Awoonga Advice Needed Please

[Whiskers]

Hey guys heading up to Gladstone in a month and was hopeing I could get some advice

Def want to checkout Awoonga so would love any help and advice for everything from best boat ramp, Permits???? and all things Barra.

I have never targeted them before so I pretty much no nothing :silly:

The outfit I plan on using is a 8-10Kg Catana with my Megaforce spooled with 30lb Fins and 40lb Black Magic leader and will be going lure shopping in the next week or two.

Cheers in advance guys

Cam

[Funfisher]

just use the main boat ramp and fish the bays the wind is blowing into with slick rigs and crank baits ect, plus i am not positive if it is still the case but i think Awoonga is one of the only dams you do not require a permit to fish or boat.

cheers

[Whiskers]

Also would it be worth while dropping some opera house pots?

[Jords]

Mate squidy slick rigs are the bomb from what I've read, a lot of people dunk the tails in boiling water - it weakens the rubber which makes the paddletail work at lower speeds (apparently)

Good luck!

[crazywalrus]

Mate squidy slick rigs are the bomb from what I've read, a lot of people dunk the tails in boiling water - it weakens the rubber which makes the paddletail work at lower speeds (apparently)

Good luck!

I always boil mine - makes them softer. Just take the jig head out

[Whiskers]

Have been doing a little googling and heard a lot of problems with the boat ramp? Is this irrelevant after all the rain?

Keep it coming boys I need all the help I can get

[dan25]

Good luck up there mate, look foward to seeing a report.

[dassa]

Hey cam good luck with the barra but as i've never fished awoonga I would up grade you leader to 60lbs some people say 80 but i think 60 is plenty.

Good luck.

[Funfisher]

I normaly would run at least a 60lb-80lb 30cm bite leader to clear the gill rakes and a mtr or so of 30lb-40lb after that.

[sehrguht]

I went up there a year ago and i ended with 4 90+cm barra in four days which i was happy with for a first time.

Soft plastics in the day, hardbodies at night.

I reccomend flicking the "boof frogs" around the weed beds as well, we had one hit on them and a couple other follows and was wicked to watch it happen.

Find them on your sounder and drift around that area flicking the plastics.

I ran about a metre of 80lb 10x leader and 40lb braid but that was wayyy overkill.

[Whiskers]

Getting some good info here guys thanks haeps!

Cam

[rayke1938]

Have a look at Johnny Mitchells website.
/>http://www.fishawoonga.com.au//barramundi.htm

Study it in detail and in particular the Barra Articles.

That should keep you busy for a week or so.

Consider a charter with him if you can afford it and if he has any spare spots.

There are a couple of other " big name" guides there but in my opinion they are up themselves but give them a ring and make up your own mind.

Good luck and enjoy yourself up there.

I can really recommend the Awoonga Gateway Cabins providing that they havent been booked out by the mining companies. Apparently accomodation is very tight up there.

Cheers

Ray

[Joel Eadie]

about the opera house traps, i was up there earlier this year, we didnt take any up but saw a few people pull traps up with very poor results

[lethalsaints]

No permit...

I know lots of people who have made the trip for a week even and have come home with zero..

I live here now and most locals haven't caught squat..

But I think it's due to the fact they have no idea where to go...

Might pay off to get a guide for the first day and go solo from there. They might put you onto some hotspots!!

I would take rayke 's advice, John Mitchell is known around here to have mastered the Dam

[Whiskers]

Alright guys and gals the trip is a couple of days away and have upgraded my outfit to a BCF Boss Pression 10-15kg (Though it is the size of most 4-6kg) rods and a Curado spooled with Bionic 30lb

Big bump here need everything I can get maybe some Boyne advice near Tannum Sands

Cheers

Cam

Oh and thanks for all the imput so far