With the pandemic slowly improving around the country and summer around the corner, people are starting to plan their holidays. With the current travel restrictions in place, a lot of Australians are taking this year as a perfect opportunity to plan that dream trip and tick off a bucket list fish.
For a lot of Australian’s the top of that list is the mighty barramundi, and although closed season coincides with the majority of the traditional Xmas break, it doesn’t mean that you can’t tackle these trophy fish in one of our sensational impoundments. Our resident barramundi expert Adam gives us the lowdown on how to give yourself the best chance of finding these sometimes elusive fish, on your hard earned holiday break!
We also have great new products from Diawa, Penn, Reserve D-Style, OSP and Shimano.
Holiday Impoundment Barramundi
Summer holidays 20/21 in Australia will go down in history for many as the year of the ‘Stay-cation’. No international travel means that many of us will be taking this year to travel locally and tackle some of the great fishing that we are fortunate enough to have on our own doorstep.
For many Australian Anglers, the iconic barramundi is somewhere near the top of their bucket list and although Summer holidays in Australia coincides with closed season for most of Australia’s tidal barramundi waters, the warmer weather leads to some great fishing within our stocked barramundi impoundments and they are great places to target the fish of a lifetime.
Our resident impoundment barramundi expert Adam, shares his approach to giving yourself the best chance of finding these fish in one of our great freshwater fisheries.
Where to start?
Upon arriving at your selected barramundi impoundment, it’s important to get a feel for the place. Putting time into sounding out likely locations is key to identifying where to spend your time on any given impoundment.
Sounding out weed beds, weeded points and wooded points with standing timber is a great start. These spots will often hold fish and if there is also close by access to deeper water like a creek bed or a drop off, this gives any resident barra not only a potential ambush spot but the ability to move from warmer shallower water, down into deeper cooler water as the day warms.
Work on identifying 4-5 likely areas and hopefully you’ll also find fish either holding on these areas or moving through these areas over the course of your search. Once you’ve found 4-5 spots to focus your energy it’s really all about fishing smart and trying to identify any patterns to their movement. It’s always good to make sure that you are fishing during the traditional peak bite periods on any given dam.
Sundown, moonrise and tide changes within an impoundment are always key bite periods and making sure that you are in position and casting leading up to these key times is going to set you up for success. If you are lucky enough to have some breeze blowing into the points or bays you are fishing then you have a perfect scenario for finding impoundment barra.
Racked and ready
Once you’ve found your fish and a handful of likely locations, you need to make sure that you are prepared to fish hard and with some variation to combat difficult bites or changing conditions. Having 3-4 rods ready rigged with different options is a must to maximise your chances once you’ve got a plan of attack. Using a lightly weighted soft plastic or potentially a weedless option is a great place to start as you pick your way through the structure you have chosen to fish.
This approach will allow you to bump your way around your chosen snags with less risk of getting hung up and having to go and retrieve your lure and spook any would-be fish. Once you’ve felt your way around with your soft plastic, and you have a few paths in and out of your snag, you can change things up and throw larger swimbaits, jerkbaits etc. until you find a presentation that works.
Box of tricks
Sometimes finding the lure that is going to entice a dormant barramundi to bite is more about repetition and consistency than having the right brand or colour. You will need to be prepared to put in some serious time casting before you figure out a pattern that works. Having said that though, there are some proven performers that should be in every barramundi anglers tackle box over this coming holiday period. Soft plastics like Castaic Jerky J’s, Keitech and Zerek Flat Shads have all become mainstays for serious barra anglers. Hardbodies like Jackall's Hank Tune Squirrels and Lucky Craft Pointers and Zerek Tango Shads are all catching fish for those in the know.
Having a mix of rattling and silent presentations in your hardbody arsenal is also important and gives you a point of difference when that bite gets tough. It’s also worth mentioning a couple of old time favourites that still work, the ever reliable and cost effective Squidgy slick rig and the tried and tested Berkley hollow belly are both consistently still catching barra decades after they were first created.
It’s also worth carrying some surface options for those morning and afternoon bite periods. Soft plastic frogs burned across the tops of weed beds are not only a super effective technique, but also a super exciting way to target surface feeding barra. Z-man Hard Leg Fogs and Keitech Crazy Flappers are great options for searching aggressively for feeding barra in shallow weeded bays.
Large surface stickbaits and poppers can also be really effective for a different presentation. Owner Tango Dancer, Lucky Craft G-Splash 80 and Zerek Skittish Dog topwater are all great options for that super addictive walk the dog style retrieve.
Time is key
Time on the water is the key to success in all forms of fishing, but it is especially true when you are targeting impoundment barramundi. Giving yourself adequate time to sound out your selected dam, figure out a few likely patterns and dial in some active fish. Ideally you want to give yourself 5 days of fishing to maximise your opportunity. Over the course of 5 days (or more if you can get away with it), you should be able to find fish, identify where they are moving over the course of the day and hopefully see a change in weather or wind direction during that time to potentially get those inactive fish biting.
Planning your time on the water to coincide with peak bite periods on a dam, is also really important. Use your time effectively and make sure that once you have found likely points, bays and weed beds that are holding fish, that you are in place and ready to fish hard through those peak bite times like sundown, moonrise, tide changes etc.
Get amongst it!
Now that you have some ideas around how to approach an impoundment and where to start looking, it’s time to plan your trip and get amongst it! This summer season is going to be a brilliant time to spend some time in our own backyards chasing these iconic sportfish. You’ll need to be prepared to put in long hours and hundreds of casts every day, but the pay off is certainly worth it.
If you are planning a trip to any of our stocked barramundi impoundments this summer make sure to check rules and regulations online before you fish. Most Australian impoundments require you carry SIPS (Stocked Impoundment Permit Scheme) permits or similar permits to fish, but these are easily obtained online.
As always, if you are keen on learning more about chasing barramundi, drop into the store and ask for Adam. He’s our resident expert and will be more than happy to share his knowledge and give you the best chance of success for your next trip.
November New Products
Daiwa Tatula 300
We have stock of the new Daiwa Tatula 300 and this reel is sure to be a hit amongst impoundment murray cod and barra anglers out there. Designed to fish larger diameter braid more effectively, this reel is perfect for throwing big baits for big fish!
Daiwa Tatulion HD
Arriving in November is the much anticipated Daiwa Tatulion HD. This amazing new reel is an extension of the already popular Tatula range, but boasts some extra bells and whistles. Somehow Daiwa have managed to squeeze a waterproof carbon ATD drag system into a 200 size capacity baitcaster. You’ll have to get this one in your hands to truly appreciate it.
Daiwa BG MQ
Daiwa’s BG MQ spinning reel is amazing value for money boasting some of the latest features and Daiwa’s ultra sturdy Monocoque body design at a fraction of the price you would usually pay for these kind of features. If you are looking for strong, ultra reliable spinning reel, then look no further!
Penn Squall
Penn reels are known worldwide for their reliability and no fuss approach to creating great fishing reels and the Penn Squall low profile baitcaster is no exception. Designed around a full metal body, 5+1 stainless steel bearings and including Penn’s robust HT-100 drag system, the Penn Squall baitcaster range is great bang for buck.
D-Style Reserve Dblow 62SP
New in stock from D-Style Reserve are the awesome Dblow 62SP jerk baits. D-Style Reserve have become well known for their creative lure designs and high quality finishes and this range is no exception. Bass and bream anglers in particular should check these great lures out.
OSP Drippy 48
OSP brings an exciting new weedless frog to the Australian market with the Drippy 48. Designed around the idea of a hollow belly frog pattern, but incorporating Teckel’s patented ‘Drill Tail’ this lure will cause a surface commotion in the heaviest of cover. Bass and saratoga anglers should have this in their tackle box ASAP!
Shimano Kairiki 4 Braid
Shimano’s Kairiki 8 braid has been around for a few years now and has gained a strong following in the market. The new Kairiki 4 braid will also create it’s own niche, especially amongst more finesse anglers. This 4 carrier braid is thin and smooth and will cast for miles. If you like the lighter stuff, then you need to have a look at this great new braid.
