Barra Basics – Pop Quiz

[darylive]

[quote=gaz066;1107997]. here’s the quiz.

Interesting concept

I started to look through then decided NO lets put down the quize first then look at other responses from people who probably catch more. so here goes

You have 100 points to spend,

Categories

1- Location , based on current /wind /structure / weed / depth etc 25
2- Timing , seasonal/dawn/dusk/wind changes / fish ‘windows’ etc/ bait activity/gut feel etc 25
3- Tackle , braid and leader size / outfit size and balance /quality 10
(why do I spend so much on this stuff?)
4- Operator ability, cast length /accuracy / finesse /touch / arse??/ x factor etc 15
5- Barra Lure selection , hardbody /soft / brand / lure mods etc 12.5
6- Retrieve Technique, speed / pauses / twitches/ rips/ cadence etc. 12.5

Good thread makes you think don't it?

Seriously # 1 if there are no fish where you are or #2 the bludgers are not biting you have Buckley's chance regardless of the rest. But if the fish are there and you are there you are in with a chance if you get the resat right.

AND GOOD LUCK WITH THAT!

[darylive]

Crikey Gaz,

Don't make me think so hard, my brain might explode!

I'm going to go with 16.66 points per category. Because you have to have every aspect right to catch barra.

It takes a lot of time and experience to get everything right - then conditions change and its different on your next trip, or even the next day.

Thats all I got.

Matt

Matt I thought you would be promoting the selection of the right lure or at least the correct jig head!
When do we see the MF80 in production?

[Whitto]

Whitto , interesting that you rate #4 Operator( angler) ability the lowest ?

On reflection Gaz I have increased 4 under stated a tad......but still not that important......No doubt a combination of all is required to get Barra to connect to your lure......Thats the hard bit over with if you choose to troll.......Operator ability comes into play around structure.....IMO

[robersl]

1- Location , based on current /wind /structure / weed / depth etc 40
2- Timing , seasonal/dawn/dusk/wind changes / fish ‘windows’ etc/ bait activity/gut feel etc 20
3- Tackle , braid and leader size / outfit size and balance /quality10
4- Operator ability, cast length /accuracy / finesse /touch / ass??/ x factor etc 10
5- Barra Lure selection , hardbody /soft / brand / lure mods etc 10
6- Retrieve Technique, speed / pauses / twitches/ rips/ cadence etc.10

[Tropicaltrout]

On reflection Gaz I have increased 4 under stated a tad......but still not that important......No doubt a combination of all is required to get Barra to connect to your lure......Thats the hard bit over with if you choose to troll.......Operator ability comes into play around structure.....IMO

Also to add to that operators ability is somewhat a small part when you get location and the other to gether a guy can cast a top water toatd and nail a barra with a cast of 25 feet.... not to mention how many of us stuffed up a cast and got wacked.... makes ya wonder some days

[NAGG]

Also to add to that operators ability is somewhat a small part when you get location and the other to gether a guy can cast a top water toatd and nail a barra with a cast of 25 feet.... not to mention how many of us stuffed up a cast and got wacked.... makes ya wonder some days

Yep too right Nath ........ While not knocking my old back court mate - once onto fish ...... basic techniques more than prove successful

Chris

[gaz066]

On reflection Gaz I have increased 4 under stated a tad......but still not that important......No doubt a combination of all is required to get Barra to connect to your lure......Thats the hard bit over with if you choose to troll.......Operator ability comes into play around structure.....IMO

Whitto, thanks for the clarification and everyone has thier own method or theory and none of them are wrong or right. I have seen a complete novice with zero ability catch Barra on my boat so angler ability has less influence than we think maybe ? but .......maybe the boat was in the right spot at the right time first ? I still prefer to think cast length , accuracy and finesse will lead to more consistant results IMHO.

I don't troll much but I think lure selection #5 retrieve #6, and location #1 would rate higher for this method ?

cheers

[gaz066]

Thanks folks for all your replies so far, location, timing and angler ability seem to be consistently coming out as the areas to focus on so..........apart from spending every single day on the water (which would be nice but very few of us can do)

How do we get better at identifying those great locations , ideal times or fish windows to improve our strike rate ?

PS: I wonder what scores Trev, JM, Jas or the Taylor boys would put down?

[matt fraser]

Matt I thought you would be promoting the selection of the right lure or at least the correct jig head!
When do we see the MF80 in production?

Hey Daryl, sssssshhhhhh, I don't want everybody catching all the barra on my Jigs. They can keep using the others and losing fish - so they are still there for me next time I visit.

The MF80.......well they are still at swim school, I'm having issues teaching them how to dive and swim! But I'll get them sorted soon, and hopefully their offspring will be delivered to the tackle shops in a few months time.

Cheers,

Matt

[vet]

1 50
2 20
3 1
4 5
5 4
6 20

cheers scott

[Awoonga]

Thanks folks for all your replies so far, location, timing and angler ability seem to be consistently coming out as the areas to focus on so..........apart from spending every single day on the water (which would be nice but very few of us can do)

How do we get better at identifying those great locations , ideal times or fish windows to improve our strike rate ?

PS: I wonder what scores Trev, JM, Jas or the Taylor boys would put down?

You baiting me Boy
There is no way l could do the numbers game .it changes from minute to minute..
So how do we get better at identifying those locations..?
There is a tool that is worthy .Roo already has one so does Scotty. its getting your head around it thats the hard part .
Side imaging.
The area looks good above the water .But what about under it ? This tool and its only a tool shows you structure and fish.

Once you able to understand what you are seeing you can target fish..Yes its been around for a while and now Lowrance are getting in on the act.

l have been a non believer untill l spent a day with a wizard when my eyes where opened well and truly...

Another tool is JMs Monduran dvd watch it then watch it again. Get your head around the water currents. l still struggle with it. How it hits a bank then moves away in a different direction.

The Taylor boys are masters at reading it .And they are at the top of the barra tree.

Its all about getting a fish to strike. if you ever get a chance to watch them do it.To me they dont swim there lures .its a lift and drop technique that they have mastered. Barramundi are inquisitive fish they will follow a lure back to the boat not touching it.
The moment you do something different they strike.
Once again its reaction.. This lift and drop technique is abnormal the fish do a reaction bite .

To me its like they are forced to strike its in there makeup.

To get a piece of the Barra cake you need the right ingredients so getting the mixture right

is the key ..... Merry Christmas

[A_DIFF_PERSPECTIVE]

Categories

1- Location , based on current /wind /structure / weed / depth etc 10. (All locations in a lake can be good, but the timing of when to be at each spot is more important.)
2- Timing , seasonal/dawn/dusk/wind changes / fish ‘windows’ etc/ bait activity/gut feel etc 30 (Missing out by ten minutes is like being back at home watching the footy. Timing is essential and can be critical.) The criteria in this one affects the location choice- especially 'seasonal'. (Where we fish in late January is generally not where we fish in late August.)
3- Tackle , braid and leader size / outfit size and balance /quality 8. (I'd be happy to use almost anything if the other aspects are accounted for, but for a newby this category is equally important as the rest.) 1 pound line, 2 lb leader,,,,,,,,,i would't risk casting it.
4- Operator ability, cast length /accuracy / finesse /touch / ??/ x factor etc 20. (I rate this highly, as in lakes and dams, finesse, accuracy and cast length is what produces the most fish time after time.) You need to have the skill so you can work a mixed bag of lures effectively to catch the fish that aren't so hungry. They aren't always hungry and wildly active.
5- Barra Lure selection , hardbody /soft / brand / lure mods etc 12 (Without a well balanced lure, or the right choice, we may as well be at home watching the footy. Many days come right down to lure criteria, others are days where many lure types get eaten, but in the latter years I'd pay top dollar for a well tuned lure that makes all the difference.) Any lure is fine if you want just 1 barra, but isn't if you want 5+ fish sessions.
6- Retrieve Technique, speed / pauses / twitches/ rips/ cadence etc. 20 (A well honed technique is worth its weight in gold, gone are the days where, on average, any technique gets eaten by wild and loose barra in lakes. A bit of skill in this department helps set the agenda for who wins comps and why.)

The list should go to 100, and the other 94 options need to be checked off if anglers wish to have consistency in lake barra fishing.
johnny

[poddy mullet]

Very interesting post gaz! well done mate. pod

[gaz066]

Thanks Trev and Johnny for your insight , much apprieciated.

Trev , I am an avid watcher of JM's DVD's and probably know them both word for word ( like some other Barra tragics I suppose) I have even watched them a few times with the sound off to avoid distraction and no doubt have leaned from them with plenty more to learn. Thanks for tip on the side imaging sounder. As for learning currents I've still got plenty to learn in that area but will on the odd occassion I will (mid retrieve) focus on the water to 'pick' which way it is moving. One of these days I will stop fishing and follow it. Easier to follow the wind but that is clearly not all of the equasion.

JM, thanks for taking the time to do the numbers , interesting to note your 'weighting' of key areas. Timing , angler ability plus retrieve technique all scored highly , A slightly different take ( diff perspective?) than others.

I'm not surprised your high rating of retrieve technique , on a charter with you about a year ago (Oct 08) the number of retrieve styles for different lures nearly did my head in! Clearly this is one area where even some small improvement could see drastically improved results.

thanks again

[Big_Ren]

All right Parksy, I'll have my $0.02 worth. Ok then, I meant my 100 cents' worth.

1- Location , based on current /wind /structure / weed / depth etc 20
2- Timing , seasonal/dawn/dusk/wind changes / fish ‘windows’ etc 25
3- Tackle , braid and leader size / outfit size and balance /quality 12
4- Operator ability, cast length /accuracy / finesse /touch / ass??/ x factor etc 12
5- Barra Lure selection , hardbody /soft / brand / lure mods etc 6
6- Retrieve Technique, speed / pauses / twitches/ rips/ cadence etc. 25

I guess I'd rather be in the right spot, during the right window of opportunity, with the option of trying an array of retrieve cadences that will promote a strike trigger.

Attention to detail in relation to tackle, operator ability and lure selection are all factors that we can control through knowledge, experience, practice, common sense and a degree of insight and deep thought.

Cheers
Paul