4 / 5
Photos & videos by reviewers (94)
Great Experience
May fishing trip
Good time
+91
Angler rating
155
60
16
5
1
Anglers claimed
Good experience
85%
Friendly captain
98%
Recommend this charter
86%
Appropriate for children
93%
Satisfied with the boat
97%
Caught fish
58%
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Showing:
5 of 245 reviews
Gavin W.
Brisbane, QLD
Very good
3.7 / 5
Experience:
Very good
4.0 / 5
Boat
Very good
4.0 / 5
Crew
Good
3.0 / 5
Overall

January fishing trip

VERIFIED   Half Day Trip (PM) โ€“ Private on January 12, 2019
Was a great afternoon out fishing. Pity we didnโ€™t catch anything.
Gavin W. recommends Paradise Sportfishing Adventures
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Gavin W. recommends Paradise Sportfishing Adventures
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Paul S.
Australia
Excellent
4.7 / 5
Experience:
Excellent
5.0 / 5
Boat
Excellent
5.0 / 5
Crew
Very good
4.0 / 5
Overall

Half day trip with john

VERIFIED   Half Day Trip (AM) โ€“ Shared on April 1, 2017
Everything was perfect except for the fact that I didnโ€™t catch anything. Bad luck
Paul S. recommends Paradise Sportfishing Adventures
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Ben S.
Australia
Good
2.3 / 5
Experience:
Good
3.0 / 5
Boat
Good
3.0 / 5
Crew
Poor
1.0 / 5
Overall

Half Day

VERIFIED   Half Day Trip (AM) โ€“ Shared on January 4, 2022
8 people to boat that not big enough, too many crossed lines barely any room at all Spent first hour of four hour day...
Ben S. does not recommend Paradise Sportfishing Adventures
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Wayne U.
Australia
Excellent
4.7 / 5
Experience:
Very good
4.0 / 5
Boat
Excellent
5.0 / 5
Crew
Excellent
5.0 / 5
Overall

Half day trip with john

VERIFIED   Half Day Trip (PM) โ€“ Shared on April 11, 2017
A great day with a friendly and knowledgable captain
Wayne U. recommends Paradise Sportfishing Adventures
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Wayne U. recommends Paradise Sportfishing Adventures
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Alan C.
Townsville, Queensland
Good
2.7 / 5
Experience:
Good
3.0 / 5
Boat
Good
3.0 / 5
Crew
Bad
2.0 / 5
Overall

Not the value I expected

VERIFIED   Half Day Trip (PM) โ€“ Private on July 5, 2019
I didnโ€™t expect fish guaranteed. And I appreciated that fishing an ebb tide after the recent weather was not ideal. Our...
Alan C. does not recommend Paradise Sportfishing Adventures
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