Barra From page 81
Technique Fizzers and frogs are my favourite when it comes to surface fishing, and I make my choice between those dependent on where I’m casting. If it’s a creek mouth or standing timber with little chance for obstruction I’ll throw a fizzer and go for a burn-and-kill style retrieve. Fizzers throw plenty of water and usually have at least a couple of trebles depending on body length, which helps with hook-up rates. If I get the opportunity to throw directly over a weed bed or grove of lilies I’ll opt for the frog every time. Most are built on upward facing double hooks, and are
a few pauses thrown in for good measure. When throwing glidebaits I’ll use them in the same areas but with a much longer pause and a big sweeping rod action to let them dart and dive as they sink. Give the lure some slack line when you can, it will give it more freedom and it will dive through the water with an even more lifelike action. If you’ve ever seen a video of a school of sardines being swiped at by angry billfish, you’ll know that there are always a few that get stunned in the rush, and they sort of float and tumble away from the school. That’s the action I’m looking for in my glidebait, hopefully offering a nice easy meal for big bad Barry and his mates.
Even hulking barra like this one taken by Greg Livingstone will eat small, well-presented soft plastics.
Brisbane angler Gavin Springate spends just about every waking moment of every day thinking about fish, and when the air heats up in early spring he heads north in search of brackish water bullies. weighted to skip and skim over the surface of the lilies and drop into the space between, giving fish the opportunity to eat them. This design means they are very much a weedless lure most of the time, but you can suffer from poor hook-up rates, especially with the smaller class fish you find in some of the freshwater below the Queensland impoundments.
RUPE’S BARRA SWIMBAIT/GLIDEBAIT 6-PACK • Zerek Live Mullet 5.5” • Evergreen ES Flats • Chilton Tackle Co RAY 145 • Swimbaits Australia 150mm Glidebait • Lucky Craft Real BG 150SS • Castaic BD Shad
ON THE FLUFF Having never actually attempted to catch a barra on fly, I had to do a bit of ringing around in order to make sure I didn’t miss out on the vital info for this article. Speaking to a few good mates, they all had many hints, tips and tricks to share, but one thing rang true across all conversations: don’t arrive undergunned. As the saying goes, you should never take a knife to a gun fight, and your gear had better be up to task or you may as well leave it at home. Flyfishing itself is one of the purest ways someone can enjoy this great sport, but there is so much to do before you find, hook or even think about landing a fish. Start with a fly rod in the 9wt, 10wt or 12wt bracket and an intermediate line. A shorter rod can help when trying to cast in tight situations, and will also help you steer a fish once connected. You’ll need a mix of flies, from poppers and gurglers through to sinking flies like Clousers and legendary flyfisherman Lefty Kreh’s all time favourite – the Deceiver. Like any lure presentation you’ll need practice, patience and a variety of
RUPE’S BARRA TOPWATER 6-PACK • Bill’s Bugs Fuzz Bugs 100mm • OSP Bent Minnow 106 • Teckel Sprinker Frog • Rapala Skitter Pop • Lunkerhunt Popping Frog • Owner Tango Dancer 95
SWIMBAITS AND GLIDEBAITS No tackle box is complete these days without the addition of swimbaits and/or glidebaits. These versatile offerings can present lures in such a realistic fashion that you could be forgiven for mistaking your own lure for a baitfish. Just like vibes, there are hard and soft options on the market, and both will do the job for you if used in the right spot in the right way. Technique I like to cast swimbaits out along edges, let them sink to around the mid-water mark and slowly retrieve from there, with 82
SEPTEMBER 2018
Tempting a barra on fly is one of the most rewarding captures an angler can enjoy. Roderick Walmsley did exactly that on his trusty EDGE wand. This is a priority on my 2018 fishing bucket list and will be attended too once the water heats up!
presentations to crack the pattern on that particular trip, and it all may change before you go again. Whether you’re fishing for barra or any other species, don’t be afraid to pick a fly rod up and have a go. It’s frustrating at first but it really is rewarding when you get it right. RUPE’S PHONE-A-FRIEND BARRA FLY 6-PACK • Lefty’s Deceiver • Gold Bomber Fly • Pink Thing • Dahlberg Diver • Clouser Minnow • Ammo Flies Game Changer
Jerkbaiting is a must-know technique when fishing weed edges, heavy timber and the edges of lily banks. The lure should be able to get to the desired depth quickly, then suspend until the barra just can’t stand it anymore and has to inhale! NOTHING LEFT TO DO BUT DO IT If you haven’t caught a barramundi before, I hope this has given you a helping hand when considering what to throw, and encouraged you to venture out in search of them. And if you’ve already popped that cherry, hopefully this feature has given you a couple of options you haven’t considered before. There’s a reason people travel from all over Australia and from all corners of the globe in search of barramundi. They’re an impressive fish and can create memories to hold on to forever. Just do me one favour – the next time you’re out on the water, remember that nobody wins a prize for owning the most lures, so take a risk and make that cast into the impossibly thick snag. The fish of a lifetime could be eagerly awaiting the arrival of your sacrifice to the fish gods. If the worst thing that happens is that you lose a lure and have to go into the tackle store to buy more, you’re still winning at life!