Hotel 'barra' speared by hapless fishermen

Three teens charged after allegedly using a spear gun to shoot two cherished barramundi in the pond of Cairns hotel were frustrated fishermen, police say.

The 18-year-olds were returning empty-handed from a failed fishing expedition when they went into the Hilton Double Tree resort and shot the one-metre fish last Wednesday, police say.

It's alleged the trio then took the dead animals to a nearby car wash to gut and fillet their "catch".

McSuds Car Spa manager Ian Murray said the business was littered with scales the next morning.

"It looked like it had been snowing," he said.

"I've been fishing for years and knew they were from barramundi straight away, only they have scales that big."

The car wash is frequently used by anglers to clean their fish.

The men were arrested by police when they returned to the hotel the next day to take photos of an albino fish living in the same pool.

The barramundi are considered a tourist attraction, with many visiting to catch a glimpse of the domesticated fish, a police spokesman said.

The men will appear in Cairns Magistrates Court on August 21 charged with trespassing and unlawfully killing an animal.