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 ,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!!

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