Fish the upper reaches of the Endeavour, Annan and McIvor rivers with a nice 5 weight outfit for species such as jungle perch, sooty grunter and spotted flagtail. Enjoy a cooling swim in a 'croc-free' environment where you can lie back and enjoy the flora and fauna of the area. The fish here may not grow huge but on the relative tackle and the sheer beauty of the places you'll be visiting you'll have a ball.

Once you start coming down into the lower reaches things change dramatically. It may be time to put away the 5 weight and get out the 9-10 weight, but make sure you have plenty of backing. All of a sudden the number of species you can target increase. Barra and jacks around the mangrove snags (fly placement is the key factor here). Fish the deeper holes for tarpon which run about 2 kilos, if you can keep the hooks in that is, because once they break the surface the acrobatics are amazing.

Then drifting or poling around the flats for species such as giant herring, milkfish (similar to bonefish), snub nose dart (permit), queenfish plus a few species of trevally and flathead to name but a few. Alternatively fish from the wharf up to the leads for spanish mackerel, barracuda plus your trevallys and queenies.

fishing charters Leave the relative shelter of the estuary and cruise out to the nearby headlands, wrecks and reefs when the weather permits. Take your small rods but pack something bigger too (12 weights+). This is where the big guns live; hooking them is one thing, getting them to the boat is another. Things become hectic as anchors are dropped, backing is fast disappearing, the motor's started and the chase is on for a potential fish of a lifetime.

There can't be many destinations in the world where there is such a varied selection of species and different environments all within a few miles of each other.

Just a reminder that Cooktown is Australia's nearest town to the Great Barrier Reef and some of the worlds best marlin grounds.