Size matters? or Quantity (Impoundment Barra)

[vet]

Hi Steve B, There's not too many days now that I don't catch a catfish in Awoonga. They used to be a rare catch here but are becoming common again and the size of them seems to be increasing. Fun for the kids, particularly when you forget to tighten up the drag. cheers scott

[Steve B]

Hi Steve B, There's not too many days now that I don't catch a catfish in Awoonga. They used to be a rare catch here but are becoming common again and the size of them seems to be increasing. Fun for the kids, particularly when you forget to tighten up the drag. cheers scott

Scott, Thanks mate...thats strange hey! any thoughts why?? I would have thought the mega population of barra would keep the young catties in check!!

Cheers Steve

[setthehook]

I took a mate to Monduran a few months back and he was telling me he had never caught a catfish before.... So i said thats easy fixed! i took out a hook tied it on,pulled a chunk of devon out of my sandwich and cast it out.....took 5 seconds to go off and he had his 1st catty he then wasted my lunch and caught 6 or 7 more till he ran out of my devon :/
The entire time to catch 7 catties on devon in the middle of the main basin was about 15 minutes.....must be millions in there i reckon and they were all around 4kg!

[BR65]

Strangely enuf,my catfish qouta has gone down in the last 12 months, interesting.

[Steve B]

I took a mate to Monduran a few months back and he was telling me he had never caught a catfish before.... So i said thats easy fixed! i took out a hook tied it on,pulled a chunk of devon out of my sandwich and cast it out.....took 5 seconds to go off and he had his 1st catty he then wasted my lunch and caught 6 or 7 more till he ran out of my devon :/
The entire time to catch 7 catties on devon in the middle of the main basin was about 15 minutes.....must be millions in there i reckon and they were all around 4kg!

yeah Rob it doesnt take them long to sniff out a feed!!! Myself and a few of the local fellas man the weigh in station half way up the dam in the MASA comp.....boats come in and out all day long there....last year we sat with a handline and caught about 20 catties casting in and out of all the boat traffic in the dirty stirred up water!!! they are everywhere!!!

steve

[darylive]

Steve, will that contraption in the basin hold Cat Fish .

I might catch you for a beer this Arvo if I finally get my S#!T sorted

Daryl
PTSD

[darylive]

Strangely enuf,my catfish qouta has gone down in the last 12 months, interesting.

Maybe it's the pepperoni , try devon

[Steve B]

Strangely enuf,my catfish qouta has gone down in the last 12 months, interesting.

Brian,

Me too. This time 2 years back, you would catch 20 in a session. Now its lucky, and I mean lucky to get 1....but its not full blown summer yet either!!

Darryl, I wont comment here about putting the cat in the cage See ya for a beer!!

Steve

[gladbream]

steve
how are the bass going? big fish in there, just a little frustrating at times. those barra do like jackals and spinnerbaits. cost more money in lures than fuel getting there and back. have lost one to a snag yet only barra, unless you have bigger catties than us guys up here.

cheers
kurt

[Barraboss]

When Chris (NAGG) and I did the ABT last year, I remember watching him hook up to a real good barra at Mondy during comp times, and unfortunately the big beast won its freedom. Then I cast within the same region, and hooked up to what I thought was its mate....maybe travelling in "a pod", but unfortunately was not to be, it was a big catty. Having limited experience with these creatures, it gave me a big glimmer of hope that I had the monkey of my back with a barra at Mondy....but alas it was a good fight (for the first three seconds) and then reality strikes home. One thing though as Scott mentioned, I am sure that they would be at least fun for kids, or the "tired of catching nothing fisherman" (as I was at the time).

Sometimes it can be a long time in between hits, so maybe catties are good for keeping you on your toes in between barra. Think of them like striking practise. Up here we really only have others in the boat to hook onto and strike (Steve you know what I mean????????)

Cheers
Matt

[Big_Ren]

Up here we really only have others in the boat to hook onto and strike (Steve you know what I mean????????)

Cheers
Matt

Think Vinny would know what you mean too Matt, just ask Navi. Trebles straight in back of melon on a full blown cast. Or was that Navi?......doesn't matter who, the wound should have healed over by now

Must be a Tinaroo thing eh?? You've been quiet lately mate?

Cheers
Paul

[BR65]

Dont mind the catties down here to much Matt, at least its a sign that the water is "live" for lack of a better word.
Its just when they are in plague proportions that it gives me the irrits.
Numbers are definately down in Monduran since the inflow last year I reckon, or maybe theres just more water between the whiskery fiends now?

[Tropicaltrout]

Gee I dont know too much the catties are a pain yes but sometimes a sign, remember that arvo Brian nothing then wack a cattie then 4 barra?

Yes I dont hook many of them normally 2-3 a trip but a couple of years ago it was 10 or more, but they do spark ya up a bit on a slow day renig the conferdence..

Nath

[Steve B]

Matt, Yeah I know what you mean mate...that was my best hookup for the comp...it would have hurt. Ol Gippsy soldiered on for the whole session. As a caring mate the first thing I said when I saw the lure hanging out of his face and blood everywhere was 'hangon mate.....I will get the camera'

Kurt,

Bass are thick as in Monduran...getting them is another story. Eric Grell got a horse last time we went out. Looked like a barra for the first part of the fight...hit a big arrafura barra lure!!!

In the MASA comp last year we weighed in about 50 or 60 bass. (compared to 3 or 4 barra!!) There were blokes who only brought in the big ones too...they reckon they caught about 50 each extra. Mostly using live schrimp....but I did get a few tips, I reckon drop shotting or icejigs around the tree basses would produce....or in the tops of submerged trees in the deep....may well hook a barra too.!!!

Steve

[vet]

Hi Steve B, interesting isn't it, that all you guy are reporting less catfish caught in Monduran and at the same time the barra fishing in Monduran is the best it's ever been. The opposite in Awoonga, harder barra fishing but catties easier to come by. Maybe the catfish catch rate is an indicator of the barra population density.
Just a thought, scott.