In Cairns you are spoilt for fishing choices. You can either throw you line anywhere into the calm mangrove waters of Trinity Inlet or you can go all the way out to the reef.
These trips are half day trips either morning or afternoon (the full day ones are just 2 x half day trips) that go into the calm waters of the inlet. Species that are commonly caught include Fingermark, Mangrove Jack, Queenfish and Barramundi to name a few. There are many different companies running the inlet, and they are all about the same cost, but “Gone Fishing” has a toilet on board so in our opinion is the one to go for.
To do a fishing trip on the reef requires a full day due to the distance, and this means it will be financially out of the range of most backpackers, between $200 and $300 which includes your lunch and all your equipment. You will be looking to catch trevally, tuna, mackeral and coral trout just to name a few. You should book well in advance as the trips only run when they get enough people to go.
Crabbing tours are typically half day adventures that involve getting on a boat out to the estuarine waters of Trinity Inlet where you get shown how to catch crabs on lines. The boats also have crabbing pots placed along the way which they use to get enough crabs so that there are enough crabs for a feed for all on board. Trips cost a little under $100.