A typical male barra taken by Matt Graham from a wet season gutter - one of many taken in a torrid hour long session.
ITS BARRA TIME IN FNQ
It’s ironic that many anglers seem to visit Cairns and the Far North during our cooler winter months when, in all honesty our
barra fishing is tough! When temperatures drop to 12 – 15 degrees at night this lowers water temps. and seems to put barra into
a semi comatose state. It’s exactly the same in the NT and I remember some years ago fishing for a week there during July and
managed only a few barra. Barra **do not** like sudden drops in water temps, they are sun worshipers and as the water warms during
the day they tend to become more active. This applies more so to Spring and Summer, so the message to all serious barra anglers
is to visit FNQ from April to Mid June and September/October when I can guarantee some memorable Sportfishing both on lure and livebait.
The options are endless from stocked impoundments to rocky headlands, lagoons, fresh and saltwater reaches of pristine rivers or
for those wanting to be guaranteed a barra capture our many private breeding ponds where you can pay to fish by the hour and they
will even provide a BBQ to cook your catch on.
Tinaroo Dam
If you check out the I.G.F.A. Record Book you will notice the majority of the entries for Lates Calcarifer are from the legendary
Tinaroo Dam. The most recent Junior Girls record taken by Helen Golding in January weighed in at 62 lbs. and that’s a hell of an
achievement for a fifteen year old! There is no closed season at this location and for my money around the full moon in November
and December are the peak times with lure fishing the preferred option. Fishing early morning and dusk through to midnight you can
either cast lures towards the shallower lilly pad lined banks where small to medium sized barra forage for a feed but the big momma’s
tend to be taken whilst trolling deeper diving lures on the drop offs and points. Favourites include the Killalure Barra Bait,
Tropical Rogues, RMG Scorpions and Barra Classics. Remember to troll slowly and work your lures with a ‘ripping’ action to get those
rattles ringing the dinner gong.
One word of advice from locals is to gently release bigger fish that are not good eating. They deserve to be caught more than once
and give that thrill of a lifetime to another lucky angler. Fish up to 75 cms. make for a good feed so if you have to take one make
sure it’s in this size class.
Best accommodation is at Tinaroo Pines Caravan Park and Chalets. They have a takeaway and a shop and you can purchase your Stocked
Impoundment Permits. It is situated in Tinaroo Township which is reached via Tolga and Kairi.
No visit to the far north is complete without a few sessions at Tinaroo, and, whilst the fishing may be a little slow there is
always the chance of a barra over the magical 50 lbs.
Rainforest Rivers
Fishing the fresh has to be the most rewarding barra fishing in our region. Best times are during and just after the wet season
(February to May). Surprisingly few anglers venture into the more remote upper reaches of our spectacularly scenic sweetwaters
but for my money it offers some of the most satisfying lure fishing and often good numbers of fish.
As the waters subside in between storms the run offs from gutters and creeks supply an endless array of food for hungry barra.
Working poppers and shallow lures in the mouths of these run offs often bring an instant response from feisty male barras in the
2 to 5 kilo class. Combine this action with the awesome scenery and any red blooded barra angler is sure to be in his element.
My favourite river is the Daintree, then the Mulgrave, Russell and North Johnstone, any one of which can turn on some cricket score
captures when the conditions are right. Several fishing guides specialise in run-off barra fishing; the most sought after being Terry
Holman, a local with over 35 years experience fishing the fresh.
Saltwater Mangroves
Timing again is the most important consideration when fishing the salt water reaches of our tropical rivers. Higher water temperatures,
around 25 degrees, are preferred and the migration of our barra stocks has to be taken into account. For example around September/October
each year barra congregate around the river mouth to begin the breeding process and this is a prime time to target them. Key times are the
turns of the tide, my preference is for the run out tide just after a new moon. Barra in the 75cms to 95cms bracket are common at this
time with the occasional ‘big momma’ well over the metre mark being caught. Trolling or casting lures both work well but the bigger fish
are invariably caught whilst trolling deeper divers. Livebait such as sardine, mullet or mud herring is also a favourite method and will
usually snare the bigger fish.
Earlier in the barra season around February/March/April is also a productive time as many mid size fish stay in the salt and tend to congregate
around rock bars and gutters, both inside the river and around nearby rocky headlands. Live prawn is certainly the best bait at this time
either fished on the bottom or floated along the current lines near snags under a sliding float rig. I use a 4/0 Mustad Big Red hook and
hook the prawn through it’s front ‘horn’. This keeps it active and alive longer.
Preferred rivers are the Barron, Cairns Inlet, Mowbray, Daintree and Dickson Inlet.
Rocky Headlands
This has to be the best ‘thrillseeking’ barra fishing here in the far north! During September/October and February to April some huge barras are taken
on lures from our many rocky headlands north of Cairns, between Yorkeys Knob and Port Douglas. It’s hand to hand combat as fish are hooked up
amongst the rocks and quick thinking and nimble movements are needed to stop fish in the 1 metre plus size range from rubbing your leader on
rocks or oysters. I try to fish the first of the making tide when baitfish can be seen flicking on the surface, a sure sign barra are on the
prowl. Larger mid diving lures such as Reidys B52, Staealth, F1.11, Leads Hijackers work well and it’s advisable to change the standard trebles
in favour of 6 x strong models or Owner forged trebles. Likewise split rings should be beefed up also.
Over the years I’ve seen Huge barra well over 60lbs caught from the rocks casting lures and the guys who put in the time consistently get rewarded.
Going Bush & Beyond
Cairns is the best place to base yourself to plan trips up Cape York where barra fishing - in my opinion - is the best on offer anywhere.
Remote outposts like Aurukun, Weipa, Jardine & the Jackey Jackey river systems and Portland Roads are abundant with a wide variety of fish stocks,
especailly old ‘silver sides’. Days casting and trolling lures can produce 20 plus barra per angler, again the bigger fish falling to trolled lures.
Last year I fished the Archer/Love Rivers on the west coast of the Cape and managed over 220 barra in one week, the best being 106cms and 102cms
(on a cast lure). Now that’s barra fishing at its best.
One other place that has to be mentioned is Lakefield National Park some six hours north east of Cairns. Over 1 million acres of criss crossing
rivers, creeks and logoons with a healthy population of barra. Camping fees are reasonable and it’s possible to fish a different hole every day
if you wish. The better months are definitely May/June and September/October. It is a beautiful landscape at Lakefield with an abundance of flora
and fauna, one of our country’s top camping spots.
Although most of the fishing is in the freshwater, barra up to 75cms out of the river systems still taste good, and the giant freshwater prawns
readily go into traps baited with Goodo dog biscuits, and they make a great feed (the prawns not the dog biscuits).
I hope this article has given readers a better idea of the great barra fishing in Far North Queensland and more importantly when to visit to get
the best chance at snaring that ‘barra of a lifetime.
Les marsh took this beauty at the mouth of the ‘break through’ creek in the background….just on dusk
BREAK-THROUGH'S FOR BARRA
Perfect timing! This is it; the time of year when all red blooded barra fishos should be out there chasing feeding barra in the mouths of
‘break through’ creeks, that have just formed due to the recent heavy rains.
Most of these smallish trickles that have evolved from the hills have laid dormant for most of the year and are home to a myriad of smaller
freshwater species such as rainbows, spangled perch, archer fish & gudgeons, then as the first heavy rains fall they burst out into the sea
through channels that look as though they were formed over millenea and a river mouth appears out of the scrub and mangroves. Nature can be
an amazing thing! It’s not hard to imagine the amount of food that pours out from these new waterways, nor is it hard to figure out that predators
are going to gorge themselves on this new found bounty.
On the Northern Beaches of Cairns alone there are more than a dozen B.T’s to fish, and they all produce barra, jacks, trevally, tarpon and salmon.
If you extend this phenomenon to Port Douglas there has to be 25 or more. How’s that for instant wet season fisheries, and right on your doorstep.
My son Matt and his mates think this is the best time of year for inshore fishing and are off most afternoons and nights luring & live baiting, more
often than not with some bumper captures. Timing is important and for me the run out tide on a calm evening fishing the seaward exit of the B.T. often
produces the best results. Predators are open mouthed as all kinds of goodies are swept out towards them and feed recklessly on the smorgasboard swept
their way!
Freshwater lagoons have now turned into tidal saltwater creeks, interesting how the resident species adapt so quickly without perishing (those that
are not eaten by bigger predators). A new cycle of life begins as freshly spawned barra fingerlings push their way upstream, so too many other
species making up an important nursery that ensures the cycle continues.
If you try these fisheries no doubt you will encounter many smaller, undersize specimens. Please return these fish gently! On the other hand the
best fish I’ve seen caught from a B.T. is a 10.5 kilo barra, so don’t be surprised by what you catch. Unusual captures over the years include
milkfish, giant herring, hairtail and sole.
By far my favourite method of fishing is to use poppers. Visual strikes really do it for me, especially when a three kilo buck male barra climbs
all over it and makes such a commotion. Scares the daylights out of you and guarantees the adrenalin starts to flow! Short, sharp jerks with the
popper seems to work well. Don’t make BIG bloops! Hook ups on surface lures can be frustrating, but patience really does pay off when that first
trophy fish comes to the net.
In addition to the B.T. creeks the rocky headlands between Yorkeys Knob and Port Douglas can produce fish of a lifetime. The barra have spawned
some time ago but tend to hang around these areas chasing the abundance of bait fish. Fishing the quarter moons, on the tide changes will
guarantee you some action. Watch for surface bait activity, and using lures such as the Leads Hi-Jacker, F.1.11 & Stealth Bombers, RMG one
minus etc. Cast beyond the surface activity and then work your lure back in a slow & erratic manner so as to keep the lure moving and in the
'STRIKE ZONE' as long as possible. Barras really go for this and the bigger fish will give you the fight of your life, and I’m talking fish
well over the metre mark.
If you do catch a barra you wish to weigh in bear in mind that Bransfords have a Barra Buster Promotion with some great prizes runing at the moment!
