Barra among the storms

HINCHINBROOK

Ian Moody

info@ianmoodyfishing.com

It’s that time of year again where the rain is very unpredictable and patchy. Some calm weather periods have been enticing anglers to go a little further out, but the incredibly high humidity helps create those isolated squalls that can develop right on top of you. It’s just another reason to find new spots closer inshore, so if you do have to make a dash for home or to safety, it’s not such a long trip back.

A few anglers who have been managing to get out to the reef have been doing rather well on coral trout, emperor and large-mouth nannygai with an average size of around 80cm, with a few nudging just under the metre mark at around 13kg. Now that we are getting some rain, the areas of runoff are going to be the better spots for barramundi. Depending on how much rainfall we get, it can flow fresh on the surface at the mouths of creeks and rivers, causeways etc., and we will still see good fishing in the backwaters created by the flow of tide and runoff.

Now that we are right in the midst of the wet season, it’s very likely that we will see a lot more rain and freshwater runoff. This can restrict options in the short term, but if conditions ease and return to some normality we will see the fish returning to their old haunts and feeding patterns. In times of heavy runoff, fishing out on the headlands around into Missionary Bay is probably a better option until the rains ease off.

The mouth to the Cardwell Marina has been fishing well for barra as well as along the Cardwell foreshore beaches, particularly in the building tide phases. Live baiting with mullet or casting swim prawns or hardbody lures usually yields the best results.

Fishing any flats with deeper drop-off edges nearby is generally what I look for.

That is because the amount of rainfall we get at any given time will fluctuate the water temperatures, which in turn will dictate where barra will go and feed. If it gets too hot in the shallows, the barra will move out into deeper areas nearby and feed there in slightly cooler water.

Anglers should also be careful this time of year during the large high tides, and be aware that any flooding that occurs can result in logs and other debris floating on the surface. These hazards can be a nasty experience to encounter if you’re fishing at night.

Also in March if our wet season kicks up a notch, anglers chasing live baits (particularly mullet) would be better off looking behind the tree lines on the island side of the channel. Finding a clear opening to throw a cast net on the sandy beaches behind the mangroves is usually where I find them, on the top of the larger tides of 3m or more. fresh runoff. They like to sit under it in the salt where they’re often more comfortable. A quick ambush into the surface layer to snack on the opportunities that arise is a tactic often used by jacks during this runoff period. I find that many of our fish come from the deeper presentations also, and if I can sink my lure to them, instead of expecting them to rise, I catch more fish.

• If you’re looking to do a barramundi charter with us for this year’s barra season, bookings are filling up quickly, so now is a good time to get in and get your name down on some good dates. You can make a booking by emailing us at info@ianmoodysportfishing. com, or phone me directly on 0402 339 459.

It’s a good time of year to chase barra.

Surface colours are often a different choice to those we use for the deeper stuff. Greens and naturals usually get used in the surface stuff, while fluoro orange and pinks are more contrasting colours which get used for the deeper fish. I have a Raymarine Element that’s a perfect sounder for me to find deeper fish, but you have to glance at the slider every now and then while casting snags to make the best of the opportunities that arise. Sitting just downstream of located fish and hopping vibes, plastics or cranking deep divers down to them is a reliable way to capitalise on otherwise unseen opportunities.

Being as unpredictable as it is at this time of year, I hope there’s an option that ticks your boxes in this article. Being flexible will be a sure bet to keep you on the water instead of waiting for the perfect alignment of tides, water clarity, moon etc, so stay flexible and enjoy the north.

Good luck and hope you all bend a rod this month.