The wet better or worse?

[Bros]

I'm going to try to travel by caravan the Barcoo, Thompson, Cooper and Bulloo rivers and creeks to the border. I tried to do this trip last year but rain intervened and I was forced to change my plans.
I am interested in opinions as to weather the fishing would be better or worse as a result of the rain. I understand the country is looking very good but how would the fishing go.

[Steve B]

Bros,

Years ago, I used to live in barcaldine, and fished the Barcoo regularly at Omar station (isisford) and at another place half way between Barcy and Blackall, Moonbria Station (I think...it was a while ago)...we used to fish the Thompson at Muttaburra also. When the water was settling after a big wet, the fishing was spectacular on croychies and schrimp....schrimp were in their billions. When the water totally settled and cleared, we used to troll celta spinners and smack 50-60 fish a day....bobbing with croychies was also fun too. Again, I remember several occassions getting 30 -70 fish in a day (obviously only keeping a few)....I would love to go back in a time machine and have a fist full of spinnerbaits and plastics....I reckon they would have worked a treat. So, I reckon you have timed your trip spot on. I think you should have no troubles...just ask some locals when you get there too.

Geez, this is bringing back memories!! They were great times as a young fella!!! scooping bore drains for croychies, bobbing with cane poles, camping on a creekbed with a bell on ya line so you could hear a bite during the nite....stumbling down a black soil bank after ten thousand XXXX's

Now that was livin Barry!!!:grin:

Good luck with your trip mate...you will have a ball

Cheers Steve

[darylive]

sounds like a great trip mate.

[Bros]

Thanks Steve. Last year we camped on the Thompson south of Muttaburra and after about 5 days the forecast was for rain so we left for Longreach as black soil and rain don't mix. We were unanble to go to Windorah as the road was closed so we gave it a miss. This year we are going straight to Isisford and going south from there.

We are only interested in catching a few fish to be eaten there, we have no interest in taking fish away.

[Steve B]

Thanks Steve. Last year we camped on the Thompson south of Muttaburra and after about 5 days the forecast was for rain so we left for Longreach as black soil and rain don't mix. We were unanble to go to Windorah as the road was closed so we gave it a miss. This year we are going straight to Isisford and going south from there.

We are only interested in catching a few fish to be eaten there, we have no interest in taking fish away.

Good stuff mate, I think the weather will be in your favour this year!!

The yellas out there are great eating...lean, fit. yummy:cheesy:

Steve

[darylive]

I had a clean up at windorah years ago. I couldn't believe the local bloke using prime fillet beef to bait hooks to catch what they were calling bream. Black Bream? from the channel country. He asked 'how many do you want as he continued to bait the lines and pull in fish one after another!

Personally I would rather have eaten the beef we were was using for bait. The fish were typical muddy tasting rubbish but incredible to see them caught one after another, no skill involved just bait a line and throw it in. The people we stayed with at Bedoorie were very impressed with a feed of fresh fish. All relative I suppose.

[rossco]

I would be checking that all the roads are open before you go as the rigs are still shut down out there because of the flooding, may not effect normal traffic though.

cheers rossco

[Steve B]

Bros,

Just got off the phone to a good mate in Barcaldine, they are smashing fish out there at the moment...the water is still not real clear, but in a few weeks it should be...and then they will be really on. Another note, heaps of red claw in the river (this is not a good thing)...like they have never seen before..blokes getting 600 to 1000 up at Thompson in Longreach. Yet another pest ruining some great waterways.

Steve

[rossco]

Lets hope we get a good cold winter and it kills the red claw off as it does around here.

Cheers rossco

[Bros]

the water is still not real clear, but in a few weeks it should be...and then they will be really on.

I didn't think those water ways ever cleared up as the suspended clay never settles out. When we go we take some floc and add it to the water to settle out the clay for washing water.

note, heaps of red claw in the river (this is not a good thing)...like they have never seen before..blokes getting 600 to 1000 up at Thompson in Longreach. Yet another pest ruining some great waterways.

In 2005 we did a trip from Winton stopping at Old Cork and caught some good Yellowbelly and went on through Diamantina NP to Boulia. On the radio we heard that one of the enviromantal groups from the Gov was complaining that Redclaw had gotten into the Georgina and soon that would be through the whole outback river system displacing the Blue Claw. We went to the Georgina west of Boulia and could only leave 4 redclaw pots in for three hours as the number of Redclaw we caught far exceed our needs and there were four of us. They could be described to be in plague proportions there.
I heard last year there were some Redclaw in the Thompson but we never caught any and some others I spoke to who had a boat only caught a few.

What is the problem with Redclaw at least they are a native pest?

[Bros]

I had a clean up at windorah years ago. I couldn't believe the local bloke using prime fillet beef to bait hooks to catch what they were calling bream. Black Bream? from the channel country. He asked 'how many do you want as he continued to bait the lines and pull in fish one after another!

Personally I would rather have eaten the beef we were was using for bait. The fish were typical muddy tasting rubbish but incredible to see them caught one after another, no skill involved just bait a line and throw it in. The people we stayed with at Bedoorie were very impressed with a feed of fresh fish. All relative I suppose.

I don't know about the Black Bream but the Yellowbelly I have caught from the outback rivers have never tasted muddy.

[Bros]

I would be checking that all the roads are open before you go as the rigs are still shut down out there because of the flooding, may not effect normal traffic though.

cheers rossco

Will do but I am careful with the replies I get from locals on road conditions as a good road from them could be quite rough for a city sider.