WTF.Keen fisherman chase barramundi where the fresh water hits brackish water at Town

[ColJacDak]

This is the headline in the courier mail online photos today, I thought the law was that you could not fish within 150metres up or downstream of a weir, let alone target Barramundi in the closed season, Is the weir law different if it is flowing, I would not think so, as this is when fish gather to go upstream to breed, set me straight please. Col 8-)

[ColJacDak]

http://www.news.com.au/couriermail/gallery/0,23816,5064716-17382-2,00.html (http://www.news.com.au/couriermail/gallery/0,23816,5064716-17382-2,00.html)
(http://www.ausfish.com.au/vforum/www.news.com.au/couriermail/gallery/0,23816,5064716-17382-2,00.html)

[ColJacDak]

Link is not working, But you can see the Address, Google it there is 2 photos..Col

[Scott nthQld]

people fish the weir's all the time, including me, never heard of that sort of law about keeping your distance.

People fishing for barra would be highly unlikely, yes you aren't even allowed to target them in the closed season, and Aplins is just one place that The DPI like to set up shop to catch people doing it.

Sounds like the Courier Mail's top quality 'jouranlism' once again!

[Richard]

Your normally right Col, usually a 100m-400m exclusion zone up and down stream of most weirs in QLD (ful list in the Fisheries Regulations 2008) but Aplins Weir (the one in the photo) is a bit of an anomaly for some reason. Why it has been left off the list we don't know. Same for the others on the river.

Also there's no difference whether the weir is flowing or not, same rules the whole year.

It's not so much that barra will be moving upstream to breed (as they breed out to sea), usually around the end of November, start of December (dependent on storms and rain triggers) but you will get juveniles moving upstream so they can spend their younger years up in the fresh away from a lot of predators. Larger fish will also be moving downstream, using the flood waters to get to the salt where they will tend to breed next season (some will turn to female too if they are over about the 80cm mark)

Richard

[Scott nthQld]

Maybe the other weirs have an exclusion zone because it part of town water supply or something?? I don't know why it was left out.

Also I don't know about the water being brackish there at the moment, you could just about drink the water at the mouth of that creek right now

[oldboot]

quite a lot of dams and weirs have exclusion zones above and below the wall or spillway.. for a number of reasons, including safety...... but my understanding is that it is on a weir/dam by dam basis, and it varies.

On many dams going over the spillway would be certain death, and if there are gates or valves on the dam, there is a real risk to anybody below the dam wall if those gates or valves are opened.

there are no gates or valves on the Ross river weirs

It is quite common in the top end for people to fish off or near weirs or barrages.

In Townsville there are popular locations below the weirs that people very commonly fish off

When you consider in T'ville there are 3 weirs one after the other on the Ross and the water at certain times fresh backs up to the base of the preceeding weir and the tide runs up to the base of the bottom weir.......exclusions would be a bit impractical..... but remember you cant fish at all in the main ross river dam or for quite a long way down stream from the spillway.

Oh remember too, that if there is any serious water comming over those weirs... you arent going to get all that close......and if you are fishing the salt side of the bottom one , you will be wise to e keep a look out for the ocasional self propelled handbag...so they probably recon its fair game.

cheers