Intro and Three Barra Tips

[matt fraser]

Hi, I'm Matt and I'm a Barraholic!

I've also been know to be adversely affected by Jacks, Jewies, Bass, Bream, Snapper and to a lesser extent Flathead, Whiting, Mackeral and most things that swim and taste nice.

Place of Residence - About 5 hours South of Monduran and 6&1/2 from Awoonga.

Occupation - Fishing Tackle Designer

My Three Barra Tips

1. Set your strike drag at 3kg, back the drag off to about 1 - 1.5kg after you've got them out of trouble, then use your thumb if needed.

2. I use Harros leader knot (no double) 20 or 30lb braid, 70 - 80 lb leader

3. When anchoring or tying off to trees make sure you have your rope set up with a float and tie it off in a manner that the rope can be quickly and easily thrown so you can chase the fish.

Please introduce yourself and share three of your barra tips, regardless of age or experience. You may or may not agree with mine or others, but this is all about sharing something positive.

I hope you get something out of this post and if so, please add three tips of your own.

Cheers,

Matt

[Peter4]

lol Matt;D

Hi, I'm Pete and I'm a Barraholic too! (so is my son Kyle)...

Also like to chase snapper and pelagics in Moreton Bay and flathead at the Pin.

Place of Residence - About 5 hours south of Monduran in bayside Brisbane

Occupation - Financial Adviser

My Barra Tips

1. If you get stitched up in the timber, freespool and 'unknit' the barra before re-applying pressure.

2. I use a slim beauty leader knot (no double) 30 or 50lb braid & 80lb leader

3. When working weedy edges with soft plastics a slow rolling retrieve without any twitches or pauses can produce good results - even if it is a little boring to do!

Anyone else?

Pete

[NAGG]

HI I'm Chris (Nagg)

I suffer from IBD & have a lurecasting fettish

I now reside in Brisbane (previously Sydney)

My occupation is ........ Hmmmm _ Oh yeh thats right Sales Manager (Plastic additives)

My Barra tips are

Swim / tune your lures before casting them.

If your knots do not look right - re tie them.

Alter your retrieves ..... speed , action , pauses etc

[mr_yamba]

ok, my name is Mark and i never really enjoyed fishing until i moved to yungaburra on lake tinaroo. Now i am absolutely obsessed with barra, and prob need to back off a little to restore a bit of balance to my life.

Place of residence - Yungaburra (tinaroo)

Occupation: Pharmacist

tips-
1) always check your boat and trailer before towing. check all linkages and safety chains, as these little things can cause huge problems. i have seen many cars and boats damaged because the tow ball was not clipped down properly.

2) fish as many rods at a time as possible. if i am trolling i troll 3 rods usually. 4 rods for 2 people. If i am livebaiting i cast lures at the same time, and vice versa.

3) Get to know other fishermen in your area. In a few weeks or months they can teach you what would have taken years to master by reading magazines etc. they may learn something from you also. It's a win win situation.

[DEANO68]

hi im deano (aka, prinny, wobblehead , and various others)..:P

also a sufferer, but keep it at bay chasing jacks, bass, and most fishys.

live on the sunnycoast..

purchasing manager by day....

tips...

barra STILL eat hardbodied lures..:o

be vewy , vewy quiet.....:-X

if an area feels fishy, trust your scences, keep casting, and vary your prenentations and retrieves..;)

try all these mods you see on the net....:P

oh, thats four , sorry...:P

deano...8-)

[robersl]

Hi I am Shane
And like all above i to am a barraholic but also love chasing tings and tailor
my tip is if yor lure or plastic is not in the water your no hope of a hook up
my pet hate is now blowflies and trollers and the fact that sometimes they are 1 and the same
shane

[rc@hinze]

Good one Matt!

I'm Richard and I am both a bassaholic and barraholic.

I'm an eletrical contractor on the Gold Coast

My Barra tips are-

Don't fish with preconceived ideas - be flexible

Use stimulate or other additive on your lures

Have both a spin and bait caster rigged differently and swap between them to use different muscles for long sessions.

[Barraholic]

Hi my name's Kev. I'm a capricorn who likes long walks on the beach (whoops wrong forum ;D ) - yes given my forum name you guessed it I am a barraholic.

Caught my obsession with barra in the north of WA in the 90's chasing salty barra in the small river systems of the Pilbara. Also have a love of the scream of a reel from a spanish mackerel, the colour of a red emporer as it comes into view from the depths and the brawl of a mangrove jack/fingermark up in the estuaries. Given my location have had IBD take over in the last 18 months but in the process of restoring some balance in my piscatorial pursuits...

Place of Residence: 10 mins from Awoonga

Occupation: Gingerbeer

Tips:

1. Really concentrate on reducing the distance and increasing the time that your lure is in front of a barra's snout. (for both casting and trolling)
2. Don't discount any section of water until you've tried it - to build on your experience base. Barra can turn up in very dirty, crappy looking and very shallow water at times.
3. Lures like to run down current and barra don't mind them running that way either....
4. Always be kind to your mother :P

Kev

[BR65]

Hi, I'm Brian and I'm a Barraholic!

Ive also got a thing for Jacks, bass, toges, and big nasty toothy critters that call the Swains home. Cut my teeth in the local estuarys, then off shore, now more into the sweetwater, enjoying the challange of lure fishing.

Place of Residence - About 4.5 hours South of Monduran and 6 from Awoonga.

Occupation - Sparkie

My Three Barra Tips

1- Trebele and split ring up-grades are the first thing you should do to 95% of the lures you buy off the shelf

2 - Warm water doesnt allways mean fish. Look for bait, surface activity, birds, wind lanes, structure (hard or soft), keep your eyes and mind open when you get on the water.

3 - Common courtesy to other fishos on the water will see you in good stead. Slow down, keep clear, fish your own spot, theres plenty of water and we all dont have to hang off the same point.

[Jeremy87]

Hi, I'm Jeremy and I'm a Barraholic! Actually I'm more of a lurerholic. I get my jollies by casting lures into dangerous places and then trying to drag an angry fish back out again. The uglier the snag the further i want to cast into it.

Place of Residence - Brissy south side

Occupation Zoologist, well thats what my piece of paper says. At the moment I'm still studying.

My Three Barra Tips

1. The mechanics of a barras head all face upwards, which means they have extreme difficulty coordinating a strike on a lure thats beneath them. Therefore if you want to make it easier for a barra to eat your lure make sure its above them.

2. Slow down, and then when you've done that slow down some more

3. If you can see a fish it can probably see you aswell. When fishing land based in clear water wear colours that blend into the background.

[Tropicaltrout]

Hi I am Nath, aka Hat:cowboy:

I am a Barra nut, I love seeing them,cathcing them,talking about them,and writing about them....

I reside on the Sunny Coast, with a wife and 2 kids
I am a Windscreen fitter/ Window Tinter



Three Tips from me
Don't be affraid to try new things, and put the time in when useing new methods.

Bait, well fleeting gar and plenty of boney bream is conferdence...

Slow retives and don't be affraid to pause a lure for up wards of 5 to 12 seconds.

and a forth tip is simply enjoy the fact you are in there with a chance to catch this Ikonic Sportfish....

[TinarooTriumph]

G'day... name is Theo, and I'm a resident angler to Lake Tinaroo.
On early, still mornings the barra can hear me coming from miles away as I have the pedal planted in the ute (they call that mad keen)

Place of residence; Wondecla (Herberton)

Occupation; Student (nearly one that wears one of those stupid hats)

Barra tip 1 ; Work the water column. Many anglers out there are stuck in the world of the shallow water theory & don't subscribe to fishing any deeper then 12/15ft etc. Some anglers will try all day to find fish feeding in shallower depths though our Lakes are big, and you can't be in too places at once. When you've found fish, then deploy lures and take it one fish at a time.

Barra Tip 2 ; Still mornings/nights & ultra-calm days can mean spooky fish, so pay attention to stealth. Kill the outboard (4 banger or 2 banger) a good 300/400m out from a certain spot and move in at a slow pace. Perfect stealth gives you the ultimate chance to catch fish. This rule also applies for fishing windy banks, so think about how you travel past spots you plan to fish later on etc. Electric motors are a good positioning tool, & not so much a 'travelling ground' option.

Barra tip 3 ; Fishing times on our lakes can vary & are dictated by one thing > weather. One day fish can bite their heads off at 5am and we can all catch dozens of fish, the next day they could go ballistic at 3pm in an aggressive bite window that may last 20mins. Big barra arn't robots, nor are they predictable (they are very far from predictable). You can't be in two places at once, so work out how weather effects spots during different parts of the day and come up with a game plan!

... and just another thing... be courteous at our boat ramps, but at the same time give some people the nudge if they are in the 'wrong'. If you see a bloke struggling to get a boat on the trailer, man up and go and help him out. If you see a bloke prepping his boat on the ramp & doing all that pre-phase planning then give him a gentle reminder that theres a place & a time to do that. Ramps are a place where you can meet the nicest people in the world, and they are also a good place to get into a fight if the wrong words came flying out.

If you could also hand out my number to any good looking girls my age at the Ramp (ask if they like barra fishing first), then this would also be nice.

[PaulMark]

Hi I'm Paulo.

Live....Hervey Bay,

Occupation.... CNC Machinist

Tip 1..BE QUIET.... Barra hate banging and crashing about,Stealth is the key.

Tip 2...Variety is the spice of life,just because you caught a barra on that lure/plastic last month doesn't mean they'll chomp it today,mix it up.

Tip 3...Take all of the advice given on this forum on board and you won't go far wrong.

Tip 4(ok I can't count) :P Treat the barra with the respect she deserves.
Paulo

[Whitto]

G'Day My name is Whitto and Im a Mondyholic.

I was born 61yrs ago in a Fishermans Paradise Town called Innisfail where growing up I had species like Barra Mangrove Jack Sooties to catch and then there was the Barrier Reef.

I now live in the Pine Rivers area.

Iam now under "Doctors Orders" and have Retired after 40yrs with the Emergency Services.

My Barra tips for anyone starting out are:

1....Pay attention to detail.....Rod in good condition/Reel well maintained/Hooks and Rings upgraded/ and your knots are tied correctly.

2....Be considerate to other Anglers.......Slow down and do it as quitely as you can from a considerable distance.

3....Handle your Barra carefully....DO NOT lift your Barra out of the water in a Vertical plane as you will effectively kill it as a result of snapping it's neck......Keep the Barra in a Horizontal plane (Leave it in the net in the water till you are ready with Brag Mat and Camera)......If you have to have photos do it quickly and get the fish back in the water so I can have a crack at it sometime down the track.

And finally be kind to your parents.......before you know it..... THEIR GONE.

[matt fraser]

Wow, great tips there guys! Thanks to everyone who has contributed so far. There are some real gems in there, I'm sure that most readers would have picked up some valuable info here.

Its also great to get to know everyone better. So keep the tips coming, and even if you don't think you have anything to contribute, thank the guys if you've learnt something from their tips.

Just one more tip from me (which I've recently learnt from Trevor) Strap your electric motor shaft down securely to reduce the chances of it self-deploying when you hit waves at speed! :-/ ;D

Cheers,

Matt

[bluefin59]

Thanks for the advice ,some great points to get started with ...matt

[Little grey men]

Now this is a thread !!! :thumbsup: Well done everyone.

[Big_Ren]

Hi, I'm Paul and I'm an acute IBD sufferer

Place of Residence - Sunshine Coast - about 3.5 hours south of Monduran and 5 from Awoonga.

Occupation - Media Manager

My Three Barra Tips

Not so much three tips, but a throw back to my thoughts last year on this topic.

To quote from 2008


For me, it is 90% attitude........

A positive attitude towards your tackle preparation (not accepting that close enough is good enough)
An attitude espousing patience, tolerance, courtesy and respect for self and fellow anglers on the water
An attitude of confidence/optimism that you will enjoy success, or an attitude to learn from the tough days to do better next time; and
An attitude that you take a smile on board when you launch and a determination you will have the same smile or broader when you return, no matter what your results.At the end of the day, I do not go out fishing to be a misery guts (I can do that at work, wishing I was fishing;))....I am always committed to having fun, bettering myself as an angler, enjoying the moment for what it really is, and of course, taking the p*ss out of my mates (expecting heaps in return).

Smile when you net your quarry, and smile when you afford him his liberty........leave your problems at home and take the right attitude on the water......how hard can that be?

Cheers
Paul

[Dick Pasfield]

Dick, any fish is good

Place of Residence - Kununurra.

Occupation - Landcare group coordinator.

My Three Barra Tips

Keep a diary, work out what data is important to you, start small and build up, use a spreadsheet and if you don't know how learn then fishing has taught you at least one good habit out of all the bad ones;)

Use the good times to experiment, work through your ideas, toss them, modify them, store them for when times are lean to fall back on. Don't try go clutching at straws when fish are hard to come by.

Trust your gut instinct, if its not there or seems wrong when you do you're not asking it the question often enough for it to get good at providing the answers.

[BR65]

Im going to double dip with another 3 tips:
1/ Trust your sounder, if it shows bait and barra, stick at it.

2/ Persistance is your best friend. Many many barra are caught on the umptenth cast down the same line.

3/ Pay your SIP. The great fishery we enjoy isnt possible with out the funds generated by those who utilize it.
!

[anthony72]

Anthony and I am a tragic barra nut job - dream about them and cannot sleep before each trip and also a slight tingle from Jewies, trout and ALL pelagics but barra hands down.

Place of Residence - Rockhampton I am 5 mins Fitzroy River, 40 mins port alma, 1 &1/2 from Awoonga.

Occupation - Auctioneer

My Three Barra Tips

1. Sit back and take 10 -15 mins before first lure is thrown and study what is happening on the water in front of you. Study the current lines and fish the fresh oxygenated water- quietly drift into desired location.

2. Birds, for me they give the greatest clue to what's happening below the surface feeding or sitting on the bank-

3. Always do something different everytime you hit the water- no point going out and doing the same thing expecting a different result- modify a lure and look for point of difference to everything else put in front of barra at highly pressured dams or rivers.


Great thread Matt.

[Barraholic]

Ahhh bugger it, a mini double dip for me. and carrying on from Anthony's No.2. (this one evidenced itself this arvo and has worked on numerous occasions before)

Confuscious Say - "Man who see pelican(s) in water with no neck should ready casting arm" ;) ;D

Kev

PS This thread has the potential to be awesome - keep 'em coming fellas.

[leelee]

I'm Lee. Living in QLD but originally from Sydney but don't hold that against me.

Love chasing any fish as long as its challenging and i really love barra and bass fishing but fishing itself is just great.

Barra rookie, but enjoying the challenge

Place of Residence - Brisbane. 5-6 hours to far south from barra heaven but 12 hours north of hell;D

Occupation - Analyst

My Three Barra Tips

1. Perservence catches fish

2. Trust your instincts and always be positive

3. Always keep an open mind and listen to the dam and to the anglers who fish it

[Obi _ Wan]

Just one more tip from me (which I've recently learnt from Trevor) Strap your electric motor shaft down securely to reduce the chances of it self-deploying when you hit waves at speed! :-/ ;D

Cheers,

Matt[/quote]

That's a bit rough Matt ;D

What's the poor bugger done to deserve all the bad luck that has come his way over the last year ::)

He is, at the moment trying to work out what he has done to cop the bad luck, he can't remember running over anyone lol ;D

I hope it all comes good and he ends up taking out the Barra Tour this year.;)

Cheers,
John.

[Awoonga]

Just one more tip from me (which I've recently learnt from Trevor) Strap your electric motor shaft down securely to reduce the chances of it self-deploying when you hit waves at speed! :-/ ;D

Cheers,

Matt

That's a bit rough Matt ;D

What's the poor bugger done to deserve all the bad luck that has come his way over the last year ::)

He is, at the moment trying to work out what he has done to cop the bad luck, he can't remember running over anyone lol ;D




I hope it all comes good and he ends up taking out the Barra Tour this year.;)

Cheers,
John.[/quote]


John its ok...Thanks for those kind words ..As for my tips..lets see No 1 is PMA Positive Mental Attitude, No 2 is the soft plastic twitch ?You may well ask.. Whats that ? Well lets see if l can explain it .Barra are inquisitive. They will follow your lure without touching it. This happens many times without you even knowing it especially if you are repeatitively casting to the one area. If you stop the lure or change its action even slightly there instinct takes over and they strike at it .No3 its been said before but it needs to be said again .Stealth you will catch more fish As time goes on these fish shall get smarter. You must outsmart them.

[matt fraser]

Just one more tip from me (which I've recently learnt from Trevor) Strap your electric motor shaft down securely to reduce the chances of it self-deploying when you hit waves at speed! :-/ ;D

Cheers,

Matt

That's a bit rough Matt ;D

What's the poor bugger done to deserve all the bad luck that has come his way over the last year ::)

He is, at the moment trying to work out what he has done to cop the bad luck, he can't remember running over anyone lol ;D

I hope it all comes good and he ends up taking out the Barra Tour this year.;)

Cheers,
John.[/quote]

Yep, I believe in Karma what comes around goes around, so I reckon Trev is due for some good things to come his way. I reckon you might also be overdue for some better times ahead!

Cheers,

Matt

[Obi _ Wan]

Yep, I believe in Karma what comes around goes around, so I reckon Trev is due for some good things to come his way. I reckon you might also be overdue for some better times ahead!

Cheers,

Matt[/quote]

Thanks for that Matt, i certainly would be happy if a few things started to go my way for a change, but i guess as the Big man said some years ago, "Life wasn't meant to be easy", he has been right so far, the only ray of light so far is the teaming up with a group of like minded barra men from this site.

Cheers,
John.

[vet]

Hi, my name is Scott and I'm a veterinarian and I live in Gladstone 60% of the time and Awoonga the rest. I'm a recovering Alcoholic, oh sorry wrong site.

My three tips,

Observation of everything around you when on the water is paramount.
Weather provides the clues of where and when to fish.
Become a hunter, stalk your prey with stealth.

cheers scott.

[Luc]

Hi Matt,

Nice to catch up, been a long time.
Still living in Pine Rivers area,
Mostly bassing,
Chase barra a couple of times a year(usually Mondy),
Hardbodies rather than plastics - Voodoo catch barra!!!

My tips / observations
Fish to the conditions of the day
Bass fishing tactics are applicable to barra
Try something other than what everybody else is doing

Luc

[matt fraser]

G'day Luc, Good to hear from you, thanks for adding your tips.

There are some excellent tips there, I'm sure, much appreciated by many. Before this one fades off the page, I'm hoping some of you can get a bit more specific with some of your tips.

Like - There are a fair few tips that talk about conditions, for barra newbys, can you elaborate on - how to fish to conditions? where to fish in the conditions?

Stealth, there are a few tips on stealth , I'd like to elaborate on this. If there is a specific point or bay that I'd like to fish. As I approach it I come off the plane about 300m out, I'll then idle in for another 100m, and then cut the main motor, deploy the electric and then electric in. If my plan is to anchor on this point, I will stop the electric about 50m out, and deploy the anchor quietly (anchor is a lead wedge with no noisy chain). As the wind is blowing into this point, I will drift into position. Before commencing fishing.

All this takes about 5 minutes longer than it would normally take if I had have driven straight to the point and dropped anchor. However if I've used enough stealth and the fish are there, it isn't unusual to get a bite on the first cast. If I'd used the non-stealth method, it could be up to half an hour before the fish start patrolling that point again.

Am I being stealthy enough? Please add your stealth tips if you have more.

Three more tips from me - on temps
Water temps (which are directly affected by wind and air temps) have a huge influence on impoundment barra.

If you have struck conditions when air temps are lower than water temps, fishing can be more difficult, but I've found the most productives times of the day become dawn, and the middle of the day, when it is at its warmest

If there is a cold southerly blowing, try and find bays that are the most protected, always keep and eye on the your sounder for water temps. The warmer water generally hold the most active fish.

Barra fishing is much more productive on days when air temps are warmer than water temps. Sunset bites are particularly productive after a hot day.

Keep 'em coming,

Cheers,

Matt

[BR65]

Conitions

Windy day = tie off/anchor. Theres no point skating along with wind drift fishing, or fighting the wind with the electric to hold spot, you just dont do justice to each cast, retrieves are in-advertantly sped up, and areas arent worked suficiently
Ordinary weather days, scuddung rain showers and gusting winds, can still be extremly fruitfull, my biggest ever bara came on a day when no one else was on the water due to conditions, and he wasnt the only fish of the day. Poor weather we fish in can often play more on the anglers mind than it does a fish.
Stability of conditions - the holy grail, 2 weeks of stable nor east winds, leading up to your trip that coincides with moon rise early evening.My tips are based on my time on the water, and what works for me, hope some one else can use them to mat a barra!

[Luc]

Hi Matt,

Fishing to the conditions - BR65 said it pretty well.

As I don't have an electric, unless trolling, I let the boat/canoe drift into a good posse & either tie off to a handy tree or lower my anchor (lead wedge) and then cast away. Depending on the drop-back of the rope I get varying amount of sideway movement which increases the area I can cover.

When drifting, a small droge slows the drift and keep the nose into the wind.

Luc

[NAGG]

One thing that comes to mind with regard to wind direction and changes in direction is.

Its common place to hear around the campsite & ramp is a destination is chosen based on what the wind is doing at that time.

But it is always worth considering.

"What was the wind doing for the days prior to the wind change ? "

If an arm has had wind blowing in there for a week & then overnight a wind change has it pushing out of there - - - - do not discount that location .... Try to find an area within that arm that the wind is now blowing onto ( point, bank or bay )

As per JMs Lake Monduran DVD

Depending on wind velocity , air temps etc - That arm may remain productive for days to come (I'm pretty sure that a whistle isn't blown for all barra to get the hell out of Dodge;) )

Cheers

Chris

[goodoo1]

Hi My name is Mick now live in Gordonval FNQ 5min from creeks full of WILD BARRA and crocks Tip 1- Dont use 20 lb leader Tip 2- if you do use 20lb leader buy more lures before fishing Tip 3 - if you come across a stray crock leave before it follws you home 8-)

[BigChiefBarra]

Hi, I'm Gary and as the Tattoo reads, I'm Barraholic!


Place of Residence - Happyrock (Gladstone) About 25min drive from Awoonga boatramp.

Occupation - Bank Manager (Bendigo)

My Barra Tips

1. You can never learn enough about Barra fishing.

2. I use Harros leader knot (no double) 30lb braid, 50 or 80 lb leader

3. Just added some floats to the anchor rope and man what a difference. Rope overboard and chase those BIG Girls.

4. When times up, Just one more cast ............... repeat about 1000 times "then" go home. The wife will get over it eventually......


Cheers,

Gazza.