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NAGG
19-10-2008, 04:14 PM
Hi Barra Enthusiasts

One debate that I have seen raised every now & then ....... Is how much drag pressure should be applied during a fight with a impoundment barra! ....... Big ones:P

Often you hear about the need to apply as much drag pressure as possible & the notion that more drag pressure - the better:-/ ...... which then means stronger hooks , leaders , better knots , rods & reels

Having fished for these beauties several times now ....... & seen the results of what happens when you go hard or soft - - - it would be good to hear what you guys & girls do / believe..... & why

Over to you:beer:

Nagg

Barraboss
19-10-2008, 05:24 PM
Chris,

This is just an open opinion from what I have experienced, of which I will be happily corrected so I too can learn....

It does depend on the location fished. Barra do fight harder (IMO) when using heavier drag, but this is required in some places. Those places/structure that require such, are often places that I will "ëncourage" a fish to jump to keep them out of submerged snags (IMO). Then you need to back of to next to no drag (free spool) to get around obstacles. You really need to judge each scenario as it plays before you. Open areas do not need the same drag setting, but then you have the worry of abrasion on the leader. I wait for a jump or see what the fish does (you can tell where they are hooked from the run a lot of the times) and see where the fish is hooked before I back of sometimes. Like I said, it can vary (again IMO) but thats's what fishing is all about, adjusting to the current situation as no two days are alike

Hope this adds a little piece to the massive puzzle of impoundment barra fishing

Cheers
Matt

All just from some of my

Awoonga
19-10-2008, 05:30 PM
Chris,

This is just an open opinion from what I have experienced, of which I will be happily corrected so I too can learn....

It does depend on the location fished. Barra do fight harder (IMO) when using heavier drag, but this is required in some places. Those places/structure that require such, are often places that I will "ëncourage" a fish to jump to keep them out of submerged snags (IMO). Then you need to back of to next to no drag (free spool) to get around obstacles. You really need to judge each scenario as it plays before you. Open areas do not need the same drag setting, but then you have the worry of abrasion on the leader. I wait for a jump or see what the fish does (you can tell where they are hooked from the run a lot of the times) and see where the fish is hooked before I back of sometimes. Like I said, it can vary (again IMO) but thats's what fishing is all about, adjusting to the current situation as no two days are alike

Hope this adds a little piece to the massive puzzle of impoundment barra fishing

Cheers
Matt

All just from some of my Matt one switched on fisho...reply spot on

NAGG
19-10-2008, 05:43 PM
Thanks Matt

as always a valued opinion

Now ...... are drag pressures & rod angles getting crossed here ? ..... or do they go hand in hand :-/

We didn't even mention whether we are using a soft plastic or a treble loaded hard body - Thats my spanner (in the works)

are we better off with lower drag pressures...... & using our boat / leccy .... to chase a fish down ......... regardless of whether we are in the timber or not :-/ Keeping in mind that the abrasion (mouth ) is greater with more pressure.

Also ..... do we know what is below the surface ???

Watching where the lure is pinned ....... is a really important piece of the observation during a fight ........ Thanks Matt

Chris

mylestom
19-10-2008, 06:15 PM
Thanks Matt

as always a valued opinion

Now ...... are drag pressures & rod angles getting crossed here ? ..... or do they go hand in hand :-/

We didn't even mention whether we are using a soft plastic or a treble loaded hard body - Thats my spanner (in the works)

are we better off with lower drag pressures...... & using our boat / leccy .... to chase a fish down ......... regardless of whether we are in the timber or not :-/ Keeping in mind that the abrasion (mouth ) is greater with more pressure.

Also ..... do we know what is below the surface ???

Watching where the lure is pinned ....... is a really important piece of the observation during a fight ........ Thanks Matt

Chris

Chris,

Different horses, different courses.

Depends on lots of factors and the ability of the angler and the territory, hookup, hard or soft, jumping,deep and all the different possibilities. How long is a piece of string.

First hook the fish, then work through what is happening and where you are.

No set criteria, but just experience.

Next Question: When will we work them out?

Think my old Pa summed it up. The day you stop learning is the day you die.

Good thread and as always, just to get them thinking. Keep it up.

Regards


Trev

NAGG
19-10-2008, 06:42 PM
Experience ..... different horses for corses etc etc etc ....... sure! ( but very cliche)

You are about to make a cast into virgin territory ......... Yes there is some timber around that you can see ............ you've tied on a slick rig - - - WHAT TO DO NOW ?

Sure ........ The better fishoes will back the drag off once a fish is lead into the open or free of known danger .......... but what about the average Joe ::)

.......... Ive seen leaders worn through on tight drags ( open area or timbered) . I've seen hooks straightened in timbered areas:( ....... prolonged fights could lead to worn membrane in a barras mouth ...... the failures go on ! - Go hard or go soft ......... 50lb braid cranked up or 30lb backed off:-/


Hmmmm .... has to have you thinkin;)

Nagg

mylestom
19-10-2008, 07:03 PM
Experience ..... different horses for corses etc etc etc ....... sure! ( but very cliche)

You are about to make a cast into virgin territory ......... Yes there is some timber around that you can see ............ you've tied on a slick rig - - - WHAT TO DO NOW ?

Sure ........ The better fishoes will back the drag off once a fish is lead into the open or free of danger .......... but what about the average Joe ::)

.......... Ive seen leaders worn through on tight drags ( open area or timbered) . I've seen hooks straightened in timbered areas:( ....... prolonged fights could lead to worn membrane in a barras mouth ...... the failures go on ! - Go hard or go soft ......... 50lb braid cranked up or 30lb backed off:-/


Hmmmm .... has to have you thinkin;)

Nagg

Nagg,



Observing, listening and being prepared to change, think that has a lot to do with it.

Me, just a learner and been fishing for barra for over thirty years.

Don't have a lot of answers, but willing to listen and learn.

A lot of the new is old and again experience/knowledge from some of the people who have been doing it for along time will help us all. Its great to fish with a lot of different people and different situations, then to try and transfer that experience to what is going on in front of you.

Only as good as to what we have been shown, observed and then transferred to a current situation. Thats what Ausfish and friends are about.

We all wish we knew it all, but think then we might lose interest?

Would be very interested to see a response from someone like J.E. who have that necessary life experience to give a valued opinion on drag settings.

Good thread

Trev

NAGG
19-10-2008, 07:14 PM
Trev ...... As you've cottoned onto . . > This thread is meant to promote thought & share personal experience:)

I consider myself to be a competent light line fishoe ...... which keeps me in good stead for many fishing situations ( patience being a virtue) ......... - - - - Barra however offer a different mindset all again ......... which could be go too hard = gone ....... or ...... too soft = gone

eliminating tackle failures is usually the prime focus ........ but what about our fighting tactics :-/

Chris

Dick Pasfield
19-10-2008, 08:08 PM
Situation dependent but................... I fish my currently used rods spooled with 30lb line at between three and five kgs on drag pressure, the upper setting in tighter situations. Reckon I've dialed up seven to ten in more dire situations but only for as short a time as possible.

The the 20lb rig feels like its working best at between 2 and 3kgs of drag.

There's a 'sweet spot' drag setting for all rod and reel combos, (probably a lot would fit into above kg ranges). As those settings also suit me I build off that as a base. Lures get a bit of a tweak up if the hooks are a bit suss, some end up with singles for the hard work. Leader size might get upgraded and the drag gets a fiddle with.

When you're fishing comfortably and the gear is suited to its designed purpose it all goes together really well when the fishing is par. When something bigger than normal comes along you're much better placed at handling it by working within your own limits.



PS talking about river barra not impoundment fish if there's a difference?

Notable exceptions with barra include when they're head butting lures instead of swallowing them. Bearing in mind only one point of a treble is often the only link between fish and you, drag settings need to be applied carefully, nothing beats a thumb to override a fairly sedate setting off the reel

I reckon one of the reasons I loose cheek hooked fish is because of how careful you have to be with them. With less pressure on the fish than what feels right things like head shakes and lunges are harder to control.

Steve B
19-10-2008, 08:16 PM
Trev ...... As you've cottoned onto . . > This thread is meant to promote thought & share personal experience:)

I consider myself to be a competent light line fishoe ...... which keeps me in good stead for many fishing situations ( patience being a virtue) ......... - - - - Barra however offer a different mindset all again ......... which could be go too hard = gone ....... or ...... too soft = gone

eliminating tackle failures is usually the prime focus ........ but what about our fighting tactics :-/

Chris

Barra fishing is no different from light line fishing!! patience is a virtue. 30lb is light line to a big barra in certain situations. You said 'back it of when open or free of danger" ....I work the opposite. I back it off while the fish is in danger country and early in the fight.....why....THATS WHEN THEY ARE MOST POWERFUL....Barra are generally unfit. let them have their fun and run without pressurising your gear or something has to give. when they tire and have been manouvered into open water...then I can apply some hurt, only if nessessary............One major thing I have notices when I have a fish in a bad bad position around a tree or something......freespool....the fish just sit there...particulary after a bit of a fight. This gives you the extra seconds required to assess the situation, manouver the boat...whatever is required.

I live by the rule ...harder you fish them the harder they fight....the harder they fight...the harder it is to stay connected and the easier it is for gear to fail or hooks to pull. They are not a deliberate dirty fighter IMHO..I think they just run all over the shop with no rhyme or reason...Mondy barra that is........Awoonga...they may just be a bit smarter.;)

Trev (mylestrom) and Matt summed things up....every situation is different...plenty of ways to skin a cat...which knife to skin it with depends on the cat on the day;)

Again, just my opinion and personal tactic....I figured you know what I do anyway Chris!!!:D but its a great topic.

cheers steve

eotbmg
19-10-2008, 09:00 PM
Hey guys
Just my 2 cents worth. Bear in mind i fish with 78 lb jigman braid
When setting my drag pressures i look at the structure available to the fish above water[ therefore similar under water] and tighten it accordingly... I generally set my drags lighter than my fishing partners [ navi sets a 20% heavier drag than me] but still at a level which i think my fishing ability can handle and control a big fish through structure. I am always on the ball to chase fish with quick release ties around trees and bow mount or petrol motor at the ready. When i first fished Monduran [ June 2006] i researched this topic and the general train of thought was to fish tight and tighter drag settings which led to 3 bust offs on the first day, all from that awesome jolting strike that now contributes to the bad IBD dose i have. The next session i backed the drag off and started to land fish and i have never looked back. This was in serious timber structure in Monduran, and i tought myself the lesson that sometimes lighter is better. Joshs 123cm Barra took him 50 - 60 meters around structure on a Zillion and 30 lb braid in some gnarly timber but through quick communication between us we had the boat at the right position and i could keep him out of trouble. Now Awoonga, i fish a general lighter drag cos i have always fished around the weed edges, and havent been rubbed off on any strucure yet!!!! I am sure it will happen though........
Cheers
Ben

NAGG
20-10-2008, 06:51 AM
Some good replies there guys ...... with varied tactics :)
Personally I'm moving away from screwed up drags ....... & pool cue rod blanks. Softer more forgiving rods but with the guts to turn a fish ...... & combined with drag pressures that wont over stress terminal tackle - Then each fish taken on merit.
During the Muster trip we got to apply this tact on several reasonably good fish ...... Where MW having softer ( less traditional ) barra outfits used patience, the leccy ...... & being well coached::) stayed connected & landed fish! ......... I used a combination of elephant gun & more refined tackle - - & I too had good results on the lighter gear !

Love this barra stuff:thumbsup:

Chris

Plasticin
20-10-2008, 10:55 AM
You are about to make a cast into virgin territory ......... Yes there is some timber around that you can see ............ you've tied on a slick rig - - - WHAT TO DO NOW ?

Nagg

Cut off the "slick pig" and tie something else on ;D ;D :o

Jeremy87
20-10-2008, 12:52 PM
What is lite, medium and heavy settings? so far Dick is the only one to give us actual values. I normally run 3.5-4kgs of drag on 30lb braid. This is what i consider reasonably safe from pulling hooks out from a bad hook up. I know that my knots are good well past the braids stated breaking strain so i'm not worried about popping knots. If i am in timber then my thumb hits the spool the moment i feel the strike (i use the same tactic for jacks and sometimes bass as to go back to a safe drag all i have to do is take my thumb away instead of playing with the settings), i don't see any point letting them make it back if an extra kilo or two of pressure could have helped steer them into the open. When they make it back home then the reel goes into free spool until i'm in a position to fight them again. I'm more comfortable letting the leader rub on a stick than the braid, most of my brickings have occured when the barra has gone more than the leaders length in. An eletric motor is something that can help to compliment heavy drag. In stages of a fight where the barra is happy to come with you i thumb it and use the motor to gain distance from hazards while towing the barra. When the barra is at the boat i will sometimes back the drag off, not because i'm worried about pulling hooks but because if it's up hard and the fish decides to take off under the boat then bad things can happen faster than you can respond.

Local_Guy
20-10-2008, 01:38 PM
i'm definately no expert, but i'll give my opinion.

most people use 50 - 80lb braid when working extremely tight submerged tree areas, higher breaking strain = higher drag setting. but this setting is really only used to skull drag the fish out and away from the insane snag structure he... or she is living in... the likes of impoundment barra where the average fish is around the 100cm mark or bigger. eg. Awoonga

people using 20lb braid setup are probably fishing in a more open environment, where you are still casting around snags, but there is more open water. More chance of a lot smaller fish being around, but still 20lb for when the bigger fish come around... eg of this.. Fitzroy River - Rockhampton.

In open dam impoundments i've seen people use 4lb mainline.

Leader is another issue. and i can only assume most people use 60lb Jankai/ Black Magic or equivelent. But a high abrasion resistant leader is a must.

just my opinion on this topic :)

vet
20-10-2008, 02:37 PM
The only safe spot you have when barra fishing is once the fish is in the boat, for this reason I don't back the drag off at all. Solid weed beds are much more dangerous and easier to lose fish in then around trees. As many people have said you just free spool once the barra has you around the trees and more often then not you can unknit them. Try this in the weed and see how often it is successful. Smart big barra just plough through dense weed and clog the line with weed and the main line snaps or the lure is ripped from their mouth because of the extra drag from the weed. Most of the times that I have free spooled in this situation to reduce the drag has ended up in a long time untangling the weed from the line and finding no fish on the end of the line. It's much easier to untangle a couple of trees from the line than a pile of weed. For this reason I am of the opinon of go hard or go home. Having said that though, I know use 20lb line around weed beds as I have found really thin line under a lot of tension cuts the weed like a knife and doesn't foul the line as much. I still use 50lb line in the trees for it's extra abrasion resistance and there's nothing quite like the experience of 50lb braid going crack when you've gone hard on a fish. Some you win and some you lose but it's the fun you had along the way that counts. cheers scott.

nipsta
20-10-2008, 03:52 PM
ill put my 2 cents worth in i reckon it has to be based on the situation as i have had good lesson in my time and i learn evey time i connect with one, but i was fishing in thick tree area and i got smashed by a barra she ran me into one snag which i lucky enough got her out of (with a bit more drag pressure) to help him along but then he decide to go into the oppisote direction and i was down to 3 winds of line on the spool i quickly cranked the drag and drove into to her i reckon that is the only time you need to do that i reckon if its the last resort i belive more pressure put loads every thing up and eventully a weak point will be found under strain and bang fish gone
just my 2 cents worth

Barry Ehsman
20-10-2008, 04:29 PM
Thanks to you NAGG for bringing up this subject, & to all the boys for ther great replies & information.

This should hopefully help us on our trip to Teemburra & Kinchant next month.

Baz

NAGG
20-10-2008, 05:46 PM
Just to answer Jeremys question on actual drag values ........ I use the time honored system of screwing up the drag till I can just pull line off the reel without cutting my hands :P ........ now believe it or not - this is pretty accurate for me & equates to around 3.5-4 kgs (tested) I consider this to be light / medium ....... :)
Once you push 5-6 kgs ........ you start to overstress jig heads & the line starts to bury itself in the spool ........... Here my reels are at their limit & rods will fail with a quick barra that runs under the boat (high stick):'(

Chris

NAGG
20-10-2008, 06:05 PM
The only safe spot you have when barra fishing is once the fish is in the boat, for this reason I don't back the drag off at all. Solid weed beds are much more dangerous and easier to lose fish in then around trees. As many people have said you just free spool once the barra has you around the trees and more often then not you can unknit them. Try this in the weed and see how often it is successful. Smart big barra just plough through dense weed and clog the line with weed and the main line snaps or the lure is ripped from their mouth because of the extra drag from the weed. Most of the times that I have free spooled in this situation to reduce the drag has ended up in a long time untangling the weed from the line and finding no fish on the end of the line. It's much easier to untangle a couple of trees from the line than a pile of weed. For this reason I am of the opinon of go hard or go home. Having said that though, I know use 20lb line around weed beds as I have found really thin line under a lot of tension cuts the weed like a knife and doesn't foul the line as much. I still use 50lb line in the trees for it's extra abrasion resistance and there's nothing quite like the experience of 50lb braid going crack when you've gone hard on a fish. Some you win and some you lose but it's the fun you had along the way that counts. cheers scott.

Thanks for that Scott
I'm also using 20lb for my spin outfit ( surface presentation over weed) ..... something I learnt from my bream fishing amongst weed + the advantage of casting further & improved lure action:P

Your point of weed is a good one & reminds me of my first metery at Faust which saw a prolonged fight & 10-15kgs of weed as the fish ploughed through the weed bed ....... In the end - it equated to a fish that could not be revived :( We do have to keep in mind the health of the fish ........

Chris

2manylures
20-10-2008, 10:55 PM
You barra blokes need to get into some serious cod fishing.

Wack 4kg-5kg of pressure on a big cod & it'll bury you & bust you, no questions!

Drop back to 1kg-2kg & 9 times out of 10 you get a runner.

Chase the fish & success is sweat on 8kg, no leader in heavy timber lure or bait.

Just make sure your hooks are up to scratch, weekest link for so many weekend anglers.

Dick Pasfield
20-10-2008, 11:07 PM
Further to my previous post and carrying on from what others have said.

I find wild barras, big ones will most always back themselves to escape from danger by outrunning it initially, be it a shark or croc.

Only when plan 'A' fails do they go to plan 'B' that being find the timber and smash through it to the other side. Note, it's my experience that barras go right the way through a snag back into clear water so they can assess their options but to have put something substantial between them and the threat. If you look at a barra's head and large scales they're ideally suited to hit the timber at speed and remain unharmed compared to sharks and crocs.

This means a number of things, first is the initial run, if the fish thinks that plan 'A' is a winner it'll go with it, if plan 'A' takes it away from timber the longer it's convinced its working the better for the angler. I've had many fish fun past timber whilst I followed with the boat keeping the pressure at a minimum.

After an interval plan 'A' from the fish's point of view starts to suck, when that happens plan 'B' gets a bit more attractive and they look for the timber, often this will involve a sudden change of direction. It at this point when the fish is at its furthest point from where it wants to be that I go from a moderate setting to something a bit crueller. I'll even head the boat slowly in the opposite direction to the one the fish is taking to ensure she does not pull the boat with her. On this run she is committed to a target and is at her most determined by far

If the fish hits the timber I back off, if I'm lucky and the timber is horizontal I can pick my way through and renew the acquaintance on a locked drag on the other side since the fish by then is about buggered. If the timber is vertical and she's gone under it, too bad one lure lost. If the fish has smashed the timber and the lure lodged in it, once again too bad.

Barras run on their instincts learnt from previous generations, although predators of big barra are nonexistent in impoundments I'd suggest this sort of strategy would still be used in many cases by barra in dams. Same angling strategy and associated drag settings could be applicable?

2manylures
20-10-2008, 11:32 PM
Jesus Dick, They're bloody scared shitless like all animals under the same circumstances.

I don't think I'd like to be put in a similar situation buit from what you say these so called almighty Barra are similar to the Almighier Murray Cod.

Dick Pasfield
20-10-2008, 11:50 PM
Yes probably right about the similarities but make no mistake the animal that stays uneaten the longest is the one that has the best escape strategy rather than one that just bolts any old way:)

Been chased periodically with the view of being a meal is probably a common occurrence for all fish

Same applies for the smartest hunter;)

NAGG
21-10-2008, 06:15 AM
Dick .... That was a great insight into that trials & tribulations of a wild barra = Survival
Those behaviors / instincts are embedded in their genes - & would also go for impoundment fish ( like the head shake to dislodge something in their mouth) ...... The only thing the impoundment fish lacks is actual practice dodging crocs & sharks::) ....... Though I hear there are Crocs in Burdekin Falls dam

Good stuff

Chris

Whitto
21-10-2008, 11:18 AM
This thread is a beauty Chris......some years ago if u caught a metery u were concidered very lucky indeed...At that time in a 2 day period of about 4 hrs at the height of summer and trolling along Pelican Island at the top end of the Basin on the Eastern side I raised 8 Barra running a Barra classic very short and deep 0830 in the morning on both days all Barra in the 90+....sounder showed no structure at all in that area.....what does this all have to do with Drag pressure...not much when your out in the open with no trees to content with......my drag is always set at about 3kg's....I let the Rod and the Drag tire the fish out rather than skull drag the fish to the boat......and strange as this might sound I do exactly the same thing in the timber with mixed results....and I generally put that down to "Thats Fishing" Im suppose Im a big advocate of Keep It Simple Stupid {KISS}...deal with it at the time..nothing in the timber is the same as it can be in the open......Just my thought for what it's worth......Whitto:-/

NAGG
21-10-2008, 04:07 PM
This thread is a beauty Chris......some years ago if u caught a metery u were concidered very lucky indeed...At that time in a 2 day period of about 4 hrs at the height of summer and trolling along Pelican Island at the top end of the Basin on the Eastern side I raised 8 Barra running a Barra classic very short and deep 0830 in the morning on both days all Barra in the 90+....sounder showed no structure at all in that area.....what does this all have to do with Drag pressure...not much when your out in the open with no trees to content with......my drag is always set at about 3kg's....I let the Rod and the Drag tire the fish out rather than skull drag the fish to the boat......and strange as this might sound I do exactly the same thing in the timber with mixed results....and I generally put that down to "Thats Fishing" Im suppose Im a big advocate of Keep It Simple Stupid {KISS}...deal with it at the time..nothing in the timber is the same as it can be in the open......Just my thought for what it's worth......Whitto:-/


Kiss - maybe Whitto , but what it does is allows you to know the limitations of your gear :) You can concentrate on playing a fish - without worrying about knots , hooks etc failing ........... something that you have to - when screwing up a drag

Chris

Whitto
21-10-2008, 04:23 PM
Kiss - maybe Whitto , but what it does is allows you to know the limitations of your gear :) You can concentrate on playing a fish - without worrying about knots , hooks etc failing ........... something that you have to - when screwing up a drag

Chris I guess I should have also said is I pay alot of attention to detail such as knots and having my drag set at around 1/2 to 3/4....I actually like the Barra to take line if it wants too allowing the Rod and the Drag knacker the fish on it's own terms....if u know what I mean sorta;)....I want to have alook at your twisted Nitlon leader when I see u in November...Im looking to go back to twisted leaders as these things are not getting smaller (was using Erskine twist)

Tropicaltrout
21-10-2008, 04:50 PM
Hi all

Drag is another topic of which is a each to their own thing. Mine is tight I can pull the line off but the drag is tight anymore comes from the thumb but I have yet to put that much pressure on... I don't no anyone that will skull drag a substancial barra in unless their fishing with a cable tied to the boat;)

I belive in what Steve said about the fish being not the fittest so to speak, the differeance though I tend to have my drag wound up and put what I can into them on the thinking that if they are un fit they will run out of puff quicker like a man will run harder without resistance put a tyre round his guts and it will pull him up pretty quick.

Impoundment Barra are aggressive and are the top of the food chain in the dams and they lack stamminar a short hard fight will see them with less build up af lactic acid and i hope better chance of a healthy release IMHO.

With all that aside drag also must be set to other styles, people different circumstances..... I know blokes with troubles in areas of their bodies that cant possibly fight a fish with a heavy drag some cant use overhead and some arnt strong enought due to size and weight etc.....also drag must also be looked at for those rod holders the trollers use I have herd of locked drags breaking them and worse still the rod... So I would take all these into accound when chasing these wonderful fish.

Cheers Nath

Dick Pasfield
21-10-2008, 08:30 PM
Here's a 'Ripley's Believe it or Not' -

It's possible to stop a big barra on only a few metres of 30lb braid coming off the reel. Done it before with a cost and would do it again because of the rush.

Circumstances need to be pretty specific for it to work. a baited single hook is best. Drag set as high as you dare and only pull the thumb out from between the spool and reel's frame when you have no choice. Hit the fish hard from the first instant to get a couple of turns up on the reel and stop the inevitable turn and bolt as long as possible. If the fish gets air pull it down off balance and up it before it regains any composure. The fish dragging the boat and anchor helps a bit with the stress applied.

The tactic breaks rods eventually but to have a big fish to the boat well inside a minute is heady stuff. Trying to deal with a green fish boat side is also a bit of a mission.

Why would you do it (apart from the rush) terrain sometimes dictates it. Fish in the pic got that sort of treatment, (took a live mullet) and one later got similar treatment (took a fillet of mullet). Out of the shot was the timber we were fishing, nasty trees sitting horizontal to the water and only a few metres away from the boat.

Cost in this instance was a broken ferrell on the bait caster where the rod fitted into the pistol grip. Previous rod broke on that spot doing much the same thing.

I'm sure others have had similar experiences.

Incidentally the second fish gave me one of those mental pictures you don't forget easily. Visibly larger then the first fish it jumped/lunged/head-shook full out of the water a boat length away. The 80lb leader got abraded all the way through on the head shake and flew back at me. At that stage the fight was finely poised but I liked my chances, went to 100lb leader after that incident::)


http://i464.photobucket.com/albums/rr4/dickpasfield/Ordfish112Feb06.jpg

Here's a pic of the snags taken just a few metres downstream, lens on wide angle




http://i464.photobucket.com/albums/rr4/dickpasfield/OrdParrycreek.jpg

Steve B
22-10-2008, 04:24 PM
OOOhhhh yes Dick, thats fishing mate....great story and great photos to give us a visual of the situation....that would have been sensational..lucky bugger:D

steve

Whitto
22-10-2008, 04:42 PM
Now thats prime wild Barra territory Dick......would love to have a piece of that.....What a Barra......thanks for the report/piccies......Whitto

Dick Pasfield
22-10-2008, 06:01 PM
Yes it was good, but expensive, There's a couple of other places that I have to on occassion employ those sort of obsene tactics, you get that. I'd expect that there'd be a few similar opportunities that would pop up in impoundments with all that timber around where you cant let a fish move more than 10 or so metres.

Braid cuts embedded into the hypalon foregrip is a bit of a give away to bullying fish.

eotbmg
22-10-2008, 06:52 PM
Thanks Dick
Great to hear your stories and reports.
Much appreciated
Ben

vet
23-10-2008, 09:45 AM
Hello Dick, you might like to get a live fibre 50lb impoundment barra rod to do that sort of work. I attach a black sheep 300 sized reel with 50lb jigman and 100lb twisted leader to it when I feel a bit silly and go for a troll through the trees in Faust. Because of the closeness of the trees I only have about 10metres of line out. I have landed fish up to 116cm doing this without them taking any line at all. The fight is short sharp and brutal with the barra just tail walking sideways because they can't take any line. So far the weak link has been the rod holder with 2 of them being smashed out of the boat but it is fun. It's more fun when they hit the rod you are holding but what line they bite is not up to us.

On the topic of barra tactics, I believe that big impoundment barra are much wilier than salties. I know that barra have to deal with crocs and sharks in the wild but in the dams they have to deal with the ultimate hunter, Man, on a daily basis. THe line up at the filleting table at awoonga the other day was 8 boats long, which shows who is at the top of the food chain. Generally a salty only gets to make one mistake in his life and gets eaten by a croc or gets filleted. Impoundment barra hopefully get given many chances to learn from their mistakes because lots of people release them. So they have the natural inborn instincts to escape and the learned responses from being caught consistently, which I believe makes them a much harder animal to fool. In heavily pressured impoundments like awoonga, a truly big barra will have been caught numerous times and would have learnt from that mistake which makes it harder and harder to catch. Even the smaller fish will have been caught a few times so I wouldn't underate the difficulty of catching these fish in impoundments.

Cheers Scott.

Dick Pasfield
23-10-2008, 08:07 PM
Hello Dick, you might like to get a live fibre 50lb impoundment barra rod to do that sort of work. I attach a black sheep 300 sized reel with 50lb jigman and 100lb twisted leader to it when I feel a bit silly and go for a troll through the trees in Faust. Because of the closeness of the trees I only have about 10metres of line out. I have landed fish up to 116cm doing this without them taking any line at all. The fight is short sharp and brutal with the barra just tail walking sideways because they can't take any line. So far the weak link has been the rod holder with 2 of them being smashed out of the boat but it is fun. It's more fun when they hit the rod you are holding but what line they bite is not up to us.




Yes that sounds like a fine way to spend an afternoon every now and then:)




On the topic of barra tactics, I believe that big impoundment barra are much wilier than salties. I know that barra have to deal with crocs and sharks in the wild but in the dams they have to deal with the ultimate hunter, Man, on a daily basis. THe line up at the filleting table at awoonga the other day was 8 boats long, which shows who is at the top of the food chain. Generally a salty only gets to make one mistake in his life and gets eaten by a croc or gets filleted. Impoundment barra hopefully get given many chances to learn from their mistakes because lots of people release them. So they have the natural inborn instincts to escape and the learned responses from being caught consistently, which I believe makes them a much harder animal to fool. In heavily pressured impoundments like awoonga, a truly big barra will have been caught numerous times and would have learnt from that mistake which makes it harder and harder to catch. Even the smaller fish will have been caught a few times so I wouldn't underate the difficulty of catching these fish in impoundments.


I'd agree with that to some extent as impondments are angler magnets but you'd have to apply that senario to any place, impoundment or wild rivers where anglers frequent. The greater the fishing pressure the quicker the fish learn. Plenty of river fish go back, especially in areas like the Ord where there's a bag limit of one fish and a slot limit of between 55 and 80cm, therefore the opportunity to learn from experiance is there.
The further you get away from towns the less educated the fish are to human activities. It's not uncomman to look out of the boat and see free swimming barra in isolated areas, not so common close to town.

vet
23-10-2008, 08:55 PM
Couldn't agree more dick about the fishing pressure speeding up the learning process. I had forgotten about the slot limit in the nw, it had only just came in when I was over there, from what I can remember from fishing the fitzroy we couldn't catch any fish small enough to keep, so we did release a few. So I can see that some fish will be caught and released but I can't say that I ever saw 100 boats in anyone place, that is the normal for around here. Great points as usual Dick, cheers scott.

pontificator
24-10-2008, 10:17 PM
Monduran barra don't taste too good, and I'm not in a tournament, so, in open water, I go softly softly and casting in the timber I go crank up the drag and hang on.

That said, I sometimes get carried away when trolling solo, and have three rigs in action to cover different depths. It certainly gets the pulse going to have a good fish jumping while motoring ahead and clearing the other two lines

When they get away, my grin gets bigger.

Rick K