Fish

MAFSA primarily stocks Barramundi and Sooty Grunter. Other species that MAFSA is able to stock are Sleepy Cod, Snub Nose Garfish, Bony Bream and Spangled Perch.

Other species you are likely to encounter while fishing the waterways we stock are Fork Tail Catfish, Eel Tail Catfish, Jungle Perch, Mangrove Jack, Banded Grunter, Redclaw and Eels

Click on each of the highlighted species to view details from the Fishweb site.

How To Catch A Barramundi

The following was written by Neil Schultz and is protected by copyright. MAFSA wishes to thank Neil for his contribution to our site.


A 1.02 Metre Barra from Teemburra Dam caught by Neil.

SCHULTY’S DAM BARRA LORE:

Cover 3 basic scenarios:      1.  Trolling Points

2.      Casting in shallows.

3.      Night Trolling

Trolling Points.

Where.

Points in the main basin generally best.

Steeper sided points often better producers than gently sloping.

Work depth changes around points.  Inc; step downs, side gullies, etc.

Target points with secondary cover, i.e. rocks, sticks, weed beds.

When points surrounded by solid banks of aquatic vegetation, hydrilla, hornwort, etc, ignore depth and work edge of weed beds.

When.

Like most fishing for freshwater predators, dawn and dusk.

Dawn and dusk in spring.

Dawn in mid summer.

Dusk in winter.

Time of year, Sept to April worthwhile with peak period leading up to spawning season i.e. Sept to Nov.

Moon phase doesn’t play as big a part as prevailing weather.

You can catch barra on any moon phase but will almost always struggle in shirty, cold, rainy weather.

How.

Again very similar to most freshwater trolling.

Lures about 20 metres back.

Speed, dead slow; about 1 to 1.5 knots.

Four strokes give better results than 2 strokes.

Steer to have the lures running in about 15ft or 4.5m.

Lures that get down to about 13ft or 3.9m.

I use smaller lures, 85mm Spoonbills for lakes where common sizes to 10kg and where sooties are desired bycatch.

Vipers where big fish are the target.

When searching make a couple of  passes and move to the next point.

If you take a hit make a few passes then move on but work other points in the immediate vicinity thoroughly.  You know that that part of the lake has the right water temps, food, etc to have active fish in residence.

Note any spots where you take hits or fish for the next trip.  Feeding stations are likely to be visited by numbers of other barra on subsequent days.

If you get halfhearted bumps during morning outings try the same spots during the afternoon to see if angle of light, shadows or water temp makes a difference.

Casting in Shallows.

Lure casting the shallow fringes of the lakes is very similar in actual technique to fishing rivers but a little more thought needs to go into selecting fishing spots, especially in large lakes.

Has been deadly on Awoonga, Proserpine, Monduran, Teemburra and no doubt it would be effective at Moondarra.

Where.

Shallow bays and feeder creeks tend to offer best opportunities.

Bays need two features to be reliable.

1.  Deep water nearby, preferably a deep gully running into the bay itself so fish don’t need to travel far.

2.  Snags or upright sticks to attract forage fish.

Casting to shallows can be productive around the edges of weed beds with well-defined edges but can be frustrating in low light when you can’t see submerged weed clumps.

When fishing large lakes with numerous possible areas look for those sheltered from the prevailing wind that catch the afternoon sun.

Any bays where bony bream and/or garfish can be seen are good choices.

When.

Same times of year and day as trolling.

Works well in early season and autumn when fish are coming into sun warmed bays to feed.

Also good after a rise in water level that sees the edges littered with stands of drowned shrubs and saplings.

How.

Can use electric and work dead slow around the bay or stand of timber.

I like to anchor and give each spot a good flogging.

Disadvantage of anchoring is that you can’t immediately chase a big fish rampaging through the sticks.

Cast hard against a stick, stone or weed edge and twitch the lure with lots of rod tip action and lots of pauses.

Barra surprisingly often taken on first cast to a stick.

Night Trolling.

Got my first landlocked barra in Tinaroo about eight years ago.  Of the dozen fish caught on that first trip 10 were taken after dark.  All trolling.

Where.

Same points you’d troll in daylight.  Choose those with the least timber and weed.

You do want deep water “lying up points” for the fish nearby and hard surfaces to attract the bony bream.

Troll vipers slightly shorter than during daylight.

Troll in slightly shallower water than daylight.

The barra will still patrol the changes in depth and drop offs at night but are comfortable coming into skinnier water.

It can help to plot a trolling course on the GPS during daylight to make it easier to position the boat after dark.

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