Ebb and Flows On A Barra Dam

[BR65]

Ebb and Flows

How interesting is it to spend some time on the water, and watch the ebb and flow of daily life on a stocked barra impoundment?
Grizzled campers, sun burnt and tired, pack up their gear and reluctantly depart, to be swiftly replaced by fresh faced anglers, keen to hit the water and tangle with a big barra.
The camp kitchen is the hub – “How’d ya go today” the welcome call to the bloke you don’t know from didley squat, and it doesn’t take long before tactics and techniques are being tossed around like confetti at a wedding. Tales from Awoonga, Callide, Faust, some blokes brother’s 120, some one else’s mates metery, broken rods, straightened hooks, lost fish and sweet victories, stories are told, keen ears are listening, the fever is burning.
Enthusiasm is invariably high on that first morning, early starts, and sometimes not so early starts if the Bundy has been cracked the night before, are the go, and boats of all makes and sizes are spread out from one end of the dam to the other, casting, trolling, or just chilling, hard core and novice, but all with a common goal to “catch a big one.
The dam plays its own part. Home to the fish, it changes day by day, hour by hour, dictated to by sun, wind, rain, moon, in-fills and out flows, algae, weed and bait, no two sessions are the same, and what was hot this morning can be stone cold that evening!
Move away from the water, and look at the night sky, have you ever seen so many stars, and satellites, its un-believable how much stuff is floating around above us.
Early morn and late arvo, barra o’clock we think of it, but that’s the time the roos, wallabies, pigs are seen. There’s always the cattle, different times of the year will see them in calf, or nursing the poddies, some times looking at you with those big dopey eyes, other times staring you down with a snort and a stamp of the hoof if you drift in to close.
A Red Belly Black Snake scissoring across the water, the big eagles soaring above, howl of the wild dogs in the scrubby hills, splash of the Bony Bream, turtles – just how many turtles live in a barra dam – if your lucky there will be a Platypus in that little bay you’ve just glided into!
And of course, the reason they are there, the barra! Big silver flanked fish, broad shouldered and deep, now at sizes that are truly once in a life time fish for some. A more enigmatic, addictive, frustrating fish I have yet to encounter in my fishing time, the source of so much pleasure, and so much pain in the back pocket!
How interesting it is to spend some time on the water, and watch the ebb and flow of daily life on a stocked barra impoundment!

[DEANO68]

coulda been a poet.....near put a tear in the eye.... ..well written rakey...
sums up a top weekend away..

deano..

[BR65]

Thanks bro, I got a tear in my eye when I checked the credit card statement this arvo!
Nearly had to remind my-self why I keep doing it - nearly.

[tiges]

Nice 1 Brian.

[BR65]

Thanks Tiges, nothing in there to learn or educate, just some things I noticed the last couple of trips, and that 41/2 hour drive home amped up on Red Bulls and Sexy Coffee gives the mind plenty of time to wander around.

[NAGG]

Very well written Brian ........ Too often I forget about all those other things that go on when I head up to a stocked impoundment . - thanks for the reminder.

I really do like chillin out with mates ( & sometimes strangers) around a fire and recounting the day ........ that's pretty special

Chris

[Peter4]

Yep - there is a bard among us.....

[BR65]

Yeah Chris, the fish are the driver, but time on the water in the boat by your self leads to all sorts of things that make you smile, frown, open your eyes and scratch ya noggin!


Pete, I gut nuthin, not even good punctuation mate!

Glad yous enjoyed it.

[Obi _ Wan]

Very good Brian, very good.

Thanks for sharing.

Cheers,

John.

[BR65]

Cheers John, see you in a couple of weeks.

[Barry Ehsman]

Deano has got it right mate there is a poet in there somewhere...

Cheers Baz

[Whitto]

Noicely written Brian.........You've saved me a trip to my Clinical Psychologist after reading that

[Tropicaltrout]

HTFU Mr Banjo Rakey

Nah mate you nailed it its truly a magical place when ya sit back and look at it through a fishos eye..

Nice one

Nath

[rc@hinze]

Brian, with all the reports and this nice reflective piece, its like we are on holidays with you! Sounds like you really are chilling out on this long break you have - Lucky bugger, keep enjoying yourself because we know what its like when you have to get back on the tools or on site. Appreciate you taking the time to pen that piece via the keyboard.

[NAGG]

HTFU Mr Banjo Rakey

Nah mate you nailed it its truly a magical place when ya sit back and look at it through a fishos eye..

Nice one

Nath

Banjo Rakey

As I was reading the piece , I could hear a Harmonica in the background playing "I've got every lure man"

I reckon Brian could write the "Ode to the barra"