Live Bait for Dam Barra

[Barraboy7]

Hi All
Just a quick question, maybe its been asked already...have any of you guys tried for Barra in say Awoonga or any other dam with live bait. I presume many like me have caught salties this way, and like most of us I am mad keen on luring barra.
However the thought of float drifting a livie in near a weed bad would be pretty nerve racking.
I guess the other issue is what to use, never heard of catching boney bream on a hook, I grew up fishing waters where they were.
I know spangled pearch are relativley easy with a small hook and worm, but I am havent tried catching them in Awoonga. I bet every small fish in that place is a nervous as all hell, living constantly with fear induced shits.
Be great to here if anyone hs tried this, and if so if anyone has had any success. Anyone ever tried to get Boneys?
Cheers
Barraboy7

[SeekingBarradise]

Hi Barraboy intresting post mate.

Anglers have been doing the bait thing on impoundments since they were first stocked. It's just not advertised. It doesn't sell lures/plastics etc. It's even seen as un fashionable by some trend setters.

If you use bait or like trolling you are immediately put in the unfashionable section by a growing number of people we meet every year. e.g. If you catch a nice Barra trolling or with bait, in their eyes it doesn't count when compared to their capture.

For Example: We remember when a pb fish was landed (a beauty) and we were all so proud of the moment and were having a great day until we told some guys that arvo. They asked "how did you catch it" and we replied "trolling". Their eyes looked down and away and things went quiet as if the fish didn't count. Then one guy said " oh trolling". How did fishing ever get to this stage?? At the very least they should have been happy for us and said "well done etc" instead of thinking it doesn't count. Un Australian stuff.
I must say that this episode did leave us a bit angry and didn't add to the enjoyment levels of the trip thats for sure.

So if people keep this in the back of their minds when talking to someone at a barra dam it would be great. Don't make someone's positive experience less worthy..Say "congratulations" it doesn't cost anything but will make people feel a lot better than " oh trolling or oh bait".

We get the feeling that respect for fisho's that are good at bait fishing/trolling is
on the decline, with some lure casters really looking down on these age old
techniques.

At the end of the day it's just fishing, so catch em any way you like and most of all have fun. Isn't that why we all started fishing?

Catching bait seems to be the hardest hurdle Barraboy.

You just have to figure out a way to get a constant bait supply.

Maybe 2 packs of minties shown to all the kids in the campsite. Then tell all
the little tackers they will get 3 minties for a Boney Bream and 2 minties for a Gar Fish ha. You might just find yourself with 50 energetic kids handing you bait all wknd!!! We use this system for our firewood collection!! Usually paying with a Chocolate or 2!!!

You might even make some new friends. Maybe tell them that you will take the kids and family who catches the biggest fish out for a ride on the boat!!!
Kids love this stuff and will never forget it.

If the kids don't catch fish you will see a hell of a lot of parents with low patience going to town to by lollies (and beer) because their kids were nagging all day saying " i want a Mintie"!!!

Experiment/tinker with your own ideas - thats the fun part.
All the best on your next fishing trip Barraboy.

Cheers Kel & Lyndon.

[the_matrix]

Barraboy,
Who cares how you target them as long as you catch them!
Baitfishing has been done for an age, and dams are no different.

Gars would be an obvious choice at Awoonga and Monduran, as would Spanglies/Barred Grunter.
Gar are readily caught on light line small hooks and a float, use some breadcrumbs to berley them up and use bread or doe for bait.
Bait collection can be as fun as fishing for the target, kids too get a real blast out of Garfish, they are safe to handle and easy to catch.
Its visual fishing too, kids get a kick out of that, me too!

I will add that if you are going to practise catch and release, expect Barra to be deep/gut hooked. Not all will be, but a high percentage will, and that will highly stress the fish. If your going to eat them, well its not going to matter hey!
Just something to consider.
Good luck
Jas

[Magella]

Barraboy,
A few guys are using poddy mullet that they catch down in the saltwater creeks around Bundy and bring them up live.They do not take long to get used to freshwater if you add a bit of fresh to the bucket/ livewell or whatever you transfer them in. I don't know about Awoonga but the DPI has no trouble with this at Monduran as mullet are native to the Kolan System and I would say it would be the same up there, but it may pay to check.

Cheers Foxie

[Awoonga]

Works at Awoonga Barra Boy....Some of the biggest Catfish that l have ever caught came on live bait...Now the soft plastics that look like gar fish work well on Barra its just that with catfish live bait dont stand a chance... Trolling lots of types Some are boring others require a great deal of planning ..like trolling shallow weed beds... Try that at night with a new moon ...it requires you to map out your course during daylight hours using a gps.Scotty uses this method and does very well

[BARRAkid]

I have caught a barra in the local dams ona a live gar.
My mate was catching gar on bread to feed his big barra in his fish tanks and i put on a hook and through one out and just jigged it across the weed it didnt last long.
After that i went back to plastic and got two more


cheers BK

[Barraboy7]

Yeah thanks for the replies.

Jas too true re the deep hooking especially if you let them run before striking. Would have to just reach in and cut the leader I guess.

Yep Awoonga, I bet the catties would love them. What livies did you use?
Thanks guys good to hear your thoughts, any of you actually done the whole deal on Awoonga?
You know, got livies on the dam and proceeded to fish them, caught a barra. I used to do really well floating poddy mullet into snags up north and getting Jacks and Barra, so the idea of using a float given all the weed issues would make sense. Is there any way anyone knows of getting Boneys? I dont know how they would last as a livie.
To be honest I dont even know if I would try it, but was musing recently with some guys about the concept so I thought I would ask on here. I wonder if Johnny Mitchell has tried it?
Anyone else tried it or heard of it.
Cheers
Barry

[ronnien]

my brother catch's them with bannded grunter up here in the fresh part of ross river. & he has got some huge barra like this, he told me fish them under a float & when 1 hits it's a explosion on top of the water!

ron.

[rayken1938]

In Brisbane we use boney bream cast net caught in the brisbane river and logan river as bait for bull sharks and threadfin. They last just as long as poddy mullet.
A thing to watch fishing with live bait is the DPI translocation policy.
THere is one dam where the Ranger will search your boat if he suspects you are bringing in live bait.
Cheers
Ray

[TinarooTriumph]

Hey BarraBoy,

It is extremely popular at Tinaroo... matter of fact its probably the best method if you look at it (time V fish ratio). I've only done it a handful of times and each time I've had a crack at it we've come close to landing some giant fish! One memory that will live with me for a long time was one day when we were Live Baiting up towards Kauri Ck late on a November Day... we were anchored up on the bank at the mouth of a favourite feeder drain. We had our Livebaits out for 10mins when I saw a 'B-Line' cruise straight down the centre of the drain and straight for our Baits. The size of the B-Line was gigantic... I would really like to know how big she was! I very quietly punched my mate in the arm and pointed at the cruising fish and we both gently picked our Rod's out of the Rod holder on his Quinnie and awaited the mammoth strike. The fish must, must have absolutely nosed our Live Baits because it centered both of them... but no success. Bad_Bubby would still remember it... heart in mouth stuff.

Ya's probably dont have Mouth Almighty down that way eh? (Faust has em' tho?). Top Livebait... as are Banded Grunter (they go mad on a Circle Hook).

Theo

[johnny roger]

Hi All
Just a quick question, maybe its been asked already...have any of you guys tried for Barra in say Awoonga or any other dam with live bait. I presume many like me have caught salties this way, and like most of us I am mad keen on luring barra.
However the thought of float drifting a livie in near a weed bad would be pretty nerve racking.
I guess the other issue is what to use, never heard of catching boney bream on a hook, I grew up fishing waters where they were.
I know spangled pearch are relativley easy with a small hook and worm, but I am havent tried catching them in Awoonga. I bet every small fish in that place is a nervous as all hell, living constantly with fear induced shits.
Be great to here if anyone hs tried this, and if so if anyone has had any success. Anyone ever tried to get Boneys?
Cheers
Barraboy7

hey barraboy,
i am not a very experienced fisho as such, but while out at tinaroo one time, i met a fella who was catching 'mouth all mighty' with a small hook, and using them for live bait. he didn't catch anything all weekend though, so i don't know if they are the go or not. but he did say he normaly catches a barra or 3. he was blaming the dam being too full or something.
John

[NAGG]

Barraboy ...... If your mindset is to take barra for the table , then live baiting would have to be a good technique ( & no one should begrudge that!)

However ..... If you plan to release fish & you still want to live bait .... At the very least use circle type hooks. Attachment 27479 Circles will allow good jaw/hinge hook ups with the reduced likelihood of a deep gut hook ...... where the fish will be greatly stressed , injured & may eventually die!

Just my thought

Nagg