Barra Season's here

[Mozza]

G'Day guys,

Thought I'd start a new thread to get barra reports for the season-opening.

Myself, I trolled and cast the breakwater and groins in Townsville for 3 small GT's but no barra this a.m. before work. I plan to find some floodplain runoff for barra on the week-end down in Bowling Green Bay.

How are others going?

Mozza

[stunnedmullet]

Gidday Mozza
Not tormented myself with trying to catch a barra yet but keen as to get out in the next couple of weeks. Wednesday the 15th is a corker but can't get time off work. Will be giving it a crack on Sun 12th at night. Hopefully something to report then. Took a couple of days off last week but the deluge put even me off fishing.
Damo

[roz]

Mozza,

My next barra will be my first Barra, but since the season is now open will try for a wild one, other than that it will be out to Awoonga with Trev.

Cheers Roz

[Mozza]

Not the best tides this w/e 1.5 to 2.5 hmmmm.....

Having come from the NT, I wouldn't worry so much as long as I could access some flood-plain runoff somewhere - trouble is most QLD creeks end in a tangle of mangroves. Was thinking of staying close to home, maybe push as far up Alligator as far I can.

Will let you know.

Mozza

[devocean]

Tried to no avail all I caught was cod

[Wild_Side]

Doesn't seem to be many being caught :-/
And all the nets wouldn't be helping things>:(

[bazzaman]

Just gotta know where to head for em,...Theres plenty around!

[luress]

Good call bazzaman,
Fished my fresh water run offs for nothing but went to main river and trolled up 4, up to 75 cm and lost another 3 just south of townsville.So they are about in good numbers these tides are perfect
regards gary

[Barrymundi]

The photo Gaz, the mobile phone pics were not very good.

One of mine was really skinny, the other was fat.

Bit like the the picture of me and Ben Dragonsworth.

Al

[devocean]

NIce saltys, my mate tried an overnighter last nite still with no barra. Though did see a nice one (undersize though) spearing today about 5km offshore

[Mozza]

Hi guys,

Fished Coco. Got trased by juvenile sharks on dead and live bait but trolled up 1 75cm barra and a good sized cod. Missed another and timbered by another.

Just goes to show because I have NEVER done any good trolling tidal creeks. Went all the way up Alligator on the AIMS road side and while the water is fresh saw no sign of flood water coming off the flats which was interesting because it was flowing pretty strong under the culverts on the road. I suspect the floodwaters hadn't quite reached the creek yet!!

Great feedback guys, thanks.

Mozza

[luress]

Mozza,
Theres still a good flow of fresh pumping into the Haughton but we missed the fish by 3 or 4 days.The drains were just a little low but there was plenty of fresh coming out of them
regards gary

[Mozza]

Gary (.lure)

VERY tempted to go upstream of the ramp on the Haughton for just that reason but never been there and there's so much country to explore/figure out. I never have the time - most of my trips are half-dayers and that doesn't do justice to a system like the Haughton.

What are the Barrattas like for fresh water drains and gutters?

A couple of years ago I went luring off the railway after a deluge but we were also too early - the Barra just hadn't got that far up yet so yeah, I know what you mean

Mozza

[whiteman]

My dog is stilling drinking the water at the mouth of our local creek nth of TSV so plenty of fresh still coming down from the hills. The local pro netted 24 legals on Friday off the beach.

[luress]

Thats the problem with the hill runoff Dave the water is much colder sending them out on the beach, where the haughton has flats runoff it stays hot all day keeping heaps in the river
regards gary

[Mozza]

Pics for the record

Mozza

[GARTH]

Hi Guys, We just had a fantastic week-end fishing the Proserpine river. The Conway Beach Tourist Park held it's first barra bash and the prossy river just went off with plenty of big barra to open the season.
This photo is one of the 10 barra we landed over the week-end. The reason I picked this photo to start off with, is that up to now I held the biggest barra record in the family.... 106cm. It took me 20 years of fishing this river to land my first metre plus barra...........THEN ALONG CAME COL!, my father in-law. Just weeks after I got the family record he beat it with a 107cm., and as you can see from the photo he's dam proud of it. He's a young 82 year old who loves his fishing and travels 5 hours every few weeks to fish the mighty prossy river.

Anyway, I'll post a full report on the comp. with plenty of photos in the next few days. Garth

[noodlemantra]

i've been working my butt off for one, have been working hard at breaking the barra duck and im starting to loose faith in the rivers and creeks around t'ville. found a great little feeder drain in the ross yesterday and flicked solidly for about 45mins, knee deep in mud and loving it all the same. mullet everywhere, dropping tide and nothing.

its really starting to bug me actually.

to make up for it landed 2 small gt's in the space of 10mins in the marina last thursday evening on the g.bomber.

but those barra? i keep on hearing these pro's raping the creeks, yeah i realise they need to make a buck but damn, there making it hard!

[Krazi-kev]

Hi guys

Arrived a week ago from Brisbane. Planning on staying a few years. Tried fishing off the rock pool twice(luring and bait fishing) with no luck. Tried along the breakwater with live prawns and other small fish I got cast netting around boundary rd somewhere..........still no luck.

Will go cast netting again on Friday arvo and try my luck somewhere early Sat morning?

Any suggestions guys...............landbased only.bugger!!!!!

[Mozza]

Krazi-kev,

Try live-baiting the breakwater in front of the Casino, either in or near the corner or round toward the Marina-side. Remember, barra are lazy fish so they'll hold in the eddies or slack water close to current where they can ambush bait. Big barra regularly get caught along the rock-walls quite often on dead bait and from what I've seen they tend to patrol along the edge of the rocks on an incoming tide.

If we get another pulse of fresh over Aplins weir then live-baiting anywhere along the edge just below the weir is a good option. I nearly always get runs livebaiting there but I'm convinced the barra have learnt to be wary there and will drop the bait if they feel any resistance so consequently you hook up rate is low. But if there's fresh coming over they tend to lose that wariness so its easier to catch them.

There are other spots you can try and I'm sure others will have other suggestions but these are the places I've had most experience with.

Mozza

[Krazi-kev]

Hi Mozza,

Thanks for the info. I am not sure how to get to the spot behind the casino because the other day I walked around there and there were "no fishing" signs everywhere so I decided to walk along the breakwater and cast into the shipping channel only to be snagged heaps of times. Went further along to the wall that juts out and tried fishing the palleranda side........no luck.

Am I allowed to walk out on those huge boulders to the light at the end of it?? Looks like it hold some big ones there. Anyway........what are your thoughts on fishing from the platform at the Rockpool???

I can't wait for the day i can catch somethinmg like you have in the pic you posted.

Thanks mate

[noodlemantra]

krazi-kev,

i fish the marina and casino rock wall regulary and will be more than happy to catch up when im back in town to show you.

[devocean]

Finally

[Barrymundi]

"finally"

Wel ldone, very good fish.

Al

[Krazi-kev]

Noodlemantra,

I will take you up on the offer to show me where I might be able to catch something off the rocks at the casino. Just message me when you are in town.

Ta

Kevin

[noodlemantra]

no worries will do,

pm me your mobile number.

im a bit pissed that i'll miss the full moon on monday

[Mozza]

devo,

Ooh yeah!

So you going to tell the story or what?

Mozza

[noodlemantra]

yes i would like to hear it,

bloody nice fish that!

[Krazi-kev]

They say 1 or 2 days before and one after full moon is best. What do you reckon??

[Krazi-kev]

HI again,

When does the water up here start cooling down a bit????

[Krazi-kev]

Cant PM yet..............after ten posts. Not long to go

[Mozza]

Krazi,

If only I had the choice! I think new moon's also good but for barra fishing, as long as there is some movement in the tides you can strike it lucky. The tides after the neaps leading up to the springs are good because visibility is clear AND you get good movement in the tides.

Water up here is soup until April depending on how long the 'wet' hangs around. A trip over to Maggie is always good for a swim and a snorkel - the water's definitely cooler over there. I'd recommend stinger suite given the number of Irukandji stings they've had this year. I've never worn stinger suit over there but I'm reconsidering...

Fishing off the Picnic bay jetty can be fun - unfortunately the locals like to claim most of it by having up to 6 handlines out p.p. They need to be reminded that it 3p.p.!!

Mozza

[Krazi-kev]

Hi Mozza

I have heard picnic bay is the go. Are there any signs up saying 3p/p. That shits me when you cant even have a go at catching something because the jetty is being hogged.

I might have to try the beaches at pallaranda.........

Hanging out to catch a taker. My wife is Japanese and is getting shitty with me because I can't bring home a feed of good fish.

[Mozza]

LOL

She might be a better fisher than all of us being Japanese

Moz

[devocean]

Yeah foot long mullet livie in the harbour where I live. They tend to congeregate around the lights down there. Heaps there hard to catch nice fish though at least 5 down there the same size.

Ive heard from the hinchinbrook pros that the fish have not come down the creeks yet they reckon in about 1or 2 weeks time

[GARTH]

G'day Devocean, Great barra.....did you get a weight......and what about the length, looks about 1.19999mtr. :)

[Mozza]

Going for a fish this arvo.

Got the camera just in case. Here's hoping.....

Mozza

[Krazi-kev]

Where are you going to wet a line Mozza?

[Mozza]

Dropped 1 barra and boated a 75 cm cod.

Pretty quiet actually but caught 3 lizards, 1 sweetlip, 1 jack, 4ish cod as well as the biggie. Fight quite well at that size.

All on lures (mostly bombers, shallow divers)

Sorry Kev this is the only place whose position I wont divulge 'cept to say its very close to Townsville and in a yellow zone.

A bit disappointing on the barra front but its always good to get out (especially during the week).

Zario, that looks suspiciously like the rockwall the other side of the duckpond in front of the casino??

Good fish.

Mozza

[Krazi-kev]

Good stuff Mozza

A secret spot would not be a secret spot anymore if you divulged the location on here. I got up at 4 am Saturday to hit the breakwater. All my livies died because my batteries(aerator) died. Tried luring as well but missed the bus.

There is always next time

Keep catching em

Kev

[devocean]

Nah bigger than it looks only just over the metre mark I have seen a 1.20 metre barra looks likethis. This one was caught in the gulf by my dad on a pretty small lure, hes still my hero

[luress]

Heres a breakwall barra Saturday nite

[Krazi-kev]

Nice Barra,

I should have gone at night and not morning..............he he he

Happy fishing

[Mozza]

.lure,

Good fish.

I'm curious to know have you ever tried poppers along the breakwall at night on a full moon?

In the NT, there were a few guys made a name for themselves trolling poppers right down the guts of the deepest parts of billabongs at night. Caught BIG barra that way

Never had a chance to try it but my instincts tell me its worth a try.

Mozza

[luress]

No I havn't Mozza but I have never seen them surface feed along the rocks at nite
regards gary