Barramundi whisperer in
Guide helps keen anglers reel in whopper catches
Townsville anglers are among an army of barramundi hunters taking advantage of fishing skills owned and tutored by Burdekin fishing guide Johnny Campbell, owner of JC’S Guided Sportfishing.
Campbell hosts guests from across Australia, along with a smattering of international visitors, at his Barra Lodge on the lower Burdekin River, his superpower – big barramundi.
Smelly baits, live or dead are not to be found on Campbell’s boats, his operation a lure-only affair, the artificial baits trolled and cast to entice strikes from one of the world’s greatest sportfish.
And in spite of their firstclass table qualities, all barramundi fooled and caught under Campbells tutorage are released to fight another day.
Campbell said he was keen to preserve the incredible fishery within the Burdekin River system, and argued that big barramundi were far to good to be caught just once.
Townsville man Kenny Frances, and sons Jared and Shaun, are intimately familiar with Campbell’s operation, all three having caught and released near metre-long barramundi on their most recent trip to the Burdekin.
The Frances men have racked up quite a score while fishing with JC, big chromeplated barramundi the prize catch while infiltrators, like a whopping 133cm-long black jewfish caught by Shaun a few years back, accompany a plethora of other species, including GT or giant trevally, over-size queenfish, fingermark, threadfin salmon, and even the occasional tripletail or jumping cod.
While many anglers swallow the myth hook, line and sinker – that barramundi are purely a warm-water summertime proposition – Campbell reveals quite the opposite.
“With the cooler weather, the fish are really starting to show in good numbers this year and I expect exciting times ahead,” the respected fishing guide said.
When asked about bookings and how his free his diary might look, Campbell was happy to admit that he was fully booked from July through until the barramundi season closure in November, but said he still had some vacancies throughout the next five weeks.
“I still have plenty of days available before then (July) and
p“Most eople keen on barra listen to the old fishing narrative and postpone their trips until the end of the year, expecting better fishing in the warmer weather when that’s often not the case Johnny Campbell JC’S Guided Sportfishing
it’s a great time of the year for barra,” Campbell said.
“Typically, most people keen on barra listen to the old fishing narrative and postpone their trips until the end of the year, expecting better fishing in the warmer weather when that’s often not the case.”
Find Johnny Campbell at jcsfishing.net.au
NAN REELS IN A WINNER
The recent spell of cool weather didn’t bother Townsville grandmother Andrea Gough one bit, nor the barra she caught while fishing in Morrissey’s Creek.
Hubby Greg said he and Andrea treated their grandchildren to a short fishing trip they’re not likely to forget.
“The two grandchildren decided they wanted to go fishing with their Nan, so we took them out for a few hours while the rest of us were waiting for low water later in the day,” he said.
“I found them a rock bar with a few good snags nearby, but still didn’t think much of the water movement.”
Using live mullet caught the previous day, Andrea defied expectations when she hooked, fought and landed her very first barramundi, a quality fish that stretched the tape to 73cm.
While Andrea might have been elated with her catch, so too were the grandchildren who happily reply in unison when asked who caught the best fish, “Nanny did.”
MANGROVE JACK ON BITE
Mangrove Jack remain a reliable catch within Hinchinbrook Channel waters.
Both lure casting fanatics and bait fishers are reporting quality bags of the red fish from mainland creeks, drains and rivers spilling into the channel, while others chancing their casts on the island side admit to mixed results.
Stephen Wright said he and mates cast soft plastic paddle tail and surface frog lures deep into flooded mangrove stands throughout the ebbing hightide periods in recent weeks to enjoy savage strikes from the red fish.
He said fish to 50cm were a better-than-expected catch in Sunday Creek, while similar tactics applied while fishing creeks near the island’s Deluge Creek resulted in a much smaller class of Jack.
Bluey Simpson and partner Sheila opted for mullet fillet baits when they fished near the mouth of the Seymour River last weekend.
The oily baits attracted a horde of bream, both pikey and yellowish varieties, but it was a hat-trick of fat jacks the holidaying couple were happiest with – the best at 47cm.
Meanwhile, Mangrove Jack will be considered mostly a bycatch species when sport fishing-minded anglers contest the 2023 Hinchinbrook Catch and Release Tournament today and tomorrow.
Townsville resident and Barramundi Restocking Group president Rhyce Bullimore will defend his 2022 Champion Angler Barramundi title while attempting to improve on his Runner-up Champion Angler award.
Anglers vying for top awards will specifically target high point-scoring barramundi, yet might concentrate efforts on other lower pointscoring species should they catch and release their daily boat limit of 10 barramundi.
The lure or fly-only tournament is an invitational event open only to Game Fishing Association of Australia or QGFA (Queensland affiliate) members who will fish channel waters between the Lucinda and Cardwell jetties.
TIPS FOR WEEKEND
Weekend worm-drowning options are expected to be better than last weekend, with winds set to decrease from their midweek strong wind warning status, and Sunday is to be the best of both days.
Tides, building from late week neaps towards next weekend’s full moon period, will suit most angling options, with estuary and foreshore fans likely to reap rewards while those keen on offshore exploits will be monitoring easing winds closely.
Bread and butter species including whiting, bream – silver and pikey varieties, flathead and grunter should feature in creels when anglers do their thing within most local systems. Prawn and fillet baits are likely to fool fish while small live baits like greenback herring might trick the larger,
more cautious of fish.
Barramundi remain a consistent catch and clued-up anglers might swap live mullet baits for live prawn and fish them, two or three pinned to a single hook, close to snags to entice schooling winter barras.
Land-based anglers should experience more joy than last weekend when they cast yabby and peeled prawn baits within popular beach waters, including the Burdekin’s Alva Beach, Cungulla foreshores and beaches Bushland and north.
Whiting will be the primary target while bream, flathead and grunter could figure as welcome bycatches.
Offshore, anglers will be looking for Spanish mackerel, and red fish including nannygai and emperor.
It is hoped the appetite of the region’s shark population wanes, yet that unlikely scenario dictates that heavy handed tactics might be employed to drag hooked fish to the boat in double-quick time.
Fringing reefs and shoal areas surrounding the Rattlesnake Island group could be good for a trout or few, bycatch, including cod, stripy or Spanish flag, grass sweetlip and fingermark.