Reply With QuoteGreat reports Nagg.
Well done...some very nice fish there.
Pete
Whitey & I left Monduran last Friday for our short 2 day look at Awoonga , with the intention to revisit Monduran & possibly Cania on our way home! . With the wind blowing quite hard from the SE & the knowledge that we were going to an exposed basin , it was a hard sell to convince Whitey that we were making the right move ( Im an optimist) Doubly difficult due to the amount of fishoes that left Awoonga & drove to Monduran to gain some protection ! . Whitey (a trailer park tart) was hearing the lowdown NO BARRA IN AWOONGA MATE .. Too bloody windy! & your mad mate!
So we arrive & set up camp ( much quicker the 2nd time) A view of the dam (our first) , had us thinking What have we done?). A quick call to Trev to let him know we made it ! 30 mins later Trevs there We are going to do something different !!!!! he said! We were game! & within an hour fishing using an obscure method Whitey had a high 70s barra landed!!!! GAME ON . I said ( very competitive bugger I am) A nice result considering the conditions ( & less than 2 hours on the water)
Day 2 .. had us up nice & early .. & ultra keen. The intention was to meet Trev & head to the Boyne River bush camp. 6.15am at our meeting point .. & no Trev???? A call & Trev answers that hes still at home! Its only 5.15am mate Oh shite ! .. Im still on Sydney time To Trevs credit he was soon there & we hit the road Launching 30mins later in the Boyne The game plan was to hit & run , fishing various structure in the Boyne & Flutter creek ! After a couple of hours . Whitey has his first of the day GAME ON BIG TIME Attachment 23305 Im thinking hes gunna kick my butt ala Cania last Oct !
As we move through the river system fishing our way down .. it is revealed that both Whitey & Trev were born & bred in the same Victorian rural town Then , they have a common friend! .. & that friends daughter who was an close to Whitey . now lives in the area! .. TREV called it Kama!
So we continued to fish . & moved into the main basin looking for better water quality & bait At this point of time .. The Minn Kota plays up F-ing piece of crap .. Not completely deterred we start to fish structure favored by the prevailing conditions! . Laying down an anchor .. & then drifting back into casting range. This tactic proved most successful for the remainder of the day at several locations .. Trevor , now known as the Barra Meister finished with 5 ( incl a 95cm)Attachment 23306 Whitey 2 76cm & me with 4 with the best 2 at 88 & 89cmAttachment 23307 . Most importantly Im ahead of my mate on the tally
Our plan to return to Monduran & fish Cania on our return just went out the window!
Day 3 .Trev agrees to subject himself to some more torture . More of the same though avoiding the Boyne this time .. Trev of course blitzed them again with his best going 98cm from memory along with another 5 or so .. Whitey managed another two with his best at 86cm . & I landed another 4 .& lost 2 . One to a worn trace boatside & 1 that held its ground , shook its head at me & broke the 60lb trace in 30sec ( good bye X Rap) . Shortly after Trev caught his 98 & whitey lost one in 10mins of mayhem. Im starting to have some concern over my 50lb braid ( swelling)
A great day ,,,,,,, & some serious lessons learnt on terminal tackle ( Goodbye 60lb leader .. & 30lb braid) Tomorrow will be another day where we will be cut loose on our own .. Hmmm ( but at least Im 3 up on Whitey).
With the need to pick up supplies (80lb Trace , more 50lb braid & 110, 130 slick rigs .. + food & drinks) . We rushed in to Gladstone only to find the tackle store opens later than expected Getting that out of the way we had the boat on the water just after 10am . & set off to one of the locations that we fished with Trev ( no luck) . A move was called for . This achieved & the anchor successfully deployed in atrocious conditions we soon found ourselves in a hot bite .. Whitey landed the first fish ( a little one) then I had 50lb braid broken on a running fish that made it to cover . Followed by another which snapped 50lb during a jump ( line failure) . Ive decided to rip the 50lb braid off the Zillion & load the remaining 50lb Nitlon ( this would prove to be a blessing later in the trip) During this time re spooling , Whitey managed another 4 or 5 small barra & was smashed by the fish of the Trip .. A big porpoising leap at the back of the boat had me calling a 110cm + fish Then a 30m run back to the boat & a jump ( this thing had a back like a Brahman bull) ,.. At this point it was quite clear that Whiteys gear was not up to the task . & with the fish running toward some solid structure . He was unable to turn it! . ( pop trace worn through) . You could have heard a pin drop!
Whiteys run however continued .. 9 for the day !(60-80cm) Oh I did manage 2 in between bouts of weed . Including a previous tagged fish (67cm) that as I learnt today was released 9 months earlier ( Trev returned the capture details)Attachment 23308 A fine day in anyones book . Though Whitey is now 4 up & giving me heaps
Day 5 .. & Trev being a glutten for punishment agrees to go again We fished a couple the previous spots to no avail . Hmmm At that point we kick him out of the boat . But that only fired him up & he scores an exceptionally long fish. Followed by another great fish ( hell hes unstoppable) .. We then call him back to show us how he does it!
We then fished some new water employing our previous successful techniques . Trev manages another nice fish & blows another boatside , then another ( These fish are going hard today .. I just wish I could connect to one) Well I didnt have to wait too long with a couple of fish coming to the boat Attachment 23310 Attachment 23311 .. The margin narrows to 2 & Whiteys getting concerned
We move to what we named big girl bay (All quality) I managed another small fish hooked while stopping a slick rig while passing a bit of structure!
Another move to our most successful position to finish off our trip Very slow , Then right at the back of the boat . Hook up .. a big swirl & Im into it . Now that girl knew where to go right toward some structure passing over the anchor rope. It looked like we were going to have to follow the fish .. With Trevs advice I managed to stop & turn the fish .. we managed to net our personal best fish of the trip ( 96cm)Attachment 23309 . Im glad I listened to Trev & upped the ante on line & leader . Now the score was tied! ( 15 a piece) & Whitey is devistated!!!! . Trev must have managed 20 or so on his own We finished up there & blasted back to the ramp with a fitting way to celebrate Whiteys day .. A BIG DOUGHNUT!
Good byes said , we headed back to the park , packed the boat & sat back over a few beers .. to reflect on what turned out to be a most memorable trip.
A big thank you goes out to Trev ( Awoonga) for his time , assistance , knowledge , patience & most importantly his company.
We learnt a hell of a lot .. & it shows that with a bit of thought , persistence & stealth ..fish can be caught in very average conditions .
All fish were taken by casting lures & SPs .. All fish released
Time to plan our next trip !
Cheers All
Nagg
PS .... I better show some of Whiteys fishAttachment 23318..Attachment 23319 ..... Attachment 23320....Attachment 23400....Attachment 23402
Last edited by NAGG; 22-03-2008 at 04:01 PM.
Great reports Nagg.
Well done...some very nice fish there.
Pete
Great Report Chris and well done to you both, i bet Whitey is still talking about it!
Cheers,
John.
Well done boys, sure makes your long haul up well and truly worth it.
Well done fellas, that Trev certainally nows how to catch barra. Sounds like you enjoyed your trip and it is good to see the dam firing(for some people) and quality fish being landed. Well done
Cheers Plastic_Magic
yep no barra there boys...
Guys , thanks for the company... Kama... must have been .. Whitey and l growing up in the same town... Fishing the same Creeks, Going to the same School ,Going out with....Thats going tooo far...,Then to finally meet at Awoonga...Anyway lets get back to the story...The look on Whiteys face on that first arvo when l said lets try something different !.....But it paid off...Thinking outside the box...Then over the next few days using the conditions to our advantage... Chris you would have loved it ...Surfing and fishing at the same time
..And John....Mate when are you going to come for a fish ?...l know you love Faust... But Awooogeee can Deliver sometimes.....Guys there is a couple of things that you need to get right for next time...First off... The Time... here in Queensland we dont have Daylight Saving...Because it fades the curtains...and the cows would have to get up earlier
Noooice result, Im really gunna have to drive past Monduran one day and give the big A some proper time and effort
My fav bit by far, hahahaha. Did that once over in the states.Its only 5.15am mate Oh shite ! .. Im still on Sydney time
Good report mate! Some nice barra there.
Cheers,
Martin
--- soon to be fishing my way around Oz. Check my blog at http://www.mytb.org/MartinNL
How are you JohnOriginally Posted by Obi _ Wan
Yeh mate ..... Even more than his Marlin fishing!..... The last fish caught made him a little more quiet ...... but definitely he's got IBD ( Impoundment Barra Disease)
Cheers
Chris
cool report nagg so what was it that you done different.
thanks
purcho
Thanks again TrevGuys , thanks for the company... Kama... must have been .. Whitey and l growing up in the same town... Fishing the same Creeks, Going to the same School ,Going out with....Thats going tooo far...,Then to finally meet at Awoonga...Anyway lets get back to the story...The look on Whiteys face on that first arvo when l said lets try something different !.....But it paid off...
See what your lack of daylight saving did to my watch ...... It stopped ( after 4 years)
Mayo ....... I've reprimanded the the caterer & told him he needs to get his act together........ I actually had some avocado ( but they got squashed)
Mate .... Whitey was very much a sceptic ... prior to landing that first Awoonga Barra ( in the first 30mins or so
Loved it alright ....... Except for tackle changes , anchor duties & feeding the guide ..... when did you see me , not casting & picking out birds nests or weed
..... So it was a real let down doing the drive back ........ though the odd photo review kept things upbeat! ....... 16 hours of "Whitey the barra catcha" is a bit much though!
Cheers
Chris
PS ..... Were you impressed with our local knowledge on the second day
Last edited by NAGG; 21-03-2008 at 09:09 AM.
I too have driven past Awoonga on 6 occasions to get to other destinations...... no more though!
I've gotta say though ..... serious local knowledge born from thousands of hours on the dam certainly helped the result!
Nagg
Fanatstic report Nagg, it even sounds better the second time round . I love that pic of the drowned Rat in the yellow raincoat
Federation of Fly Fishers
International Certified Casting Instructor
Sunshine Coast Fly Fishers
www.saltwaterflyfishers.org
Fished the conditions rather than hiding from them ! ......
Nagg
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