IS IT TIME TO RETHINK THE METERY "Does trolling count?"

[Tropicaltrout]

You are dead right Snodger....it's the occasion the participation it does not matter one iota how you catch your fish.....What u will remember is the first Barra you catch....thats what will keep you returning.......Good Luck on the first Barra.....hope you catch a Snodger............Whitto

Yep all joking aside what Whitto says is true you will always remember a be drawn to the Barra by the first capture or even bust off its funny too I am draw not only by the Barra but the place itself, the bush surround and clean country air.

If thats Barra fishin who wouldn't want to be into it..

Nath

[Tropicaltrout]

i have to say most of mine have come from casting but my latest pb was as hard a fish to land as the one i got in may on the cast the 117 cm was a bit easier to prepare for not cause of size but the chance to only have to deal with the one rod at the time so when the fish hit i was ready the big girl i got in novemebr the $1.26 was not a easy task i had 2 other rods to deal with i had the fire the outboard up and chase to get some liune back i had to get the lines in the get set with the leccy to fight i then had to get another boat over to help me lift her in to my boat so yeah either way there a hard fighter and what every way you them to the boat its all good now i reckon ii got a feeling why alot have a prob with a pb from trolling as a lot of fellows who put the time in to catch one see a old couple come along and jag a horse on the troll but lets face whos to sya if you cast near that fish you would hook it anyway the fact is trolling allows lures to get to the depth casting dont so they have there benifits

There's the difference right there in the sticks you have a sounder to locate temp and thats pretty much it with most sounders in the sticks... you use your vision to spot bait current etc your lure choice is to be choosen by observation of the terrain and what bait you see etc, and yep 1 lonley old rod with a back up on the floor. not 3 or 4 different rods running different lures at all the depths you can get at. I dont see the sport in it... With flickin theres so more varibles to take into considderation with the way you retrive to dept, speed of wind, weed, eddies heavy timber, channels and many others.

Nath

[nipsta]

There's the difference right there in the sticks you have a sounder to locate temp and thats pretty much it with most sounders in the sticks... you use your vision to spot bait current etc your lure choice is to be choosen by observation of the terrain and what bait you see etc, and yep 1 lonley old rod with a back up on the floor. not 3 or 4 different rods running different lures at all the depths you can get at. I dont see the sport in it... With flickin theres so more varibles to take into considderation with the way you retrive to dept, speed of wind, weed, eddies heavy timber, channels and many others.

Nath

no your not reading it right nath i just saying some of the captures in the stick or close too have come easier then zooming back and forth hoping one of the three rods will get hit its all hard i reckon either way for us cripples i agree on the cast a satisfiying way to get on but hey it all achieves the same goal and my post was only in response to chris who said all and all aside what has been our most satisfying pb fish or biggest one and i have to sya the 1.26 will and should be mine as your 1.23 but my most special is the first one i ever cuaght 82 cm on mono on the cast using a bit of knowlodge i gain from reading a few things about the wind i got her on a point that was acting like a protectent for the barra the bait was in the current going past the point 3 cast and bang i was on same reel whitey got his on also mono line and a lure i had never used a 1m+ halco now thats my most memoriable fish ever as it set up my ibd and i will always remeber the hit

so trolling casting live bait its all fishing to me and i feel im no better then the next bloke just was lucky the day i got the big girl right spot right time techniques only plays a percentage of the part luck comes into the rest for all alnglers

[Lovey80]

hey Whitto,

Cant say Ho Ho Ho anymore......Its offensive to garden tools!!
Steve

Chris,

I know what your saying now....Mate, the troll in cirlces and catch big fish will come to an end one day. Every year for the last few now has seen a decline in the number of XOS fish trolled up around the full moon. Why???? thats a whole new argument. I think the same said freezer/trophy brigade has a fair % of responsibility along with other natural factors.

History has proven, with the rapid migration from one 'hot' dam to another from Tinaroo thru to Monduran over past 10 yrs. the trollers have had a ball with big fish. When it gets tough, they just migrate to next dam that becomes 'hot' and fires up.!!!! But where to now after Monduran??? Theres no plan 'B' new dam to plunder now. They have all been hammered. Times change, and fishing techiniques will have to too. They already are.

Mother nature will do some culling over the next few years.....and it wont be the fish.

Steve

Bugger how did I miss this thread until now. I got to this post and thought it was genius. These are the exact type of words I have been trying to say in other arguments but for salt water species. All the doomsdayers concerning saltwater stocks and this is what i have been trying to say. The big difference is there was no new "hot dam" as it was, because we've all been fishing the same big dam for so long! I hate to use the old term about the 10%-90% thing but it is true. Whilst I am a 90% er taking the 10% of fish in the salt there are still that minority that kill it. I certainly believe I would be one of those guys if i had the time to invest.

Sorry for the TOTAL hijack there Nagg but I had to say what was on my mind before i lost the words again.

To your question: I am yet to be in the metre club for salt or fresh as I have not targeted them heavily enough (or at all in fresh). How ever when i do get to one of our fantastic dams I do plan to use trolling heavily until i break the meter just to experience the weight and pull. From there it will be all casting for practice for the real domain that is the salt! A metre Barra is a metre Barra i suppose but it is still dam Barra. My first trip chasing dam Bass was ok (trolling and casting) pleanty of 50+cm Bass in the boat but that will probably be the last Fresh Bass chase i do. I hope the Fresh Barra keeps me coming back! With all the excitement on these pages I guess it will.

Thanks for the chance to rant Nagg!

Cheers

Chris

[BR65]

My thoughts, for what litle they count?

As fishos, we practice our sport for many reasons, whether it be to put a feed on the table, enjoy the great country we live in, share some time with mates, a myriad of reasons and excuses to drown a worm or flick the latest flash piece of O/S plastic, all in an attempt to fool our finny friends.
Look back to when you first went barra fishing, (Im talking impoundment only here so dont picture the rust water), the holy grail was to land a barra, any barra, didnt matter what size, or how, as long as ya got a fish.
The barra bug bites, and bites hard. You put more time on the water, your experience increases exponentially, as does the amount of "must have" lures, rods and reels strangely enough, you net your first lates calcarifer plus a few more, and soon your new holy grail is not just any old barra, but the mighty metery, 3 and a bit foot of jumping, gill flaring bucket mouthed chrome beastie dancing thru your dreams each night.
Theres your new challange, the magic meter mark, just a number on a mat, but all those 97's, 98's and 99's dont count, great fish, but not the metery. You'll do anything, try anything to put the bogey to bed, then one day it happens, youve got your metery. Some do it on their first trip (only down hill from there fellas Im afraid lol), me - it took a lot of trips and a lot of 90+ fish before it happened, and Ive got to admit I danced a little jig of joy up the bow of the quinny when I finally slid the net under that big girl!
Ok, meter mark has been reached, whats the next challange? Because thats what its all about right? The challange! If I wanted to catch barra with minimum time, effort, cost I would go to the barra park at Bli Bli instead of driving the goat track to Gin Gin to tackle the challange.
I think what Im trying to say is with experience and results, your personal expectations evolve. A meter fish is a meter fish, whether it be by trolling or casting, the amount of angler satisfaction, fullfilment and enjoyment is specific to the anglers experience, enviroment and fishing technique employed.
I'd gladly take a metery trolling, and add it to the mental file of big fish I keep up top in the noggin for mental playback on those boring days at work, but thats not my challange, its not how I prefer to target my fish. Now days its about a 120+ caught from the sticks, I can picture it as I type, a criss cross of fallen trees creating a patch of shade, splash of the HB as i flick it deep into the mess of timber, and twitch it down, then the big boil and splash.....
That fish will mean 10 times more to me, when it comes, than the same sized fish trolled up, why, because its my personal challange, my goal that keeps me going back.
cheers
brian

ps
is tieing off to a point and repeatedly casting down the same line for a couple of hours really just stationary trolling

[hondaguy]

Glad to see the efforts of the last 15-20 years of stocking groups are paying off and when the few of us actual put forward the idea of a permit system in the freshwater reveiw paper many a year ago is working. Other wise there would not be a W#NKER of a post of this about if meter plus barra was acceptable if it was trolled up. Nagg I know or hope it is tongue in cheek but people a now spoilt egotists with a rod in their hand.

[Tropicaltrout]

Glad to see the efforts of the last 15-20 years of stocking groups are paying off and when the few of us actual put forward the idea of a permit system in the freshwater reveiw paper many a year ago is working. Other wise there would not be a W#NKER of a post of this about if meter plus barra was acceptable if it was trolled up. Nagg I know or hope it is tongue in cheek but people a now spoilt egotists with a rod in their hand.

Its funny how people get all uptight about these sort of post they are great, and without post like this well it would be a pretty boring forum, as ha been said and I think all would agree it DOES NOT MATTER how a fish is caught It Bloody counts!!!!

Where the varible comes in is it as rewarding... I say No and have had my fair share of go, others say yes and they have had there rant, so the bottom line is we agree to disagree and lets get on with it and go Fishing.

[Steve B]

Went out last night with some mates. My mate had an awesome hook up...big half body out of the water jump....this was a big fish...bricked him in some submerged timber....bit of sneaky work on the electric and we mananged to get her out of the snag....only to stitch us up on another tree.....dammm. goooneski!!!

there was laughing and cursing going everyewhere...we even spilt a beer.....It was a really awesome moment I wont forget...nor will my mates in the boat..............oh yes.....we were trolling

Peter 4.....you may know the area!!!!!

cheers Steve


Peter if you reading this,,,,well done on you session on plastics on that weedbed mate. Your persistance has paid off after a tough run with doughnuts....credit to you and kyle.!!! well done boys.

[nipsta]

Went out last night with some mates. My mate had an awesome hook up...big half body out of the water jump....this was a big fish...bricked him in some submerged timber....bit of sneaky work on the electric and we managed to get her out of the snag....only to stitch us up on another tree.....dammm. goooneski!!!

there was laughing and cursing going everyewhere...we even split a beer.....It was a really awesome moment I wont forget...nor will my mates in the boat..............oh yes.....we were trolling

Peter 4.....you may know the area!!!!!

cheers Steve


Peter if you reading this,,,,well done on you session on plastics on that weed bed mate. Your persistence has paid off after a tough run with doughnuts....credit to you and kyle.!!! well done boys.

bugger justify that Steve if trolling was relaxing and it was fun and well worth it by the sounds it i think everyone i s loosing site of what (like Lyndon says the Aussie way ) fishing and boating is all about relaxation and time away from the stresses of work and i cant think of a better way then trolling or tying off to a tree or leccying around a bay casting placcys or hard bodies in anticapation of what could be i think if everyone treats the fishing like that and not one big ego trip then everyone will enjoy it just that bit better . I know because of fellow fishos like ya self and likes of foxie and nath and fean and whitto and shaneoo and Lyndon (and many others to many to metion ) you take it as it comes and i try to do the same in aspects of my fishing yous have the same sort of approach as me. This is my theory about fishing you have good days and bad days but all in all life is to short to be negative about someones preferred method of fishing if we all did the same thing it would be pretty boring and innovations is what prep ells the sport forward and open mind will in prove your chances of catch that once in a life time fish


cheers
thats all i got to say about this post i said all i can and if it offends any one or doesn't meet there standard then maybe im not the bloke to fishing with . Im of the opinion im know better then the next just a average Joe blo who can type a few words here and then and sits back and enjoys the joys of fishing and living in this wonderfully country of ours

[Whitto]

I'm extremely disappointed Steve......You have your mates on board...a bit of sneaky leccie work.....some annoying Monduran Knitting....and at the end of it all you lose what appears to be a big Fish......OK thats fishing happens on a daily basis and won't be the last time and so we move on........BUT (and with a quivering bottom lip) YOU SPILT A BEER..what the hell are you doing.....Now that borders on Blasphemy......

[Tropicaltrout]

Top stuff Steve a good bunch out for a fish awesome stuff. Sorry to hear about the beer but there will be more!!

[Steve B]

Yeah Whitto and Nath..It was a sad moment in fishing history!! It never stood a chance.....sitting on the gunnel like a beacon. 3 blokes working all over the place trying to extract a barra from the carnage...rod working, electric working.......we all forgot about the basics........the beer!! May it RIP.

SO trolling is bad!! caused a spilt beer.....I will never troll again

Steve

Simon, got ya PM mate...totally agree. All good with me. I will see you when you come up next. or at Borumba.!!!! Or at 1300 DRSNIP !!!!!!!

[nipsta]

Yeah Whitto and Nath..It was a sad moment in fishing history!! It never stood a chance.....sitting on the gunnel like a beacon. 3 blokes working all over the place trying to extract a barra from the carnage...rod working, electric working.......we all forgot about the basics........the beer!! May it RIP.

SO trolling is bad!! caused a spilt beer.....I will never troll again

Steve

Simon, got ya PM mate...totally agree. All good with me. I will see you when you come up next. or at Borumba.!!!! Or at 1300 DRSNIP !!!!!!!

yes for sure 1300 doctor snip hope there is one in bundy and i hope the rest are still going through with it and yes borumba for sure if ya can get there
have a good new years all and all ya familys

[Magella]

One more thought ''if you cast all day for nothing and someone else decides to troll and catches barra who is the better angler ?

[Whitto]

Because luck plays a part in our Sport the troller in this case is the luckier not the better.....simple as that I reckon JF