Barra impoundments in Winter

[NAGG]

Hi all

Over the past few weeks , I've had a few members & others ask about what is Lake Monduran like during winter. Now I dont really feel that I'm overly qualified on the subject - as I only experienced the dam during winter for the first time last year.

Having said that ..... I had successful trips , landed some good fish and generally had a great time- Winter 2009 Monduran 121cm.jpg My experiences were often shared with several other members hereabouts and with the help of others ...... I feel we can share our experiences , moments , thoughts & tactics with those that are thinking of giving it a go....... With what looks like a nice roll up for the June committee meeting ..... some good free information shared may encourage a few others to enjoy the experience.

So with a little help from my friends - lets talk barra!

Cheers

Chris

[NAGG]

The first thing that comes to mind about the fishing last winter was - what a magnificent place Monduran was without the crowds - Generally the ramps were empty with only a few boats on the weekends ...... even popular locations were often fished without seeing another boat - & with this lack of boat traffic it was easy to employ stealth tactics and move into areas that literally held dozens of barra - often they could be seen sunning themselves on the surface in the morning or fining through the shallows later in the day. ....... the sight of big swirls & boils or a big bow wave of a rampaging barra getting the hell out of Dodge certainly gets the adrenalin levels up.

Taking a step back though - I feel that one of the key aspects of winter fishing was picking the right weather periods..... & with the exception of the organised Committee meeting in June , each trip was arranged at relatively short notice to coincide with favorable weather patterns (great if you can do it ) - but lets face it Queensland certainly has those great winter periods of cool nights & warm sometimes still days (particularly during May/June) ...... so you can often jag those favorable days anyway !
There was nothing better than fishing in some little protected bay - warm sun on the back then heading back at sunset - for a few bevies , roaring fire & a roast dinner - Yes Barry - " This is living!"

Chris

[Peter4]

Good subject Chris...

Kyle & I have fished Mondy for the last two winters with limited success. In 2008 we went 4 days without a single hit (other than 4 catfish). We had one follow and a couple of boils...

Last year was very similar until Kyle bagged an 87 on a shallow R2S triho near a weedbed in A just one hour before we were heading home! While it fought hard, it was a very skinny fish (hungry?).

Both years saw wonderful weather conditions, warming water, active bait & birds and lots of barra sightings in the shallows. In 2008 there was a small fish kill and in 2009 there was unseasonably warm weather. I think you guys were there then and did very well...

This year in June will be different I think. Since the water rise about 3 million new acres of shallow flats have been opened up. We found the beginnings of some very healthy weed growth on the weekend which will provide cover in the shallows as well as oxygenate the water.

If we have a mild May/June weather period we could well have an above average active impoundment for the committee meeting. If not, well we can enjoy a campfire and a latte anyway!

Regs

Pete

[NAGG]

Good subject Chris...

Kyle & I have fished Mondy for the last two winters with limited success. In 2008 we went 4 days without a single hit (other than 4 catfish). We had one follow and a couple of boils...

Last year was very similar until Kyle bagged an 87 on a shallow triho near a weedbed in A just one hour before we were heading home! While it fought hard, it was a very skinny fish (hungry?).

Both years saw wonderful weather conditions, warming water, active bait & birds and lots of barra sightings in the shallows. In 2008 there was a small fish kill and in 2009 there was unseasonably warm weather. I think you guys were there then and did very well...

This year in June will be different I think. Since the water rise about 3 million new acres of shallow flats have been opened up. We found the beginnings of some very healthy weed growth on the weekend which will provide cover in the shallows as well as oxygenate the water.

If we have a mild May/June weather period we could well have an above average active impoundment for the committee meeting. If not, well we can enjoy a campfire and a latte anyway!

Regs

Pete

Thanks Pete ....... I agree with you & based on what seems to be a recovery (your results during the comp) we may be in for some good winter fishing & what could be a sensational spring ( the weather will play its roll )

Chris

[.:::stotty:::.]

Over the last few yrs I think its become fairly knowledgeable that the dams fish just as good in winter if not better.

I haven’t fished the SEQ dams (awoonga/mond) but have Kinchant, and other mky dams. The top water action in the shallow bays was unreal, with many mtr plus fish landed on frogs. I have also hit it land based in summer and did quite well with a few mtrs caught and plenty of rat 70-80cm fish some even still caught on surface near the dam walls. But for the exhilarating feeling of a surface hit, big fish in shallow water ect winter will always be the time Ill be hitting the dams.


Stotty

[Steve B]

Good subject Chris,

Lets keep this just for ideas and tips. banter on the 'committee meeting' thread.

Myself I have had better sessions leadin/leadout of winter ie May and August.

1. Drop of the hat fishing. To get the best out of winter fishing you need to see some consistant weather. 2,3, 4 days of nice warm days and cool nights are a great start....if you see this, drop what your doing and get up.

2. fish sunning in shallows - as awesome a sight it is....leave them alone. You wont catch them. Seriously..leave them be. You will only stress them further..possibly kill them just by spooking them too much. Concentrate on structure in these area. Where these fish are, others will be not far away, deeper down (3-4ft) and ready to attack.

3. Stealth...again thats a no brainer, but in winter..especially when its still this factor is even more relevant.

4. and this is for this year, as the water has risen, there will be lots of bushes in 2-4 ft of water near the edges...along with snags, cows tracks in the grass, rocky outcrops...all now submergered....I reckon these will be good places to start looking. Lures that worked 2 yrs ago (similar rise beforehand-not as big) will probably work again.

There just a few winter tips, right or wrong...who knows, but they have worked for me. Nothing complex, just good starting points for winter..expand from that.

Cheers Steve

[Pete62]

Good one Chriso, I have limited experience overall and nil fishing the pond in winter so I look forward to picking up some more tips on the variances that come into play fishing under an electric blue winter sky.................

Note pad and pencil at the ready.

Pete.

[NAGG]

When it came to fishing hours - office hours (with a little overtime) seemed to be preferred , with most hitting the water after a good bacon / egg breakfast & a cup of coffee - often not on the water till after 8am ......... why bother - the water needs to warm up before the fish became active ..... or so I thought!
The idea of sleeping in really got blown out the door - when fellow committeman "BR65" regaled us of his successes predawn - so what could one do but give it a go ( bloody cold @ 4.30am in June) - Well as it turned out , I picked up a rat & missed a couple of others before sunrise ( fishing a shallow weed bed) - while dawn saw old mate playing with a decent metery ( on surface) Brian enjoying himself.jpg

This certainly encouraged me to get my butt out of bed a bit earlier & go fishing! ....... & it worked ! with fish caught through the earlier parts of the morning ....... so fishing hours became longer!
looking through my catch records - 8-10am saw good results .... with one session seeing 3 hookups in 5 mins prior to 9am ....... so it certainly is worth hitting the water early.
With the morning out of the way ...... mid afternoon often saw good active fish - Attachment 57845particularly in sheltered bays (more on locations later) - once the shadows lengthened in these enclosed waters the bait activity decreased and the barra shut down.
My favorite time however was still the sunset period , as every trip & virtually every sunset session saw hits , hookups & landed barra - often with a flurry of activity prior to the last rays of light disappearing Attachment 57843 - Attachment 57844 yes that 15-30min window was one not to be missed!

Chris

btw ..... a bankside cookup of bacon & eggs (coffee) - & or a sausage sizzle for lunch certainly makes up for that early start! - This winter will see that for sure! .... with cooking utensils packed along with the lures

[NAGG]

Over the last few yrs I think its become fairly knowledgeable that the dams fish just as good in winter if not better.

I haven’t fished the SEQ dams (awoonga/mond) but have Kinchant, and other mky dams. The top water action in the shallow bays was unreal, with many mtr plus fish landed on frogs. I have also hit it land based in summer and did quite well with a few mtrs caught and plenty of rat 70-80cm fish some even still caught on surface near the dam walls. But for the exhilarating feeling of a surface hit, big fish in shallow water ect winter will always be the time Ill be hitting the dams.


Stotty

thanks Stotty

I was talking to Steve B about that same thing just yesterday ...... with the rises in levels at Monduran & Awoonga - there will be certainly places that a subtly fished surface lure may prove dynamite - I'll be throwing a 115 Lucky craft sammy & 100mm tre_mor ( smaller profile , less rattle than what I would normally throw - Tango dancer or X Walk) - I think less disturbance could be a good thing!

Chris

[NAGG]

Good subject Chris,

Lets keep this just for ideas and tips. banter on the 'committee meeting' thread.

Myself I have had better sessions leadin/leadout of winter ie May and August.

1. Drop of the hat fishing. To get the best out of winter fishing you need to see some consistant weather. 2,3, 4 days of nice warm days and cool nights are a great start....if you see this, drop what your doing and get up.

2. fish sunning in shallows - as awesome a sight it is....leave them alone. You wont catch them. Seriously..leave them be. You will only stress them further..possibly kill them just by spooking them too much. Concentrate on structure in these area. Where these fish are, others will be not far away, deeper down (3-4ft) and ready to attack.

3. Stealth...again thats a no brainer, but in winter..especially when its still this factor is even more relevant.

4. and this is for this year, as the water has risen, there will be lots of bushes in 2-4 ft of water near the edges...along with snags, cows tracks in the grass, rocky outcrops...all now submergered....I reckon these will be good places to start looking. Lures that worked 2 yrs ago (similar rise beforehand-not as big) will probably work again.

There just a few winter tips, right or wrong...who knows, but they have worked for me. Nothing complex, just good starting points for winter..expand from that.

Cheers Steve

Steve - your Mondy reports from a winter 07/08 still live in my mind and played a big part in my enthusiasm for fishing as much as I did last winter ...... just how many big fish did you land on those Stiffy bony bream ??? wasn't homer a winter fish ?
Anyhow mate ...... you've got a lot of worthwhile stuff to contribute to this subject

Chris

[BR65]

Yep, and you look at the lay out of Steves "Honey Hole", and you can see why it should hold fish in cooler ambient air temps.

End result of that dawn hook up was a nice fish, meter something, taken on a Cultiva Tango Dancer surface walked back to the boat, and still my fav pic, thanks to the pic snapper!
Have had previous success in A Bay and South B on a dawn bite when Im wearing jumpers and beanies, so its still worth while getting out of bed early.

Agree with Steve, visable fish are best left alone, they will cruise past solo, or in pods, and the slightest noise from the elec motor, or splash from a cast lure, will scatter them.
Slow, slow, slow, slow retrieves are my first tactic, suspending lures the tease. This mite sound corny, but when Im twiching and pausing, I have this minds picture of what a bait fish does, and try to replicate with my lure. Im picturing a lure "pulse", then a pause, then 2 x very small "pulses", then a pause etc etc, as if the suspending hard bod is a bait fish trying to hold station in one spot. That can change though accoding to the conditions encountered as you fish.
Fav spots to fish in winter - timbered bays with sloping shallow banks leading into the creek. Lay out/topogaphy of "which" bay is dictated by the wind, orientation to the morning sun, and what feels good at the time. Fav lures are suspending hard bods stalled in the water.

[NAGG]

When it came to locations fished , we came across a pattern that worked reasonably well ....... Usually if there was a cooler SW - SE wind blowing ..... I would go to steep sided bays on the western side of the dam but close to deep water ( the bays were generally narrow with water depths up to 30ft) ...... while this may contradict some conventional thinking - The high sides shielded the bays & kept the water from being chilled in the surface layers ...... so effective that the bays may appeared glassed out while 100 M away you had rough wind blown water - the real benefit was water temps that may have been 2 deg C higher ........ some mornings plenty of barra were seen sunning themselves well off the bank in 20-30ft. Attachment 57869
My tactic was to ease into these locations & cast parallel the bankside structure ,water lilies and aquatic weed (if possible) with suspending hard bodies (XR12's) & fish a twitch pause retrieve ...... these locations received the early morning sun & the barra would sit in ambush in the weed or adjacent trees

If the morning was calm - often the areas chosen were weed beds or shallow flats adjacent to deeper water ...... usually ones that benefited from flow & prevailing wind direction ....... Here a combination of slow rolled plastics or twitched HBs were used with equal effectiveness

As the day progressed I often found myself targeting sheltered bays that had wind blowing into them - usually there was a creek bed running through there but generally shallow <1M & weededAttachment 57870 ...... barra would be usually seen on the sounder in the creek bed or caught while mooching around the flats ........ It payed to throw the odd cast at trees in the entrance to the bays particularly on those fine days.
As the day draws to a close we would race off to a favorite location in South B - position the boat within casting range of a deeper creek bed to one side & an open flat on the other.......... Here we would find that barra would hold up in the deeper water during the day close to a steep rock wall and then move onto the flat to feed around sunset. Often we would intercept barra moving out of the creekbed with heavier plastics like storm swim shads Attachment 57871 - sometimes the barra would be timid , nipping & face slapping the lures or other times hitting like freight trains. ..... sitting out there as the day draws to a close is just magic!
Once the last rays of light had disappeared - it was time to head back to the warmth of a good fire

[PaulMark]

Lenthalls in the winter can be quiet,fish kills in previous winters have setback good Barra growth. There are some good sizes there at present,and I think everyone is walking on glass that we don't get too cold and have to go back to square one again. Being at the southern end of Barra territory obviously this will be an on going problem more often than the more northern areas.Pity really as its a beautiful spot.
Paulo

[BR65]

Paulo, you'd think that the same basics would work out there though in the cooler temps.
Is Lenthalls fished regularly in winter for Barra, or targetted by Bass fishos looking for schooled up fish?

[PaulMark]

Hi Brian, being a fairly small dam you can do a bit of both in the one trip.If the Barra aren't happening then chase the Bass.A few of the locals do fish primarily for Barra out there through winter Al(Warrior)is a bit like you and Mondy He's always out there and knows the place backwards and has some success over the cooler periods.Warmer shallower areas seem to attract the Barra during winter as you'd expect,but some days they've all gone off somewhere else.lol.Go figure-bl@#$y Barra hey?
Paulo