queensland On the hunt for Salty Barra's

[GregN70]

I have a bunch of time in October and was thinking of hitting the road & heading north for for a couple weeks chasing jacks, cod, but mainly Salty Barramundi. My initial thinking was to go to Hinchinbrook area staying at Cardwell, but a few people have suggested the creeks just north of Townsville like Bohle River, or even the areas south of Cairns. Any thoughts?

[Ed.]

Any of the areas up north will hold Barra, so it would depend on how much of a scenic drive you want to do and if you want to visit/fish any of the areas going up there as well. Obviously, the less populated the area, the more chance that it won't be overfished.

[Junky]

Hinchinbrook is in that area anyway. 

Don't stay at Cardwell. Go to lucinda. 

I'd hit them all and fish it hard. 

[Junky]

I was on the lucinda fishing jetty flicking plastics one night, getting really nice tarpon.

There were half a dozen people and a group of young kids, good young kids like I'd imagine Hamish is. Keen on their fishing and out having fun. 

 

This older gent pulls up in an old hilux ute, typical reddish stains burnt into it like a lot of the cars up there have. 

He steps out and grabs the wheel barrow in the back (now you've got my attention) 

He then puts all his fishing gear in and walked down past me to the inside RH corner of the jetty outside the handrail. (It's like a T shape if you haven't been there). I thought it was odd that he needed the barra to do this. He didn't have much. 

Well he cast nets for a bit up and down the jetty and gathers his lives.

Naturally I am drawn to folk like this and I begin to hover around. It would be so obvious to him that I'm stealing, sorry.... learning his skills but I think to myself that I'm doing a great undercover ops mission without him noticing. 

What got me was the crab pot with the top mesh cut out and reeved up in a way to become a basket. Obviously modified from standard. That's what I assumed the barrow was for, to carry that. It was a big pot. 

 

Well he rigs up a livie (10/Oish hook through the back of an approx 200mm long mullet) on the hand line and slowly lowers his mullet down in that corner. The mullet hits the surface and he stops lowering. 

He then puts on some riggers style leather gloves and holds the line, standing up (well now you really have my attention old boy) 

 

I don't reckon it was 20min before this bloke was on, and I mean on. The splashing underneath sounded like he'd hooked moby **** but it was dark so couldn't see the fish for the white water.It was insane to see because this thing was going mental and to top it off this bloke is wrapping the line around his gloved up hand and is fighting this thing one on one, one handed. (all I could think at this time was how quick this could go south if he loses his balance or something. That's what a lifetime of JSEA's and SWMS do to you haha). 

 

He then reaches over and grabs the crab pot with his other hand and begins to lower it over the side. Remember he has moby **** going berzerk in the other hand....and he's old. 

He stuffs around for about 20 seconds and then drops the hand line and with both hands pulls the crab pot up as quick as he can. 

Well FMD if this wasn't a 1m30 barra. Biggest barra I've ever seen, and all within a space of half and hour. 

There were now about 6 people around him and we are all congratulating him on an absolute ball tearing effort. 

He brain spiked the fish, lifted it into the wheel barrow, chucks his line and crab pot on top and labours back to the car. 

 

A memory that I will never forget. 

[Ed.]

Obviously he's done that before! Hey, whatever works.

[Junky]

1 hour ago, Ed. said:

Obviously he's done that before! Hey, whatever works.

For sure. 

He knew exactly what he wanted.

Definitely an old local cane farmer cause my missus' family are all cane farmers and you'd swear he was one of them.

Lovely people by the way. 

 

 

When you think about it a fish like that would feed one man and perhaps the wife for quiet a while. 

 

[Drop Bear]

1 hour ago, Junky said:

A memory that I will never forget.

Cracking story thanks mate. So good. 

[Drop Bear]

16 minutes ago, Junky said:

a fish like that would feed one man and perhaps the wife for quiet a while.

Yep that is a lot of dinners. Yum. 

[GregN70]

I think this day n age I’d be happy with even a legal sized Barra. 130 would be a mega fish. 

[tiotony]

Pass the more populated areas and keep driving up to Weipa; and you'll likely get plenty of barra.

[GregN70]

14 hours ago, tiotony said:

Pass the more populated areas and keep driving up to Weipa; and you'll likely get plenty of barra.

I thought about that, however I do only have 14 days, and wanted to keep the travel down to 2 days each way, as im going by myself and towing my 4m tinny. That leaves 10 days, 2 of which typically will have poor weather/wind. That leaves 8 days or so of fishing, 3-4 of these will be good tides. I thought it might be a stretch to do Weipa in that time comfortably and safe by myself. If I was going with someone and sharing the drive, all good.

CHeers 

[Newbie to Brisbane]

21 hours ago, GregN70 said:

I have a bunch of time in October and was thinking of hitting the road & heading north for for a couple weeks chasing jacks, cod, but mainly Salty Barramundi. My initial thinking was to go to Hinchinbrook area staying at Cardwell, but a few people have suggested the creeks just north of Townsville like Bohle River, or even the areas south of Cairns. Any thoughts?

Mate Rockhampton is probably the most underrated Barra fishing place in Queensland. So many good fish in the city reaches. Happy to pass on more info if required 

[GregN70]

9 minutes ago, Newbie to Brisbane said:

Mate Rockhampton is probably the most underrated Barra fishing place in Queensland. So many good fish in the city reaches. Happy to pass on more info if required 

Ha, really. That's just near where I live (Yeppoon). And to be honest, I hate fishing that Fitzroy River all I've ever caught in and around there is catfish.

So maybe there's a secret im missing, i don't know.

[Old Scaley]

1 hour ago, GregN70 said:

Ha, really. That's just near where I live (Yeppoon). And to be honest, I hate fishing that Fitzroy River all I've ever caught in and around there is catfish.

So maybe there's a secret im missing, i don't know.

Heaps of great videos on YouTube with good info on fishing the Fitzroy that might unlock a few of those secrets. Looks like a top class fishery since it went net free.

[GregN70]

At first yes it was, however; there's no new fish in the system. There's been very little rain in the past 4-5 years which means no recruitment, & no new fish entering the system. So what few barra were there have either been caught, or they have all seen 1 million lures bounce around their noses and are all bite-shy. You'd be very lucky firstly to find a barra these days, and even luckier if you got one to bite.

[Brodie_S]

Cooktown jettie/wharf at night there is plenty of Barra .I lost a lot of big fish there and I’m certain atleast one of them big fish was a Barra the people I’d go fishing with had live bait setups and caught plenty of Barra close to a metre I lost a few giants on plastics and a few giants on bait to. And in the river you can get decent Barra and jacks to just watch out for crocs plenty of big cod queenfish GT’s and Mack’s around the wharf to. Cooktown is actually pretty underrated and not over fished would recommend going there I found cairns to be good . But cairns was a little overfished in my opinion to same with Townsville 

[Newbie to Brisbane]

5 hours ago, GregN70 said:

At first yes it was, however; there's no new fish in the system. There's been very little rain in the past 4-5 years which means no recruitment, & no new fish entering the system. So what few barra were there have either been caught, or they have all seen 1 million lures bounce around their noses and are all bite-shy. You'd be very lucky firstly to find a barra these days, and even luckier if you got one to bite.

I got three in one session landbased first time I’d ever been there. There’s definitely still a decent amount of Barra and threadies in the river. I recommend sounding around structure on last half of run out tide, super early mornings before sunrise worked well for me. Different parts of the heat they move to certain areas in a system. This time of year the Barra fishing can be quiet, but a brilliant time for big threadfin when I fished it two years ago

[GregN70]

1 hour ago, Newbie to Brisbane said:

I got three in one session landbased first time I’d ever been there. There’s definitely still a decent amount of Barra and threadies in the river. I recommend sounding around structure on last half of run out tide, super early mornings before sunrise worked well for me. Different parts of the heat they move to certain areas in a system. This time of year the Barra fishing can be quiet, but a brilliant time for big threadfin when I fished it two years ago

Nah I wouldn’t bother. I’ve done about 60 trips on the river and I think it’s a disgrace. Much better places. You could not pay me to fish the Fitzroy it krappp 

[AUS-BNE-FISHO]

On 07/07/2021 at 2:58 PM, Junky said:

I was on the lucinda fishing jetty flicking plastics one night, getting really nice tarpon.

There were half a dozen people and a group of young kids, good young kids like I'd imagine Hamish is. Keen on their fishing and out having fun. 

 

This older gent pulls up in an old hilux ute, typical reddish stains burnt into it like a lot of the cars up there have. 

He steps out and grabs the wheel barrow in the back (now you've got my attention) 

He then puts all his fishing gear in and walked down past me to the inside RH corner of the jetty outside the handrail. (It's like a T shape if you haven't been there). I thought it was odd that he needed the barra to do this. He didn't have much. 

Well he cast nets for a bit up and down the jetty and gathers his lives.

Naturally I am drawn to folk like this and I begin to hover around. It would be so obvious to him that I'm stealing, sorry.... learning his skills but I think to myself that I'm doing a great undercover ops mission without him noticing. 

What got me was the crab pot with the top mesh cut out and reeved up in a way to become a basket. Obviously modified from standard. That's what I assumed the barrow was for, to carry that. It was a big pot. 

 

Well he rigs up a livie (10/Oish hook through the back of an approx 200mm long mullet) on the hand line and slowly lowers his mullet down in that corner. The mullet hits the surface and he stops lowering. 

He then puts on some riggers style leather gloves and holds the line, standing up (well now you really have my attention old boy) 

 

I don't reckon it was 20min before this bloke was on, and I mean on. The splashing underneath sounded like he'd hooked moby **** but it was dark so couldn't see the fish for the white water.It was insane to see because this thing was going mental and to top it off this bloke is wrapping the line around his gloved up hand and is fighting this thing one on one, one handed. (all I could think at this time was how quick this could go south if he loses his balance or something. That's what a lifetime of JSEA's and SWMS do to you haha). 

 

He then reaches over and grabs the crab pot with his other hand and begins to lower it over the side. Remember he has moby **** going berzerk in the other hand....and he's old. 

He stuffs around for about 20 seconds and then drops the hand line and with both hands pulls the crab pot up as quick as he can. 

Well FMD if this wasn't a 1m30 barra. Biggest barra I've ever seen, and all within a space of half and hour. 

There were now about 6 people around him and we are all congratulating him on an absolute ball tearing effort. 

He brain spiked the fish, lifted it into the wheel barrow, chucks his line and crab pot on top and labours back to the car. 

 

A memory that I will never forget. 

Incredible! One day I will be an old bloke like that, hopefully, Lol.

[Hoffies]

On 07/07/2021 at 2:58 PM, Junky said:

I was on the lucinda fishing jetty flicking plastics one night, getting really nice tarpon.

There were half a dozen people and a group of young kids, good young kids like I'd imagine Hamish is. Keen on their fishing and out having fun. 

 

This older gent pulls up in an old hilux ute, typical reddish stains burnt into it like a lot of the cars up there have. 

He steps out and grabs the wheel barrow in the back (now you've got my attention) 

He then puts all his fishing gear in and walked down past me to the inside RH corner of the jetty outside the handrail. (It's like a T shape if you haven't been there). I thought it was odd that he needed the barra to do this. He didn't have much. 

Well he cast nets for a bit up and down the jetty and gathers his lives.

Naturally I am drawn to folk like this and I begin to hover around. It would be so obvious to him that I'm stealing, sorry.... learning his skills but I think to myself that I'm doing a great undercover ops mission without him noticing. 

What got me was the crab pot with the top mesh cut out and reeved up in a way to become a basket. Obviously modified from standard. That's what I assumed the barrow was for, to carry that. It was a big pot. 

 

Well he rigs up a livie (10/Oish hook through the back of an approx 200mm long mullet) on the hand line and slowly lowers his mullet down in that corner. The mullet hits the surface and he stops lowering. 

He then puts on some riggers style leather gloves and holds the line, standing up (well now you really have my attention old boy) 

 

I don't reckon it was 20min before this bloke was on, and I mean on. The splashing underneath sounded like he'd hooked moby **** but it was dark so couldn't see the fish for the white water.It was insane to see because this thing was going mental and to top it off this bloke is wrapping the line around his gloved up hand and is fighting this thing one on one, one handed. (all I could think at this time was how quick this could go south if he loses his balance or something. That's what a lifetime of JSEA's and SWMS do to you haha). 

 

He then reaches over and grabs the crab pot with his other hand and begins to lower it over the side. Remember he has moby **** going berzerk in the other hand....and he's old. 

He stuffs around for about 20 seconds and then drops the hand line and with both hands pulls the crab pot up as quick as he can. 

Well FMD if this wasn't a 1m30 barra. Biggest barra I've ever seen, and all within a space of half and hour. 

There were now about 6 people around him and we are all congratulating him on an absolute ball tearing effort. 

He brain spiked the fish, lifted it into the wheel barrow, chucks his line and crab pot on top and labours back to the car. 

 

A memory that I will never forget. 

hahaha what a mad dawg

[Newbie to Brisbane]

On 08/07/2021 at 6:53 PM, GregN70 said:

Nah I wouldn’t bother. I’ve done about 60 trips on the river and I think it’s a disgrace. Much better places. You could not pay me to fish the Fitzroy it krappp