Reply With QuoteHaha, top report! duzzen matter if it comes from You or BB!
G'day guys,
Sure you have all heard how full Tinaroo is with water at the moment... its nuts/crazy/bullshit!. Plenty of people too... forget how many people you saw at Awoonga or Monduran this weekend... I am absolute positive it was double that at Tinaroo. All the campsites were PACKED... ramps were PACKED... never seen it like it before. Fishing has been very, very hard for lots of people over the last few weeks since that huge deluge of rain, and as far as I know, no one has caught a metre plus fish there in the last fortnight!!! Well, things changed on yesterday... well, they did change abit anyway...
Matt (a.k.a Barraboss... the name suites, let me tell you!) sent me a text on Saturday lunchtime saying that he had done the Friday tough, as well as the Saturday morning tough... not even a touch, although he did get a good bite from the Net (). I was keen for a fish and knew were some fish were, so I headed off to meet Matt at the Holiday Park. He looked puzzled... he didn't know what move he was going to pull next on the fish. 'Right, lets go get into them mate' I said. We headed straight to one of my favourite Bays situated in the middle of the Dam (a few of you know which one) and straight away it looked fishy. Loaded with Bait and weed strands, I knew it was time. However, what made things difficult was 'How' we would get them to bite, and not so much as how to get them out. The weed was thick... real thick... and within a few minutes we found ourselves changing Lures... Matt changed to a 130mm Squidgy fish rigged weightless and weedless, while I opted to use a range of Hardbodies and try to pick out some feeding channels. Matt's first cast with the weedless plastic produces a solid bite, and it was to be the pattern of the day. 10mins later, Matt extracted a nice 90cm fish, and 30/40mins after that a 69cm fish on the exact same rig - his first 2 fish on a Weedless Soft Plastic. Now, you may think this isn't much, but after the past few weeks of weather and rise in the Dam, as well as other anglers results, this was really good going. What made it so, was the 'thinking outside the square' factor. No one else on the Dam would have fished the way we did... hell, I don't think anyone bar myself and Matt have fished W/less Soft Plastics here at Tinaroo. But, it worked... and worked well. You could see the relief on Matts face. I was happy too!
We left DPI at about 5pm and on the way back to the Ramp I suggested we hit one of my favourite Bays/set of Points near Redbanks. Again, we found what we wanted... weed, real thick weed with Bait being mauled left right and centre. We made a move to one of my favourite points, and within 15mins, I had a real solid hit on my Wildeye shad which I was burning out quite quick and high in the weeds. Brought the Plastic back to the Boat, only to find that the fish had done nothing but minorly chaff a small section of line above my loop knot. I didn't think much of it... I wasn't worried, neither should I have been... it was only very minor. 20mins later, and I was thinking the exact opposite. I got the hit from hell... it was like 10 Kenworth T950 trucks hitting my Lure all at once, and then powering off. I was about half a second off falling into the drink, and if it wasnt for my mongoose reflexes (HaHa!) and my right hand quickly grabbing onto the Rail then I would have been a passenger. I have never seen, nor felt a hit like this before. I watched Carl Jocumsen cop a hit in the AFC last year which I thought was good.... this was 100 times better I swear. What happened after that I hear you ask? The fish was taking line too quickly... wayyyy to quickly... at 50/60% drag on my beefed up Curado, the only thing I could do was to put my thumb down and hope for the best... and that I didn't get. That very minor chaf in the line earlier on was all it took for the Barra to win its freedom... 50lb 10X and Wildeye's dont work I know, but I was confident. The look, and laugh on Matts face afterwards was priceless... his eyes had popped down to his feet... he was flabergasted. 'That was HUGEEEEEE!'. It sure was... I don't know how huge, but 30+kg isn't out of the question. Was I upset? F#*! NO!!!!!!!!! I was bloody happy (the fish could have given me back my Lure though!).
So you see people, thinking outside the square in tough times, or even firing times DOES pay. I know I will be trying it a lot more... yesterday was a good lesson... very good.
Cheers
Theo
(p.s... Sorry for stealing a report off ya Matt!)
TT
Haha, top report! duzzen matter if it comes from You or BB!
tell me about the people there, we came up for a drive from innisfail today, i have not been there since it dried up, and we seen that cricket pitch. always wanted to come up fishing one weekend, but it is such a bit place and 2 lines dont cover area very well..lol.
Last edited by Jomaweb; 23-03-2008 at 09:31 PM.
Hi Theo thanks for the great report mate - sounds like you had fun, even with the crowds. The big ones that got away always keep you coming back - just like golf - one good shot a round goes a long way!!!
Keep the reports coming. Cheers Kel & Lyndon.
Hey Theo, Matt,
Top report mate......well written.....i could picture the whole scene......my casting arm is still twitching
.
Your dead right though, when the crowds are thick, and the odds are against you, it pays to think "outside the square".
Cheers Nomad
hello theo
good report as usual. well i had an interesting day on the dam today we fished around the barron and mazlin but only raised a small sooty. then we thought stuff it and went right up into school point. there was bait everywhere and the barra were there too right up in the weeds boofing away like crazy. we tried everything i also thought of rigging up some plastics weedless but we didn't have the hardware onboard. we managed to get a big sooty out of some weeds and just around the corner from that we pulled up on a nice stretch and waited. there was bait everywhere again and we saw four fish all 90 to 100 swim through but not one of them would touch our lures both hard bodies, fizzers, poppers, or soft plastics. not even matts magic bony bream work everything just spooked them. but they kept coming back to tease us most frustrating days fishing ever never had a barra three meters from the boat before and not jumping at the lure. but thats tinaroo.
shayne
Thanks for the replies guys!
Shayne - Mate no one has pulled any fish from around the Barron/Mazlin area of late which is totally off the charts, so I reckon that small Sooty ya's caught isn't too bad at all - better then nothing! I think that neck of the woods isn't firing real well because the water needs to settle a bit more... still very, very dark and discoloured. Barra love discoloured water, especially in winter, but at the moment it is just everywhere and its keeping them a bit quieter then usual. Give it a few more days of sunshine and heat and it should go off its chops like usual. Matt said he spooked a nice fish near the Bridge Saturday morning... I have done that many times myself at that exact spot.
Interesting you mention that spot you were at... I was thinking of that area, but still had the crowds in mind - its so flat up there! - thought that there would be Ski'ers all over the shop! That particular area of the Lake is always loaded with Bait... I have blacked out my sounder up there a few times. Not a bad part of the Lake to be looking around at all. Sounds like you weren't spooking fish mate, sounds like they were pretty keen to taste your Lure's! If you were getting good follows and interest, Id be heading back to that exact same spot during a different time of the day and flogging them over and over again with different Lures... once you get a bite or two, you'll crack a pattern and then a fish. Im hearing ya in regards to the fish passing through during certain times... they do that... always a very good sign! Locate the nearest, best looking snag/gully/hole and hammer it. In those situations, let them come to you!
Cheers mate
Theo
TT
Re: 'Thinking outside the Square' at Tinaroo
Interesting report Theo’
You sound very excited to have discovered a new way to fish for barra…… It’s a good feeling to catch fish via a technic that you haven’t tried before. It’s a bit like the feeling ya get when you catch fish on a home made lure that you have knocked up yourself.
How were the rubbers worked for the fish? Slow rolled, Burnt flat out, lift pause, flicked & jerked ?
Shame Tinaroo is off the ABT calendar this year as I was looking forward to fishing up there!
Now mate you can’t tell me that no one else uses weedless rubbers up there now?
Cheers Les
"Live as if you were to die tomorrow. Learn as if you were to live forever."
Good report Theo ! ...... It must be a bugger for you guys during Holiday periodsI know each time I plan a trip up north , the first thing I do is avoid the holidays!
Yeh weedless SPs .... I think its a must have option in your repatoir! We used it for the first time last Oct @ Monduran ...... When we found some nice barra hanging out in the weed ( which grew to the surface) ....... You couldn't get a lure near them without fouling up. ...... We managed a couple of strikes but no fish
Some good oil for you ....... Try rigging Slick rigs Pros weedlessThe slit in the back allows you hide the hook .... but it needs less compression to expose the hook during a strike
Nagg
Suppose I can't now can I?Originally Posted by McCod
Shame Tinaroo is off the ABT calendar this year as I was looking forward to fishing up there!
Now mate you can’t tell me that no one else uses weedless rubbers up there now?
Cheers Les
Yeah Im spewing bigtime about the ABT not coming up here this year... but they have their reasons. There was never enough support up here for the event, but I won't say anymore then that!Maybe in a few years time...
NAGG - Surely you know that I hate Slick Rigs at Tinaroo, right? Squidgie Tails yep, Slick Rigs - a big fat no for me! Have caught fish on them, but there are a few plastics out there which do so well at Tinaroo for me that I have no intentions of using any other Plastic! One thing which the Slick Rigs don't have is 'body'... that is something I always think you need at Tinaroo for them big mumma's!
Cheers
Theo
TT
G'Day Theo,
Can you elaborate on that a bit more?
I'd be interested to hear your theory on this.
Cheers
Jas
G'day Jas,
No worries! The Plastics I use at Tinaroo, as well as the Hardbodies I tend to stick to all have a bit of size to them... thats not to say I don't use smaller Lures (80-100m)... I'll be quite happy to fish those when I know its the right time. Having caught, seen and heard of many fish caught on large profile Lure's (size from 140mm to about 170mm) makes them a usual 'tie on' for me. Predatek's, Barra Baits, 160 Classics... all have a huge following up here, mainly because they have caught a crapload of gigantor fish. Big Lures for Big Fish? - Yes... but not always the case. One thing I like to look for with all my Lure's is the profile... I will take Lure's out of boxes (even if it pisses store owners off!) and hold them above me and look at their underbelly, cos' thats basically what the bulk of the fish are going to view. Lures that have worked well for me here are ones with fat Bodies, that taper off quickly into the tail... look under a Viper, or a big Bomber, or those 'Tinaroo' Plastics and you'll then know what I mean. Its just one big pattern I have noticed... sure other anglers have possibly noticed different, but thats what they are doing. Its all linked in with different variables I know (e.g. Moods, Size of Fish, Digestion), but its something I guess Im going to have to keep a tab on to discover further patterns.
Hope this helps.
Cheers mate
Theo
TT
Gee Theo ....... I would have thought a 130mm slick rig would have fit the bill
Not to worry ... you know your home waters
Nagg
PS .... sorry mate , I didn't realise your aversion to slick rigs was so strong!
Interesting.................however Im not sure how you have come up with the theory.
Of all the impoundment Barra I have caught, not one has regurgitated anything larger than 140mm. Mostly boneys are spew'd up around 100-110mm in size.
Awoonga dam is choc full of sea mullet in all sizes up to fish around the 8kg mark.
Im sure the odd one gets knocked off, but boney bream make up the majority of the Barra's intake.
This doesnt happen just by chance, because large fish are hard to digest, require lots of energy to break down, and an environment rich in oxygen is required to assist the process.
Small morsels eaten more often seems the perfect and obvious choice, and this is supported by the effectiveness of swim baits like slick rigs in the 110-130mm size.
Not sure what you mean about "body", sure slick rigs dont have a body like a Storm suspending shad, but then again it doesnt need one because it is a reaction bait not a suspender.
The Taylors, Matt Coleman and co have all taken serious numbers of fish on slickies up there, be wary of writing them off.
Also, vision is only one method of detection utilized by Barra, and usually the last one before it attacks prey. The fish would almost certainly be stimulated by lateral detection long before it see's it and most likely already decided that its going to be lunch long before its in visual range.
Once it comes into visual range, most likely size, profile, speed and level of stimulation would dictate what method of strike the fish will use.
So dont get too caught up in profiles.
"Thinking outside the square" requires a 100% open mind when it comes to fishing,
Its a term easily said, (and one that seems to be getting over used a bit lately) but not one easily done.
Fishing outside the square means doing something that everyone else would laugh at, ridicule or never even take the time to consider.
Reading your post, I think you are well inside the square at present.
Thats not a criticism , more to try and help you unlock a few doors that you seem to have well and truley closed off.
Barra fishing in impoundments is a journey, one that always evolving and I have been down many similar roads in the past.
Keep an open mind, never write off a lure or technique, and always keep trying different things, not what catches them all the time or whats considered the "gun" lure.
I know for a fact that one of the most consistent performers at Tinaroo in the past has been a piss ant little lure known as a "Lil Lucifer".
Check the size of that thing out!
Anyway, not trying to offend you, just a helping hand in the hope that you will see thats theres more to it than meets the eye.
Cheers
Jas
Last edited by the_matrix; 24-03-2008 at 07:59 PM.
Jas,
You, nor anyone else speaking their mind on Barra is going to offend me! As you constantly say, we are all still learning - always will be!
Most of the Bony Bream I see coughed up and laying around the Dam are of that size you speak off... around 100mm. The ones I reguarly see getting mauled in some of my favourite hotspots around the Dam are much bigger then that though... I kid you not, you can seperate some spots from others just by listening to the surface activity at night... you know where the big fish are!!! Not just boofs, but the size of Bonies being swept up onto the surface. Have I told you about the Russian bloke in Atherton who Live Baits with Sooty Grunter around the Barron? He is as mad as a cut snake... but let their be no lie, he has caught big Barra all on live Sooties much, much bigger then 150mm. Take it from me...
Will just point out that when I noted 'Outside the Square', I was refering to one thing... Location! We saw plenty of fishing Boats out there on the weekend... most were locals who didn't know what they were doing, most tearing around every neck in the Dam spooking fish and drinking piss. We also saw some blokes that know the Dam quite well... had they done well? Nope! What I believe brought a 'outside the square' thought into out minds was to fish well and truly away from the crowds, in a spot I rarely see anyone fishing and is renowned for XOS fish. Sure, I see what you mean... it wasn't out of the square much, but for that particular day, it was miles outside compared to everyone else.
Little Lucifers... don't get me started on them! They do work for sure... it's all in the tail, and it matches the hatch perfectly. Feel like a knobber casting them around, though.
Now... can I ask you a Q mate? Is there an ultimate Lure out there for Awoonga? Sure it sounds like a stupid question, but Im sure it would be interesting to hear your thoughts - not just for me, but for everyone else.
Cheers mate.
Theo
TT
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