Wet Awoonga

[BlitzBaga]

Arrived here at Awoonga yesterday and did the afternoon session (not a touch). Woke up here in Gladstone and it's raining, set in by the looks. The person I am staying with said it never rains in Gladstone, so far it has rained 50%of my visit.

Cheers
Murray

[Kayak1]

Sorry 'bout the rain Murray, but we need it. Thanks for bringing it with you. Hope you score on the fishing side...best of luck.

Cheers Steve.

[Feral]

Get out on the dam ya mug! The rain should put the fish on the chew!

[barradise]

Sorry guy's,
Already a good barra weighed-in at the hook-up going 20.7kg gilled and guttered.
Cricket hero, Andrew Symonds had a good day on the lake as well with a 15kg model.
Still open for a 35kg barra.
John.

[Awoonga]

Yes a good one was caught...only difference is that its still swimming.. not in the hookup freezer :'( :'(

[Awoonga]

Yes, it has rained all day.. fantasic.. ::).. The hookup prize draws where abandoned tonight.. just too much rain....Rain or no rain just had too get out on Awoonga today to try out the new boat ....Conditions to say the least where not the best :-[ Full wet suit ....and l was soaked through inside twenty mins... l kept saying to myself ....Madness....Now the Barra have been hanging around the weed beds and SPs have been the Go.. Find some Water temp and you should find the fish....Well it was hard to find .... hotter water...yea right....Madness....So up to the Boyne arm and on go the hard bodies...Structure....Bingo.....No longer madness ... just good fun....Bring it down huey....Barra ranged in size from 60 to 101 all released to fight another day :D

[Broken_Bibs]

Hay Morrie
Heres a tip go out at night and only us wooden Blitz Baggas or the old Barra Bagga .If that doesnt work nothing will .I believe if there is any weed about you used to put roundup in the paint to keep the weed off them.Is this true.






Greg

[BlitzBaga]

good one Greg, It is still raining here, had 40mm since 3.30pm today, rain is now clearing and should be fine tomorrow.

Cheers
Murray

[barradise]

Awoonga,
Young Ben will beat 101cm hands down, you'll need to try harder if you ever want to see your barra in the hook-up frig.
Cheers John.

[Awoonga]

John , thats one thing that you will never see...Any of my fish in any fridge...Not even a world record one...They will be all returned so others can have the same enjoyment..

[Feral]

John , thats one thing that you will never see...Any of my fish in any fridge...Not even a world record one...They will be all returned so others can have the same enjoyment..


I've heard stories that some of the Barra impoundments ask you to take the biguns, so that the apex preditors are removed, and more of the smaller ones can survive / come through?

[manangatang]

awoonga is full of bonny bream, gar ect ,cant see this apex predator food thing being a problem

[A_DIFF_PERSPECTIVE]

The big barra removal issue has been aired on here many times before and in some cases, in quite a great deal of depth.
But in brief, if you believe their is a problem with Awoonga's big barra, ask youself why their is so many smaller barra in the lake also, and why so many different year classes of barra exist in strong numbers.
##And try this one,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,if you remove the 20kg fish because you think they eat the 4 kg fish, then you should probably remove the 3 kg fish because they eat the 500gram barra, then you should remove the 400 gram barra because they eat all the new fingerlings?!?!?!?!?!?!?!? And if we followed that suit, we would defeat the purpose of stocking.
Have a good think about the whole set up out there at Awoonga. People get attracted to the place and most get excited about the potential to catch themselves a monster barra. It is big fish that excite people and the reason why so many will drive 2000km to wet a line.
4 kg barra don't stimulate people in the same way to go to such extremes.
The 'killing big fish theory' for Awoonga is massively unsupported, ridiculous, and circumstancial evidence to support such a thought is lacking to say no more. The removal of big fish by line to help a so called problem is like trying to remove a pest weed by hand!!
Lots to think about out there, and quite often stories get passed around like wild fire without any reasoning to support such drifts! Awoonga is its own place, its own unique environment and it has certainly earnt its name as a barra fishery. Big fish, small fish, all in harmony in the same waterway!
I think a few locals 'above' (John, Trev) on this thread will also strongly agree.
I won't rave on too much as it has been aired before, but just making a point to help quiten a few misleading words that we often hear about.
Johnny M

[timbacutta]

Was at Awoonga yesterday, wet bum, no fish. Deckie with no rain coat. ;D

[barradise]

Hi John M,
As a guide on Awoonga you are in a good positon to witness first hand the thrill of a client catching their first barra, no matter what size it is.
Every barra that I catch is like catching my first barra over and over, the excitment is unreal and the value of the fish is unprecidented.
I respect Awoonga's veiws on releasing every barra he catches, that's a good dispositon but lake Awoonga is for all types of anglers, including meat and take comp anglers as well.
I certainly look down on anglers who merely take a fish, any fish, only to have it make it way to the rubbish bin after a photo or bragging rights, but again, these anglers are entittled to do so.
Thankfully though, more and more anglers are also looking down on others that kill a fish just for hell of it and this practice of peer pressure is seeing more anglers conserving our fisheries, be it man made or wild.
Considering the brood stock are taken from Gladstone waterways, like the Calliope River, I don't think a few barra being taken from the lake each year is a big issue.
Perhaps a few thousand barra finglers should be put back into our tidal rivers to replace the lost spawn from those big females.
John.

[A_DIFF_PERSPECTIVE]

John,
All my points reflected the 'barra removal theory', nothing in direction to people taking barra home for intended use. We hear too much about why they should all be dragged on the bank and killed. I just like to squash a lot of those theories before they get set solid in lesser experienced anglers minds!

As for restocking our harbour with man made newly spawned fish, I'm pretty sure that is a no no also. It happens annually with the releases of fingerlings into x number of waterholes throughout the district as you are fully aware. These flood almost annually releasing extra numbers of juvenile and maturing fish into our natural salty waterways. The harbour is at a point now where it is becoming difficult to pick the difference between a stocked fish and a true wild bred fish;hence now, the difficulties in maintaining and keeping a proper eye on the true stocks of the wild population that I have closely monitored for the last 16yrs. It is documented that direct stocking of farmed fish (barra) into the environment is not good for wild stocks, and also a mass introduction of a predatory fish into our creeks and rivers is a natural unbalance. Man probably has poked and prodded the environment enough I suppose, but it just makes us stop and wonder that if man made barra are detrimental to wild stocks, why do places like Awoonga not have a net/fence or whatever system in place to keep all of its barra stocks 'land locked',or if stocked fish really are not a problem for the environment, why are not some of the larger fish transported to the sea annually as re-intro to the breeding programme.
There are a lot of unanswered questions out there that I feel need answering.

Lastly, (everyone), as for the Hook-Up weekend, for those who do not know, there was 25 knots of wind, almost 6 inches of rain in many places and a stronger SW wind change for Sunday. Barra were landed at the lake from 15 to about 25kg+, the majority of what I know were released, with a beautiful 118cm , filmed landed and released by David Hodge,(the barefoot fisherman),as well as Andrew Symonds the Aussie cricketer hooking 20kg plus barras also. Even in the rain on the Saturday, my gf landed a 109cm barra casting, so it goes to show that hard work gets rewarded with the quality that exists in Awoonga if one is prepared to do it.
Johnny M

[barradise]

Some very good points, Johnny M.
A lot more research needs to go into this and many other issues concerning central Queensland waterways.
john.

[BlitzBaga]

No fish all weekend :(, went to put the boat in early Monday only to find waves at the boat ramp that would have went over the transom. On the way home I had a fishing session at Monduran, still no fish. It got me away for the weekend anyway.

Cheers
Murray

[barradise]

Murray,
Never any waves in the main basin of Awoonga "apparenty" according to a local bussness operator.
Try putting in at Boynedale Bush Camp, you launch straight off the bank. This part of the lake is heaps more protected from wind and pressure waves. The launching area is just north of the camping grounds, go through the weld mesh gate into the paddock and follow the car tracks down along the old road way. You'll probally see others there.

[BlitzBaga]

I don't know where that is? The neighbour where I was staying took me to a launching spot in Flatter creek near a bridge out past Colliope. I would never have got my boat in with the commodore, too rutted out. Maybe next time when I come up I will have a little more local knowledge.

Cheers
Murray

[LUMOX]

looks bloody wet, rained when i was last there but still had a great time and got some good fish. this is my first barra

[LUMOX]

of corse the old boy had to show me up

[whykickacatalong]

of corse the old boy had to show me up

Nice barra. Not having a go at you but seeming we are talking about keeping / releasing big barra it should be noted that if you intend to release the fish then if it needs to be taken out of the water you should hold it under the body and not by the mouth which rips the inside of the fish due to their weight. As i said, not having a go at you but that pic is a perfect example of what 'not' to do.

[barradise]

Murray,
The Boynedale Bush camp turnoff road is about 5km or so past Futter creek. The turn off service road is sign posted but is back off the road a little. You'll love this area of lake.
I've posted a mud map on one of other Awoonga posts, in the Camping forum.
John.

[setthehook]

Gday Guys
I will soon be living near awoonga and just have a couple of questions and by the sounds of it you are the guys to ask. I have a 10 ft flat bottom tinnie and im putting a 40lb electric up front and a 5hp motor on the back. Im raising the sides of the boat by about 4 inches and welding up a splash gaurd for the nose. Im just worried the boat will be usless in awoonga as ive heard many stories of massive swells in the dam and they apparently rise up with little notice. My question is can a small tinnie be used in the dam and is there places to fish safely in bad winds? I built the boat with bass fishing in mind but seems ill be living near bigger and better things :) Rain doesnt bother me just swell and winds, are they that bad up there?
Cheers
Rob.

[Awoonga]

Yes, Rob gets very very rough dont bother with the mods... Ring me you have my number......

[setthehook]

ill give ya a call over the weekend mate. Been flat out packing etc. Dont like the sounds of that :-[ im thinking maybe i should sell the bass boat :'(

[Awoonga]

You can Try .... fishing the bass comp at Boondoomba this weekend...Maybe no reception.....

[A_DIFF_PERSPECTIVE]

You get around Trev!!
Nice to see you enjoying life.
Johnny

[whykickacatalong]

G'day Rob, Pity to sell that boat after the work you have done to it. While there is only one arm from the ramp you could fish with saftey of getting back the creeks and rivers around the area would suit the punt well. I think you would regret getting rid of it.

[barradise]

A flat bottom 10ft tinnie in Gladstone creeks, upgrade if it's that low to the water line.
I don't think he also wants the similar problem in the estuaries, being restricted close to the boat ramps just increase the wind happens to blow up a little.
just.

[setthehook]

Cheers guys
Awoonga ill buzz you after the weekend mate after you finished with the bass comp.

Ive been told by friends who have visited awoonga dam that it is really calm in the afternnoons and into the night with the exception of storms etc but usually its fine waters later arvo through to the morning. Is this true? im told mid day is windy as hell.

[A_DIFF_PERSPECTIVE]

Rob,
Every day is different when we talk weather, yet the most common weather pattern in the Awoonga district is a South East to North East air flow. SE wind patterns are generated by high pressure systems in the south of our country and can create winds up to 30 knots in our area quite often. SE winds can blow as a gentle breeze or a strong gail. A forecast often predicts this and can be checked before boating. SE patterns can and will create a reasonable sharp choppy wave in Awoonga which can be come uncomfortable in smaller type boats. As a high pressure system moves eastward, strong SE winds usually start to swing more Easterly, then to the North East. As they swing to the North East, the winds usually back to a max of 20knots, more like 10 to 15 knots. Even a 15 knot North Easterly wind on this lake will create uncomfortable waves the further south you travel down the lake. Don't get sucked in by the calm and serene feeling at the boat ramp as it is protected by the hills to the north. Later in the year, North and North West winds up to 25knots can make the lake an ugly place to fish from, again, don't be caught thinking it is calm when you look at the waters at the ramp. Southerly changes and South West winds in the winter months will see waves crash onto the main launching ramp making launching and retrieving any boat more of a challenge. A 10 foot boat in Awoonga is usable, but probably not recommended becasue of the prevailing conditions. I have already rescued one group of 3 from the waters of the lake after their 11 foot boat upturned in a 25 kn NW wind. They lost all their gear, but managed to stay afloat. It was near dark and we were lucky to cross their paths that day. When the lake glasses out from early morning 'til lunch time, in say, a 10 - 15 kn North East forecast , expect a windier afternoon North East sea breeze to blow over the lake. Usually, the calmer the lake by morning, the windier it is by afternoon. True northerly winds have a tendency to drop out on dark, a North East wind not always does, and a NW wind can often blow all night. As I said at the beginning, weather patterns change hourly and your senses offer the best guidance as to go out or not. The weather is only a phone call away or nowadays just a touch on a keyboard. I hope this helps with your decision.
Regards,
Johnny M

[setthehook]

thanks for the info mate. Im thinking of still bringing my boat but playing it safe and im sure it will be useful in other smaller dams and rivers. I guess it will have to do me till i get another boat. perhaps i will have to stay in site of the ramp when there is any question in weather and venture further with perfect forecasts. i heard of a 30kg barra taken at the ramp so i guess im not totaly out of the game ;D

[barramad.]

i heard of a 30kg barra taken at the ramp so i guess im not totaly out of the game ;D

You'll hear a lot of things mate. ::)
JW

[setthehook]

ahhh was a trusty source!! a good mate was there and saw it go down so this tale was a true one :D
and i beleive it went just over 31kg.

thinking of buying another boat before i head up...... see how it pans out.

[barramad.]

STH, Your missing the point.
I and other regulars at the dam hear a story like that every other week. It maybe true (if it is its the new record fish for Awoonga) but my point is dont believe everything you hear. Awoonga van park and its surrounds have an uncanny ability to churn out tall tales for travelling folk.
Some of the better ones I have been told from "good" sources are 150cm Barra (which were actually 105cm) #46kg Barra that were 46lb, and 100 Barra in one session.
Its true theres great fishing from the ramp and surrounds, some excellent land based options.
You'll enjoy the Awoonga rec area and the Gladstone area in general, its probably the most underrated place in the state IMHO.
Im tipping it wont take long for you to get my gist regarding the "stories". #;D
Happy boating and fishing.
JW

[setthehook]

nah i didnt miss your point mate, after 20+ years fishing all around the continent ive gathered that not all stories are true and that fish continue to grow long after their defeat. But ocasionaly they are true and in this case it is and i was just pointing that out ;) My mate that was their when it was landed scored a 25kg fish and he was blown away by the size of the fish in mention.
Im sure ill love in there and cant wait to get up there. My boat problem may now be solved as im looking at buying a bigger boat. Already started hunting around and have a mate interested in my tinnie. So i may now be able to fish the entire dam and not stress about sinking ;D

[TinarooTriumph]

I've heard loads of stories from Awoonga, best not to beleive any tales to do with fishing unless you witness it.

Wouldnt mind Barra off the ramp up here ;D . I could get use to that.

Finding time to go fishing lately has been hard, with the weather and all. Still im preparing for this years Barra Bash and further on. Hopefully January next year will hit the road when i get my licence and try this Awoonga paradise out for the first 'real' time. Can't wait.

How many ramps are there at Awoonga Jas?. Not just ramps, but any spot to launch craft...

TinarooTriumph 8-)