Lake Awoonga UPDATE 1st FEB

[the_matrix]

Re: Lake Awoonga UPDATE 1st FEB

Hehe, I'll pay that one Navi.

I dont find myself looking for bait. Bait is important but if you find the right water, the bait will be there too.
There wouldnt be many places in Awoonga where there is no bait so water quality (which is a visual thing) and the current weather conditions combined with your sounder is the key.
The one thing I have found with every Barra impoundment I have fished is that there are many "fishy" looking area's in each dam and they all have one thing in common.
They have no fish living there.
The best places rarely appeal to the eye unless you know exactly what it is you are looking for.
Worth keeping in mind.
Cheers
Jas

[black_sheep]

Re: Lake Awoonga UPDATE 1st FEB

Jas, I wish the barra were as easy to hook as you . Thought you would have realised by now that I play dumb to try and get you to reveal your secrets . just joking maand what you say is so true. We have rarely caught fish of spots that look awesome and invested way too much time in those spots. On the flip side, we've recently been catching fish from spots that we normally wouldn't fish. I'm still trying to work out all these 'factors' and one thing I don't have confidence in is my sounder which I have heard you refer to as one of the key factors in finding the right areas to fish.

However, I do feel that we are changing our approach every trip we have and hopefully, we will soon carck a pattern that we feel confident with.

Again mate, thanks for the advice - every bit is appreciated and taken on board.

Tight Lines.

[the_matrix]

Re: Lake Awoonga UPDATE 1st FEB

Navi,
You need to be able to understand your sounder and more importantly trust what it is relaying. They are the link that will greatly improve your results no matter where you fish.
Not sure what gear you are running, but my sets are easily my most valued possesions, and its as good as having a set of googles on the bottom.
I simply could not do without them and their importance cant be overstated!
Cheers
Jas

[NAGG]

Re: Lake Awoonga UPDATE 1st FEB

Navi,
You need to be able to understand your sounder and more importantly trust what it is relaying. They are the link that will greatly improve your results no matter where you fish.
Not sure what gear you are running, but my sets are easily my most valued possesions, and its as good as having a set of googles on the bottom.
I simply could not do without them and their importance cant be overstated!
Cheers
Jas

Jas .... Just a hypothetical for you !

You have been told about a new impoundment called X ( looks like a Faust / Monduran!) in just a few lines ( if you dont mind)

What do you look for on your very first visit ... before you make a cast

Thanks in anticipation

Nagg

[coraltrout68]

Re: Lake Awoonga UPDATE 1st FEB

Great post.

Wasting your time asking most people to be considerate of others - I just dont see it anymore - be that driving, fishing, waiting in lines etc

[Awoonga]

Re: Lake Awoonga UPDATE 1st FEB

Jas .... Just a hypothetical for you !

You have been told about a new impoundment called X ( looks like a Faust / Monduran!) in just a few lines ( if you dont mind)

What do you look for on your very first visit ... before you make a cast

Thanks in anticipation

Nagg MMMmmm,,,,,Go with a local....Sorry the question was not asked of me l will just go back to being a looker....watching.... taking it all in....

[the_matrix]

Re: Lake Awoonga UPDATE 1st FEB

Wasting your time asking most people to be considerate of others - I just dont see it anymore - be that driving, fishing, waiting in lines etc

Have to agree with you there CT, however I dont want to give up on humanity just yet.
If you can get through to just a few, well thats a few less a$$holes I reckon.
Cheers
Jas

[the_matrix]

Re: Lake Awoonga UPDATE 1st FEB

Jas .... Just a hypothetical for you !
You have been told about a new impoundment called X ( looks like a Faust / Monduran!) in just a few lines ( if you dont mind)
What do you look for on your very first visit ... before you make a cast
Thanks in anticipation
Nagg

Howdy Nagg.
Interesting question, one that will lead to a long winded answer but I will try and shorten. If there is anything here that needs a clearer explanation please ask.
Sorry it wont be just a few lines.

I guess if I use Monduran as a guide considering I have only fished it once I will explain what I looked at first. (there is a hell of a lot in this question for me)

Firstly I google earth, check the geographical location, its height above sea level, its features ie what way the dam wall faces against a compass, predominant wind ie sea breeze or land breeze, does the dam have a long fetch, is the basin wide open, is there large open bays or short skinny ones. Fish holding structure, timber or weed or both. This will dictate tackle and type of lures.

Height above sea level (dams like Tinaroo and Teemburra)will mean that the fish will be subject to rapid temperature changes, and therefore are likely to hang in area's that will have access to area's that offer least change or recover the fastest. ie weedy/stringy shallow bays. A place to start.

Coastal dams like Monduran, Awoonga and Faust will be less affected by this so I'd expect the fish to be much wider spread, and then use and focus on other factors like basin fetch and open bays with wind and current direction as a place to start.
Finding the right timber in Monduran does not happen in a day.(unless you are extremely lucky!)
There is zillions of tree's however once you find the right stuff (its the same timber in every Barra impoundment in the country) you are laughing and can go back each day and whack fish from it because they or others will return.
Set yourself a a milk run.
At ABT Monduran we found the right timber on the the event 1st day, but so did a few others who got there first and were already on the board, so we left them to it. (Steve you know which one I speak of) It was a rippa!

There is an easier way than this as stated by awoonga, however it wont make you a better fisherman. It depends on what you are after, fish, or learning about the species. Each to their own here.

Hard lessons are the best ones learned in my book, and its all part of the hunt to be able to put pieces together using your own fishing nouse.
I have always been of the opinion that anything handed on a platter will not mean much. Easy come easy go.
Going with a local will be much quicker though!!!
Hope that gives you an insight Nagg
Cheers
Jas

[NAGG]

Re: Lake Awoonga UPDATE 1st FEB

Thanks Jas ... for that piece!
I'm going to print it off .... mull over it & reply accordingly....... just to make sure I know where you're coming from

Thanks again
Nagg

[NAGG]

Re: Lake Awoonga UPDATE 1st FEB

Howdy Nagg.
Interesting question, one that will lead to a long winded answer but I will try and shorten. If there is anything here that needs a clearer explanation please ask.
Sorry it wont be just a few lines.

I guess if I use Monduran as a guide considering I have only fished it once I will explain what I looked at first. (there is a hell of a lot in this question for me)

Firstly I google earth, check the geographical location, its height above sea level, its features ie what way the dam wall faces against a compass, predominant wind ie sea breeze or land breeze, does the dam have a long fetch, is the basin wide open, is there large open bays or short skinny ones. Fish holding structure, timber or weed or both. This will dictate tackle and type of lures.

Height above sea level (dams like Tinaroo and Teemburra)will mean that the fish will be subject to rapid temperature changes, and therefore are likely to hang in area's that will have access to area's that offer least change or recover the fastest. ie weedy/stringy shallow bays. A place to start.

Coastal dams like Monduran, Awoonga and Faust will be less affected by this so I'd expect the fish to be much wider spread, and then use and focus on other factors like basin fetch and open bays with wind and current direction as a place to start.
Finding the right timber in Monduran does not happen in a day.(unless you are extremely lucky!)
There is zillions of tree's however once you find the right stuff (its the same timber in every Barra impoundment in the country) you are laughing and can go back each day and whack fish from it because they or others will return.
Set yourself a a milk run.
At ABT Monduran we found the right timber on the the event 1st day, but so did a few others who got there first and were already on the board, so we left them to it. (Steve you know which one I speak of) It was a rippa!

There is an easier way than this as stated by awoonga, however it wont make you a better fisherman. It depends on what you are after, fish, or learning about the species. Each to their own here.

Hard lessons are the best ones learned in my book, and its all part of the hunt to be able to put pieces together using your own fishing nouse.
I have always been of the opinion that anything handed on a platter will not mean much. Easy come easy go.
Going with a local will be much quicker though!!!
Hope that gives you an insight Nagg
Cheers
Jas

Thanks Jas ....... As a traveler who rarely gets the opportunity to spend much time at any single destination ..... This information is gold!!!! ..... Our upcoming trip to Monduran will be my first opportunity to suss out a location ( impoundment) over a week & fish it accordingly!
While local information is important & sought ....... there is nothing like working things out for ones self .... & reaping the benefits ( part of the fun)

A lot of what you have said makes sense ..... wind direction (prevailing winds) , type of basin , height above sea level, structure ( timber , weed) ...... all good
Now that you know that ...... & you are on the water ...... What do you do ?
Run around for half a day .... looking for river bed drop offs ..... or are you looking for other structure ( lantana , Horizontal timber , spindly trees or lone trees .... look for bays or points)
Do you travel .... into the depths of the timber ..... or right up a river (eg Kolan )

We hav'nt even mentioned bait & thermoclines ...... so at what point do you fish the main basin ?

Sorry Jas ( I'm not picking on you) ...... Its just that you do look into the science of barra fishing.
Cheers & Thanks
Nagg

[BR65]

Re: Lake Awoonga UPDATE 1st FEB

Jas .... Just a hypothetical for you !

You have been told about a new impoundment called X ( looks like a Faust / Monduran!) in just a few lines ( if you dont mind)

What do you look for on your very first visit ... before you make a cast

Thanks in anticipation

Nagg MMMmmm,,,,,Go with a local....Sorry the question was not asked of me l will just go back to being a looker....watching.... taking it all in....

[quote=NAGG;762806]

Gday Awoonga, Ill ask ya, if you dont mind shareing please
cheers
brian

ps, unfortunately Im not that close personally to a local mate

[NAGG]

Re: Lake Awoonga UPDATE 1st FEB

Jas .... Just a hypothetical for you !

You have been told about a new impoundment called X ( looks like a Faust / Monduran!) in just a few lines ( if you dont mind)

What do you look for on your very first visit ... before you make a cast

Thanks in anticipation

Nagg MMMmmm,,,,,Go with a local....Sorry the question was not asked of me l will just go back to being a looker....watching.... taking it all in....

Dont worry ..... A week or so out ..... I'll be asking the usual " Heading up to Monduran next week ..... Any help will be greatly appreciated"

But as mentioned ...... I personally like the prospecting! ..... my crew well .... I'm the one that has to do the research etc ....... & put them onto the fish!
........ Nagg

PS ...... Awoonga ( & others) , please feel free to respond ...... I really would have liked to put this up as a new thread ( in hindsight)

[the_matrix]

Re: Lake Awoonga UPDATE 1st FEB

Now that you know that ...... & you are on the water ...... What do you do ?
Run around for half a day .... looking for river bed drop offs ..... or are you looking for other structure ( lantana , Horizontal timber , spindly trees or lone trees .... look for bays or points)
Do you travel .... into the depths of the timber ..... or right up a river (eg Kolan )
We hav'nt even mentioned bait & thermoclines ...... so at what point do you fish the main basin ?
Cheers & Thanks
Nagg

Nagg
Depends on how long your stay is. If its a week or so I strongly reccommend you dont fish the first half day at least.
Familiarise yourself with the environment, the conditions, and the facilities.
Learn the fringes if you are going to fish the basin, or conversley if you will be fishing the timber set up a milk run so that you can work on patterns.
Check out the submerged vertical timber, as it will lead you to horizontal timber hint hint. 6-14 feet of water is ideal. THiS IS BARRA MAGNET IN ANY BARRA DAM. It may be verticle from where you sit, but its what lies beneath that is what holds fish. often the worlds biggest horizontal snag is only given away by the smallest single stick just above the surface.

Thorough searching, sounding and travelling on the first day will set you up for the rest of the week. It may suck not fishing, but you will be happy with yourself a few days down the track.
Go into the depths of the sunken forests, look for the slightest indication of submerged horizontal timber, as well as looking at the crowns of tree's to see if there has been a recent split and deposit into the water. (This is what the Barra are holding on, not verticle tree's)
If you see a tiny piece of timber protruding, take your time and work up to it, it may contain the mother load of barra's.

The further you delve into the woods, the less likely that someone has already beaten you to the right stuff and either pulled or spooked fish off it.
Go deep into the sticks, work slow and keep your eyes peeled!!!

If I was going for a week, I'd be bouncing timber with rattles ie classics, scorpions and the like combined with silents like extractor 11's, and any other timber lures you can get your hands on that will dive around 10 feet.
I'd be in the jungle all day til the light fades then hit the main basin points and looking for an afternoon edge bite.
I dont know the timbered area's well enough to come home at night, even with GPS. There's enough dialled in error to bring you undone in any GPS track.
So the relative safe trip back to the ramp would dictate how I would finish the day.
I'll leave the rest up to guys who fish Monduran all the time, over to you Steve, Foxie and crew.
Cheers
Jas

[Barraboss]

Re: Lake Awoonga UPDATE 1st FEB

I agree, as I am sure many would, about the vertical timber being a barra magnet. As I have been fishing Tinaroo dam fairly consistently for the last 6 months, I never thought too much about why the fish were where they were till I saw the water drop, and then the penny dropped. Great big lay down timber, and sometimes piles of the stuff. And guess what??? We would pull meterys consistently out of the same hole week in week out in the same conditions. I started more researching into possible spots with lay down for when the water rose again. Now I am reaping the benefits. But, I am still learning, and will never stop. Now I am thinking about barra fishing, not just going barra fishing

So yes, by investigating Nagg, for a week long trip is a small sacrifice for the chance to find some spots that may produce good fish for all!!!!

Thanks Jas for your valuable insight

Matt

[NAGG]

Re: Lake Awoonga UPDATE 1st FEB

Check out the submerged vertical timber, or at least find as much of it as you can hint hint. 6-14 feet of water is ideal. THiS IS BARRA MAGNET IN ANY BARRA DAM.

Submerged vertical ????? ...... Not lay down, fallen ?

Nagg