Page 2 of 2 FirstFirst 12
Results 16 to 22 of 22

Thread: Barra - R We missing something

  1. #16

    Re: Barra - R We missing something

    firstly good topic and one that alot of those anglers just starting out on can learn from. i used to live in darwin and we would travel down to the daly river (3.5 hr drive) we would get there about 230, 3 in the arvo and travel the 45 min to 1hr up the river to our spots. once we got there we always saw boats packing up and heading back and when we asked them how they did almost always they said it was slow only two or three fish for the day. but we stayed and fished the sundown till about 2 or 3 in the morning depending what the tide was doing (you need a gps to dodge the snags on the way home and goggles for the bugs). but we'd get 30 or 40 fish a night. always better on a full moon and a big tide. and isn't fishing with poppers and fizzers so much more fun. "boof, f#@k what was that?, s#@t i'm on". that is the way fish. But that isn't to say we didn't catch fish during the day. we had to scout spots out during the day then come back at night to find that they were on fire. no one will ever know how barra think every area the fish seem to be different in little ways but fishing both day and night will tell which one is best.
    cheers shayne

  2. #17

    Re: Barra - R We missing something

    Those interested- maybe you can read this and wonder how awesome twilight really is,,,,or isn't?
    90% of my charters are over well before dusk! Coincidence, or are we just scared of the fading light??
    FISHING VARIABLES
    Where do we start? In a barramundi lake there is a list of endless variables that effect the fishing. Anything from wind direction, air temperature, water temperature, water clarity, water flow such as current direction and intensity, rising or falling water levels, water chemistry such as oxygen levels, aquatic plant life density and condition, cloud cover, moon phase and position, barometer, sunlight intensity and so on and so on. Boating pressure and human interaction list highly as well, natural variables such as food supplies and baitfish feeding frenzies, bird life movements and here we go again on another list that will never stop. Barramundi fishing, well most kinds of fishing actually rely heavily on many variables to come together to help form successful combinations. For example- A lake full of big barra is useless if oxygen levels are low and plants are decaying and water temperatures are dramatically dropping. That's a bad scenario. On the other end of the stick a lake with flourishing weedbanks and oxygen rich waters, warm sunny days, darkened water clarity, constant winds and favourable currents can create ideal fishy circumstances. On their own not one variable will bring results. There needs to be an alignment of several to get things happening. "You can't bake a cake without all the main ingredients", this rings so true. Good combinations can mean success, but without one of the key variables, a combination is as useless as a bad hand in a poker game. Each day Mother Nature deals you a list of variables that align. Some are favourable, some are certainly not. You can only work with what you have, same as the card game. A good hand is a good day. As a day rolls on variables can change, and in turn so can the fishing. It can improve or sadly get worse. Cloud cover can block out the sun, winds can drop off or increase, temperatures can take a dive or a rise. A roller Coaster ride no doubt about it.
    We need to deal with the fact that lakes are changing worlds and idealic conditions basically align when they do. Some days this may be at 8-11 am, other times it might be 12-1 pm or even 3-4 am when we are sleeping, and suprisingly enough it may give us a window of opportunity that may only last twenty minutes, or less. There are no best times to fish barra lakes that can be read off a clock face or a lunar phase chart. None of those magical lunar charts take above mentioned variables into the equation. Moon phases, hours of the day, sun rises and sets and water temperature movements are all variables that over time will mesh with more variables that assist or reduce your chances. There is good and bad every day. Some variables align sweetly and the timing of these can see barra change into a feeding mode at the drop of a hat. Feed time can be stopped also by variables that change. Other days variables align to a point where one more trigger is required. It can hang in the balance. A wind shift can make or break you. So next time you are on the water take note of as many variables as you can and write a diary on your findings. After a long while you will discover that simple guess work on when and why is way off track and in time you will better understand what drives fish in lakes and in oceans. I bet we have all gone back to a favourite productive spot the next day and caught nothing. What changed?
    I bet you can write a very long list, but only if you were paying attention to fine detail.
    Johnny

  3. #18

    Re: Barra - R We missing something

    Quote Originally Posted by A_DIFF_PERSPECTIVE View Post
    I always chuckle at the blokes who are retrieving their boats just before dark, prime time-maybe they are allergic to the night??????

    The main key variable- weather conditions during any day is the strong governing key. It dictates whether or not fish will feed on dawn/dusk/ moon up/ down, lunch time etc etc. The most consistent and predictable fishing comes during gentleman hours of the day. eg, daylight, why- because it offers more varying natural triggers to activate fish. (Here is where you have to think- it's the whole basis of my idea to get anglers in thought mode.) Barra will feed best at different times each day, governed by the main generator of weather and its follow on effect into a lake. Peaks and troughs occur all day- good times and hard times. The next day they may be similar if weather is similar but they become altered as soon as the conditions stray. To head out for a dusk session may see you on the tail end of a great day's fishing. The best may be over- this is why it is extremely difficult to say anything simple about impoundments. Complex, yes, cryptic, extremely.
    Ben,
    The reasoning of me sticking my head on the chopping block is to try to expand the world of barra anglers. The above post needs to be absorbed,,,and accepted if anglers want to expand their world. If these things go unnoticed it's a total waste of ink and a waste of a total of my 33 yrs worth of salt and freshwater barra angling. I've kept quiet on here for almost two years, but I'd really like to see a big advancement in barra angling knowledge and thought processes for interested anglers from here on in. We can all advance years ahead. I'm willing if anglers are keen to grow. Australia needs a boost.
    Catch up one day.
    Johnny
    Thanks Johnny, Great to have you back on here giving us an insight on how the gun barra fishermen do it!
    The reason for my above post is because of MY personal experiences of barra fishing, i am not saying it's the right thing to do but the twylight dawn and dawn period is the times where I have caught most barra. If there are theories and thoughts out there that prove me wrong i am willling to accept that and try other things to disprove MY theories. We all have different opinions thats what keeps us individuals i suppose. I think Brian [BR65] said it - that we [average joe] just dont spend that much time on any dam [ mine was 32 from October to June] Not much to crack any pattern or prove or disprove any theories. So any input from you guys who live there is treated like gold!!!!!!!
    As I said before mate, great to have you back and giving us the input we love.
    Cheers
    Ben

  4. #19

    Re: Barra - R We missing something

    Gee I don't know up early out till late just love being on the water, if it wasn't for my eye lids I would stay out there.

    I think that the barra will feed at different intervals through out the day and night I usally get up head to the sticks and fish ther till dark and putt back and have a flick in the closer bays towards the ramp or may even troll into the ramp depends on how hungry I am

    Cheers Nath

  5. #20

    Re: Barra - R We missing something

    Personally Im lookin forward to young Benjamin showing me the finer art of nite time surface fishin.
    I usually pull the pin round sun down, not for any other reason than Ive been standing up the bow of that flippin tinny for over 12 hours casting like a demon, Im stuffed, sun burnt, hungry and I badly need to indulge my obsession with black cans - cant think of a better way to spend a day on the water.
    So much to to factor in to turn one fish in the net into 10



  6. #21

    Re: Barra - R We missing something

    Quote Originally Posted by BR65 View Post
    Personally Im lookin forward to young Benjamin showing me the finer art of nite time surface fishin.
    I usually pull the pin round sun down, not for any other reason than Ive been standing up the bow of that flippin tinny for over 12 hours casting like a demon, Im stuffed, sun burnt, hungry and I badly need to indulge my obsession with black cans - cant think of a better way to spend a day on the water.
    So much to to factor in to turn one fish in the net into 10
    Brian
    I have a plan. Jump in my tinny, you grab the black cans and have a couple of drinks and i will drive and hopefully put us both on to a couple of silvers! On poppers of course. Found some great new ground while we were catching a cold, shallow weedy, similar to the back of Dingo at Awoonga, where my night time addiction started!!!!!!!
    Ben

  7. #22

    Re: Barra - R We missing something

    Where do we start? In a barramundi lake there is a list of endless variables that effect the fishing.
    (ditto for rivers, tidal and non tidal as you'd expect). Meaning that not a single strategy applies to all the variables, the greater number of options you arm yourself with the greater the chance of success. Often anglers are reluctant to move away from their strengths in order to coax stubborn fish.

    Having said that, nothing betters being on the spot when that 20 minutes goes off and being able to say "I knew that was going to happen!"

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •