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Free Stuff!!
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For a limited time, you will receive a free Stealth or
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| An average barra for the day taken by Matthew Graham using a Killalure Barr Bait 20+ |
Shake, Rattle & Roll
It’s amazing how lure fashions change! Last years ‘gun’ lure is this years ‘has been’, or are we just being a little
too pedantic?
I think we all get a bit carried away with colours, size and shape as what really counts is the action of the
lure and the depth you can work it at. I’ll now add another dimension to this equation and that’s ”How many
rattles does it have and just how LOUD are they”.
My son Matthew and I have been getting into trolling a fair bit, mainly in an attempt to target bigger fish, barra
in particular. Many lessons have been learned along the way especially at what depth we find fish at various times
of the year and/or various tides/moon phases. Rules change in the freshwater reaches of our rivers and estuaries so
I’ll not confuse this issue and pass on these tips specifically relating to Salt Water only. You’ll be surprised
how much your catch rates will improve by applying these innovative tactics with the RIGHT lures.
A recent trip to Karumba to fish with Adam White was a real eye opener! The tides were perfect for targeting barra
and fingermark as we made our way upstream in the Norman River. A slow run in ensured the water colour wasn’t too
cloudy and the wind was less than 5 knots. Long sweeping banks indicated deeper water and the small bays had
baitfish ‘flicking’ - the scene was set!
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| Trolling for Fingermark can be really productive leading up to the cooler months.
This 5 kilo specimen was taken by Adam White trolling a JJ extra deep diver - his favourite lure |
A dummy run just using your sounder is a good move in these situations as it allows you to check the average depth,
(so you can assess which lures to use), and mark any rock/snag piles that are holding fish. If you havn’t got a
G.P.S. take a mental note of the bankside vegetation so you can best work out your ‘trolling line’. Adam did just
this and we were surprised to see a number of good fish marking on his sounder. Matthew and I were chomping at the
bit to get our lures in the water but settled down to make the time to check out the rest of the run.
As the tide was running in the feeding barra were likely to be on the upstream side of the snags, holding on the
upside of the current out of the flow (lazy buggers they are) - so we began our first troll upstream. This way we
were placing our lures on their noses, or this was our logic anyway.
We chose lures that would get down from 3.5 metres to 6.5 metres. Not a difficult task these days with the advent
of braided lines. The 40 lbs. Amnesia Braid we were all using is only .33mm, which is the equivalent of only 6
kilo mono line so there is very little resistance from the current and you can work your lures down well over what
the manufacturer states on the packet. It’s a question of how much line you let out and what angle you hold your
rod. Adam tied on a JJ extra deep diver, which can easily get down to 24 feet, Matthew tied on a Killalure Barrabait
20 footer and I attached a Classic Pro Alternative 12 footer that has rattles from hell (about 50 balls in the
chamber that would wake the dead).
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| The author with his best barra of the day caught on a Classic Pro Alternative Rattler 12’,
a lure that accounted for 7 barra in the one session |
The first few trolls produced zip...not even a touch. Then on a downcurrent troll I got whacked just after my lure
tripped against the rocks. How often does this happen when you’re trolling? Your lure hits the snag/rocks making
a commotion, wakes up a barra and he climbs all over it. This fella was only around 65 cms and gave me a few good
jumps and runs before being netted and then released.
The going was slow until Adam decided to slow the troll when our lures were passing over the rocks/snags. At the
same time we ‘ripped’ our lures like fury to stir the boys up. (Note. Ripping is when you aggressively move your
rod forwards so as to make your lure go a bit 'crazy'). Matthew latched on to another average sized fish, then
Adam, then it was my turn again. They were full of fight and their colour was almost a ‘liquid chrome’ - brilliant!
The afternoon wore on and we had a few more captures but it seemed that my ‘crazy rattler’ was doing the best job.
As the barra were a bit lethargic the super loud rattles seemed to be attracting more attention. This wasn’t the
first time this lure had outperformed others when the fishing was a little slow, it happened at Lakefield, and on
the Daintree River too!
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| Adam with his concellation barra trolled up whilst manoeuvring between two dead timber
trunks he nicknamed ‘the goalposts. A few minutes earlier he hooked, then lost a horse |
Another feature of this futuristic lure is the ‘wings’ it has on it’s sides. These protrusions help the lure to
shake and wiggle even at the slowest speeds and often anglers troll too fast to tempt fish that are not really
interested. On these occasions the slower the troll the better it seems to work!
By late afternoon we had moved further upstream plying the same tactics and caught a steady stream of fish. Adam
lost a doozie, a barra he estimated to be well over 15 kilos. It was one of those on/off situations where the fish
grabbed the lure, took a long run then spat it out. His concellation was a plump 4 kilo barra that he hooked whilst
trolling between two dead tree uprights that he nicknamed ‘the goalposts’.
Five hours trolling produced 12 barra ranging in size from 2.5 kilos to 5 kilos, a good effort bearing in mind they
were not really on the chew. Our Shake Rattle Roll tactics did the business and we all learned a little more
‘barra craft’.
The Classic Pro Alternative is available in both 8’ and 12’ divers and the colours used on the day were the
metallic gold and metallic blue versions, although any colours in the range I feel would have done the same
job. Adam’s favourite is the JJ extra deep diver in metallic gold and the other favoured trolling lure for many
anglers is the Killalure Barra Bait +20’.
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| Terry Holman with a typical Aurukun jack, caught in the shallows using a Leads Hi
Jacker metallic gold lure |
The Three Amigos
Friendship is the essence of memorable fishing trips and during the past twenty five years exploring some incredible
tropical waters I’ve been lucky enough to fish with some fine anglers. Mutual respect, trust and mateship make these
occasions extra special as we have shared some of the best sport fishing this planet has to offer, and this story is
about one such ‘special’ trip with two outstanding fishing guides - Terry Holman and Les Marsh.
I’ve known Terry for over twenty years and his fishing prowess is beyond question. It was no mistake that he was
recently inducted into the Bransfords Fishing Hall of Fame for his uncanny ability to read any fishing situation
and produce such consistent results. His client list is a who’s who of the international fishing community and
includes the I.G.F.A President Rob Kramer whom he recently fished on the Daintree and had one of those top days
catching barra. I have had the pleasure of his fishing company many times including a couple of Tournaments and
have guided some of his clients when he was, as is often the case, over booked.
Les Marsh is a real piece of work, a top guy who enjoys a good time and can cast a lure with the best of them. He
ran his own guiding business for some years and now runs the charter booking agency website ‘Fishing Cairns’, but
still guides for Terry whenever he has the time. Les is an opportunistic angler who takes the time to observe, then
cast his lure within a centimetre of it’s intended target before imparting such a provocative action that few fish
can resist. Full of wit and always a ready smile Les worked for me at Bransfords for some time and I can tell you
we’ve shared the odd laugh or two!
The occasion was a recent trip to Aurukun in May on board the M.V.Pikkuw run by Aurukun Wetland Charters. There were
three other clients on board namely John & Cheryl Richmond and Warren Heycott. The skipper Bob Frazer, and his
off side incumbent Ian, made up the balance of the team and in the absence of resident guide Tim O’Reilly it was
up to us guys to share these duties. The Aurukun Wetlands comprise the rivers Archer, Watson & Ward plus a couple
of detached fisheries in the Kirk and Love Rivers, which when combined make up one of the most extensive, remote
and unbelievable tropical fishing wonderlands imaginable.
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| Saratoga of this size don’t come along every day...but in Aurukun anything is possible |
The first few days of the trip flew by as we caught some memorable smaller barra, queenfish, mangrove jack etc.
John, Cheryl and Warren enjoyed the experience of fishing these pristine waters so much I am sure they will book
another trip, however the most stimulating part of this week long sojurn was a couple of days that Terry, les and
I spent exploring new country in areas that few anglers have ventured before.
A word of caution to anyone attempting remote area exploration is to ensure extra fuel and provisions are packed
plus all safety equipment and medical kit. We took the time to do this and advised our skipper where we intended
to go and what time to expect us back.
Setting off at first light our game plan was to travel as far as we could upstream BEFORE starting to fish, this
way we could work our way back with the outgoing tidal influence. As I had some knowledge of the area I was the
nominated guide, but in reality it was the blind leading the blind.
Amazing sights unfolded as we made our way 30 kilometres upstream. Wide sweeping bends with mangrove islands
opened up into low lying flat land swamps that showed flooded gutters on the high tide. It was so tempting to
stop and toss a few lures at these gutters but we knew they would fish better as the tide receaded and they
began flowing back into the main channel. Barra usually lie in wait on the outside lip of the gutter waiting to
pounce on the baitfish as they are washed out.
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| Cheryl Richmond enjoys her remote fishing trips and was especially proud of this
1.85 kilo mangrove jack taken in the Little Archer |
A virtual maze opened up and the early morning light made it difficult to pick out the deeper gutters and channels.
We plotted our course on the Navman GPS to help with the return journey but it should be made clear that these
wide/shallow big rivers of the Gulf are anything but hospitable to new chums and it is best to take a steady
course rather than going flat out. The obvious signs of danger are when you observe rocks on the bank, which is a
sure sign of a rock bar crossing the river. When the waters are flat calm the sign of ripples and swirls indicate
shallow sandbars or underwater snags, and of course rippling water indicates a shallow rock bar. After years of
fishing skinny water it all becomes instinctive but with three guides on board there was some welcome input from
Les and Terry which helped us to chart a safe course.
The river forked at it’s extremities so we decided to take the left arm. Flocks of whistling ducks in their
hundreds winged away as we approached, with the odd Burdekin in amongst them. Brumby’s galloped across the plains
disturbed by our presence and a sight I have never seen before of eight Jabiru’s together herding up bait fish on
a shallow sandbar. It could have been the Australian version of Jurassic Park and we felt priveliged to be there.
Towards the end of this arm was a reeded shallow swamp and I could tell the other guys were keen to have a ‘flick’
as they both picked up their rods and just stared at me. This was a sure signpost for barra, and perhaps saratoga.
Pulling up 30 metres short we glided in slowly before turning off the motor and drift. Terry and Les had their
first casts underway before I could even find a lure as they began that provocative ‘twitch & retrieve’ using
smaller surface lures. This method of more advanced luring keeps the lure in the ‘strike zone’ much longer and
tempts barra to strike, even if they’re not that hungry. Terry was the first to connect and Les soon followed.
Feisty little fish in the 40 to 50 cms. bracket that wouldn’t be short changed - good fun but not what we’d come
all this way to find. I persuaded the guys, as reluctant as they were, that we should tie on bigger deep diving
rattlers and chase some serious sized Snag barra.
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| An incredibly silver barra…106 cms., taken whilst trolling the Love River by Keith Graham
His next fish was a 20 kilo Queensland Groper |
The end of the arm was only another half kilometre upstream past a humungous rock bar. Where the waters almost
trickled in from the shallows there was a drop off to around 3 metres which had an old crumbly snag nestled
between it and the banking, another surefire signpost for barra as they often chase baitfish in the shallows
on the higher tides then return to their deeper holes to rest. I clipped on a 3 metre plus Classic Barra purple
colour, the guys kept on their smaller twitching lures and I could feel it was ‘Game on”.
Sitting back around ten metres from the snag I made my first cast in the midst of the tangled timbers, cranking
the lure quickly down to a fair depth before ripping it in short sharp jerks to get the rattles working. I felt
it trip over some timber, then some more, then B A N G I was onto something much bigger than those swamp rats.
A silver flash leapt right in the middle of the snag and headed downstream, a good sized barra in prime condition
led me on a merry dance. As he jumped I laid back on my Loomis 666 and the pressure of my 30 lbs braid took effect,
I was in charge but only just. A top scrap followed and Terry ‘Boga Gripped’ a nice 85 cms fish carefully belly
lifting it in for a photo or two. What a great start to our day and both Terry and Les changed their lures so
quickly they were both almost a blurr.
That snag produced another five fish to 75 cms before we moved on to try soft plastics on the nearby rock bar.
The shallow rock ledge jutted out five metres or so before it dropped off to a depth of ten metres. 130mm
Squidgey’s in the Drop Bear colour were tripped over the rocky bottom, where the sounder showed some fish life,
but the only customers we found were catfish. Time prevented us from doing more work in this area with soft
plastics which, I’m sure would have produced some XOS barra.
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| This 85 cms barra was caught by the Author in less than 0.5 metre of water belting through
at 5 knots - he lost his thumbprint in the process |
Motoring downstream we took a left turn at the nearby fork, this was the main channel and led us to an almost
impassable shallow rock bat with water rippling over it’s craggy mass. We spread ourselves over the boat to
maintain a level plane, lifted the motor and slowly worked our way up. Terry did the visual radar job directing
me over some hairy looking rocks, but we made it and anchored up at the first snag in the deeper water just above
this obstruction. Similar to the first ‘snag heaven’ we had just fished this tangled mass looked the business
and on his first cast Terry hooked big momma! He strutted around the boat like a ballerina trying to keep this
90+ cm. barra under control. A sudden dash fro the anchor rope was quashed as this master angler dipped his rod
tip under the water and turned it’s head just in time, then it leapt a full metre into the air, what a sight!
The fish was almost done and Terry led it towards the boat, then...the hook pulled. He looked up to the sky’s
and muttered ”The story of my life” before checking his hooks then taking out his diamond sharpening tool to ‘
touch up’ the points. A seasoned angler never let’s a lost fish get to him, it happens even to the very best!
Eight fish later, and several jump offs we continued our trek onwards and upwards. Les was having a ball and set
himself like a ‘pointer’ watching for it’s prey. Often he would see a ‘magic’ looking spot and point to it,
then look at me in a begging pose hoping I would stop. Not that I didn’t want to but I knew that there would
be better country upstream and time was marching on.
The stretches began to shallow inbetween some deeper holes, then we came across a cut – through. When you see
these spots where the river parts and a flood plain is visible it is usually deeper at the junction - always
fish them! Snags often build up where the two meet and barras love it as they can take cover behind the snags
against the current where baitfish are washed down, easy prey! I took out the video camera and asked Terry to
make a cast just knowing that he would hook up, and on the second cast he did and it was a ‘horse’. As he set
the hooks the big silver stallion arched his back out of the snagpile and headed towards the boat. Terry was up
to the task and wound like fury to keep up with it and avoided giving it slack, ’game on’ again! He fought it
like a piscatorial athlete running around the boat holding his rod high to keep the pressure on, another jump,
this fish was huge! Five minutes later the hook pulled again and this time Terry looked to the heavens again and
said ”Why Me?”. We all get days like this, but his frustrations were soon to disappear!
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| Fly fishing options are endless at Aurukun. This (not so) Giant Herring gave Terry Holman a
surprisingly good fight |
A gutter some way up this arm on the left was snag filled and in a back eddy. The slower run saw water back up
around the snags which had to bring food for wary barras! I made the first cast and hooked into a 70 cms fish,
and, as I was bringing it to the net both Terry and Les hooked up to what seemed like bigger fish. I quickly
released mine and took a vantage point up the front of the boat with the video camera to capture the action -
and what a sight it was as these two seasoned pro’s strutted their stuff. Rods and bodies were flying everywhere
as they tried to keep these two leaping barra under control, both fish well over 80 cms. You can guess the
‘Yahoos’ as they brought them alongside and Terry cradle lifted them onto the boat. This time he looked up to
the heavens and said ”Thankyou”, his gesture to the fish gods that had treated him so badly that day!
A sheer rock face five metres high greeted us past the next bend and no doubt had it’s fair share of fish working
it but as the current began to speed up I knew we were getting to the upper limits of navigable waters and we just
‘had to’ make it to this final point. Exploring is addictive and I am fanatical about reaching a pre determined
goal, especially in such remote waters that I am unlikely to fish for some time. The boys shook their heads at me
many times that day as I passed some magnifiscent looking barra signposts but the shallow rapids beckoned and we
were going to make it!
The river narrowed and the fast running clear waters indicated we were near the end. Again the motor was trimmed
as we motored through ‘tiger country’ and the boys flicked to likely looking structure. Terry hooked into a big
saratoga that leapt all over the place and led him around a couple of overhanging branches. I call these pre-historic
looking creatures ‘snake fish’ as they twist every which way when hooked. It weighed 7 pounds on the old scale
and gave us some top video footage and photos.
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| The master guide Terry Holman with his first over 80 cms. barra for the trip. He had a
tough time losing several big barras but soon made up for lost time |
We reached the final pool where we couldn’t push up any further. I would advise any would be explorers NOT to
try and pull the boat through these upstream pools as the DO contain crocs. My rule is if it’s fast, shallow and
clear I’ll do it, but when it becomes a little deeper and the water gets murky it’s not worth risking. We tied up
the boat and began to walk the banks.
Just like Lakefield in the run off, after the wet season, this stretch was picture perfect. Waters were being
channelled through narrow rock strewn gutters opening up into wider shallower runs. The amount of food that had
to be pushed downstream told us barra would be here in numbers - and they were!
We spread out, Terry opting to wade over to an island with Les and I sticking to the main banking. As our casts
hit the water our lures were ‘smashed’ by barra in the 65 to 75 cms range. We all seemed to be hooked up at the
same time as these muscled up fish ripped line off and sped off downstream, fighting like fish twice their size.
We were all ripped off, they were too good for us in this environment so a quick change to 40 pound Amnesia braid,
heavier rods and 60 lbs leader was in order.
Take two! The same scenario unfolded but this time we had more of an advantage and battled fish that fought like
fury with the current in their favour. My scrap lasted five minutes before I grassed a 70 cm. silver barra, Les
and Terry did the same. We’d found our ‘Fish Heaven’ and we savouring every moment as one fish after another gave
us the fight of our lives.
The occasional sooty grunter latched on giving us yet another species for the day then Les, who was fishing a two
metre rocky gutter, hooked a beauty and I saw him run up and down stream trying to stay connected. Comical to watch
he was oblivious to our laughs and finished the job off by landing a 68 cms barra, another fish I caught on video.
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| Two of the Three Amigos, Terry Holman(L), and Les Marsh with their double hook up 85 cms
barra - do they look happy??? |
The boys walked further upstream and I decided to go back to the boat where the water was a little slower and deeper.
I changed to Tropical Rogue mid diving lure with brown and green tones, more of a freshwater colouration. First cast
slightly upstream the lures was worked down and across the current, as it turned to wiggle it’s way back towards me
C R A S H - it was monstered! I had heaps of drag on my Shimano Chronarch but couldn’t hold this fish, too big. I
foolishly stuck my thumb onto the spool in an attempt to stop it but only succeeded in losing my thumbprint and
pulling the hooks. Second cast the same happened except this time he wrapped me around a rock and snapped me off.
I was determined to see how big these fish were and re-rigged with a 60 lb.s mono leader and an 80 lbs tippet,
tying the lure directly onto the line using a perfection loop. Third time lucky?? As I cast to the same spot I was
ready for the take, B A N G there she was and I gave it heaps, lifting my rod and walking backwards as I struck
into this bruiser. Speeding off downstream again I barely hung on but with the wind and walk method managed to turn
it’s head enough to force it into a backwater some ten metres downstream. Quickly I ran forward, winding all the way,
and grabbed at the almost beached barra..Whew!!! At 85 cms. I guessed this was the biggest I could ever manage out of
this fast running water and took several pics and video footage for posterity. This was one of the best barra scraps
I’ve ever had and I bored the guys stupid repeatedly telling them about this ‘scrap of a lifetime’.
Time marched on and we had to make a run for home. Terry & Les had caught a bunch more barra and sooties and were
well pleased with their efforts, what a place - what a day!
The GPS track I’d made on the way up helped us to navigate these wide, shallow channels home as we recalled the
days adventure. Probably fifty plus barras hooked, around 35 landed and three ‘horses’ lost. Barra of this size and
consistency don’t come along every day and we savoured the occasion. We all get on so well and share this common
passion for the greatest sport on earth, and agreed that we had to do this again, and soon! The banter on the boat
was like a sketch from the Comedy Channel.
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| Warren Heycott caught this, his best queenfish to date, from a current line using a
Stealth rattling minnow |
Space doesn’t permit me to mention that we managed a 106 cms. barra and a 20 kilo queensland groper whilst trolling
on the Love River using the Classic Pro Alternative rattling lure, or the last evening when Terry, Les and I drifted
a spot close to the Pikkuw on the run out tide and caught 25 barra and 5 jacks, the best barra measuring 102 cms or
the numerous mud crabs we devoured! This is an amazing place and I only hope it will be protected so future fisho’s
can experience just how good tropical sport fishing can be.
Our sincere thanks to the crew of the Pikkuw run by Aurukun Wetland Charters and the welcome company of the other
guests on board, John & Cheryl Richmond and Warren Heycott who all helped to make this trip so memorable.
Visiting my old fishing mate Adam White in Karumba we headed out on the Norman River to try some new lures
called F111’s and Stealth’s. These 11 cms. Metallic coloured rattlers cast a country mile and have a teriffic
action. Loaded with multiple rattles they do ‘ring the dinner gong’ well so we set out with high hopes.
More Pictures:
Les Marsh with his 68 cms. barra taken from a narrow
channel of fast running water - tough customers in this kind of country
Casting to a small snag near a gutter Keith Graham hooked
this 102 cms barra using an F1.11 rattling slow sinking lure. Big barras still hunt in skinny waters and
second photo of same fish
The first ‘good sized’ barra of the trip at 85cms.
Taken by the author using a deep diving Barra Classic.
Fly fishing options are endless at Aurukun
Read all Keith's Old Fishin' Yarns HERE!
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