Ellusive Barra, Please Explain!
It’s tough to find time off at our busiest trading period but Terry Holman, Les Marsh and I organised our Lakefield trip months in advance to coincide
with the best moon phase, the first quarter to the full during September. The spot was chosen after discussing a trip at a similar time the previous year
when Terry latched on to 100 plus barra in five days fishing. Now you’d think that we’d be in for a field day, but as we all know barra can be as pedantic
as Elton John at a press conference and as things unfolded we had to put every ounce of fishing prowess into play.
The first downside was that Les couldn’t make the trip due to work commitments, (but as you’ll see later he was there in spirit), so my son Matthew stepped
in to make up the team. He didn’t take too much persuading! The weather was picture perfect as we made our way to one of this country’s most beautiful National
Parks, even our late arrival at 8pm didn’t dampen our enthusiasm. The camp was set by 10pm and we were chomping at the bit for an early start the next morning.
Todays campers have it so easy! Engel fridge freezers, generators, flouro lights, quick pitch tents, and on this camp we even had Terry’s own design camp oven
for easy cooking. Our 3.5 metre barra punt was loaded with features such as a Humminbird Sounder, electric outboard, swivel seats, under gunwhale rod holders
etc. I well remember the days when we pitched a swag under the stars, pierced cans of beans and chucked them on the fire and used oars to get around in our 3
metre bush tinnie. How times have changed...and for the better!
Terry (L) with a barra trolled up from the middle of the water hole.
Terry noticed that the waterhole was a good metre lower than the previous year and snags were showing well above the waterline that usually held a few fish.
The water was also murky and more discoloured - do barra really mind? We were soon to find out as our first casts to bankside snags produced zilch. We worked
the entire length and breadth of the hole using small deep divers such as Rapala Shadraps and RMG Scorpions without raising a fish! One thing we soon realised
was that the barra weren’t in the snags along the bank and Plan B was to begin trolling deep divers like the Classic Pro Alternative 12+ and Manns Boof Baits.
The deepwater snags looked good and fish were there but lying ‘doggo’ as our lures brushed over them.
We started ‘ripping’ our rattling lures as they were slowly trolled over these fish riddled snags in an effort to ‘wake ‘em up’ and it eventually happened as
I hooked into a good sized barra from a snag 3 metres deep. One jump, he was on and running but the fight was lethargic and I soon had him beside the boat -
a fish of around 75 to 78 cms. Looking to be in good condition his silver colouring told us that he had only been in the isolated hole since last wet season,
and had been feeding well. But why so lethargic???
As the day progressed we noticed the water temperature creep up to 29.5 degrees, from a low of 24.5 degrees. This combined with the lower water level was
probably the reason barra were so lethargic, so how could we persuade them to chew?
Livebait will catch good sized barra like this, but for the author it’s always a last resort
Over a few beers back at camp that night we mulled it all over and by a process of elimination figured out a game plan for the rest of the week. In river
systems, and overflows/lagoons formed by dry season conditions barra feed in several areas depending on water temperature and atmospheric pressure. If the
water gets too warm they will often find a cooler ‘thermocline’ (band of water that is deeper), and conversely when the water temp is cooler they will often
find shallower waters that have been heated up by the sun, or rock bars in fairly shallow areas that retain heat.
There are basically five different options when fishing the still waters of Lakefield, or similar wetlands, later in the season:
Fish the timber snags that are close to the bank using shallow divers, or deeper divers as the sun warms the water.
Troll the first drop –off using mid water divers…searching for rock bars and deep timber snags that hold fish.
Troll the middle of the water holes using deep divers - again looking for structure that holds fish.
Livebait any of the above using cherubin, making sure your float is set so that the livebait is close to the bottom.
Set off at first light (or mid to late afternoon), and walk the banks using shallow to mid water divers.
You will cover a lot of country doing this and hopefully find hungry fish.
Another good tip is to cast to the shadows as the day progresses and the sun nears its peak. Barra often find cover in shady places as the water temp increases.
A decent sized barra taken on a small deep diving lure from a rock bar.
For the next four days we practiced all of the above and found fish, although in small quantities, using these techniques. They were lazy and not really
feeding, but, with persistence we managed to rack up around 40 barra over the five days. Many of them were undersize however the bigger they were the less
active they were.
A couple of other highlights of the trip, in addition to the good company and mateship were seeing Matthew put a big effort into setting and checking his
cherubin traps. It’s best to set them just before dusk using ‘Goodo’ dog biscuits as bait - they just can’t resist these! It was a pity to have to use some
of the bigger ones for livebait but when we caught fish up to 76cms it was a fair trade.
The other buzz came when Terry and I decided to chase small tarpon and archerfish using mini Japanese made minnows, and of course Terry took his fly rod to
try some ‘swishing’. Both methods worked and we caught a swag of theses feisty predators, something we wouldn’t normally try. I had to laugh when Terry hooked
a small croc on his fly. He was working it through some water lilies chasing tarpon when the surface erupted and this metre long mini croc was hooked. Taking
him on a ten metre run it was the best scrap of the day, until I was the bunny who had to try and get his fly back. These little buggers have razor sharp teeth
and Terry, who wanted his fly back more than I did, grabbed it behind the head, took out his fly - kissed it - and let it go. What a legend!
Archerfish using small lures and light spin gear are always good fun.
I’m sure many of you reading this article have had similar experiences at Lakefield when the fishing just ‘shuts down’, and hopefully these few tips may help
you to find a few willing barra.
p.s. Les Marsh, who couldn’t make the trip, ended up being re-created with the help of a rake, a shirt, cap and a couple of cardboard cutouts for his face and
legs. Those dam crows wrecked our camp the first day so this effigy ended up being a great scarecrow which we nicknamed ‘Les’. Good on yer mate!
Taking Memorable Fishing Pictures
It’s a subject that has been the attention of many articles, but with the advent of digital cameras the rules have changed in relation to taking that memorable
‘fish pic’.
Some basics will never change especially in relation to obtaining the correct ‘balance’, ensuring that the subject(s) are generally front and central, or when
at sea making sure the horizon in level - even the timing of the shot - and as we all know early morning/mid to late afternoon light will usually give the best
result. But as we all look to ‘convenience’ in our compact digital cameras it doesn’t matter a jot whether it has 3 mega pixels or 8 the fill in flash is the
key to taking that ‘perfectly lit’ photo and I for one am still struggling to compose shots at the optimal distance with these new fangled cameras!
In addition to the flash it is important to buy a camera with the correct lens! When searching out my 5mp Ricoh I literally looked at dozens of similar cameras,
however this was the only one at the time I could fine that had a 28mm. lens with 5 X zoom. Most of the others had 38 or 50 mm lenses which just don’t cut the
gravy for close quarters fishing pics, even if you do use the zoom you will always loose some clarity unless of course you opt to buy a two to five thousand
dollar camera, which for me tend to be too bulky and too prone to damage, and too expensive.
The toughest assignment I find when taking pics. out on the water is finding willing captors! Fellow journos and guides are the easiest as they know that it
takes a while to ‘set up’ the right pic. Firstly find the right background, ensure that the sun is at your back, keep the camera on it’s widest lens setting
and move backwards and forwards until you have that ‘perfect’ angle then ask the angler to smile and look happy. If the sun is as it’s highest point you have
to move to an area that has some cover so that the fill in flash will do the job of making sure there isn’t a shadow under the peak of the hat. If you’re at
sea then ask the angler to sit on the transom of the boat and take the pic from under the canopy. These tips will make sure you minimise ‘flare’ from the
excessive light which will often ‘white out’ your pic.
You may ask how the fish is feeling after all this time out of the water! To prevent harming the fish put it in the water every couple of minutes and swim him
backwards and forwards. This will keep him happy and healthy. The same applies when you come to the point of releasing the fish and when you feel him ‘kick’
he’ll swim off and survive.
Before buying your camera ensure you try out the ‘fill in’ flash before you make the purchase. Take a few pics in the shop and if there are still any shadows
at two to three metres give it a miss.
Last point is in relation to what anglers wear. It is best to wear dark or multi-coloured shirts and shorts. This ensures that the usually bright coloured fish
stands out rather than blending in with the background of light coloured clothing.
The attached photos show optimal lighting and good balance. I wish I could take credit for them all but Tris Eley, Matthew Graham, Truls Fauske, Adam White,
Ross Digman and Terry Holman also take the credit.
A peacock bass from the Amazon River.
Terry Holman fishing the Watson River early morning.
106cm Barra, Love River - Keith Graham
25 kilo barra release, Brannigans - Adam White
Black Marlin, Matthew Graham
Chinaman (Galloper), Matthew Graham
Underwater shot of a Dolphin Fish.
My recently born grandson Sam Oskar Fauske, he was only 3 kilos and I reckon he should have been put back.
