The Aroona is a beautifully appointed motor yacht with a chef, hostess, skipper, and fly fishing guides who will provide an unforgettable week of luxury fly fishing and service.

Accommodating six anglers on a twin-share basis for six nights and five full days (Thursday to Wednesday) all meals and non-alcoholic drinks are provided during your stay.

Three-course evening meals include freshly caught seafood such as tuna, lobster, oysters, barramundi, and wild prawns while fine cuts of meat such as pork belly and kangaroo are served throughout the week.

Australian and New Zealand wines, beers, and premium spirits are also available on an additional pre-order basis in-line with local regulations and stocked in the bar for you prior to departure. Breakfast includes fruit platters, freshly brewed coffee, cereals, and cooked menu options.

There is also an indoor communal lounge and upper deck area to relax at the end of the day, all rooms have a private en-suite, daily housekeeping, and laundry services.

Flatscreen LCD televisions are available in most rooms and lounge areas,  emergency satellite phones available for use, as well as AIS satellite location tracking and VHF and HF radios equipped on board with extensive medical facilities. Wi-fi is not available due to the remote location.

The Eastern side of Australia’s Cape York Peninsula in Far North Queensland is one of the most remote and inaccessible stretches of coastline in the country.

On arrival, you will have the afternoon and evening to relax and settle in, while the fantastic crew aboard the Aroona Luxury Yacht will provide an overview of the week ahead. The great thing about this location is that they have the scheduling flexibility to steam either north or south along the Cape York Peninsula in-line with the most favorable weather conditions for the week.

October and November are prime months to visit, with warm and generally settled weather allowing you to explore vast sand-flats, beaches, reefs, and rivers over six nights and five full days. Fly Fishing is on a 3:1 shared skiff basis with your guide, with short 15 minute runs from the mothership to the flats, to maximise your fishing time each day. As such, you will be fishing un-guided at times (always within guide sight and communication), so this trip is better-suited from intermediate to advanced fly-fishermen rather than novice anglers.

Your fishing week has been selected in-line with optimal neap tides, providing the ability to wade the flats as much as possible. Coinciding with a low-tide during the middle of the day, sight-fishing opportunities are optimised with the sun overhead and combination or run-out tide in the morning and incoming tide in the evenings.

Due to the nature of the flats, they are most successfully fished by stealth on-foot where you can intercept cruising Giant Trevally in the shallows, Blue Bastards, and Permit as they feed each day. The vast flats which range from 2-5 feet deep are also interlined with deeper channels, drop-offs, and some reef structures providing ideal habitat. Well-presented shrimps and crabs work well, in conjunction with smooth drag systems, tropical floating, and clear sink-tip lines.

Packed lunches are taken out daily or you have the option of returning to the Aroona for lunch.

Gale-force 4.8m Dories are used with casting deck and electric motors on the bow ideal for fishing the reefs, rivers, and creeks. At the stern, they are each powered by 70hp Yamaha engines and marine radios to keep in contact with the other guides and anglers throughout the day.

You will have the ability to fish some of the coral reefs also, with Coral Trout, Tuskfish and Red Bass the main targets which can provide some real rod-bending action and sure to test your gear to the limits. While in-shore along the coast-line, there are miles of beaches, rivers, and creeks where you can also fish from the skiffs to target the iconic Barramundi, Mangrove Jack, and Threadfin Salmon.

The Aroona mothership will change its mooring throughout the week to suit the group’s preferences and conditions. All steaming in the mothership is done in the evenings and at night to ensure a full 5 days of fly fishing. Some fishing may be available on the final morning, subject to transfer and barge requirements.

As per all Fly Odyssey bookings, we will provide you with a comprehensive and detailed pre-trip fly fishing guide prior to departure.

Travel time from Cairns (Queensland) to Lockhart River via commercial charter flight is approximately 90-minutes with a 4WD transfer to Portland Road where the Aroona Mothership will be waiting.

On arrival, you will be transferred to the Aroona before steaming to the fishing grounds late afternoon and overnight, as you settle in and prepare.

Fly Odyssey will manage your connecting flights from Melbourne, Sydney, and Brisbane which are all available daily for the same day-travel, however, we do recommend an overnight stay in Cairns to mitigate any flight delays.

Bookings aboard the Aroona to the Claremont Isles are available on a per boat basis (6 anglers) or you are welcome to join other guests, subject to availability.

Please contact Fly Odyssey directly for more information including rates for the season ahead (October/November).

Our tailored fly fishing and accommodation itineraries are designed with you in mind to suit your preferences.

This includes flight bookings, transit accommodation, transfers, and a host of non-angling activities and experiences in Cairns, Port Douglas, or fly-fishing lodges throughout the top end of Australia.

We specialise in family, couples and group stays to the region, and our long involvement with our partners on the ground will ensure you are well looked after both on and off the water.

CONTACT OUR AUSTRALIAN OFFICE

• M: +61 (0)499 900816
• E: travel@flyodyssey.com.au

CONTACT OUR UK OFFICE

• M: +44 (0)7936 708305
• E: enquiries@flyodyssey.co.uk

Creating and sharing memorable travel experiences with our clients and friends provides us with genuine satisfaction. All of our trips are bespoke, tailored to your needs and we always love hearing all about the adventure on your return.

Our knowledge of travel logistics saves you time, and our highly experienced team is here to ensure it’s spent on the water and not at the desk or on a long flight connection that you didn’t require. Since 2006 we have developed a valued client-base that has traveled to all corners of the globe.

We are a fully-accredited travel agency, where all of our flights, accommodation, and associated travel bookings are done in-house, which means that you pay less. We have access to a huge range of specials, deals, great volume pricing, and excellent currency exchange rates which allows us to pass these benefits directly onto you.

On the fishing front, our extensive expertise and experience around prime seasons, species, moon-phases, tides, and personalised customer service is centered around one principal – preparation. This includes detailed gear and equipment lists, the fly patterns, transfer details, up-to-date fishing reports, and some of the finer aspects that can often be overlooked.

We travel extensively and understand that your free-time is important. Just as we all understand from experience, that the key to a successful trip is pre-trip preparation.

Our highly experienced team has fly-fished the world for the last 25 years, and we understand the considerations and gear needed to turn a good fly fishing trip into a great one.