Cape York Headland Barra

[Shane Miller]

Re: Cape York Headland Barra

hi dazmc1, give me a call mate, if your ever up this way we will go for flick.

[danners]

Re: Cape York Headland Barra

good couple of fish there mate. croc story makes ya wonder about some doesnt it lol

[Defore]

Re: Cape York Headland Barra

Nice fish, thanks for the photos. (Are the photos just to make us more green with envy?)

You should have stuck around and watched the tourists fight the croc with a knife I think they have watched 1 too many Crocodile Dundee movies

I prefer swimming with sharks, at-least they don't chase you up the beach.

Ian

[Camhawk88]

Re: Cape York Headland Barra

Got to agree with Cammo with regards to promoting targeting barra out of season. It just is not a good look and that is what gives the greens their ammo. Not trying to be a narc here, and understand that the fish were released in as healthy condition as possible, but I have no doubt the stresses of capture on barra around headlands (prime breeding congregation areas) does result in reabsorption of gametes and/or reduced spawning. I know that in small population areas such as Coktown that fishing pressure isnt huge but if you blokes alone have caught and released 300 barra in spawning season(?) then you have to think several thousand are being caught during the spawning period in your region.
I think it is a bit naive if you think that this would not have an impact just because fish are released (I recognise the impact would most likely be small). I dont think you are doing your sport to many favours when it seems every man and his dog are just waiting for examples to throw up to the unwitting wider community to demonstrate what a bunch of redneck, enviro nazi's we fishos are.

[Scott nthQld]

Re: Cape York Headland Barra

Great fish Nick, I will have to get up that way one day. Look magic.

Cammo, regardless of whether nick was targetting barra or not, the point remains that barra also share the same areas with many other species, such as jacks, trevally, cod, fingermark....the list is truly endless. Would you suggest that in order to prevent the accidental capture of Barramundi during the closed seaon people who live and fish in barra populated area not fish at all for 3 months of the year? Hell I've even caught a barra 10km offshore on a live squid whilst targetting fingermark, would that mean I would have to stop fishing for them as well...just in case?? What about flicking plastics over the flats for flathead, or fishing the beaches and healands for grunter?? All that will have to stop as well, just in case I catch a barra. Might as well pack up my gear for 3 months of the year.

Using that sort of logic we wouldn't be able to do any fishing, just in case we accidentally caught a protected species, be it barra, qld groper, maori wrasse, red bass, chinaman, hell even undersized fish could become accidental captures. Better off to just sell my gear and stop fishing altogether I think, don't want to go fishing and catch something I'm not supposed to in case it give sthe greenies more ammo to get fishing banned do I? Good logic that, stop fishing altogether so we don't catch something we aren't supposed to that will result in fishing bans....I hope you subscribe and practice your own logic?


Geez, barra have been caught on bits of peeled prawn on whiting hooks some seasons, when activity has been good, how the hell can we stop a barra eating our baits and lures....the only sure fire way is to leave them out of the water completely....not going to happen

[STUIE63]

Re: Cape York Headland Barra

there is a big difference between a barra coming along and taking a bait meant fro something else and actively targeting barra in my thoughts
Stuie

[Camhawk88]

Re: Cape York Headland Barra

Agreed Stewie. Fisheries legislation recognises that out of season barra will be caught accidentally. It also recognises and states that active targeting of barra during the closed season is an offence that attracts a fine.

[Shane Miller]

Re: Cape York Headland Barra

well said scott, as a barra guide in cooktown i fish all year round, and catch and RELEASE 99% of all barra . this year on charter we kept only 3 barra all year,all other barra are let go,no matter what the size of the fish.

[Camhawk88]

Re: Cape York Headland Barra

Shane you want to be careful mate because what you just wrote is bloody close to admitting you target barra year round, and as a guide to boot. Fisheries do scan these types of forums and Id say what you have just said leaves you open to the real possibility of getting a fine. Dont know if there are further repercusions given your business or not but I would be a little careful.
Just some advice- take it or leave it.

[Shane Miller]

Re: Cape York Headland Barra

cam would you pay for a charter to catch bream on prawns,because i can't use live bait or lures to catch jack or fingermark just in case a barra happens to be there.

[STUIE63]

Re: Cape York Headland Barra

take it up with the govt there are a lot of other guides doing the right thing . we are not saying you can't catch barra as by catch when targetting jacks or choppers . the original post and title of this thread read like the barra were targetted which is wrong and no justifications will make it right
Stuie

[Daintreeboy]

Re: Cape York Headland Barra

Another top report Nick. Agree with your first reply and Scotts. Guys give it a rest for crying out loud.

And as for that stupid law about actively targeting them in the closed season, it needs to be changed. It's a stupid law.

[loophole]

Re: Cape York Headland Barra

Just when someone posts a great report with awesome pics, that most of us only dream about fishing for. The trolls have to jump on the bandwagon and bring the post down.. no wonder why no one bothers with this site anymore.. Nick great fish mate thanks for sharing with those of us who appreciate it.

[cammo79]

Re: Cape York Headland Barra

Great fish Nick, I will have to get up that way one day. Look magic.

Cammo, regardless of whether nick was targetting barra or not, the point remains that barra also share the same areas with many other species, such as jacks, trevally, cod, fingermark....the list is truly endless. Would you suggest that in order to prevent the accidental capture of Barramundi during the closed seaon people who live and fish in barra populated area not fish at all for 3 months of the year? Hell I've even caught a barra 10km offshore on a live squid whilst targetting fingermark, would that mean I would have to stop fishing for them as well...just in case?? What about flicking plastics over the flats for flathead, or fishing the beaches and healands for grunter?? All that will have to stop as well, just in case I catch a barra. Might as well pack up my gear for 3 months of the year.

Using that sort of logic we wouldn't be able to do any fishing, just in case we accidentally caught a protected species, be it barra, qld groper, maori wrasse, red bass, chinaman, hell even undersized fish could become accidental captures. Better off to just sell my gear and stop fishing altogether I think, don't want to go fishing and catch something I'm not supposed to in case it give sthe greenies more ammo to get fishing banned do I? Good logic that, stop fishing altogether so we don't catch something we aren't supposed to that will result in fishing bans....I hope you subscribe and practice your own logic?


Geez, barra have been caught on bits of peeled prawn on whiting hooks some seasons, when activity has been good, how the hell can we stop a barra eating our baits and lures....the only sure fire way is to leave them out of the water completely....not going to happen

why dont you read what i have said, i know that it cant be helped scott, but the original thread name promoted activily targeting barra not catching them as a by-catch, i still chase barra in the closed season in the dams where im allowed and spend most of my other time on the reefs.

i just gave a heads up and old mate changed the title which i was more than happy with.

[FNQCairns]

Re: Cape York Headland fishing

With the nice flat seas that Cape york is experiencing at the moment, I decided that this weekend was a good weekend for chasing shallow water headland fish.

I called my regular fishing buddy, Shane Miller fom Cooktown Barra Charters and left Cooktown at around 7 am.

We were greeted with dead flat seas so we decided to hit an inshore coral / rock bar that holds good fish at this time of year. First cast at a weed covered rock ledge, Shane hooks up and boats a nice little 67cm Barra to start the day. We managed to spook 5 more fish from this ledge during the fight and could clearly see them swimming away in the shallow, gin clear 6 feet deep water.

After playing with a school of just legal Jacks and a heap of Trevally, we decide to move a little deeper and flick a few plastics for Trout. Shane landed 2 nice Trout to 62cms on a 7 inch Pilchard Gulp that we kept for the table and I was smoked by a big Cobia on 15 spin gear. After landing plauges of cod and playing with a school of Queenfish, we decided that we would have enough water to get up onto the shallow flats.

We landed 8 fish over 65cms, with my biggest wild fish for 2010 going 90cms.

A top day in all in dead flat seas with plenty of Barra, Jacks and Trout landed with the usual Trevally, Queenies, Cod and Barracuda making a pest of themselves.

The only negative to the day was the 34 deg day and 100% humidity . On the way home we saw two shit for brains tourists swimming around in the river and when we politely reminded them about the resident 12 foot croc in that area the told us not to stress as they had a knife on them!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Thanks for reading,

Nick Stock

My best fish for today



Shanes typical Barra's

reads like a quality day in the tropics and all accomplished after breakfast with enough time to be home before tea time!!

Good to read about the barra and the ledge...love hearing observations like that.

they were O/S? tourists, gross ignorance can at least be a passable defence at times from them.