Barra Trails - What are they?

[cy_taylor1]

Hello,



Recently, I talked to a good impoundment angler who fishes Peter Faust Dam. After asking him some questions about the dam, he told me about 'barra trails'. What are they? These barra trails are similar to kangaroo trails through the bush, only that they are formed in the water!
He told me they are mini pathways through the weed, and the barramundi move through these trails individually and in groups.
At one time, he was positioned near a trail and saw a group of 5 or 6 fish come through, one with a lure hanging out of it's gob!
If anyone has any information about these so called 'barra trails' please let me know.



Thanks
Cy Taylor
Whitsundays QLD

[the_matrix]

Cy, also known as barra highways.
Basically just routes fish use to get to areas that they are fond of. Awoonga has them, easy to see for the searching eye.
Sometimes they are partly covered but the trail is very definite.
Very popular in the winter months when the fish are in shallow water, good cover, warm comfort and a good food source.
Barra are creatures of habit, so well beaten tracks form the more they are used.
You'll know one when you see one.
Jas

[A_DIFF_PERSPECTIVE]

Cy,
Did you get the pics? I e-mailed them through to you and Kerrin.
Mate, we never really spoke in depth on weed while on Awoonga, but yea, if you drift over any large weedbank and stop and look, you will see how much water and free space is actually in amongst the fairly dense weed stands. Some places look inpenetrable, but to fish it is like the home of all homes. Different techniques apply to these locations for fishing, but from your ability, along with your brother, I'm sure you will come up with a quality solution to 'fit the bill'! Remember when I told you everything happens for a reason. Just watch a weedbed for a while and you tell me what goes on! It will teach you a lot about barra when you slow down and think,,,,,,,,,,,,,,just like that barra you hooked in 'no mans land' near the surface! The environment talks to you,,,,,,,,,don't forget that.
I won't forget you and your brothers fishing ability for a long time. Great to watch!
Best regards,
Johnny

[SeekingBarradise]

Hi guys i hope you all had a great Xmas and New Year. We were just catching up on some reading on here and came across this great thread.

Thanks for taking the time to post the thread and thanks for the great replies as it's hard to get decent information - so every line is appreciated.

The girls will need all the help they can get at the No Blokes Barra Bash on the 2,3,4th of March at Awoonga.

If any of you are around on those days you are welcome to catchup over a drink/dampa/billy tea etc. Although i might need scotch as i'm not allowed to fish at all ggeesseee.

Keep the great reports coming as they are appreciated big time.

Cheers SB

[Mak579]

Would you guys actually target the fish as they move through these corridors or just use the corridors to identify where the fish may concentrate?

MAtt C

[Big J]

Good info guys thanks for the good reading it definatly worked for me at monduran the other week.

Hey feral what did you mean by drop bears info please explain

[NO_BARRA_BS_PLEASE]

Hi everyone i've just joined up.

Interesting thread guys and a good question Mak579.

This site is good to learn from & this is exactly the type of info the magazines lack - this made us all join up on ausfish. I've gone through many old articles from the above user names and found them very interesting, actually fantastic so keep them coming, Taylors,TheMatrix,Seekingbarradise,ADifferentPersp ective,Mak579.

You only get this info from being very smart and passionate and you guys must have spent thousands of hours on the water chasing your passion.

For me this beats going through all the bs. I was stoked when i found out old articles were saved on ausfish.

As for Drop Bear info thats a bit sarcastic isn't it? Not sure what was meant there. I thought it was an interesting thread with people being positive and helping each other.

Keep the good oil coming guys as you have more positive people that appreciate your articles. Don't think twice about writing on here.

MAK579's question. Would you guys actually target the fish as they move through these corridors or just use the corridors to identify where the fish may concentrate?

B.T (Big Tyson)

[the_matrix]

Guys,
I use Barra trails when looking for likely holding zones for Barra. I also use them as a source of information, that is, what is around the given area. I have seen Barra move through these trails during daylight hours............not fishing them but observing them, what they are doing during different periods. A lot of these trails a fairly well covered by weed growth, but if you look carefully you will see the distinct tell tale of traffic. Its also a great place to target fish using topwaters in low light conditions.
What you have to ask yourself is, why are they going along these trails????
A lot of "events" take place there.

If you have a basic understanding of impoundment Barra, the answer will be obvious.
Matty, the answer to your question is both.
Cheers
Jas

[Datto7]

Not sure if it's fact or fiction but I'll definately be having a look next time i'm out. Great info, thanks guys.

[eotbmg]

Well this thread has opened up my eyes to the Barra Trails. Any posts with the guys who i reckon are worth reading what they say about all things barra well i keep on reading them.... The Matrix, Awoonga,Cy Taylor, Set the Hook the list goes on. If i didn't read this post i would know nothing about Barra Trails make that absolutely nothing. So everyone ought to chill out and let the posters post.
No body knows everything, we are still learning so sit back take in the info and learn.
Cheers
Ben

[Big_Ren]

Well this thread has opened up my eyes to the Barra Trails. Any posts with the guys who i reckon are worth reading what they say about all things barra well i keep on reading them.... The Matrix, Awoonga,Cy Taylor, Set the Hook the list goes on. If i didn't read this post i would know nothing about Barra Trails make that absolutely nothing. So everyone ought to chill out and let the posters post.
No body knows everything, we are still learning so sit back take in the info and learn.
Cheers
Ben

Cheers and good call Ben. I am enjoying this thread immensely and will definitely be keeping my peepers parked around the weed beds when next I am at Awoonga. Thanks for the awesome info Cy, Jas, Trev, Rob et al....any info that might give you an edge during the tough days or even on the better days is a lead worth following .

To me, barra trails (and I hadn't heard of them before reading this information) make sense.....why wouldn't barra use these pathways as ambush points or simply "stock" routes? Wouldn't it be similar to why pelagics use current lines and temperature breaks to ambush their prey in colder/warmer, dirtier/cleaner water???

Keep the thread going...I'm learning heaps.

Cheers
Paul

[coola]

I agree in principle with NO_BARRA_BS_PLEASE .I have read most treads if you do the stats you will find selective replies on basic questions from fishos who want to learn more about there sport. but i will say there has be some very good replies. ie; "barra trails". As a "ex" trout fisho (Tassie) Trout will do the same thing, one morning fishing at lake sorell (tassie) we seen the same trout do a two hundred metre circuit in and out of trails and this went on for an hour or so.
ps; great site "more info please"

C LA.

[the_matrix]

Big Ren,
Yep your right they use trails in a similar way to pelagics that ride warm currents and upwellings.
They dont do it because they are smart, they do it because its instinctive and a method of survival.
Barra will utilise everything at their disposal to survive, including wind, sun,moon, rain, structure and its own inbuilt mechanisims that warn against dangers.
Habitually returning to "good paddocks" that keep them hidden, supply food, regulate water temps, and enable them to relax is a sure way of feeling secure and out of harms way.
Getting a basic understanding of how all these variables work, and how Barra utilise them will go a long way to minimising those "no fish" days.
Blaming barometers, winds, moons etc etc is waste of time in my honest opinion, and an easy way out.
It simply means you were not good enough to catch them on the day. They can be caught every day, whether we are up to the task or not is up to us.
When it does happen, I cop it sweet, but it drives me to work harder and learn more about the species to prevent it re-occuring.
And its bloody great fun!!!
Cheers
Jas

[Big_Ren]

Couldn't agree more Jas.

My own pet barra "Wheel" is quite an intriguing study in the vagaries of fish behaviour. He now has his own holding/ambush position beneath his favourite snag and often faces into the current (read "pump") waiting for the dinner bell to ring.....he has decimated the plant life that was in the tank....perhaps because he tread a well worn path through the weedy plants (thus creating his own barra trail) and partly because of the voracity of his strike when food entered his tank. Although I am digressing here from the general topic of discussion, I have obviously learnt more about the behavioural traits of this fish than I would have had I not had him at all.....albeit he is a fish in captivity, not in an impoundment or a wild fish. At the end of the day I have learnt that he:

Doesn't give a shit about the moon, whether his light is on or off, there is no tide, he does care about water quality, oxygenation and temperature...but at day's end he is a lazy bastard that is in tune to when the 6ft human walks towards his tank (generally meaning food is on the way).

Navi (Black Sheep) and I were last up at your home impoundment in October (think we said gidday to you one day) and I am sure that although the conditions, water levels/temperature may have changed, the techniques required (+ a lot of hard work) to successfully chase this magnificent fish remains a constant.

Ben (Eotbmg) has been a far more regular visitor to the dam in recent times, and this topic would especially interest him as he has concentrated many of his efforts (as we need to) around the weed beds and other structure.

At day's end, you're dead right...it's about having fun.

Hope to catch up for a beer one day up there.

Cheers
Paul

[SeekingBarradise]

When you see barra around trails are they more likely to be actively feeding? (on our lures?) or just hanging out?

If you catch one does it spook the others and make them leave the area?

If you are fishing a Barra Trail area and someone drops a sinker in the bottom of a tinny ha or you hook one and make a hell of a noise how much quiet time will it take for more fish to travel through the trail again (on average etc).

If fish are constantly travelling through the trails i would imagine anchoring up would be a good technique or very slow drift?

MMMM a 50lb+ fish attached to 50lbs of weed now that sounds like a great challenge ha have you ever had this happen guys?