Start reaps rewards
only do the barramundi fishery no of good. “The rain we had was tly coastal and there’s not a lot of in the river (Burdekin River) so I’d ect a lot of anglers will also have to tend with an influx of commercial fishers,” Campbell supposed.
Sadly, the commercial guys will rip of barras out of the system before y get a real good chance at wning during those flooding times n flood plains are opened up – the me time for recruitment of future a stocks,” Campbell added. Campbell said he expected anglers are reasonably well however, during first weeks of the season. hat, he said, was in spite of neap s during the opening weekend and g tides peaking at 4m just a week r.
He said some anglers who fished for yment only would be targeting mpy’ barras that have been ased from their lagoon and wetland ronments during the recent flash ding while others intent on finding as for the table will turn their rts towards coastal creeks and shores where infinitely better ng saltwater-run barras might be nd.
Campbell said Bowling Green Bay ems including the Haughton River, rattas Creek and neighbouring ller inlets would likely yield good as.
Campbell said his charter diary was ady heavily congested with booking ever he did find some opportunities new bookings in June.
m forecast
nny Campbell’s Burdekin River ervation was spot on – although might change significantly in ks to come. unwater, the water service provider in charge of Lake Dalrymple or the Burdekin Dam, advises that the dam could spill water in any time soon due to forecast rainfall and catchment inflows.
“An update will be issued if water flows over the dam spillway,” Sunwater said on social media platform Facebook while advising the public to monitor forecasts and river levels at www.bom.gov.au
Ripper result
And the Cardwell end of Hinchinbrook Channel has proven consistent throughout the first week of the 2020 barra season. Clients of Ian Moody’s Sportfishing charter operation claimed several fish each day, Wednesday kicking off with a ripper 105cm fish.
Part of a three-day experience, Moody’s clients nailed the first fish of the season on Monday, another metreplus fish stretching the measuring tape to 103cm and among a catch of near similar size threadfin or king salmon.
Moody said he marked plenty of fish on the sonar yet drawing a strike from the barras was problematic at best.
It might have had something to do with the numerous sharks that created obvious issues with hooked fish.
“It was a pretty good start to the season and we got about 30 barras for the three days, the smallest 79cm,” Moody said.
Moody prefers to instruct clients on the finer points of lure casting and he is especially fond of the locally produced Old Dog Lures, the Mutt models in particular.
Crabber cops $13k fine
There was no shortage of hopefuls setting a crab trap or two following the recent rains, many rightfully figuring that the freshwater influence might have washed tasty mudcrabs from the deep mangrove hideouts.
I did envy a couple of reports telling of their seven-crab bag limit catch and I’m betting none were as silly as a Gold Coast crabber recently nabbed by Queensland Fisheries officers.
The crabber was fined a lump-inthe-throat $13,000 for several crabbing offences after being intercepted at the Paradise Point boat ramp.
Officers found 11 female or jenny crabs and a lone undersize male mudcrab in the fisher’s possession while a later search of a property uncovered a further 17 female and 12 undersize mudcrabs.
Also found were two crab pots marked with another fisher’s name.
Mudcrabs simply don’t taste $13,000 good!
Fishers suspecting illegal fishing activity can report it to the 24-hour toll-free Fishwatch hotline on 1800 017 116.