FAUST BARRA

[Chris.Y]

G'day people
Planning a trip to Faust late September & need some tips on best Fly's & lines to get em down with (heard that gold bombers go orf!). ;D

Fly'n'hi Chris

[Brett_Finger]

Chris,
12# a clear inter/med line and 60 - 80 lb fluro carbon leader,sink the fly around the deep trees (30/40ft, find on sounder) slow strips (lift and dip) get bite LOCK line to corks and start to reverse out on the Minn-kota,
it's full blow knuckle street fighing but the best fun.. ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D
Hookin,Brett ;)

[Jack_Lives_Here]

DANG!!! Gotta luv that. [smiley=2thumbsup.gif] I'm up there on the 16th Sept myself to try for an extraction from the timber ;D

[Chris.Y]

G'day Brett
Thanks for the advice mate. Sounds like it's full on Wrastlin to me! 8). Do you think a 10# is a bit ambitious or should I save me penny's & get a 12#.I got hold of one of Shaun Ash's dirty water bombers , they look great ;), I'm tryin to copy some before me mate Peter notices it's missing :-X. Hope to see you on the water some day, hav'nt seen ya since you were at Springwood, (I've still got that famous white Deceiver ;D)

Fly'n'hi Chris

[vince]

Hi guys where is this faust barra lockated?
and Brett how strong is the fly line to use 60-80 pound leader it is nice to know.
thanks and good fishing.
vince.

[lordy]

I think the fly lines are about 35lb. The heavy leader is for wear as much as anything (ie trees, gill rakers etc).

[Brett_Finger]

Lordys got it in one !
the guru of faust barra is George Voisey,this man is bordering on insane with his wild Barra antics in the dam.
and i might add not far behind him is a madder than mad local fishing guide up that way by the name of Andy Thompson,Andys nailed his share of good fish on the wand/barge pole out of the dam,i'll see if i can get him to put something more detailed up here.
Hookin,Brett

[Jack_Lives_Here]

I looked at the previous posts of swano's from last year HELLO!!! and figured the 10wt is not going to handle them - maybe if I rigged a valium onto the fly MMMMM????

[Chris.Y]

A mate of mine has seen George's madness 1st hand!.
Said another bloke had been bricked by a good fish on a big lure ,so George dives in & grab's the barra by the jaw & swims out with the guy's fish & lure in tact :o.
I want some of what George is on ;)

Fly'n'hi Chris

[lordy]

Your 10wt could do the job, from everything I've heard rod weight is close to irrelevant once you have cast since you will effectively be hand lines and NOT fight the fish with the rod. Point rod tip at the snag and hold onto that line, and try not to get pulled in! ;D

[Jack_Lives_Here]

One consolation of falling in at Faust is I know I'm not gunna end up croc crap ;D

Lordy - I'm hearin' ya but taking a 12wt as well to be sure [smiley=2thumbsup.gif]

[andy_thomsen]

Hi Chris,

Don’t let Brett scare you. The fish will do that.
I personally think a #9wt rod is all you need for the barra in the dam. Provided you don’t abuse your rod by hi-sticking it. The suggestion of heavy leader is a very good one. I never use less than 50 pound. For two reasons, to stop the barra’s gills cutting the line and when you get stuck in the timber you need every bit of help you can get.

I use clear or dark lines in weight forward and intermediate sink. I have found that fast sinking lines tend to pull the fly, thus making it hard to achieve a start-stop retrieve. I prefer bulky flies that are lighter in colour, white, silver, and chartrouse. Flies like my Barra Boffers, which are available on line are excellent.

Tip: When you do hook a big fish 1m+ and he takes you into the snags, ease up on him. If you pull too hard you can bust even 60pound tippet (been there done that), instead tire him out and slowly pull him out. I’ve caught a few fish up to 120cm like that!

Best of luck
Andy.

And Brett, I have heard of a rumor that someone caught a 1.7m at the dam, apparently there are pictures too! But I want to see them before I make it public knowledge. There are some truly big fish in there, I have seen a couple over 1.5m.

[Brett_Finger]

Andy,
yah mate i got mail last week stating someone had nailed a 1.7,as for those other big bastards,bouth Bomber and i got slain by some in the "Oh Shit!" class up there last year.

thanks for you valuable words of wisdom on this subject, i respect the sucess you have had on fish caught out of that hell hole on the fly.

looking foward to more mango madness and redclaw in oct mate.
Hookin,Brett.

[Chris.Y]

Thanks Andy, I'll take what you say as gospel mate (save me some money too ;D). Interested on your thoughts on rattles in fly's , is it worth putting some in & do you put weedguards on your fly's or not.?
What sort of fly's do I use so I DON'T catch those big mumma's :o,I'll have to clean the boat if I hook one THAT BIG ::)

Fly'n'hi Chris

[andy_thomsen]

Hi Chris,

Always ready to help someone get hooked on a Faust Barra.

Rattles are a good idea, but not essential. Weed-guards save you hooking little branches, and let you fish right in heavy timber. Rod Harrison showed me a mono guard that is very effective, simply just a single strand of 60pound tied under hook and bent down wards.

As for a fly that big fish will not eat, sorry. The average fish caught in Peter Faust at the moment is 70cm-100cm, with many over the meter. Big fish still eat little flies, my advice is to use heavy leader and buy a couple of spare flies...

[Chris.Y]

Hey Andy, I've got plenty of fly's but I might need some spare jocks by the sound of it :-[

[Toddy]

Hi Chris,

Always ready to help someone get hooked on a Faust Barra.

Rattles are a good idea, but not essential. Weed-guards save you hooking little branches, and let you fish right in heavy timber. Rod Harrison showed me a mono guard that is very effective, simply just a single strand of 60pound tied under hook and bent down wards.

As for a fly that big fish will not eat, sorry. The average fish caught in Peter Faust at the moment is 70cm-100cm, with many over the meter. Big fish still eat little flies, my advice is to use heavy leader and buy a couple of spare flies...



Gday Andy,a quick question about your flys......How much weight do you tie in(if any) and what size hooks do you use??

Toddy

[kelvin]

Damn, 1.7M??? :o :o

I remember hearing from Doug at Camp Kanga a few years ago that the lake had a natural population of Barra before the daming. Maybe he wasn't joking after all !!!

What's the biggest barra they've got out of there now??

[Scott_Matthews]

hey Kelvin, are you still coming to brisbane at the start of August.

[andy_thomsen]

Hi Toddy,

I don’t weight my flies, they are almost neutrally buoyant, best thing for Barra is a dead stop retrieve. I tie them on #3/0 - #5/0 hooks, anything smaller would bend under the strain.

Kelvin,

I think the biggest Barra is around 124cm, my biggest is 120cm. But I have seen fish well over 130cm, and swirls from small whales!!! (bigger than the boat) 120cm is just scratching the surface, catching them is the problem.

[kelvin]

Andy - that's a fair lump of barra? what'd the one at 120cm weigh??

Scott - check your PMs.

[Toddy]

Thanks Andy. ;D

Toddy

[big_george]

Hi guys.
My two bobs worth re faust.Fished the 2002 comp with George Voisey.The blokes a legend.He used a 12 and 14 wt. over the two days of gail force winds.The blokes got arms on him like pop eye,and has the ability to sniff barra out.He normally fishers in speedo's so he can dive in to the water if a barra snags him.Val Talyor/ben cropp eat your heart out.Landing the big girls is like hand to hand combat.The barra have the back yard advantage.Luck does play a role in the capture of some of the big ones.I'll stick to my trusty Loomis 665 /bait caster combo thanks.The fly rod comes out when we get some barra on the board.
cheers george. ;)

[swano]

yeah yeah yeah gunna have a good time ;D ;D ;D ;D

[andy_thomsen]

From memory the 120cm was 47 pounds.
There are signs of the food getting scarce up there, as a lot of smaller barra are not as fat as they used to be. It's not a bad idea too keep a couple once in a while, eapecially the big girls.

[big_george]

Andy.
How much has the water level fallen in faust since last oct.Feet please,not %.The 1200 barra looks lean.How much are the 80 and 100cm barra weighing??.Last year a 100 would pull the 30 -35 pound mark and 104-106 bottom out the scales at around the 40-45pounds.
cheers george. ;)
PS.118cm [57.5 pounds]. [smiley=2thumbsup.gif]

[kelvin]

Have you fellas been picking up many footies (oops i mean sooties) ;D ;D whilst chasing barra up there??? What size are they getting up to these days (length/weight)?? ::)

[Chris.Y]

What's the best time to be there?. I heard the lead up to the full is usually the best for the bite, but it alway's seems to blow it's head off ???. I don't like casting fly's in gale force winds :-/

Fly'n'hi Chris

[big_george]

Hi Chris.
Have landed some football size sooties.50 plus cm.Average weight 8 to 12 pounds for the 50 plus models..Pull hard for there size.By catch whilst fishing for barra.re the moon phase. Some dam fisho's say leading up to the full is the go.Have fished for two weeks prior to comps[1st 2 weeeks in oct].Full and 1/4 moon and couldn't say that any day was better than the next.I feel water temp and barometer play a bigger role in your success.last year the wind played a major roll with the fishing.We started at 6-6.30 am.on some mornings by 10 it was blowing its titts off.we then fished the salt in the arvo.We did troll when the wind picked up on the last day .We picked some 80-105 cm barra.Sooties love chartrues colours? spelling.In the calm mornings skitter pops and fizzers worked on sooties.as the sun gets higher look for shaded areas,Some times it would take 20 casts to ark the lads up ito striking..We're fishing from the 27th sep till the weekend of the comp 2003.Hope to land some 1300 girls. ;)
cheers george. [smiley=2thumbsup.gif]

[andy_thomsen]

Hi Kelvin, Footies are right. The sooties are averaging between 50-60cm, most around 55cm. These fish are very fat...

Hello George, The smaller Barra are comming out of the water much thinner than before. Most under a meter looks like lean fish compared to last year. The water level rose very slightly when we had rain, but it has gone down again. Sunwater extended the ramp about 6-8m down the slope, but it is also now about a meter out of the water. The spit is about 8 feet out of the water now and you have to drive at roma peak to get around it safely. Nice fish George, wish mine was that fat, guess i will just have to get a 130cm.... hehe.

Hey Chris, The best time for the barra will be a week after it starts to warm up, then right until it gets too hot, before christmas. Mind you it can be great and shitty any time, mostly depending on the wind and the day time temps.

Catch you all later,

[Brett_Finger]

Geeeeeeeez,
that's bloody low water level Andy !! :o
oh' well same old-same old that fish are in less water now.. eazyier to find ;D ;D ;D
we'll be leaving here on the 3'rd comeing home on the 13th.
Hookin,Brett

[andy_thomsen]

Hey Brett,

Did you read your invite (if your comming up for the comp) There won't be any pre-fishing allowed.

The barra have been going OFF!!! The average fish hooked is well over a meter. Some look like they are around the 1.3m mark. Very few fish being landed at the moment, but lots of lures being lost.

I am going to rig up some whipper snipper cord and tie a chicken on the end to see if i can land a fat one. ;D

[Brett_Finger]

Andy,
nothing on my invite about a pre-fishing ban.
Hookin,Brett

[Barrymundi]

Invite ? ???

I am still waiting. :-[

Thanks for those pictures Brett

[big_george]

HEY BIGGIN.
GEORGE,SWANO AND WILLIAM will prefish it for you. . ;D ;D.I did hear that not many biggins are getting landed.Hope that change 's when we come up A.Have been practising on the hippo's at the local zoo.Bring it on.1300 plus this year. ;D
cheers george.l ;)

[fisher]

Andy can you fill us in on this pre-fishing ban as I sent an email to the stocking group and have'nt recieved anything back as yet.Would just like to know weather it's on or not to plan when Richard and I come up as it's no point comming up early if we can't fish.And how will the pre-fish ban effect you and Lindsy with your guiding? Regards Paul Dolan

[Brett_Finger]

Paul,
i spoke to the boys at Prossy tackle yesterday and thay knew nothing about a pre-fish ban.
me thinks Andy been drinking to much mango juice :P
hehehehehe.

on a more fishie note,Lindsay has not boated a Barra UNDER 1meter so far this year !! everything is over the magic meter mark.

one client got Ssssssssmoked by11 fish the other morning,thay found a school of real biggies. ;D ;D ;D

i think i might go today... ::)
Hookin,Brett

[big_george]

hi Biggin
Talked to jack Erskin yesterday about Tackle for faust.His sending me 3 differant drag washers to try in the chronachs[up dated versions].Also put me on to some rod blanks.Great help and top bloke to boot.Will meet him at faust this year and chew the fat.
cheers george. ;)

[Brett_Finger]

Geroge,
mate, Jacks a dear friend of mine a nicer gentleman you will never meet!!!
and a smarter reel genius you'll never meet. ;D
Hookin,Brett :D

[fisher]

Hey Big Fella,sounds good to me I will now plan on leaving at the same time fram as we spoke about ;D,and give Teemburra a nudge on the way :o.Can't wait to get locked onto those big mothers again :o.I rang Al the other day and put in my order for the Arafura Barra in the 150 and the new 130 and he is comming up this year to fish with Chris Engret [spelling?] he ran second last year I think so he will be in good company and Al's no slouch at catching barra either and he'll have a good supply of lures which could come in handy if it's only big bitches playing :o.Also looking forward to testing the new Terminator Snap Back plastics that are about to be released next month I've been doin really well with them around here the last few months even mackeral and tailor don't destroy them :o everything seems to want to eat them I will bring some for you to try I think your gonna like these.Regards Paul

[Brett_Finger]

Thanks mate,
my big plastic supply is very low at the moment,we will be at Awonga on the 1st of oct,then 2&3 at Teemburra then onto Faust Jack - Harro and Wood will be ther early for a fish as well.will be god to meet Al, i have tried to souce those Lures of his here in town but no luck. :-[
Hookin,Brett.

[andy_thomsen]

Brett,

Lindsay should have told you there was a ban this year.
Merv hasn't been to a single meeting this year.

I wish a guy didn't have to defend himself all the time, my scales read true and the tape is right!!!!

I don't even like mango Juice.

[big_george]

Biggin.
Like i said swano,george and william will pre fish the comp for you.Don't for get the goanna oil. :DHe He he . ;D
Andy.
You know how big your fish were,stuff the people who dought you.The people that over estermate the size and weight of their fish have to live the lie.i think it's a good idear with pre fish ban.More fish for us. ;D ;D
cheers george.

[Brett_Finger]

Andy,
# spoke to merv,i take it you will not be guideing on the dam before the comp nor will Lindsay.(assumeing you are both fishing the comp)

# seeing it was not on the entry form (bomber read it over a few times) how are all the entrants comming from across the state to know ??

# also on the frount of the Comp forms Cheque's where due in on the 20th but on the actuall entry form due in on the 29th.

# seeing as there is NO MENTION of a pre-fish ban on the forms i fail to see how a pre-fish rule can be forced as i would imageine 90% or better of the entrants will have NO IDEA this is supposed to be in force !!

# i realise it is not your falt mate, but obviously there has been a failure in the system someware.

# i know of almost a dozen anglers from cairns to Gold Coast all planing on being there early.

# this is starting to look like a giant stuf-up. (or am i missing something????)

# as for defending yourself,
knowing your dry sence off humor fella nothing would have supprised me.if this was all a BIG g-up ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D

# how come it said nothing on the entry forms??

# and can you please bring me a 20lt tub of that mango thing we had last time... :P hehehehe
Hookin,Brett :D

[Barrymundi]

Hi George,

Where you planning on staying ?

I did not get invited this year but still plan to fish that weekend. It has been on the calendar for months.

Alan

[andy_thomsen]

There seems to have been an error made.
There was suposed to be a clause about pre-fishing the dam this year on the invites.
For one reason or another it didn't make it out.
I will post a new message after the commitee has had a chance to discuss the matter.
We don't want to dissadavntage anyone.
The ban on pre fishing is a good idea, but this year may not be the best time to introduce it.
I will keep you all posted.

[Brett_Finger]

Thanks Andy,
guys just spoke to Lindsay Doobe as well as Andy.

re/pre fish,
along with your return form comfirming you enrty you will recive a letter along the lines of, because the water level is low 40% the club would appericate it if entrants would consider to keep pre-fishing to a miminal is all no biggie.
and AL (Barrymundi) check ya e-mail mate, your invite is lost in transit there is a e-mail from Lindsay waiting for you.

thanks to Lindsay and Andy for sorting this out.
Hookin,Brett

[big_george]

Hi Allan.
Staying at a mates[ steve cantamasa] place just out of prossy.Arive on the 27 th september ,staying till the comp sat.. Plan to meet up and chew the fat with all the fisho's.. ;D ;D
cheers george.

[Brett_Finger]

Food ! - Food !
did someone mention food!!!!
Mmmmmmmm,Faust Comp Tucker. ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D
Hookin,Brett

[Barrymundi]

FOOD - Catering has increased this year just to feed you.

I spoke with Lindsay, all ok.

New boat this year so hopefully no falling out ;D

[Brett_Finger]

Al,
i have a good leg this year so i'll be able to get to the tucker table faster!!! ;D
have been on a diet just so i can eat more this year.hehehehe.
i see the Cod-king is also fishing it will be great to catch up to the little fella.
Hookin,Brett

[big_george]

WHO'S THE COD KING///?????
GEORGE.

[Brett_Finger]

YOU'VE NEVER HEARD OF THE COD KING !! :o

my god George,
the cod king hails for Townsville way and nary a fish has been spawned he cannot catch and lure he canot cast !!!!

he is 7feet tall with arms like tree stumps and a shock of long red hair !!!

neither man nor beast can sway him from his fishing,surounded by his women (lovely wife and 3 beautifull girls) he knows no boundrys and fishes where no other man dare to go !!!!

the Cod king lives to fish and fishes to live,known in some circles as 'The Great One" he is what we all strive to be..... :P

Hookin,Brett ;D ;D
(it's 5am and i have just crawled out of bed,hence the dribble 8) )

[Barrymundi]

Go back to bed Brett.

The Cod King and I have not lured a lot over the last 3 months.

My partener has pulled out for Faust.

Back to the drawing boards

What boat you bringing up ? Your new guiding boat ?

[Brett_Finger]

Al,
will be bringing up the new guideing boat if she's finished in time,other wise we'll be fishing out of Bombers wepon of a barra Boat.
either or mate we'll be in a filth boat ;D
Ya gotta be happy with that.
Hookin,Brett :)

[big_george]

Biggin
I have to fish with swany the cod father[poor second] compared to the bloke you know.Duzz bombers boat have rear catfish casting platform??? ;D ;DTalked to bomber last night. He's chasing jack to day Tully way.Have you baked me some jam drops yet.???It's only 28 sleeps till Faust.
cheers george

[swano]

hey big-george ! it depends on what sort of cod he rules over ;D i know a bloke that is a dab hand at fetchin a shite load of little gold spots, while i could only manage stinkin barra, jacks, tarpon, lizards, fingermark ohh look at me ! i'm rambling again , must be white line fever, just got in from merimbula, left at 3.00am [smiley=sleeping.gif] you can fish with the tree hopping,boat leaver m'cbean and me and canter will get to work on some liver destruction ;D

[big_george]

swano.
Good to here your back.[not] :-XYa ,those cod that loved the 80 mm grey ghost koolabung live bait.bugger was hoping you had for got about that.you had better come and pick up your ultragraph 3000 befor i sell it or use it to flog the kids.The pup bite marks on the cork are free,sort of gives it a custom one of a kind look and feel.It will not slip out of your hand now. ;D ;DYea it;s got a sparkly butt wind. ;D[Flash] .Hope it makes a good fathers day pressy for Linda.Stripped the crankbait.it's now a spin stick for us to use plastic on in the creeks.Only 26 more sleeps biggin.Bring it on.
cheers george.

[lures]

Is this big george the big man thats is friends with eddie studman ???????
regards codking ;)

[big_george]

Hi Cod King
Yep thats me,all 130 kgs of me.
Talked to eddie the other day.His just started injection moulding.The new bonies [old super live baits] look fantastic.Plan to give some a swim come faust/teemburra time in 26 sleeps.
cheers george.

[lures]

GEORGE,
Remember about 3 years ago you were thinking of coming up Townsville way and Eddie told you to ring Gary at 7 to 7 bait & tackle and you did.Well that person on the end of the phone was me.You never did make i had all the mud maps drawn
regards codking (Gary) ;D

[big_george]

Hi gary.It.s all coming together now.ya,i rang the shop on the way through townsville, you weren't there that day..Was unsure of where the shop was not being a local..The bloke i was talking in the shop couldn't explan it to me as i didnt know where the hell i was[geographicaly disorientaited]lost in other words.Plus i had a road train on my arse, the the insects on bull bar were quite visable.I just got the hell out of there.sorry i didnt get to meet you.Fished Hinchinbrook for some nice barra and jack .Fished faust on the way home with lindsay of prossy bait n tackle.Fished the comp later in oct later that year.Arsy,ended up as champion runner up team after the committie found our score sheet. :-[Fished the comp last year with George Voisy.disapointing due to the wind,it would have blown a dog off the chain.landed some nice fish after the comp in the dam and the salt.Plan to hook in to and land some even bigger girls this year.
Hope to meet up with you.
Regards george

[Brett_Finger]

he'll be there biggin...
Hookin,Brett

[swano]

hey b.f did you here that rabbsy will be back this year , bigger and stronger than ever since he had his roids lanced ;D

[Brett_Finger]

Ooooooooh Nooooooooooooo,
this big man this Queenslander,legs like tree stumps!! (rabsy on Big Mal)
hookin,Brett