Eating Monduran Barra?

[SnowE]

Not sure about Barra from Monduran, but my advice would be look at the Barra (same goes for Yella's as well), I have found that the leaner looking ones are pretty good on the chew.

If they have a humped head and huge shoulders, I release them, as I once tried a Yellow Belly like this (on another persons advice), and it was shite. I have tried Barra from Tinaroo, Peter Faust, many fresh water billabongs in the NT & Cape York and have found them all OK, not as good as Salties (Barra from the mouth of the Roper area are my favourites ), and not a patch on Reef fish, but still better than snags IMO, and it certainly doesn't hurt to take a few fish from these stocked impoundments.

Thats my two bobs worth.

Cheers,
Snowman

[warrior]

i have had a couple of fish out of there, ran out of food this winter on a trip up there got a couple of 70s these were caught out from the sticks and were lean and very silver ,went back put them in foil with capsicum onion cheese oil pepper and salt ,cooked them on the barby and was shocked as too how nice they tasted,no fat in them at all ,as b65 said the leaner the better and around that 700mm range would be the biggest you would go.good luck

[Tim_N]

I reckon the go is to set your Red Claw traps on the way out, first thing in the morning and pull them in when you have finished your days Barra fishing.
If you want to try something from the sweet water, the Red Claw is probably a better option.
Tim

[BR65]

Tim, are there red claw in Mondy, Ive never seen any trap floats?

cheers
brian

[NAGG]

Tim, are there red claw in Mondy, Ive never seen any trap floats?

cheers
brian

last month we saw quite a few milk bottles & floats (maybe 10) ...... on the left opposite the cattle yards & near the cut through

But ...... what does that mean

Chris

[mylestom]

First catch the fish, been very slow up here.

The pro from the tour only caught three in practice yesterday. Four today in the final. Tough for all

If you want to keep one at Monduran, the silver slimmer ones are probably the Awoonga strain. Yes and have tried and ok if your into freshwater fish.

The solid fish are more than likely the Bowen strain and tend to be larger for their size and stubborn.

Have fish the territory and not that much different to Billabong barra. You have to realise that not everyone has access to saltwater barra. Their is a difference, but the preparation is the important part.

First catch the fish, Bleed, gill and slash tail wrist, fillet, discard all dark and bloody flesh. Ice,salt and water for 20 mins to hour and half. When you cook add teaspoon of Malaysian hot curry powder(or equivelant) to the bread crumbs, will help improve the flavour.

Myself probably keep one in four to five months fishing, grandkids like Pa to bring one home sometimes. Personally go catch a good flathead, or Mangrove Jack or Fingermark.

Good luck and hope the fishing improves at Monduran very quickly.

Regards


Trev

[pontificator]

Thanks for the info so far.

I started off a bit discouraged. OK, very discouraged. But I keep seeing the grey nomads at the cleaning station, and they can't all be trying the for the first time and I hope snags are on the menu if they want them. thus somewhat encouraged

I have a little bit of a personal issue with 100% catch and release so would like to find a way.

Plenty to be going on with here, and pls keep the hints coming. Up there from 9/11

[Moonlighter]

Re Red claw in Monduran - doesn't seem to be, although we only tried the once and only got a few shrimp. Not sure what the experience of others is?

Grant

[BR65]

Thanks for the info so far.

I started off a bit discouraged. OK, very discouraged. But I keep seeing the grey nomads at the cleaning station, and they can't all be trying the for the first time and I hope snags are on the menu if they want them. thus somewhat encouraged

I have a little bit of a personal issue with 100% catch and release so would like to find a way.

Plenty to be going on with here, and pls keep the hints coming. Up there from 9/11

Each to their own on the C & R thingy mate, if you wanna knock one or two on the head to eat, you comply with size and bag limits, youve got your SIP, happy days, go hard

Some, read me, choose to C & R cause the thought is there are better fish to eat, if youve got to go to all that trouble to make a fresh piece of fish palatable, why bother, you can allways go and knock off a couple of flathead on soft plastics for tea.
Ive read others comments on how good the freshies taste, and have spoken to plenty of people at the camp ground who take their limit every chance they get.
Like I said, as long its legal, and not left in the bin, at the end of the day, happy days.
Good luck on your trip up, and please let us know how you go with the taste side of things, very interesting subject
cheers
brian

[BARRAkid]

I myself love a feed of reef fish or the odd grunter or jew but will not kill a barra
It is a fisherie that you are more then welcome to take a fish out of and that is what your pirmets and stuff like that go to re stocking the dam im young and even i know it is not worth killing a great freshwater fish for a feed when they are not the best eating and for the price and effort of making the fish taste good it would be cheaper to just buy some sausages or a burger.
These fish do not breed what is released in there is what you can catch you always see reports of people traveling long distances to catch the fish that Queensland is well known for but they go home empty handed and every fish you kill is making it harder to catch more.
The thrill that you got out of catching that barra normally after about 500 casts just think is it worth killing it for food
Take a picture they even look better in a pic alive
Even one a person adds up

cheers BK

[Barraboy7]

Barrakid. there have been around 3 million released into Awoonga alone.
Many reef species and estuary fish are under threat as well, with zonings and closures and bag limits etc.

Like most here its an occasional one to try and see how they eat. I know some take fish home regularly and we may be surprised just how many do get eaten! Like most of us here, when I show people the pics, they pass out when they see the size of them, then cannot be revived when I tell them we sent them all back! My old dad just spits the dummy every time I tell him about it.
Some people just cannot believe we caught twelve of these on our last trip and never brought one home to eat, especially the ladies LOL!!
Guess they all grew up in the Fish Depression hey! I put one up on Facebook and about 5 comments re the pic were all to do with seeing that fish as FOOD!

The C and R approach is well supported, but me thinks that this is still the minority, especially with many trollers as vistors? Be interested to hear others opinions on that.
Cheers
Barraboy7

[pontificator]

ooops just turned my how to eat impoundment barra into a catch and release -v- eat forum. So far I have kept one, and released a few. Unlike the current thinking on C&R, I am happy enough to fish for food, but am starting to wonder about pure C&R - must be old age :-)

Sorry about that, and knowing where I am coming from, happy to read the pros and cons of keeping -v- C&R, but am mostly interested to learn which ones, if any, are easy to turn into a reasonable feed without too much trouble. And how

[BARRAkid]

There is a litte difference really barra unless salt or can get to salt have to be stocked reef fish breed But they would have to stock it with that many barra to make it worth wile with meat fisho's, poor handling of fish,fingerling getting eatin or die,fish that can't be revived and fish kills all adds up really.
Wonder what monduran and Awoonga would be like if it was catch and release fisherie
I Don't complain when i see pictures of barra that have been killed unless they where just dumped But aslong as people are following the limites they are there so it doesnt get fished out i am happy. A good barra is a good barra dead or alive but it would be nicer to see it swim away so someone else can have the chance to find out why these fish are so fun to catch.

cheers BK

[BR65]

Yeah lateral, wouldnt be the first thread I've seen spiral out of control due to the c&r vs kill&grill debate.
Maybe try the fillets cut into small bite sized pieces, shallow fried hot and quick in a simple beer batter, then dipped in to some sweet chilli sauce? I use that method for fish like kingies, AJ's etc.

[NAGG]

ooops just turned my how to eat impoundment barra into a catch and release -v- eat forum. So far I have kept one, and released a few. Unlike the current thinking on C&R, I am happy enough to fish for food, but am starting to wonder about pure C&R - must be old age :-)

Sorry about that, and knowing where I am coming from, happy to read the pros and cons of keeping -v- C&R, but am mostly interested to learn which ones, if any, are easy to turn into a reasonable feed without too much trouble. And how

Lateral ....... Yes this is one of those threads that can easily develop into a C&R Vs Take ......... Yes I just deleted Kill & Fillet.
As we know ..... These are put & take fisheries ...... & people are entitled to catch barra & take them for the table ....... & very few would begrudge that! Most people that C&R except it ...... As long as its not wasted

Now ...... What does get up my goat

Are the people that roll up with 2 & 3 Eskies / Trailblazers/ industrial fridges ..... & go out & attempt to fill these bad boys during their trip .......... Gone is the Aussie spirit of a fair thing & in comes greed - - as if it is their god given right

These tossers are the ones ....... that I dislike with a passion - They will even use the excuse that their bag limit includes their wife ..... who never touches a rod ..... or their kid that is too young to even attempt to land a barra .......... & yes there are enough of them!
This is no exaggeration ....... I've seen it .... Last Month we spoke to a guy that knocked a metery on the head ........ & had to give it to some others because he ran out of room in his Trailblazer ........... "He had his relatives that wanted some barra " - This is the stuff that sucks

Chris