Gearing up for Awoonga

[Glind]

Hi All,
We are heading to Awoonga later in the year and need advice on tackle etc.
I have had my ABU's fitting with Smooth drags but am unsure what braid to use and also what leader material. My initial thoughts are for 30 lb braid with 60 to 80 lb Jinkai leaders. I have heard and read that 50 lb braid is minimum and some guys using 150 lb braid leaders.
Any experienced Awoonga fishos please helps as I want to get all the gear organised well in advance of the trip and also want to give us the best possible chance of landing a few big mothers.
Tim

[billy7]

Hi Tim i used 30lb fireline with 60lb jiniki leader and landed fish up to 30lb on it no troubles at all at awoonga last year
billy

[Quinny69]

Some one else gave me and some mates this advise last yr and it saved what could have been trouble :P,If you are camping at the Van park/camp grounds you will need the strongest tent pegs you can find and a decent hammer,,,,the ground is like concrete ,we had fairlly strong pegs bending and flying all over the place. As for the fishing, Dont ask me, some people (Randal) have the place pretty wired, look for nil wind.Great place to be but......mQ

[Randall]

Quinny....your $20 is in the mail mate!! ;D

Awoonga gear? #This is what I use.

5ft 4-6kg customized baitcaster with a Curado 100 spooled with 50lb Bionic. 60lb Pen 10X leader. That just about handles anything Awoonga can dish up. Got a 1120mm barra on the above referenced gear. #The 50 lb Bionic is for abrasion resistance against and around the trees...30lb is adequate for open territory. Always use 60lb leader!!!!!.

Backup rod is a customized short-stroker as well. Spooled ABU 4600 50lb BB.

Hope this helps.

Randall.

[Randall]

BTW....take a look at the fish above and go and purchase a HUGE landing net. DONT leave home without one!!! ;)

Randall.

[beatle]

Glind - I don't know whether you know or not but the ramp at Awoonga is closed from 8pm until 7am the next morning due to the problems they have had with vandals in the past. You may leave your car and trailor inside the compound overnight if you want to get an early start in the morning but it may be risky.The other alternative is to leave your boat in the water overnite below the camping area but this entails a very steep walk down to the water and the risk of a storm overnight with your boat still in the water. Awoonga is a beautiful dam with excellent facilities and the rangers are most helpful. The information given by the Ausfish members is spot on. The only advice I could offer is to find a Barra type lure that matches the colouring of the billions of freshwater gar (grey on top, silver underneath) that inhabit the dam and undoubtedly provide Awoongas Barra whith an unending supply of food. That is why you have to work hard for your fish here and you virtually have to hit the Barra on the head with your lure to produce a stike. Cast and retrieve right up close to the banks/bushes and don't give up.Good luck -Beatle. [smiley=beatnik.gif]

[caveman]

i've got a mad mullet that is the same colour as the one beatle described that i bought at the dam ??? ??? still didnt get anything though

[agnes_jack]

Glind
Fish the standing patches of timber, Concentrate your efforts around dawn and dusk, or just after dark. Look for areas that are 3m or less in depth. Some of the shallow bays, particulary those on the least windy side of the dam, can hold schooling fish.
Flog the hell out of every snag, twig or tree in these areas.
Some lures that have a good reputation at awonga are- Arafura barra in gold, or bleeding mullet color. DK lures eyecon same colors
b52's, gold bombers. For trolling-Predatec Vipers in chrome gold and silver colors.

Regards, Tony ;)

[Glind]

Thanks guys, hopefully we are in with a good chance.
Tim

[Peter_J]

Tim,

Ditto all the above comments. I've made three trips to Awoonga and totalled six fish (biggest 98cm) Made contact with many others but these things can throw a lure pretty well >:(

Started out using 30ld Spiderwire but upgraded to 50lb for the last trip. Currenlty using Shimano Calcutta 250 on a 6kg Loomis and a Calcutta 150 on a Shimano Barra. Leader is a home made 24kg furled/twisted leader that offers all the abrasion resistance you need in the timber [smiley=2thumbsup.gif]

When I throw the fly it's a 10wt Loomis IM6 with 24kg furled/tapered leader 9haven't got one on fly yet)

Mainly throw Koolabung Livebaits, Predatek Spoonbills, Azzura's, Reidy's

As Randall said, don't forget the big net

PJ

[dazza]

hi all,
a few of you guy's are using 6kg rods. is this heavy enough.
i will be taking a Loomis C643 as my main rod (6kg). do you find that you end up using a bit heavier rod. was thinking about a 8kg.
will be using 50lb braid and knotted dog leaders.

Peter J do you have a diagram or can you explain how i can make my own furled leaders.

busting to get to awoonga
dazza

[big_george]

Hi dazza.
IMHO i feel the 643 is to light.4-5kg stick for timber work.
If you have anything heavery in the 6-8kg take that.
Loomis range. 644-665.
Pacific comps-ultra grapth 3000.6-8kg.
I use the below.
Fireline.20-30 pound(breaks at lot more).
Penn 50 pound power pro.
Schiender 55-70 pound for leader.
Have a look at fish of a life time posted by swano on page 3 in freshwater photos.A few faust lass's caught on the above tackle.By myself.(LUCKY BUGGER).
regarsd George. ;)

[MarcusD]

I'm gearing up to head there later this year too and I think I've got the rods in order but I'm not sure about the reels. I've got a couple of Millionaire CV-X103/105's and I'm thinking of buying another reel soon - either a Millionaire CV-Z203 or a TD-Z103 (so far I'm going with the low profile unless I can be talked out of it).

Do you guys think that the line capacity on a 100 series baitcaster will be too small for impoundment barra fishing, or will it be sufficient? (Running 50lb braid).

[Peter_J]

Dazza,

There's a bit of a knack to making furled leaders and it's not the easiest thing to describe in a few lines ;)

I got the basics from a website globalflyfisher.com ??? ??? or something like that but have developed it a fair bit since then.

I'm looking to start marketing my own leaders in the near future so you might see them on the shelves somewhere [smiley=2thumbsup.gif]

Peter

[scott_b]

Don't get your hopes to high. A mate and myself went up in Sep and Jan ,got a 16lb on the first trip after a nice person took us under his wing ,second trip nothing. The lady at the kiosk said one fish for a thousand cast we think that dam owes us ten to fifteen fish.
wamjam

[dazza]

hi all,
thanks for the info george. i was looking at maybe rolling up a couple of ultra graph 3000. i thought my loomis might be a bit light.
Peter,
thanks for the web site. i will check it out
wamjam,
i agree. i haven't got my hopes up. heard alot of people don't get a hit.
we are staying for 2 weeks so hopefully should be able to get the feel of the place. if not, there are plenty of salt water options, and at the end of october things should be really hotting up.

marcus,
the reels i will be using is a calcutta 50 with 50lb braid, and a knotted dog leader, abu 6500, and abu 5600. all have erskine super smooth drags. i don't think line capacity is a problem. if anything takes 20 meters f line off of you, it will be well and truly back in its pile of sticks

cheers
dazza

[MarcusD]

Thanks Dazza, I had a feeling that they don't run that far. Looks like I'll get the low profile baitcaster I want now :)

[andy_thomsen]

Hi Tim,

One other thing you might want to consider is using 6x trebles, and leader of 60 pounds is plenty. Most hooks on lures are weak. The line now days is outperforming the terminal tackle 4:1. Mind you some fish you just can't stop, up at Peter Faust you just have to shrug your shoulders and move on when you get done in the timber.

[beatle]

They won't be running any more than a few feet, straight back into the snag they came from. -beatle.

[Glind]

Roll on summer

[scott_b]

Glind
Gday mate sounds like your going at a good time when we went up in sep we met a bloke who had fished Awoonga since barra had been introduced ,he got a sh#t load of big fish.If you got two weeks you should do really well,make sure you get out at night from just before sunset and until atleased two hrs after its dark.
Best of luck wamjam

[heaney]

any one got an update on the fishing conditions at awoonga at the moment thinking of making a trip

[Jeremy]

I will be up there from Nov 25-28 this year. We have two cabins booked for our Club. This will be my first time. I was told that there isn;t much point going for longer than 4 days as your casting arm gets sore.

Anyone else going to be up there at that time? Tim, Dazza?

Jeremy

[damons33]

some fish you would stop if you used rods and reels that matched your line classes, ie 24kg stand up short stoker rods and tld 2speeds and turn the bitches straight up!
ok casting might be hard(lol) but trolling would work, leave gear in lock up and tow them out of the sticks'
day 5 trolling and beer?lol
;)

[dazza]

Hi Jeremy,
We will be up there last week of october first week of november.
Hopefully we will be able to give you the good oil on our return.
I am really looking forward to it. Just hope we can catch a few fish. If not at least the weather will be hot and the beer cold, could think of worse things to be doing ;D ;D
cheers
dazza

[dazza]

hi all,
starting to buy a few more lures to take up, is it worthwhile getting a few surface lures. i have a few poppers, but was thinking of something a bit smaller to jiggle around over the top of snags etc, or am i wasting my time
cheers
dazza

[Randall]

Missed a few posts here. Barra huntin always gets my juices flowing!!!
As far as rods and gear are concerned, I have a different slant on the more traditional "grunt em out" approach to landing big neanderthals.
I still use 50lb Bionic or in some cases, 30lb. You still need the abrasion resistance of the heavier braid with a good quality 60lb leader. I use Pen 10X, in my opinion, the best I have found.

Lighter rods and baitcasters work just fine for me. I did a lot of trialling work at Awoonga this season just gone. I lost my fair share of meterys in the tight cover but I also got very large fish with mean attitudes out into clean water using the softly softly approach.

I have also done quite a bit of metery fishing by my lonesome and to actually net these neanderthals and get em into the boat for a few happy snaps is a real challenge by yourself. Thats why I went to short strokers. A 5 ft rod works very well. Whilst a thrashing metery is at the side of your boat, it is extremely difficult to handle them with a longer rod due to the phisical length of it. A short stoker offers you MUCH more control and brings the whole show within reach to net the big barstards.

The second major advantage of the short strokers is pure casting accuracy. Paul Dolan impressed on me a while ago just how important it is to place your lure on a dinnerplate at 25 mtrs. The well placed lure often gets the hit. First twitch. The short strokers are very accurate!!!!! Trust me. Why do you think that in casting comps they specify a minimum length rod? Because the shorter rods offer an unfair advantage. Should there ever arise a situation that you need to apply the pressure, you still have it. I wear those rubber clad sun-gloves and I simply lock up the spool when required. If the short stroker is bending far too much, I just point the furker at the fish and grunt it out. Simple!! I fail to see why more Barra hunters have not trialled them.
Big George is currently building an Ultrgraph 3000 short stroker for me for this seasons Barra. I have built a few prototypes for trialling and now that I have the type I require, George is doing the good one.
As for baitcasters with balls?...well, they are good to have but I have had far more success getting Meterys back into the boat using a light to medium drag setting. When you get hit in the places where I prefer to fish, (heavy structure) the fish goes balistic initially then goes straight for his snag. The trick is, dont panic and try to wrestle her out. She`ll win most times. Rather, let her sulk for a minute while you motor in close. When you have a clean shot, put all you`ve got into getting her heading out into the open. This may happen a few times before you get a clear avenue but once out in the open it`s on again. I love this shit!!!
It`s a whole mess of fun and you get to fight the fish several times. Try it, you may find it works. (Not all the time though)

Hope this helps guys.

Randall.

[Randall]

BTW....there`s only a few lures that I use for all impoundment barra.

Arafura barras...130 or 150mm. Only two colours....Bleeding mullet and gold. I do not upgrade trebles. I use the standard trebs as supplied by Lively lures. The trebble and split rings are my safety valve. If your going to get smoked by a huge fish, I would rather get the lure back minus the trebs. Better than losing the lot!!
The arafuras are simply the strongest Ausy made lure I have found. Tow point is not on the bib. The tow point is directly coupled to all trebs. They have an appealing action to Impoundment Barra.

You will probably see me hooning about in a few barra dams this summer so if you do notice the white poly with 50 honda out there, by all means pop on over and say hello.

Randall.

[Fitzy]

Randall,
When yo get into surface (remember the throwback trick I showed ya?) or deep water work you might find the 5 footer has some short comings. For short range chuck & churning of hard-ons in tight country a 5' rod is well suited. Allows you to keep the rod tip low without banging on the side of the boat.
A longer rod would be an advantage if a barra runs toward you at full noise. Allows you to stay in contact with the fish ie no slack lining.

fitz

[Randall]

Agree mate....but for heavy structure, I find the short stroker works a treat. Its a whole different shooting match out in the open. Far less challenging in my opinion but still fun never the less!!!
I have had a lot of success with the slack line method you showed me several years ago. Have tried turning their heads in full flight but the result is a lure flying back at you at 100 mph!!!
:o Your free-spool method pays dividends repeatedly. (As evidenced by that metery you caught at Faust on your Bass gear!!!)

Randall.

[Fitzy]

:o #Your free-spool method pays dividends repeatedly. (As evidenced by that metery you caught at Faust on your Bass gear!!!)

Randall.
Am gonna do it again this year again too! ;D

fitz

[Julie_J]

Randall,

I have been having a quick look around for those Arafura Barra lures, but haven't found any. Do you know who sells them?

Hubby & I are heading up to Awoonga & Faust in Oct/Nov & we are starting to get some gear together. Can never have too many lures. ;)

Julie J.

[big_george]

Julie.
Have a talk to that big fella that works with your cranky husband.He knows where to get the fura's.Top lure that. ;D.
Have you mastered the overhead casting yet.????
BG.

[Randall]

Julie...another Dubbo Lass!!!!! There`s a few of you here now!!! (Dubboites that is.)

I assume BG knows you. George has anoth top Barra lure he uses in the impoundments and I must say , after he shot me up a few to trial, they are the ducks nuts!! Koolabungs in silver and gold fleck...100mm!! They look the goods and can hardly wait to take them swimming.

The arafuras are pretty popular up here in Qld. If you have trouble locating them down your way, Steve sells the Lively lure range here on the board. I`m sure he can get a few Arafuras for you if you ask nicely ;D

Good luck when you make the trip up here later this year.

Randall.

[Randall]

Am gonna do it again this year again too! #;D

fitz

We all are mate!! ;D

Randall.

[Quinny69]

Hey Fitz, Randall.... Do you recon the freespool method would work wiff th FLY???????? or would the fish just keep running/stitching due to the wgt of the line??. Im going back up for sure this yr, dont know when yet though.....Quinny

[Randall]

Quinny....first time I have considered it mate!!! Well, I guess it would work a treat!! No resistance....and they usually stop. Thats when you position yourself to tug the buggery outta the line and get em in the clear.

Saying that though, I would`nt really recommend using fly in amongst the sticks!!! You would have no real control over them given the length of graphite swinging around the place. I would save the fly for open bank. Thats where you stand the best chance of a good hookup and subsequent fight.

I`ll be swingin the 10# up at Teemburra this year. Have`nt got a big one on fly yet so I reckon I`ll pop the cherry this year!!! Thats when I`ll be ringing you for advice buddy!!

Randall.

[Chris.Y]

Randall.....I'll be takin a 12# TFO up this year & bungee cord leaders #:o, didn't quite feel safe with the 10# last trip.
Don't give an inch if you can help it ;)
Cheers Chris

[Randall]

Hey Chris, I thinks George Voysey just wraps the flyline around his hand a few times and hits reverse on the electric!!! Fair dinkum!!
There`s no technique involved in Big Barra and fly I reckon. ;D

RG

[Julie_J]

Big George,

yes I have been playing with the baitcaster & it didn't take long to get the hang of it. Having said that, I still prefer the eggbeater because it's a bit easier on the arms. When we head North I'll just gear up to the Capricorn 3500 on that lovely bass rod you built for me. Anyway, all you frogs are cranky buggers!! ;D

Randall,

funny you should recommend the 100mm Koolabungs in silver and gold fleck, because we got a few of them recently from the big bloke.

Thanks guys,

Julie J.

[Fitzy]

Hey Fitz, Randall.... #Do you recon the freespool method would work wiff th FLY???????? or would the fish just keep running/stitching due to the wgt of the line??. #Im going back up for sure this yr, dont know when yet though.....Quinny
Quinny,
The idea is that if you stop pulling, some fish stop running. It's probably one fo the hardest things to learn ie, freespool a fish that is into sticks but not yet wrapped up. You're first instinct is to pull even harder to get 'em back out. To my amazement it worked for me first time I tried it.
When Randall gets this video finished from up there last year, we might see some of the footage where I demonstrated it by walking a barra out of thick snags to resume the fight in more open water.

I cant see why it wont work on fly. Same idea, you stop pulling, they stop running & it allows you time to move the boat into a better position before pulling the line tight again. You can even slowly (very gently) walk a fish out of sticks once they've pulled up. It dont always work, but in places like Faust, once a metery is back into thick timber it dont matter much how good your gear is or how hard you pull, you're not likely to land the fish.

Cheers,

Fitzy..

[Mad_Barry]

Definately sounds an interesting way outsmarting them,

I'm not sure if I'd have the self control :-X :D

[Fitzy]

Definately sounds an interesting way outsmarting them,

I'm not sure if I'd have the self control #:-X #:D

#
Probably one of the hardest things to learn to do. Certain brands of baitcasters you cant do it with BTW.
C U at Faust mate.

fitzy..

[Brett_Finger]

I'm already packed and ready for Faust!!
bring on the summer. ;D ;D ;D
Hookin,Brett

[Randall]

Actually, it was the demuir Mr Finger who put me onto the shorter baitcasters!!!!
The big unit has been using a cut-down version of a Loomis 665? for years now. Last time I fished Monduran with him, I stole his short stroker while he was answering a call of nature on the bank and had quite a few casts with it. Sweeeeeeetttttt!!!!

My eternal gratitude goes to you Big Fella!!

Randall. ;D

[charexblue]

arafura lure red/silver worked ok 12mths ago/ water temp reading important fish the temp zone. depend on water height maybe near cowyards or southern bank near spillway. All the best

[Randall]

Thanks for the tip Peter. ;)

RG

[Swamp]

Talking about shorter baitcasters, you can buy a short ( 5 ft ) version of the Ultrgraph 3000, the S3. I've got one, and it's available off the shelf. This is great 6 - 8 kg rod that's perfect in the thick trees in Teemburra and Faust ( when they had water ).

Bill

[big_george]

Talking about shorter baitcasters, you can buy a short ( 5 ft ) version of the Ultrgraph 3000, the S3. I've got one, and it's available off the shelf. This is great 6 - 8 kg rod that's perfect in the thick trees in Teemburra and Faust ( when they had water ).

Bill
Swamp.
Building randall a 5' ultra 3000 now.It's going around in the lathe. ;D ;D
Randalls going to cast at dinner plates with it. :o
Thats what he said. ;D
BG. ;)

[Neil_c]

The last time I looked we weren't stocking dinner plates ::) you could get a hit by one but getting em to bite could be difficult ;D

Neil :)

[big_george]

Swamp.
Building randall a 5' ultra 3000 now.It's going around in the lathe. ;D ;D
Randalls going to cast at dinner plates with it. :ohe said you have to be able to hit a dinner plate with your cast.
Thats what he said. ;D
BG. ;)

[Fordo]

Just have to ask;
Does anyone know if there is a minimum size or bag limit on dinner plates??

And before someone else asks
And what are the best lures and colours to try and catch them??
Fordo

[Randall]

I stand corrected!!!! ;D They dont stock dinner plates in Faust!!

Guess I`ll have to start targetting breakfast bowls now!!! ::)

RG

[Fitzy]

Had to scramble for the survey reports. AS per last survey at Faust:

"Dinner plates were not recorded in any of the survey samples. Possible local extinction due to overfishing, predation, or pathogen".
"Recommend further survey work to determine cause of decline or local extinction"

;D

[big_george]

;D ;D ;D.
Platecasterrodbuilder.
BG ;)

[fishy_phil]

gday people
i was just wondering with the rods that you guys are using what breaking starain line can you break through the rod when fully loaded. when i select a line class for a rod i only ever select a line class that i have some chance of breaking through the rod.
a mate of my dad, henry has a very nice little stick that would be interesting to use on them there barra...its his PNG black bass rod!!! ;D ;D and breaks 50lb mono through it, and is light enough in the tip to cast 8 gram lures. :o but i was just wondering how you guys select a line class for any particular rod. i just think it fairly contradictory that people use a 2-3kg spin stick with 20lb braid through it! to me it seens that 4-6lb braid on this sort of rod would be more appropriate. i just find it more practical to have a rod with enough guts to break the line class in use to be a more practical tool and a better casting rod at that. im not saying that this is always the case but this is what I have found.
just a few of my thoughts.
cheers
phil
id be interested to hear your thoughts on this subject

[Randall]

Bugger me Phil, Big George is far more qualified at answering your questions, but I reckon your spot on about 4-6lb being more appropriate with lighter rods. As a matter of fact, there are quite a few out there that fish approprate class rods = breaking strain, particularly in the light sports fishing fraternity but there seems to be a few schools of thought about the "ball-buster" type rod you are refering to. Like to hear a few opinions too.

Randall.

[Colwatzek]

Hi Guy's,
I was also wondering with the heavy lines/braid that most people are recommending do you have any problems with rod failures. I have fished the Daly River, NT a couple of times and found 20-30 lb mono would generally suffice (Can say I landed a metery but). Our best fish were in the 80-90cm range. Flogged snags as well but there was a fair current so mybe that helped us a bit once the fish was out of its cover. I to am going to Awoonga with some mates 15 Oct for 4 days. Would eally appriciate some ideas as to better fish holding areas on the Lake. As for lines that I will use when I go up I am now a little undecided :-/. Might have to rethink the 25 lb mono option.

Thanks for the excellent advice

Col

[VicGAWB]

G'day! #I was searching the net and found a whole host of people chatting about fishing at Lake Awoonga, near Gladstone in Central Queensland. #Looks like some of you have had good success catching some big barra! #

I'm Executive Assistant with the Gladstone Area Water Board who own and operate Awoonga Dam, and just wanted to let you know that they're managing to catch barra regularly in the 10-20kg range. #One of our staff (not known for his success with catching barra) managed to land a 9.5kg one a few days ago. One of the rangers caught a 20.1kg 107cm barra earlier this month :D #They're still managing to catch them even in the cooler months. #

FYI - they released the 2 millionth barramundi fingerling into the lake earlier in the year. Twelve months ago a fellow managed to land a 29.8kg barra :o, and this summer looks like it's shaping up to be a real ###### fishfest! # Also FYI - Lake Awoonga is the largest stocked lake in Australia for Mangrove Jack. ;D

If you do manage to catch some decent sized barramundi, please send a photo and details along to gawb@gawb.qld.gov.au and make sure the Rangers at the dam get your details as well.

Please do drop into our website www.gawb.qld.gov.au for further information about the Board and the lake. #I'm working on updating this with more information about the flora and fauna as well.

[Peter_J]

Vicki,

I would'nt say it came easy but here's the best we've pulled out of Awoonga......you really should work Clinton and Gary a bit harder so they spend less tie catching "our" fish ;D ;D

PJ

[Fordo]

We're heading up there in 3 weeks,trying a few different things this trip.
Plan is try different things each day-
Soft Plastics
Deep water Trolling
Shallow lures in the bays

Can't wait to get back there again
Fordo

[Randall]

Hi Vicki....and thanks for your message. Its a beautiful dam and a credit to the GAMB management whom are responsible for the excellent facilities and large fish.

Mangrove Jack are a species that are hiding somewhere in the dam. Very few catches are reported and it is of anglers opinion that they display different feeding patterns in a freshwater environment. The buggers are so hard to find?????

Was talking to Ken and Andrew from the hatchery the other day and Ken advised me of the 2 million figures for released barra!!! A credit to the tenacity and dedication from the two fingerling producers.

Randall.

[VicGAWB]

PJ

lol - I'll pass your message onto the Rangers! Though, I guess if you were living right beside Lake Awoonga, the temptation to go fishing, would prove too much for anyone! Sounds like you should consider a change of vocation and become a Ranger at Lake Awoonga.

I'm a "townie", and I've managed to go fishing only once on the lake, and the best I was able to catch were four pitiful catfish which were tossed right back in. :-/ At least I caught something!

[Fordo]

I would hate to think how long the waiting list is for one of those jobs!!

Fordo

P.S. GWBA keep up the good work

[dazza]

hi all,
well and truly on the countdown till we go to awoonga.
how does the weather affect the impoundment. are there any particular winds etc that turn the place off or on. water temp etc.
cheers
dazza

[McCod]

Hey dazza. Barra are not real chuffed on winds from the east.
Butt they have been known to go ballistic when blowing from the north even if its a bit choppy.If ya fishing in the early spring find some warmer water . Usually the water in the bays is the go for casting a lure. If water in the main basin is say 20 Deg C and the
water in the bay is 23 + Deg C then it is worth a flick up in the shallows. Hope this is of some help.
Regards McCod.

[Smithy]

Just to wet your appetite. From Awoonga last week. Some guys fishing with Motty got around 15 for the week. They bit every day up to Thursday before that cold snap came back. Hot time was 5:30-6:30 hence the dark photos. Only a couple caught in the morning. Monduran was also going well. At least 12 were caught by a couple of parties on the Northerly weekend, 2 weekends ago.

[Smithy]

I think that one above is one of the better ones. Best was 1.08m I believe.

[dazza]

thanks guy's
looks like a few early mornings and late nights might be in order.
love the way those big silver scales sparckle ;D ;D ;D
cheers
dazza

[dazza]

have been tinikering with an old broken 6-10kg shimano baitrunner special rod. i think i got it when i bought a baitrunner 6500 sometime. anyway i broke the tip off of it yonks ago. have now stripped the blank, cut it down to 5 foot. have robbed parts off of a few other broken rods i have laying around.
so the project is to build a "ball buster". it has heaps of grunt, will be putting a abu 6500 baitcaster with 50lb bionic.
looking forward to combat
cheers
dazza

[dazza]

pic 2


will post a pic of finnished product soon
cheers
dazza

[JB]

I have a daiwa millionaire cvx 203a Baitcaster reel that i'm taking to awoonga in a few weeks, but i need to get a new rod to match it, any suggestions on brands or types / sizes of rods that would do the job?

Thanks

Jas

[big_george]

Hi Jas.
Something like the Ultragrath3000.
Stealth 666.
Loomis 665-667.
Hastings Graphite US 56XH .
56XH has a tad more power than the above rods with a soft tip with a fast action.Graphite with a blend of glass..
Great for 30-50 pound braid work..
Hope the rod info helps.
Regards George ;)

[JB]

Well, i have rod an reel geared up (brand new dawia baitcaster m7 and a 203a millionare ;D) and i'm pumped up ready for some serious barra ;D. Will be up at awoonga on friday 22 castin my arse off ;) Will say gday to any fellow ausfishers i see.

Jas

[Sergio_kutz]

What kind of reel would you reccomend for taking up there for someone who hasn't done much barra fishing? overhead or spinner?

[Jeremy]

bump...can't let this slip ;D

Jeremy