My first Saratoga :-)

[TonyM]

Took a mate out chasing Bass in the Burrum river yesterday afternoon.

We got several nice Bass around 45cm using soft plastics in the early afternoon, and then switched to poppers hoping for a little surface action as it got darker.

My mate Mick landed a nice Bass on his popper and then it went pretty quiet. Persevered for about another 45 mins without so much as a follow and was on about my fifth "We'll go after this cast" when Boof! My little berkley popper got slammed by what I though was a Barra.

He went for a power run peeling off loads of 6lb fireline, although fortunately stayed away from the many snags we were in amongst. Next thing it's gone aerial and I almost fell out the boat when I realised what it was! The Saratoga was tail dancing and jumping more than I've had any other fish do. What a magnificent fighting fish these things are. :)

Got a quick pic on Micks mobile (I'll post it when he emails it to me) and I'd estimate it was around 60 ish cm's. Released him to give someone else a shot at one of these amazing fish. A day I will remember for a long time! 8-)

[TinarooTriumph]

Top stuff Tony! They are a beaut fish arnt they? I dont know what it is about Toga', but they are by far my favourite fish, easily.

Cant wait for the pic mate!

TinarooTriumph 8-)

[BrandonH]

Great work mate ;)

Cheers
Brandon.

[F1SH_BOY]

GREAT CANT WAIT TO THE PIC :D

[tiges]

I like you Tony was pretty much blown away with my first Toga as well. Like your's it was a totally unexpected capture. Went to Borumba acouple of yrs ago, only had a canoe at the time. Got there in the afternoon and didn't really have time to go out on the dam, so took the canoe for a paddle in the little creek (Yabba creek) down behind the campground by the dam wall. It was stinking hot, middle of summer, so there was heaps of kids swimming and jumping off trees into the water. Wasn't really expecting anything with all the ruckus, but we got a couple of small bass. Was fishing with a fat little med/deep diver and pegged a nice cast in under some overhanging cover, only about 30m from where the boys were all jumping off a rope swing making a real racket. The water just erupted where the lure landed, and a fairly huge Toga just went ballistic all over the small stretch of water we were in. Jumped around 10 times and played up like no fish I've ever caught before. Was around 70cms, unfortunately didn't have a camera with me. Still to this day, probably my most memorable fish capture. I bet your still buzzing.

Cheers mate
Tiges

[agnes_jack]

Well done Tony!!! :D
A nice little suprise mate!!
Are they commonly known to be in the Burrum system mate??
Have not heard of them down there before but what a great bonus while chasing the bass.

Regards, Tony :D :D

[TonyM]

Thanks guys - still no pic, I better visit Mick and download it for him (was a new phone) ;D

Tony - Whilst not a common catch they are caught from time to time and are an species endemic to the area.

There are some in the Dam also from a stocking sometime in the past (don't know if it was a midnight one or legit) unfortunately the DPI will not allow stocking them in the Dam now, from memory the reason is that there are no genetically correct fingerlings available (hmmm maybe i should get a grant and build a hatchery) ;D

[grenadier]

whats the best way to catch toga can anyone let me know the secret . i have heard freshwater fish like the water to warm up a bit before they bite so the crack of dawn isnt the right time is this true.
people tell me mid morning is the best time.

[Jeremy87]

Seahawk, if your serious about getting a toga head up to cania dam for a few days in september-november and cast spinner baits at the timber in the chook pen. I went up last year and we had a ball. Lots of healthy bass aswell. Borumba also has a healthy population of toga but has been fishing poorly.

[TonyM]

Seahawk - the water temp does seem to affect f/w fish. I'm no expert on Toga, but I do know that this is very much the case with Barra, and toga do seem to share a lot of charactistics with them...

From what I've heard (and from my one and only catch) they like to hang around lilly pads.

If you can get in amongst the lillies you have a much better chance of enticing one to take your lure. Spinner baits are often used as it's possible to work them through lilly pads, as with soft plastics with the spinner blade. Alternatively working surface lures at dawn/dusk near the edges of lilly pads, and if you're game through the lilly pads if you find a gap ;)

Hope this helps.

,,, Just realised I haven't got that pic yet! Better get on it !

[grenadier]

hey fellas so what is the best time to fish on the dams is it the same as fishing on the bay

[Jeremy87]

As in the best time of day?
Dawn is a very good time to chase freshwater fish in summer. In the winter bass will move into the shallows in search of warmer water early in the morning. I find the change in light periods seem to produce the best when i go on a freshwater trip i try to fish dawn through till mid morning then i go back to camp for lunch and a sleep and then hit the water again around 3 fishing up until dusk (later if the fish are still biting). Saratoga are a surface feeder and prefer the protection from shadows. They will move around and 'hunt' for the first few hours after dawn while the shadows from surrounding hills are still on the water but when full sun is on the water they will retreat deeper into snags or stop feeding on the surface. This does not mean you can't catch saratoga in the middle of the day but it does mean you will have to employ different tactics. Let your spinnerbait sink deeper into the snag or systematically work a section of bank you saw them patrolling earlier that morning will still produce fish. Saratoga have a very hard mouth so sharp hooks must be used and stinger hooks on spinners are a must. A longer moderate action rod will set hooks better than a short still rod. Also play the fish with side pressure when you feel them starting to come to the surface get ready for the jump drop your rod tip low and keep contact otherwise they will spit the hook.

[Az]

where's the pics at mate, love toga pics
still yet to catch one myself.. have had them as a pet though 8-)

[Big_unit]

Cmon Tony wheres the picture ? ;) ;)

Photos are a must have, in any report.

[Big_unit]

A bump for Tony's pic !!! :-/ :-?

[Big_unit]

Hmm I think someone's forgotten THE PICTURE.

;D ;D ;D

Cheers
James

[Tropicaltrout]

Love those toga well done, a first toga is a real goodie they are hard to jag and good fighters and the first and last one are always clear in the memory banks. ;)

[TinarooTriumph]

Myself and James (Big_Unit) have been waiting for this pic for months!. Where the hell is it mate!

TT 8-)

[TonyM]

Oops sorry guys :o

Mick is on hols, but is due back this week I think. Trust me - I want to see the pic too as I have hardly been fishing recently and need cheering up :'( ;D

[ShaneJ]

Got the pic yet Tony?
I haven't caught a toga yet so I cant wait to see the pic.

Pull ya finger out mate and snap to it :)

[robyoung1]

My first decent toga was at borumba aswell, and completely un-expected. I'd caught a number of smaller ones, around 30 cm or so, and was on my way home well and truly dejected and worn out. Ridiculously sunburned too. I also broke a Fire-Wolf on it's first day out.

I too had only the canoe, and was a bloody big canadian. Weighed the front down with a bag of sand to keep it leven and manually padled that bloody thing from the wall all the way to the split in the creeks . I'd forgot to take my munch and forgot to take water, and by the time I was paddling that last wind swept open area before the wall late arv (being "buzzed" by some smart arsed kids in a ski boat), I took a break to have one last flick in the most un-likely spot. Open water, but at the end of a grasy spit. A white wart (probably 2 metre diver), and man did that bugger wake me up.

First I even knew I had it was the line had no pressure, but was just cutting across the water at a hell of a rate of knows. Then the pressure hit,a nd the fish came up and out. Everything I'd heard of, and see on tellie, and had become convinced that day I was never gonna have happen.

I've been hooked on them ever since. IT was a top fish, but trying to paddle the boat one handed, as I was alone, and I didn't want to bring it into the boat and risk killing it; it was a bloody hot day); I just let er go next to the canoe.

As for what kind of conditions to fish, hot weather or not...I reckon you want that stinking hot weather in Jan/Feb. Humid as hell, but still use the dawn and dusk patters. Fish re-act at those times for reasons apart from temps.

When it's filthy hot, like already mentioned, you'll find them "rolling" in the lilly pads on the shadey side of the dam amongst the dead timber, or against the grassy banks. They're less likely to take a bait then, but then when they are on the chew I remember John Rowe bragging of numbers of 40 and 50 in a day on fly. Not that I was any great freind of his or anything.

I've always wondered what under the dam wall might be like for toga. Is it fishable on foot? Little Yabba tends to be shallow enough in most spots to wade it I would think. but I don't know. When you used a canoe down that way, did you have to portage it at all (I love to use my french lol)

I'm planning a particularly intense season up there this year. My sons are old enough now to see if they want to make a go of it, and the fam. loves to camp there. BTW, use the camp site further away from the dam. The deer park. it's much better for the wife and kids if you have them; while you're out and about.

the fella who owns the deer park often takes the kids for a ride on a trailer to feed the deer . he never used to charge for ths). There's better amenities, and the camp sites by the creek (little Yabba) and perfect depth for children to get in ad play all day without mum having to worrry too much about drowning. She can kick back an read or something and the kids can play up on rope swings and stuff.

If you don't have a fam, I guess it makes no dif where you camp.

I find the main camp site more of a paddock by comparrison.

For lures I like anything small and shallow, with a wobble on it rather than a shimmey. but then theat's by prefered style of lure anyway, so it might just be best kind of lure for my retrieve and action style? Problem with small lures is, Toga have hard mouths. Imean bone hard. Some say use a lure that yu can substitute the treble with a single decent size, sharp as hell hook. I don't know how to go about doing that on little lures, so I don't obviously, but I loose far more than I ever land because of this. Maybe why fly fishermen drop so few. They can replyon that single hook, and once you have the weight of the fish, don't be afraid to set that hook.

Of course don't be silly (I wouldn't expect so anyway), but I mean if you get the chance to re-assure yourself the hook is home, without pulling the lure free; go for it.

cheers
rob