Monduran Barra Update!!

[McCod]

Hi all'
Got a bit of an update on Monduran Dam. Just spent Thursday arvo and friday checking out whats happening. Looked like getting on the water late morning but dropped in to check out John & Jackie Foxes new tackle shop “ Foxies Barra Havoc” on the main road through Gin Gin' Plenty of barra & Bass lollies hanging on the wall and some friendly advice on tap as well. So after buying a Barra snack and a yarn it was off to Monduran..... On the water around midday and zoomed about half way up the dam and found a nice calm shallow bay with a bit of weed in close to the edge' Water temp looked good @ 22.4'C. Hooked up jump off to a rat Barra within a few minutes using a 5” home made prototype in straight out white colour.... lure retired so not to loose it! Clipped on one of Bushy's Stiffy Bony Breams and continued flicking up into the shallows...... in aprox ¾ hr or so i had a good fish on which looked in the high 90's and went hard around a tree trunk and found it's freedom after straitening the #2 Owners . Went for a spin further up the Kolan River and sussed out some more good looking water and was saddened to see some more big Barra that had died recently! Landed 1 Barra in this area around 3ish on a 7” shallow Jerk Bait and took a few more strikes in this area. Back down for a look up Tararan Creek and flicked in some bays and flats etc' close to 5 oclock started to get some interest then the switch turned on with some awesome action over the next hr with mainly Elephant sized Barra smashing offerings...... Some big Barra made it close to the net but only 1 landed' Just when ya thought they where a certainty to be slid in the Enviro-Net but they would do the Houdini act! Only boated the 1 but had a ball anyway. Next day started with Barra around 11:30 AM smacking the Bony and some home made stuff. Bit of a lull for a while whilst looking around and trying different stuff. More action around 3 pm with a batch of small Barra in 2' of water' But they soon got spooked easily. Poked around a bit looking for a likely looking spot for evening bite' And it paid off with a few good fish including several in the low to hi 90's landed. Off the water by 6 pm. The best retrieve seamed to be a straight steady slow roll or a Volvo retrieve as it's known to some. The Bushy Bony worked well....... but so would of lures like Gold Bombers,Floating Doozers etc. All strikes came with lures running 6'' - 12'' under the surface.
Best of luck if your heading that way soon.

Cheers Les

[mylestom]

[quote=McCod;676753]Hi all'
Got a bit of an update on Monduran Dam.

Les,

Great report, seems like it is warming up a bit. Interesting to see some of the new lures working.

Those Monduran beast are really great to tie you up in the timber. But isn't just great. Still reckon its the best for that type of action of the southern impoundments.

Thanks again for the report. Now to get the all clear from the doc to allow me to go fishing again.


Regards


Trev

[rossco]

Great report & photos,will have to try to get there some time.

cheers rossco

[castamasta]

hi les,great read mate,thanks...hows the launching in the creek near the camp?...hope to get up there in a few weeks,cheers,gav.

[Bassmaster1]

Great work McCod, what pound line and rod where you using?

[tazza_505]

Thats a great report good stuff! and all in the skeeter **drools**

[McCod]

hi les,great read mate,thanks...hows the launching in the creek near the camp?...hope to get up there in a few weeks,cheers,gav.

Gday Gav'
No go on the camp ramp mate.... have to use the main one these days due to lower levels.... down around the 18% now!

Cheers Les

[McCod]

Great work McCod, what pound line and rod where you using?

Gday Bassmaster1'
Mainly use the one outfit @ Monduran' And thats a Egrell B8-5 with a CVZ203 Millionaire spooled up with 60lb finns or 65lb Tuff Line XP.
The heavier line is nice security around heavy timber.

Cheers Les

[BR65]

Gday Les, great report mate, thanks.
Youve got my casting arm twitching, just gotta wait till November now.
I assume you droped the skeeter in at the concrete ramp, so water levels must still be ok for launching with no problems?
You mentioned Foxies new shop, is it in Gin Gin itself, Id like to drop in next time Im up.
cheers
Brian

[Stumpthumpa]

Thanks Les,

Heading up there in about 3 week's time and really appreciate the update.

[Steve B]

Les

Good to meet you the other day at Foxies!! Thanks for the advice on that deeper lure. It worked a treat as you will see in my thread.

Good to see you got stuck into them. Drop in to the ambulance station next time you come thru. I will try and chuck a sickie and come up the dam for a flick....in your skeeter!!!

Cheers steve

Brian, Foxies is in Gin Gin town. John is a good bloke, good advice , good range of lures and good coffee!! Hope you bend those new rods when you get up in November. They will feel like they are home again Drop in and say Hi. I might try and get up for a fish too.

[SeekingBarradise]

Well done another good report keeping us up to date thanks Les
How good is the weather of late - hope it keeps getting hotter bring on summer.
cheers L&K

[TinarooTriumph]

Great report Les! Photo's are ace!

That would be a pretty awesome feeling catching fish on your own hand made Lures. Will have to give it a go one day!

How good are those Egrell's eh? Eric and Deb are producing some magnificent sticks to use. Havn't had a play with the heavier gear... only the light S2's... really good Rods.

Cheers

Theo.

[castamasta]

thanks les,hope to catch up up there over the next coupla months,cheers,gav.

[aaron_gilmour]

Great report Les,

You bring hope to alot of anglers that will be heading up to monduran in the next month or so. How do you find putting the skeeter through the timber.

Awesome pics too. Do you find the stiffy boneys need a bit of speed to get lure to do its slow roll action. I have only 1 of the bonies but I have found it needs quiet a bit of speed to get the action going and out of the strike zone to quick.

I will persevere with it though as they have great potential.

Cheers

Aaron