Fish habits in freshwater

[Flex]

I have recently moved to central QLD were there is a locally stocked weir.

I haven't had much experience fishing impoundments so im still learning how fish behave in freshwater.

I have caught a fair whack of barra recently down stream from the local wier. but some days the fish seem on and others off?.

I realise dusk and dawn are prime times and usually do ok. But i have found some days you can do 1000 casts and not get a sniff in the very place I have pulled 10 barra out of the previous day? the weather temp all seem the same yet why is the fishing so different? Do barra in these small creek systems move around alot? i.e up and down to feed zones? or are they mostly territorial?

One day comes to mind where i pulled over 20 barra out of the small creek(no more than 10m across and 2-3m deep and a few km long). i was catching barra even in the middle of the day. time didn;t seem to affect them.
Yet i went back the next day and not even a sniff. i have tried hot days,cold days,overcast etc and i cant find a pattern.

any tips on freshwater fish behavior would be great

[Flex]

Anyone have any theories at all?

[Feral]

Thats native fish for you.

There is lots of theories about, air pressure, moon stage, rain about, recent flow in creek, water temperature, what is happening in the local, IE cicada's hatching out, the list goes on.

All have at least some affect. Best recommendation if you fish one area all the time is to keep a fish diary, then hopefully the local patterns will start to emerge with time.

Gets harder with impoundment fish stocked out of their natural habitat, as there are no old timers who have been fishing for them for years to impart the local knowledge!

[shayned]

Mate try to keep a record of water temp and barometric pressure, this will help sort it for you.

[Leigh77]

And then just when you think you have it all worked out....it changes again!

[Flex]

Yeah i am really confused with how the local barra behave. I know theres a crap load in the creek downstream from the wier. as i have caught shit loads on certain days. but other days you'd think the place is dead.

What im trying to work out, is any ideas on whether the Barra move up and down the creek? its only about 5-6km long with shallow sections at either end so the fish cant go too far. at the deepest point it'd only be 3-5m, Im wondering what the fish would do at dif parts of the day. and if they'd be over territorial?

[moses06]

just my thought..
I know for sure barra is not a terrtorial species. It tend to move a lot. Juvy size would cluster together by some numbers, the biggies would stroll in pair.
Perhap the barra did not response to your cast because of the population of bait fish and prawn at that time. If there are a lot of baitfish around, casting with live bait might do the trick.

[Barraless]

Where abouts are you?????