Its time to rethink the metery!

[the_matrix]

You going to break a lot of hearts with your opinions Jas- even if it's being realistic.

On the monduran/awoonga scenario - is it more so to do with the structure of the dam rather than the number of anglers/fishing pressure. Mondy obviously has less 'open' water and more hiddy holes for the barra so therefore, the fish are less spooked?

BTW - have you personally caught a 150 salty??

Funny how you never see these 140+'s on a brag mat!

Yeh Navi, I know it will break hearts. Sometimes things are best left unsaid.
But you asked for my honest opinion, well thats it, no rose coloured glasses or lip service, just what I think. I'd like to think and see otherwise, but I dont see it.

Awoonga vs Monduran? Purely and simply fishing pressure mate, lots of those fish have never been caught before, at least thats what I am seeing of late. I remember when Awoonga's barra's were like that. Yesterdays session was mind numbing and one of the best I have ever had in regards to big fish.

Have I caught a 150? Gosh no, there wouldnt be that many out there who have, however my local area has some of the biggest Barra I have ever seen anywhere, mean suckers that destroy your tackle like no other.
My best saltie is 113cm, I have hooked and lost 120+fish boatside though.
Got a heap over a metre in the salt last year, this year bugger all maybe a dozen, spent 6 weeks back home chasing Southern species which slowed me up.

Steve, no we aint taken the piss outta ya mate, everyone is entitled to their opinion
Jas

[NAGG]

Metery Shmetery ..... it's just a number!
Every barra is special in its own way ........

What we are talking about are personal milestones ..... be it 100cm or 130cm ?

..... wont you be pissed when you hear that a legit 140cm job ..... is landed by a Grey nomad while having a troll in the main basin somewhere ... on their very first trip

Maybe when it gets to a point where you struggle to improve on your PB ( or climb Everest) .... you could rethink your approach ....... & say see if you can knock over some meterys on 12 lb bass gear ! ........ now that will sort out the men from the boys


Just a different perspective on the question at hand

Cheers

Nagg

[black_sheep]

Steve - Not taking the p*ss mate Just didn't want to be crucifide for things I say as it is my opinion only. Steve, you need to setup a webcam on the boat for when you fish solo so you can share the moment .

Shaynes - mate, I agree. One thing I must say is that every holiday I have taken in the last 10yrs has been a fishing holiday - mostly chasing barra. Countless dollars spent and countless hours for sometimes very little reward. I agree that we are spoiled and I guess that's part of the reason why we try and go as often as we can but I have never ever taken the fishery for granted as it can all be destroyed in a split second. Mate, I caught 300 garfish ones in a session that had me buzzing for days so I could only imagine the thrill of getting 300 barra - awesome stuff mate and memories that will last a lifetime.

Jas, you are bloody spoilt . Are you going to incorporate salt water trips (barra, jacks....) as part of your charter service?

[TinarooTriumph]

The 'Metre' club is a special mark if you ask me... fish of less size or more size are still just fish at the end of the day, but for the bulk of us if they manage to get into triple figures on the mat then we can be even happier with our efforts. My PB is not as big as others, neither do I care because I have landed, and been apart of many metre plus moments (quite a few 120's). I must admit though, having a 120+ fish in your Boat is an absolute buzz... its like your on Cloud 9. Those that have endured what Im talking about will know what I mean... its incredibly special.

As for big fishies... the Copperlode giant is bloody nuts... built like a tank. Joe's 135 and his 128 plus Matt's 127 are all big fat fish that are just mindblowing. But, and I say this, if your ever in Atherton at all, call into Atherton Bait and Tackle and ask Daryl Hubbard about the lady from Innisfail that caught a 100lb+ Barra in Houseboat Bay and he will kindly show you the photo (he has hidden it behind the Barra Trophy on the wall above the counter). Easily 100lb... length... buggered if I know... you'd think 130+cm, but like that Monduran monster that I saw the sheila thats holding this fish has it in a weird position so its hard to tell. That Monduran Monster I keep seeing is deceptive... bloody big but not record breaking... sorry! Those are caught weekly up here and call me arrogant and what-not but keep in mind this is Tinaroo.

Cheers

Theo

[eotbmg]

How big was that barra that is in Harros book from Tinaroo??? You know the one with the guy with the porn mo holding the barra over the side of his tinny, its a bloody horse. That fish out of Monduran is bloody huge also, i would always get a photo of it on the brag mat though................ just to keep Navi happy!!!!!!
Ben

[rod harrison]

The bloke in BARRA was a Kiwi ex-prop forward. He caught it on a mouth almighty. It wasn't measured or weighed and probably ended up at a hungi. Scientific sampling in Tinaroo by Walkamin facilty head bio, Alf Hogan, cites 44something kilo fish.....that's a hundred. The Kiwi fish wasn't there, but wasn't far away.

Back in days of stretch mono and so-so lures and trebles,
there were some mighty barra along the Gulf of Papua. To do a Steptoe - and give myself a pat on the back - some probably stretched beyond 150. Weighing and measuring - nor having pictures taken of myself - weren't on the menu then. Speaking of 'hundreds' how about that skite in Modern Fishing that he's caught a ton of lakers over the ton??? Cripes, Warren, you've got me covered and a lot of other better rods who were consistent on impoundment barra eight to ten years before your first...

In the gulf, an odd sort of problem arose in the most tangible way. Drag settings, mine anyway, were and still are enough to keep the hooks in and take the sting out of most fish. So when a yard plus of gyrating barra came out of the water, Nilsy or Hi-Lo in mouth, there was enough cushion to help prevent it wrenching free. The thumb was always there for dire emergencies. Dropping the rod to create slack helps. You need a boxer's reflexes to do that, some people shouldn't try.

So, nervous system settled and rig re-checked, the next cast plonks amongst the branches of a fallen jungle hardwood giant. Four cranks later something unstoppable has the lure deep in the bowels of the branches. No guesses there.

Re-living some of that time through these few words, it's safe the say that life dumps worse problems on one's doorstep.

[Magella]

Metery Shmetery ..... it's just a number!
Every barra is special in its own way ........

What we are talking about are personal milestones ..... be it 100cm or 130cm ?

..... wont you be pissed when you hear that a legit 140cm job ..... is landed by a Grey nomad while having a troll in the main basin somewhere ... on their very first trip

Maybe when it gets to a point where you struggle to improve on your PB ( or climb Everest) .... you could rethink your approach ....... & say see if you can knock over some meterys on 12 lb bass gear ! ........ now that will sort out the men from the boys


Just a different perspective on the question at hand

Cheers

Nagg

Nagg,
This already happens we have photos and messages here from people who have never saw, little loan caught a barra and have trolled 200 metres from the boat ramp hooked and landed barra up to 130
I just laugh and tell them " well it's all down hill from here"'

Cheers Foxie

[Little grey men]

So, nervous system settled and rig re-checked, the next cast plonks amongst the branches of a fallen jungle hardwood giant. Four cranks later something unstoppable has the lure deep in the bowels of the branches. No guesses there.

Thanks Rod,
I love reading this sort of stuff. I work with a bloke that grew up in PNG in the sixties. He's done all types of fishing and tells me countless tales but when he starts talking about fishing up there for these monsters he gets a real sparkle in his eye and he gets very excited.
He likes to tell me of how they use to make lures out of some type of white palm tree leaf ??? toss it out on a strong handline and pull it back in flat out to tempt the big ones.

Thanks for sharing.

[rod harrison]

I've seen the palm leaf trick but not for bass.

But one time when I ran out of lures and it was a week
before I was going to be picked up from a remote village I was tempted to get some lure blanks from some amputations to the local architecture.

The native carvings are nightmarish but have a common theme, a phallus fixation. I was tempted to lop off some GT Poppers and start pruning, but big lures aren't that good for barra inasmuch as they offer a twisting fish too much leverage.

[Little grey men]

I've seen the palm leaf trick but not for bass.

Yeah sorry Rod, Barra, not bass.
He didn't get onto any bass when he lived there. He was only a skinny little kid back then so the black bass probably would have pulled him in the drink.

[Steve B]

Hey Rod,

I remember seeing a video of you hooking and landing a fairly big, solid PNG black bass on FLY !!!! If I remember you got blown away by a couple others too!!!!

Do you remember that, if so, how much fun was that!!!! That was a fair while ago.....not saying your old mate...just experienced!! I would like to here more about it. I just remember while you were stripping line, seeing the tip of the fly rod about 4ft above the water on second and just about hittin the water the next second with the strike!!

cheers steve

[rod harrison]

thanks Steve,

I keep saying age is a state of mind. Be young enough to do whatever it is....but old enough to do it properly. Still, there's no escaping the older you get the better you were.

Now that there's a lot more time to think and write, amongst writing projects over the next two years there's a bio that will also include fishing travels through Africa, Central and South America as well as PNG. I have to thank a lot of people for putting up with a bad tempered prick like me.

[TinarooTriumph]

Scientific sampling in Tinaroo by Walkamin facilty head bio, Alf Hogan, cites 44something kilo fish.....that's a hundred. The Kiwi fish wasn't there, but wasn't far away.

Alf is a bloody top bloke and every single Impoundment Barra angler who enjoy's catching these fish should shake his hand and buy the man a Beer. He is a good angler himself and his son Adam ain't bad with a stick either.

Im sure Alf let you in on where he zapped that 44kg fish Harro... best kept secret there is! Funniest place imagineable. Im sure there's a few more up here roaming around. Not hundreds, but a few dozen for sure.

Cheers

Theo

[BR65]

So, nervous system settled and rig re-checked, the next cast plonks amongst the branches of a fallen jungle hardwood giant. Four cranks later something unstoppable has the lure deep in the bowels of the branches. No guesses there.

talk about painting a picture with words, can almost feel the jolt down my arm, see the big boil on the water surface, taste the dissapointment as the line grates, great stuff Harro
cheers
brian

[eotbmg]

Harro.
Thanks for your input mate, as you can tell alot of us on this forum really appreciate your inclusion, just great to hear it from you on how it used to be when you were fishing the remote places of P.N.G. etc. I for one really appreciate it!!!!!
How are you going ? Havent spoken to you for a while? Have you spoken to my little Mauritian [not martian] mate Jacques lately?? I will have to come up and see you soon. Cheers mate hope you are ok.
Regards
Ben