Top End Barra Series Round 3

Hi there,

It was time for the round 3 of the Top End Barra Series, and this time the action was taking place all over the Mary River Billabongs.

I was ready to be deckie in a new team with whom I had never fished before. When on the Friday before the event I found myself boatless, as the skipper had to attend some very urgent family business. 

All seemed to be lost for my weekend of fishing and I put a message on the FFF forum asking if any one had a spot on his/her boat for me.

Well I did get very lucky to be offered at the last minute a spot on Arrabmundi boat for the Sunday, and even if I had never met him before, as soon as the offer came in I said yes in a heart beat.
I was not going to regret it.

He told me that he would pick me up at 5:00am, so as a very eager kid, I woke up at 3:15am and could not fall asleep anymore...
So I got up to check my lure selection one last time and the overall state of my gears... 
Then before I realised it, he was there and I jumped in the car and we hit the road, destination the billabongs.

During the trip, I asked him as innocently as I could: "Have you fished the billabongs before?" and the reply came simply as any inexperienced angler who was going there for the first time would have dreamed it: "Hundreds of times mate".
Great I was in with a chance to catch a fish then!

Because yes, I had never been on these billabongs yet, and kept reading about it.

We had a quick stop at the Corroboree tavern for a few snack and a quick chat with Bullet and Co about the previous day of fishing, and then in no times we were at the boat ramp.
Where, as discretely as possible I was trying to scan the water for any signs of crocodiles...
None were around, or I did not see them, and off we sailed first towards the Rock Hole, to try to catch the first action of the day on day break.
To say that the weather was nice and fresh would be an understatement, And I started to wonder if I should have taken a pair of mittens with me...

A nice and fresh morning on the billabongs.

Yet it was a great thing to see, a place I would love to take my child to, one day.

Any way as we arrived to the spot we saw Zulk and Uncldug casting away in front of a Pandanus, and not far away Dingo, Doors Off and Muntzy doing more or less the same.

Casting lures in front of the pandanus.

The skipper decided to troll and that was absolutely fine by me.
First I used a Big Lucifer and got a strange hit wasn't too sure of what was going on...
I started to reel it in, thinking that I had a strange lump of weed, or maybe a baby catfish, a billabong's kitten maybe...
But no, I had a Glossamia aprion, a fish that most anglers know under the name of Mouth Almighty.
This was the first time that I saw one, what a great looking little fish!

My first ever Mouth Almighty.

In fact I did show the photo to the fish specialist at the museum today, and I was told that this was a very pale and interesting specimen.
And I was told that I should have brought it back for the museum collection...
I told them that I did not eat it, that I just put it back in the water, honest, scout honour and all... But now you know if ever you were to catch one of a simillar size and colour, the museum would be very interested to have it in the collection. I was told that this is because usually they are darker.

So we troll again, me just happy to look at the scenery and to have seen this nice little fish when bang! 
Another hit and this time with more punch than the last one.
I started to reel it in, but the thing do not jump at all just go for the depths and in a very amateurish kind of way I say: Maybe it's a Toga? (Remember that at this point I was yet to have ever seen a saratoga in the flesh).
To which I am told no, this is a Barra!
And sure enough this is a clean little Barramundi that Arrabmundi scoop easily in the net.
Ho yes I was happy! Only 61 cm, but hey I got it!

Look at the chrome on this fish.

Do I look happy or what?

Now, usually if you have a lure that caught you 2 fish in a few minutes, you stick to it... Well being who I am, I told myslef, time for a change of lure...
And I put a little Shaker 60 SR made by Ofmer, in the gold colour...
This was a good move, not even 15 feet in the troll run and I was screaming: I'm on! I'm on! I don't even think that this little lure had the time to descend as deep as it is made to swim. First a good pull on the line, then nothing... Then another pull and a nice jump, then another stronger pull and the line start to peel from my reel and .... nothing ... 
I got busted in open water...

I usually alway check my leader after each fish and I didn't do it after the first Barra...
Should have, this is a lesson that I hope to remember...
That was a nice little lure, and I had only one like this, but apparently a nice Barramundi liked it more than I...

This would have been the fish of the day, and it showed, albeit for a very short amount of time, how this little lure could be effective for Barramundi fishing.

And this was nearly the end of my fishing exploit for the day, and Arrabmundi turn to shine.
During the rest of the day, he was to boat 7 Barramundi, one Saratoga, a Giant Gudgeon and hook quite a few Tarpon too.
Here are two of his fishes:

A Barramundi on soft plastic.

A Saratoga in close-up.

And the full animal.

This was the first time that I saw a Saratoga in the flesh and not just in a magazine, they are very nice fish too. The colours on them is just amazing, for a fresh water fish.

He was getting most of his fishes on soft plastic...
I tried poppers, diver, walk the dog styles of lures, fizzers and finally decided to try some of my own soft plastic...
I did get a few little hits, but no hookup... And he kept telling me: You should try one of mine....
And I kept telling myself: As soon as I'll try one of his, I will loose it to a snag...
And finally by the end of the afternoon when he caught a 64cm Barra just under my nose, his 7th Barramundi for the day, I had to ask: Can I borrow one of your lure for a few minutes please? ...
He smiled to me and said: This is what I told you to do for the past few hours... 
So I did, and guess what?
Just after a few minutes of trying, just where he got his 64 cm Barra, I got an Oxyeleotris selheimi, more commonly called Giant Gudgeon.
This once again was a first for me! And Arrabmundi then said: I should have forced you to use one of these lures...

My first ever Giant Gudgeon.

Made me very happy.

Now, this is the folks at the museum who told me that this is a Giant Gudgeon, and that it is not a sleepy cod.
Apparently the difference is in the fins and some little spots on them. If it has some darker spots on the dorsal fins, this is a Giant Gudgeon.

(Thanks again to the good people from the Museum in Darwin for all the information about fish that they keep giving me)

We also passed by Itsinmeblood and Turtle during the day, they were busy casting some scum frog in the lilies...
Not long ago if someone had told me that he or she had spent the Sunday morning casting scum frogs in the lilies, I would have wondered what was that all about?...

So all together, this was a very relaxing day on the water. Very enjoyable with quite a few new fish caught or sighted to me. 
In a truly fantastic location, where I had planed to take more photographs... But got myself busy with the fishing...

But I did manage a few photos of a White Bellied Sea Eagle, and here is one of them:

A magnificent bird.

Thanks again  to Arrabmundi, I had a great day, in a place that I really wanted to see.

So yes with just one Barramundi of 61cm, I was on the board, as this round proved to be hard fishing for most of the participants in the series.

It gave me the 10th position in the round 3, and on the overall board for the Series I am now 13th.

For a total of 38 participants.

And yes on the score board, I am very very far from the 3 first ones.

But hey, it could be worse.

Have a good day,

Me.

Top End Barra Series Round 1

Hi there,

So yes I have entered the 2011 inaugural Top End Barra Series.
The Top End Barra Series is a new fishing competition that take place in the Northern Territory of Australia. It is called a series because the competition is run in 5 rounds.
Each round will take place at a different location and the places in order of action are: Finniss River fresh and salt in March, the Daly River in May, The Mary River Billabongs in August, Darwin Harbour in September and finally the last round will be on the Adelaide River Mouth in October.
Each round last a full weekend.
And when I say competition, even if a few anglers will certainly take the thing very seriously, it is more a way of getting together socially between member of the FFF forum and others once in a while. And to keep it a fishing thing instead of anything else. Talking tackle, and fishing tales like the one that got away...
The comp is in fact mostly organised by two renowned member of the FFF: Corroboree Bandit and Dingo, kudos to them for that.

And yes the past weekend was the first round on the finniss River.
I was able to fish only on the Saturday, as the Sunday had already been booked for a working bee at the little one school. So I will not have won a lot of points in this round, but still it was great to be part of it, and to meet some new very keen fishos.
Here is how the little story went...

On the Saturday morning I woke up at 2:30am, and could not get back to sleep...
Too exited by what was laying ahead for this day of fishing.
I was to go on a boat with two guys that I had never meet apart in the cyber world of the FFF forum, and one of them had kindly invited me on his boat. He like me could only take part in the first day of the Finniss round, so it was a good start for the team, his name is Brent, and the other associate is BarraTragic, from the forum too.

So Being up early after a night where I did not sleep a lot because my little one was coughing a lot, I decided to first check the web site of the Bureau of Meteorology, which was a bit pessimistic, but the future was to be brighter than the forecast.
And after a shower and a quick breakfast I decided to get to the meeting point with BarraTragic who was to drive the two of us to Brent place, where another vehicle and the boat were waiting for us. Has I arrived to the meeting spot around 10 minutes before time, he was already waiting for me, that was a good start in my books.
At Brent place everything was ready and waiting for us, and in no time we were on the road, the three of us full of anticipation.
And a bit worried that it would rain, or that the seas might be a tad choppy.
But the day was to be glorious.
And every thing was perfect till the point where we arrived in the dark at one spot where four cars towing boats, and a few other without boat where stopped on the road... Brent said that it was a water crossing and that the river might be over the road. So we all jumped out of the car and went to have a look saying hi to every body on the way. As we neared the river we saw by the signs on the side of the road that the water was around 60 cm over the road.
Brent said: No worries mates, I have already crossed this river when it was 90 cm over the  road...
So we were back in the car and started crossing, when in the middle of the river, Brent said something like: "I remember once I was crossing here when the water was really flowing and the trailer with the boat started to skid". That was enough to remind me that it was still night time, that the river was flowing over the road, and was certainly full of crocodiles... I didn't say anything but was just waiting to be on the other side to relax...
And as we just started to get the front wheels on dry ground, Brent pulled his window down and screamed: Chickens!!!
We caught up later on in the evening with some ladies at Dundee and they said that they heard that...
Any way we had passed without any trouble and had just jumped the queue for the boat ramp by at least four boats, so we were already winners in our own minds.
At Dundee all the usual suspects were there, and I even saw Geoff Corry from Barra Base the guy who had given me a Coca Cola fishing lure.
And in no times we were on the water, on a flat sea zooming toward the Little Finniss.
And as soon as we arrived we went to the right of the mouth, tied to a tree and started to cast some lures. I could not get a hit, while the two other guys kept getting hits and started to land some fish... I even took my first photo of the day, when BarraTragic was hun-hooking a fish and Brent had another one on the line.

The guys having fun.

What was going on? It pretty simple, they had soft plastic lures and I was casting a hard body... I quickly changed lure and started to have some hits, but nothing would stay connected. So I changed back to hard body and thought that things would eventually change in my favour.
The first landed fish of the day was by BarraTragic. It was not a huge fish, but it was a legal one and he was on the board. He was happy, photographed it on the brag mat, and promptly returned it to the water. Brent and I both looked at him and asked why did he just do that? He said but isn't it a catch and release comp? No, it was not and it was the first fish of the day and he would have make a very good meal. I guess that this was this Barramundi lucky day. So we told him that this would be good karma for him for the rest of the comp. And effectively not long after he landed a fish of about similar size.
Then Brent landed a 80cm fish, and I was still with a big fat zero next to my name...
Then I do not remember who but one of them landed a small blue salmon, and it was decided to use it as a livie, to see what would take it, and that was a good 20/25cm fish.
So the comp rule are that all fish have to be caught on lure, but it is not prohibited to catch a feed in any way that is ok with the Northern Territory regulations. So on a big hand line this poor little fishy was sent to swim with a hook on his back.
And has we casted our lure away I saw the line moved and said: "Brent, your livies is going off". And he grabbed the line and started to pull, and got... A mud crab... Brent was happy and said something about his beloved loving to eat mud crabs. So in the esky it went, and the salmon was sent in the water again and then the line took of fast and quick, but nothing stayed connected. It must have been a shark, as the fish had been neatly cut in half, just before the hook. He was put back and then the line started to steadily move again, and another crab was landed. What a beauty we thought, there we were fishing for barramundi and we started to get some crabs. So the half of a fish went back in the water, and as Brent was telling us that we had to be carful not to have the hand line wrap around our feet in case a big fish would take of with it, it did just that. It took off, and nearly got wrapped around his feet, he started to try to hold it and it was clearly a good fish, but the line got cut in no time...
No more crabs we thought, but of course we would be proved wrong...

Then when moved a few meters and tied the boat to another tree, and I still had no fish...
So we started to cast again, and I changed my lure and put on a Reidy's B52's in the gold with red strips colour. Then I looked at a mangrove tree and said to myself, Would you be able to cast just a bit behind him on his right? And I did just that, and as I was retrieving in the hit came sudden and furious. The line tensed and the fish jumped, I was on, and now was the time to stay calm and get this fish in the boat. And this is just what happened. I was on the board too! The lure had been inhaled head first and was still deep in the fish mouth.

Lure inhaled head first.

And this was a nice fish, not huge but 80cm just, and looking nice and fat. 

This week I am going to eat some fresh fish!

A nice looking 80cm Barramundi.

Then has things started to slow down, and it was not midday yet, the skipper decided to take us to his secret spot number two.

We arrived in a very beautiful place, where lots of mangrove and snags made a perfect Barramundi territory.

Nice looking mangrove.

But the place was to be no good for BarraTragic, as not long after we arrived there, he got his lure snagged underwater, and broke his rod trying to get his lure back. And then like to add insult to the injury, his lure then floated back to the surface...

So he was able to get his lure back, but had one rod less.

Then not long after, he dropped a pair of expensive polarised sun glass in the water.

He started to think that this was not his day... And all we could say was that from then on, thing could only get better.

Then brent made a cast and as soon as the lure hit the water, we saw a flash in the water and he was on to a small rat of a barra. Which was duly released. Then just has I was reeling my lure and it was approaching the surface a small catfish trying to chase and grab it and really surprised me.  Then has we were slowly drifting and casting I had my lure standing just a few centimeter out of the water and was looking at were Brent was casting so I would not then send my lure over his line. When a small Barramundi came from nowhere and tried to grab my lure out of the water. Even if it did not hook, it was a first for me.

Has the action was rather flat we decided to go back in the first spot, where hopefully the change of tide would have bring back the fish on the chew.

Arriving on the spot we decide to troll a few time where we saw Zulk land a fish not long before.

Zulk getting a nice fish.

Has we trolled we passed a sea eagle who was perched on a dead tree and seemed to be keeping  tabs on the fishing result of the day trollers...

He stayed there most of the day.

Then we got back to the first spot and BarraTragic made a cast and got a fish and landed it. This was a good thing after all the trouble he got, and he quickly dispatched the fish in the esky and made himself a sandwich. All the while Brent and I were turning the spot where he just had a fish to foam, casting lake mad men to try to get a fish too... But we got nothing. So once he finished his sandwich, he casted in the same spot than us and got a fish which made a few jumps and send the lure flying. We looked at him, and wondered how he did that? Why us nothing and him all the fun?

Then he got another hit exactly on the same spot, and on the first jump we all thought that this was a big fish.

And instead of heading for the mangrove and the snags, he went straight for the sea, and made a powerful run, but somehow find a way to spit the lure

Then he got a few other hit, and a few other fish who jumped and spat the hook...

So much in fact the he started to earn the nickname of Dropsie... But finally he got another one I think, and that was now a lot more fish than what Brent or I had caught...

I tried to explain my lack of fish by the fact that I was try to be polite and not outfish the skipper, but I don't think that they believed me...

And I was using the very same lure than him, so this prove that sometimes it is more the angler than the lure that makes the difference in results.

And as the action was calm again we went for a little wonder in the river.

Calm river and big outboard.

Then went for a bit more trolling and the landscape was just great. The sea was flat as in a post card.

Flat sea at the river mouth.

And the tide cam back.

And the tide came back, bringing the fish with her, but it was starting to get late and we decided to do just a few more troll runs and to go back to Dundee before it would be too late.

And another first happened to me. Do you remember when I told you about the fact that we thought that we wouldn't get any more crab? Well, my line got a bit tense, and I knew it was not a snags, but it did not fight like a fish... So I told myself that I must have hooked a massive jellyfish or a bunch of seaweeds... But no, I landed a nice mud crab that was properly hooked on my big lure... I gave it to Brent so he would have three crabs to share with his family. 

A crab on a lure...

Then we said one more troll and we go.

And I was honestly thinking that by now It would be very surprising that I get a fish, and started to tell them the story of my mate who spend a night naked in a tree at Shoall Bay, when my line started to peel real fast, my rod to pull on my hand and harm and the drag to scram, I was on again! The fish was far away but it mad a jump and we knew then that it was a Barra, so I got a bit exited and trying at the same time to stay as calm as I could...

The fish was getting closer, and I was afraid that I would loose it, and this is exactly what happened... And I would not say that he throw the lure away in a magnificent jump ho no. He did a few nice jumps, but no, in the end he merely got his head out of the water and just in the direction of the boat, had a little burp and more than spat I would say that he dribbled the lure with disdain... Ha! Upset I was.

Then less than two minute latter nearly the same thing happened to Brent.

After we both lost a fish in a very short amount of time, I am not sure, but I think I heard someone who had very briefly been nicknamed Dropsie, have a discrete chuckle in my back...

And that was the two last fish that we saw for the day, but failed to land.

It was time to go back home and the sea was flat as a tack so we zoomed fast toward Dundee Beach and the last tractors.

The sea was amazing and at one point we could hardly make the distinction between sea and sky.

On the way home.

Now what will stay of this day? Some good laugh, an incredible landscape, and the first time that I went fishing the Finniss are already some good things, but also many other things.

And yes with just a 80 cm fish, I will be standing pretty low in the comp.

But hey, it could be worse.

Have a good day,

Me.