Monduran - mini muster, monster bust-offs & baby barra

[Peter4]

Whitto - we fished predominantly (75%) with plastics for the first three days for one hook-up each. Deano and Nath told us of their success on hard bodies so we used them exclusively on the last morning.

Wish we had used them more!!

Ended up 60% throwing/slow rolling plastics and 40% twitching/dancing lures - nil trolling...

[SeekingBarradise]

Hi Pete & Kyle well done on a great trip.

On arrival at the park we heard that 700-800 people had just been chasing fish around Mondy for a week. Amazing.

Short & Sharp Summary

13 out of the 15 Ausfisho crew were getting donuts daily or close to it.

We had some nice choc coated donuts if we didnt' get a touch for the day
These were quickly snapped up by the young fella i took camping.

Estimates of 2000 plus casts per fish were pretty close to the mark. If the rest of the camp was included the total might hit 10 000.

50 plus boats and only approx 20 fish caught including 3 guide totals and some
winning tournament angler totals.

On leaving we heard some basic retrieves were getting bites sunday and the fish interest was a lot higher so hopefully the guys that stayed up there cleaned up.

By Sunday am there were 5 barra in the bin so the bite seemed to be getting better. We met a guy cleaning a barra who said he had been there for 9 days and Sunday was the best day by far with 5 bites and a fish landed. Well done to him and his family for being persistant .


Each night at the Ausfish gathering there were only a couple of fish caught in what seemed like perfect weather. Interesting hey.

Everyone had a great time and the young fella i took up for his first trip can't wait to get back. He can now make his own brekkie and spot the southern cross. Oh and he can keep a campfire going 24/7 which is the most important rule when camping. It rates as one of the best trips we have had. Can't wait for the next one.


The best results were from Monduran guide Paul Dolan who put his clients on to fish on Saturday including a whopper of a 124cm Jurrasic Beast.

It was great to catchup with everyone again. Good luck on your next trip.

Cheers Lyndon.

[Peter4]

The best results were from Monduran guide Paul Dolan who put his clients on to fish on Saturday including a whopper of a 124cm Jurrasic Beast.

Thanks Lyndon.

In the end we were very happy with our result. I reckon the big one I lost in north B may have rivalled Paul Dolan's 124cm beastie. Maybe it was the same one!

Are there any pics?

BTW on Thursday when we arrived there were less than 10 boats on the water all day. We were gobsmacked (happy, but gobsmacked!)....

Pete

[SeekingBarradise]

Hi Pete i reckon Paul would have the pics on his site by now.

I heard thurs was quiet and everyone rolled in Friday. A good amount of boats
out on Satdy when the powered sites all started to fill up with nomads and travelling fisho's and the Ausfisho crowd as well.

Note: I was chatting to Rob and he said the 3 charters he had on tuesday were all hard work with timid follows, and spooky fish after the big crowds. Hard work.

You did well mate. There were plenty of laughs at the camp kitchen of a night even after hard days on the water. At times it was just too nice to fish we just motored around and took footage and photo's. The nights were even better, we were so lucky with the weather which made for a fun and dry trip for once.

Cheers Lyndon.

[BR65]

Some good ground up in North B Pete for sure. We fished a fair bit up there on that December trip for good results.
That spot where Paul D smacked em with his clients on Saturday was the point where I caught my first meter + on a softy last year, and the same spot Nath had his tinny pulled side ways by a good fish one arvo, and bounced another off right in front of me a whiles back, its been a good little spot that has been a reasonably consistant producer in the early morns, seems to be geting beter known now, ah well, no secret spots I spose. It turned off for him yesterday morning though, I had a bit of a chat as we passed each other, and he had given it a solid work out for nil result.
The place went all right this morn though.

Whitey, Chris got a couple mate over the weekend mate, him and John, myself, and Rod and Kim all fished the morn session today, he was only just coming back into the campground around 10 this morn as I was leaving.
Theres a lot to be said for early starts!
Pete, can I post trip details here, saves opening up another thread??

[Peter4]

Pete, can I post trip details here, saves opening up another thread??

As always, you are more than welcome Brian.....

[slyman]

Well done Peter, pity about the lost fish though, next time mate! Whats the drop in water level like? Does that few percent equate to much of a drop? The last time we were there it was mid 30%, Sunwater site now says its 31%.

[Peter4]

Down about 0.5 - 1m since December would be my estimate....

[Whitto]

Some good ground up in North B Pete for sure. We fished a fair bit up there on that December trip for good results.
That spot where Paul D smacked em with his clients on Saturday was the point where I caught my first meter + on a softy last year, and the same spot Nath had his tinny pulled side ways by a good fish one arvo, and bounced another off right in front of me a whiles back, its been a good little spot that has been a reasonably consistant producer in the early morns, seems to be geting beter known now, ah well, no secret spots I spose. It turned off for him yesterday morning though, I had a bit of a chat as we passed each other, and he had given it a solid work out for nil result.
The place went all right this morn though.

Whitey, Chris got a couple mate over the weekend mate, him and John, myself, and Rod and Kim all fished the morn session today, he was only just coming back into the campground around 10 this morn as I was leaving.
Theres a lot to be said for early starts!
Pete, can I post trip details here, saves opening up another thread??

Early starts in Winter will be the real test Brian....Personally I look forward to about 8 on a Winters morning....complete with Uggies

[BR65]

Early starts in Winter will be the real test Brian....Personally I look forward to about 8 on a Winters morning....complete with Uggies

Loking forwad to it mate, off to buy a camp oven this weekend.

[BR65]

As always, you are more than welcome Brian.....

Thanks mate, its a bit long winded, and Ive left a heap out, but so much happens on these trips



As Lyndon said, a lot of pressure on the dam in the preceeding week, added to the general lack of interest from fish that most anglers have been recently experiencing, meant that any fish to hit the net was going to be a hrd earned fish.
I hit the campground around 9.30 Friday morn, set up camp and was deliberating on what lures to tie on to what rods, when Lyndon and the young fella, who, my sincerest apologies, his name escapes me at the moment, pulled up for a bit of a chat and a run down and what was happening around the traps.
On the water, and I figured I’d call it as I see it, with no pre-conceptions as to where to fish that arvo. Lovely day weather wise, almost a glass out, good temps, not a lot of boats on the water, things looked the goods, and with an approx 3 foot drop in levels from the last run up, a whole new dam to explore and fish once again.
I’d only thrown a couple of casts when I spotted Pete and Kyle buzzing passed, so waved them down to say gday, then back into it, fishing a good looking bay that resulted in a big short strike on an Arafura twitched and paused, and then a straightened TT jig hook off a nice fish that hit a slow rolled hollowbelly from the side in the jungle, and stitched me up good and proper, bugger.
Moved out of that bay with some thoughts on mid day activity, moon down times and bite periods, and pushed up the dam more for a sniff around than anything else, where I ran into Chris and John, another chin wag and up date, and we headed off to different spots for the arvo.
Ended up back at an old favourite spot, where I had a Hollow monstered by a very big fish that again came in from the side and smoked me thru the timber. Free spooling to buy time, I ended up tieing off the bow rope to one big vertical tree and useing the yammy on full nose to pull the tree out of 20 foot of water in a desperate attempt to un-tangle that fish, had most of that tree laying across the bow of the boat, crazy stuff single handed, in the end that one pulled free as well, bugger again. No joy on the sun set session, so back to the camp kitchen to catch up with every one, have a beer or 3, enjoy a little Monduran rain (no trip complete with out it!) and generally have a good nite.
Day 2 and I fished with Tony in the Pearl, well, what can I say, there is no substitute for ponies on the back, nice rig mate, good to fish from and a very enjoyable day being the crew. Morning session we fished the timbers where I’d been on Friday, but it was shut off, the active fish and bait I’d seen the day before wernt happening, so we headed off up to D for a cast or 50, ran into Chris up there, with no joy for us. The arvo session saw us tied off fishing a point and little bay with the wind pushing it in, a few taps and nips, and one dropped fish on a softy was the end result, so back to camp for a couple of bevvies to finish of a great day.
Sunday morn I ht the water about 6ish, and headed up to another fav spot, in South B, tied off and cast the water to foam for nil result, so rattled thru the box for something different and puled out a tango dancer, never used before, bugger it, give it a go in the low foggy light. First cast in and it was boofed hard, near crapped myself, took a few more casts and eventually a nice little tacker was comfort lifted into the boat, some where in the 70’s, didn’t waste any time measuring him. My first barra on surface, yeeha, and the donut was gone baby, yeeha again. Fished all day after for nil, I think there may have been a catty some where in there, and the arvo session only turned up a big eel tailed catty/fresh water jewy hooked clean in the mouth on the back treble of a B52, go figure? A quiet nite around the fire Sunday, most had gone, and we planned an early start for a quick morning session before heading home.
Monday morn and on the water before sun up, myself, Chris and John and Rod and Kim, all on a mission to finish with a bang. North B was the destination, and I slid in and was casting just as the false dawn cracked the horizon.
Early indicators were good, with 2 solid missed hits on a hard bod, and then a dropped fish, bugger. Picked up the outfit still rigged with the surface presentation and met with instant interest, with plenty of big boils and rolls under the dancer, but no commitment. Eventually I suckered one in, and a nice hit off the top saw a new PB on surface lures at 104, very happy with that, and shaking like a school girl to boot afterwards. I slid back to the tie off tree, had a quick chat with Rod and Kim who were adjacent, a couple of casts later and the tango is boofed again, though by the time I got the tie rope slipped and the leccy going to chase the fish around the tree, he was gone, bugger.
Still, nice way to finish the trip, pulled the pin at 8.00am and headed back to pack up and do the boring old drive again.
Thanks to all who came up on the week end and so freely gave of their tips, techniques, secret spots and fish caught locations, awesome stuff, all shared and all gained, I know I learnt plenty just from the camp kitchen yak fest with a bevvy in hand. Bring on the muster!
Cheers
brian

[Whitto]

Loking forwad to it mate, off to buy a camp oven this weekend.

Excellent investment Brian......A 9qt Camp oven....beautiful.....A leg of Beef or Pork and 4 veg.....Magnificent

[BR65]

Excellent investment Brian......A 9qt Camp oven....beautiful.....A leg of Beef or Pork and 4 veg.....Magnificent

Yeah, I'll need a few tips mate, neve used one before, will PM ya when I get it.

[Whitto]

Yeah, I'll need a few tips mate, neve used one before, will PM ya when I get it.

Nath or Lyndon would be your best bet Brian...what I do know is your have to season the oven with a light cover of oil and heat over a gentle type flame or Home electric oven....all that is require is not to wash in a soapy solution but a good wipeout.....correct me if Im wrong Nath or Lyndon or anyone for that matter....Whitto

[nipsta]

well done brian good to see the donut gone i hope next trip i can achieve that but getting out of bed was a prob for me i was taking a chance to catch up on a few sleep ons i havent got lately and sunday well i was that stuffed from the saturdays efforts i was in need of a rest as the spine was not happy and yep good stuff the camp ovens once ya start youlll never stop i use mine nearly every week i do a roast on the bbq at home using heat beads but whitto is right you got to season the oven first i heated mine up put some water in it let it boil i then use a brush in it to scrub for a bit then i empty and spray a light coating of olive oil all over it the lid include the i left on the heat for abit and then took it off to cool once it cools it suck all the oil into the cast and good as gold ready to cook if doing a roast a tip wrap ya roast rack in alfoil makes the cleaning up process heaps easy