Barra luck
THE last days of barramundi season 2022 were kind to both local and visiting anglers, landbased fishers faring particularly well when they chanced their casts within shallow waters lapping Halifax Bay beaches.
A meteorological cocktail of oppressive heat, afternoon thunderstorms and simmering waters incited savage bites from the revered sport and table-species, Mark Wood from the Sunshine Coast taking advantage to catch his very first and second barramundi.
Wood had his tent pitched at the Rollingstone Holiday Park last weekend when he met the affable and wellknown part-time sparky, column regular Vince Mcglone.
Mcglone, who seems to do far more fishing than electrical works, had wandered the beachfront of the holiday park with rod and lure and had lucked upon an enormous school of mid-size barras.
He told how when he hooked a barra, another 20 or more would follow the fish close by, as it was fought into shallow waters.
“I’d never seen anything like it,” Mcglone confessed
Back at the park with 60cm of dinner in hand, Mcglone had roused Wood’s interest with his catch.
Mcglone, hardly a wilting violet and willing to share his fishing exploits with anyone who might listen, was not selfish and kindly schooled Wood on barramundi tactics 101.
Both men strolled the beach the following morning and as the flood tide carried encouraged barras to hunt baitfish along its length, Wood cast his shallow running lures.
It was only a short while before a near 70cm barramundi proved Wood’s very first, the delighted holidaymaker even happier when a second barra closer to 60cm proved the first far from a fluke.
The new mates left the barras biting as the tide ebbed and carried them beyond cast’s reach.
END OF SEASON SUCCESS
WULGURU’S Kobi Bruhn made no mistake with his endof-season barramundi efforts, the young man catching plenty of quality barra from several favourite landbased spots.
Described by friends and family as a fishing addict, Kobi’s tackle arsenal is comprehensive and he sorted through a bunch of lures before settling on a green Long A Bomber to fool a pair of chrome-plated Pallarenda Beach barramundi last Saturday.
A westerly wind ensured waters calm and clear and only the most skilful presentation fooled what might have been considered
The fish were of superb quality and well beyond the 58cm minimum legal size, however Kobi was happy the let both fish swim free – like he does with the majority of fish he fools.
LUCK FOUND OFF BREAKWALLS
THE barramundi catches continued for landbased anglers doing their thing from harbour and marina breakwalls, Simon Summerton landing a prime 85cm fish from the western breakwater.
Summerton said he rigged 3 rods during the early hours of Saturday morning, each with live baits – prawn, mullet and herring.
Flathead, cod and small trevally showed a fondness for the prawn and herring baits while the mullet, a largish near 20cm fish, drew little apparent interest from hungry fish.
The experienced Deeragun angler said patience was a quality that he owned in bucket-loads and the wait a good one when 3 hours had passed and the mullet was eaten.
“I saw the jump first and knew right away it was on my line,” Summerton said.
The fight was described as ‘epic’ with Summerton following the fish back and forth along the rocks and a moment where he thought he’d lose the fish when the line became snagged below the waterline.
“I backed off a bit and was a bit lucky… the barra swam back the other way and freed the line,” he said.
The relieved angler said he played the fish gently from thereon, fearing the line may have been damaged and weakened.
“I was stoked when I grabbed it,” Summerton said, “and by the time I got back to my other rods, one of them had caught a 45cm flathead.”
CHALLENGING CONDITIONS
FISHING guide Ian Moody, of the sportfishing operation boasting the same well-known name, declared the final week of barra season 2022 as challenging with westerly winds and heatwave conditions hampering shallow water fishing efforts.
Largely fishing the northern reaches of the Hinchinbrook Channel, Moody said baitfish species seemed to make a mass exodus from shallow waters and with that, schools of barra followed suit – either in pursuit of the bait or chasing cooler water temperatures.
“We were still finding some great-sized barra though, and just having to persevere before we could get a bite, Moody said.