Making memories at Moura: catching saratoga

Dave Hodge

Moura, a small town southwest of Gladstone, is a spot I classify as special. Not just because of the friendly people, the wildlife and the mighty Dawson River, but because it holds plenty of saratoga, one of my all-time favourite sportfish. The river doesn’t get a lot of fishing pressure due to the lack of people out there, and you can enjoy some great fishing just a few minutes out of the township.

My son Tannhym and his best mate Isaac had saratoga at the top of their bucket list, so I decided to take them to Moura. With visions of catching these high-flying sportfish, you could sense the boys’ excitement and anticipation as the boat slid quietly to an idle on the first morning’s session. As Tannhym slipped the electric motor into the water, I heard him say to himself, “OK, here we go….”

I had previously advised the boys on how to catch toga in the Dawson River, and they quickly got to work, skip casting under overhanging bottlebrush trees and working their weedless lures through spindly branches, allowing them to sink as they cleared the edge. The slightest ripple saw two Halco Prawns flying at bullet speed, dropping perfectly in the middle of the rings. All the while I stood down the back, steering the silent old Polycraft through the drowned forests, trying not to bump into any of the trees and potentially send a saratoga into shutdown.

The fishing was a bit tough. Many missed bites were registered, and the fish that did have a go were super subtle. The toga always headed towards the boys on the strike, making it hard to set the hooks.

Finally though, Isaac set the hooks on a beautifully conditioned Dawson River saratoga. Tannhym grabbed the net, and any attempts at being stealthy and quiet disappeared as the net slipped under such an important fish. Tannhym was so happy for his friend, and after some quick photos and high fives, the fish was cradled just below the surface until it was ready to go.

Afterwards, Tannhym’s hooks finally stuck on a high-flying toga that put everything into the battle. His anxious tension was palpable; this fish was really important to him.

Isaac made a quick, accurate net shot, and again them both.

If you want to make some memories like these, read on.

If you’d like to make a toga trip to this special part of the world, there are a few things you’ll need to take with you. I won’t really discuss camping gear, as it’s pretty much basic camping, although I will mention there’s a shower at the ramp next to the Apex Park camping ground that takes a $1 coin to produce hot water, so take a few coins with you if you’ll be there for a while. The park is a good place to stay, with a toilet block, BBQs, shaded areas and plenty of wide open space.

The township itself is quite well serviced. You’re bet. As far as brands go, I reckon you can’t go past the Aussie-made Bassman range for quality and pre-rigged detail. around the snags, lures like these can be subtlety worked when conditions are tough, and cast long distances when the fish are spooky.

These fish are also great to catch off the surface. To watch a saratoga eat a popper is pretty cool, and they often roll all over a popper or fizzer before eating it. You can’t mention saratoga without mentioning Bills Bugs, and how well the fish respond to these fizzers. The fluttering, fizzing type action is just what the toga ordered. Regardless of what you throw, make sure your hooks are sticky, deadly the celebrations shattered the quiet surroundings!

This scenario was repeated a few times over the next couple of days, and you could really appreciate the boys’ sense of achievement. I was very happy to be part of such a special moment for not going to have to take your supplies with you, as everything is available in town, which is only about a 5-minute drive from the boat ramp and campground.

Now let’s look at the fishing gear.

Lures

I’ve caught saratoga in the Dawson on hardbodies, spinner baits, surface poppers and weedless plastics, and you’ll be well served to take all of these with you when packing your gear.

1/4oz double Colorado or tandem spinnerbaits with stinger hooks and soft plastic trailers are without a doubt your best

Spinnerbaits are easily fished on both spin and baitcaster combos (although my personal preference is for a baitcaster). The Tilsan Minnow and Tilson Bass are great sized hardbodied lures, and cast well on a light to medium spin stick, with strong actions.

Twitched and paused sharp to penetrate those bony jaws.

We’ve found that you can also get good results on soft plastics. I fished with accomplished angler and journalist Helen Abdy on the Dawson, and we discovered that Paddle Prawns are very effective on saratoga. I like the 5” make the job much easier to do enjoyably. You should absolutely take a spare prop for your big donk, and expect to hit the odd tree just subsurface. Wherever the river narrows, drop down off the plane, trim the motor up to shallow drive, and poke through carefully.

Prawns in mainly fluoro colours, like the pink, orange and chartreuse. They have been a game changer for me around the snaggy stuff when rigged weedless (I use Atomic 5/0 Seeker 1/4oz). These prawn imitations aren’t all that well known in the area, which means not too many fish have seen them before.

I also believe that powder coating your jigheads can aid in getting the fish’s attention. We use Protec Powder Coat in several colours.

Refraction in the 12-16lb, for its accurate delivery. Matched to either the now discontinued Shimano Stile, or the Abu Zenon, I have found it to be effortless and easy to cast, with all the drag I need for this style of fishing.

However, if I had to take just one outfit it would be the Samurai Infinite 6-12lb baitcaster, which has always been my favourite for this smaller, jumping fish lure stuff. I like to match it to a Shimano Engetsu.

During the annual Muddy Water Classic comp, boats run up and down the river everywhere, and this does have an effect on the resident fish. It doesn’t shut them down

Gear

A lighter baitcaster outfit is a very versatile tool for this style of fishing, and if you’re intending to fish the overhanging timber and trees then a shorter 5’6” rod will be perfect. A budget option is the Atomic BCL, a light, tippy rod that is great value for money, or alternatively you can go for the Samurai

When it comes to line, 15-20lb braid and 15-30lb leader works best around the thicker timber type situations, more for abrasion resistance.

Electric motor

Electric motors are not essential, but will definitely entirely but it does push them down a bit deeper and make them less aggressive. If you’re there at a quieter time of year (which is most of the year), you’re bound to have a more peaceful time. Dryer times of the year are when the water is at its cleanest.

MUDDY WATER CLASSIC

It’s become a tradition for me to head to Moura for the Muddy Water Classic, a family fishing competition that raises funds for stocking fish into the Dawson River. Species available are