Hi,
Most of the islands fish pretty good, find a point look for some structure on a point and go for it, but there's a couple of main rules to follow... ALWAYS fish the flow on/pressure faces. Always look for bait columns. Don't be afraid to move frequently. And probably the most important, "no run, no fun".... You don't have to fish in overly deep water, infact some of my favourite spots range between 10-15mtrs, but water clarity is a big help. Try to look for the cleaner water.. Generally the outer islands hold the cleaner waters, places like Edwards Island and Deloraine Island (20°09'26.7"S 149°04'23.5"E). There's some nice edges and a bit of territory you can work on the northern side (Minstrel rocks) but a bit of tide flows over that and coming up to the moon it might make it hard to find the bottom. Should find some Spanish there though if you want to set a live bait out there or run some gars. Sink a few gars down deep off the N/W corner of minstrel rocks and you should find them at about the 10m mark....particularly off Jester reef(20°08'36.7"S 149°04'19.0"E). If you do find that the tide isn't running too hard, try Lepper Shoal (20°08'29.0"S 149°05'28.1"E) while you're there. Been known to hold NICE lippers, and the occasional wandering reddy. Pulled some freight-train trout out off that shoal too, but this isn't my space. Edwards island would also be a hot tip from me.. reason being, you can hide from the tide by finding micro pressure faces along the outside fringe bays both on the eastern and western sides. Kind of protected from the main tidal flow, but still enough to generate an active reef, usually with bait for Africa. If you're up for a bit of fun, and want a chance at chasing some smaller blacks, they can be found outside and to the south a fraction, off Yuindalla Island (20°15'15.7"S 149°11'03.6"E)... Like anywhere, runlines set the pace for the action... Within a few hundred metres there's definitive run lines that often hold bait, and billfish.. On the southern tip of Yuindalla is my favourite spot for Spaniards. I know you're looking for trout, but a nice method to fishing productively around the islands, finding trout on the bottom, is to troll around known bait grounds while scanning the bottom for the desired hang for some nice island trout. Probably telling you how to suck eggs here, but try not to use any burley. The sharks are pretty painful and aren't usually far away when you find a nice bit of ground that's producing.. If it starts to slow down, or the sharks move in, move... I ran charter boats out of Hammo for a few years, worked the decks for a few others, and had the fortune of coming up under the local legends of the area. Haven't fished there for about 6 years now, but it should still run the same. Only thing that would've changed is the Greenzones.. Border Island is a greenzone, along with the eastern side of Hazelwood and Lupton Island. Pretty sure Esk is too. Be careful to check the area anchoring zone guide, there's a few spots that you can't even put an anchor down. Mourings are plentiful if you want to pull up for a snorkel or a quiet lunch. If it gets a bit blowy, and you're subjected to 10kns or more, There's a spot on the inside of Hazelwood that's opposite Whitehaven that produces You could pretty much drop your anchor on this mark (20°16'25.2"S 149°04'32.4"E) give yourself a bit of scope and sit in the tide. Usually weather protected, holds bait, and often coughs up the odd rogue Spaniard.
There are spots around Hook Island like Mackerel Bay that use to produce, but not this time of year. Mostly when coral spawns.
Anyway, that should start you off.. Have a study, any more questions, fire away... there's lots more where all that came from.
Don't bother with the southern islands, Linderman can provide, but it takes a bit of recon over a week or so to be productive.
Deloraine Island (20°09'26.7"S 149°04'23.5"E).
Lepper Shoal- (20°08'29.0"S 149°05'28.1"E)
Jester reef- (20°08'36.7"S 149°04'19.0"E)
Yuindalla Island (20°15'15.7"S 149°11'03.6"E)