Low- key openin
BARRA season 2018 is well underway following last Thursday’s ( February 1) midday start, however, following a three- month moratorium where barramundi within the wild fishery were off limits to both recreational and commercial fishers, the season opening was met with less fanfare than expected.
Fishing commentators believe the coinciding king tides of better than 4m contributed to fewer anglers hitting local waterways while others blamed the stifling humid conditions for keeping anglers elsewhere.
Local resident Rod Heathcote was having none of the temperature difficulties when he and a mate cast their bait net in shallow Cleveland Bay waters on season open day but admitted that the tide was a bigger hurdle.
The pair stalked mullet in flooded waters on normally exposed sand flats near the mouth of the Ross River.
Heathcote told how his initial casts with the net proved fruitless, yet within a short while, as the big tide ebbed, the mates filled their live bait tank with mullet ranging in size from about 70mm to a barraenticing 200mm.
But the first barra of the season didn’t come easy when the fish failed to bite following the midday hooter.
“I think there was way too much run and the barra didn’t seem hungry,” Heathcote said.
“We pushed right up into the top of the creek before the start, looking for a place to set our anchors, and there was water everywhere. The banks had been broken ( by the tide) and it just looked like the open ocean,” he said.
Both mates were patient and would wait until 6.30pm to entice their season- first barramundi.
“We didn’t get the bites until the tide had turned and began to run back in,” Heathcoat said.
“We missed a couple and got one at 82 ( centimetres).”
The experienced angler tethered the fish from the stern of the boat hoping to snare a smaller fish which he said were significantly better eating.
“I don’t like keeping the bigger fish ... I’d rather them have a chance at breeding and was hoping to let that girl go, but it didn’t work out that way,” he said.
Slow and steady start
CHARTER guide Glen Jepson said it was a low- key beginning to the season when he negotiated a path through plenty of boats trying their barra luck within the Bohle River.
Jepson, who owns and operates Fairdinkum Fishing Charters, conducts much of his charter operation within the popular river and knows the local barra fishery intimately.
“We had a few exploratory trips with regular clients during the first few days and we caught a handful rat barra around the edges,” Jepson said.
He described “rat” barra as small fish at the lower end of the legal size range which extends from 58cm to 120cm. “We did mark some big barra though, but it was hard to get them to bite with all the boat traffic.”
Jepson said the Bohle River was an exceptional barramundi fishery and big barras were often the norm rather than the exception.
“I’ll find a lot of the bigger barras when these first couple of sets of king tides have gone,” he said.
“I’ll use the bigger of my two boats – the Punt, which can handle up to eight anglers – and we’ll use the largest live baits to catch the big girls, although we generally release all fish over a metre long.”
Jepson said he still had a number of days available for charter during prime February and March tides.
“We also do a lot of half- day trips which is ideal for families with kids,” Jepson said.
Dave’s lures still top dog
LOCAL lure manufacturer Dave Killalea said his Old Dog Lures brand has been kicking goals since the opening of season.
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