Ooh, here was my chance to get in a bit of fishing time in tropical waters. For years I've dreamed about chasing Queenfish and Barramundi and Mangrove Jacks and finally I have a small window of opportunity to cross a few fish of my wish-list. Mark and Anthony, the guys I'm working with, are also keen fishos so we figured the best chance we'd have would be to sort out a charter. Easier said than done as most charter boats that work out of Gladstone do the multi-day trips out to the reefs. Research on the web however and also word of mouth kept bringing up the same name: Johnny Mitchell.
A retired pro fisherman, Johnny has been guiding for about 8 years now and due to the fact that he's the only guy in town that does one day trips, he's flat out. Luckily he was available for the Wednesday so we planned to head out to chase Queenies and Saltwater Barramundi and any other beasties we could tempt. Of course, planning a trip doesn't mean it'll happen and sure enough, on Tuesday the wind started blowing and Johnny called us to say it wasn't looking good. He'd ring us later that afternoon with a decision.As we sat around liberating a few Heinekens, the phone rang. It was Johnny. Worried looks crept across our faces and these turned into crestfallen ones when he said it'd be no good travelling outside. Shattered! 'But,' he said, 'we could try a couple of land-locked freshwater lagoons for some barra if you'd like?' Silly question and we locked it in.
Johnny picked us up early the next morning and we set off. On the way I asked him about Awoonga and how it faired after the floods. Basically, the fisheries was decimated with nearly all the big barra going over the dam wall when it was in flood. It'll take years for it to recover and with the water level so high, there is a good chance it may flood again this season, which will take even more fish with it.
Eventually we launched and cruised down the 1.5 km stretch of water, noting where the best snags and ambush points were. The wind was rustling the tree-tops but down here we were relatively protected. Johnny had all the gear and it was excellent, too: Shimano T-Curve Rods matched with Sustains or Stradic Ci4's.
Lures were already rigged to go and I started off with an orange/green (apparently the colour of choice up here) deep diving minnow. The technique was to cast towards the shore and the snags and quickly work the lure down and then pause it for a few seconds and then give it a double twitch to rile the fish up. Mark had on a smaller minnow while Anthony was rigged up with a paddle-tail SP.
About an hour into the day and I'm watching my lure closely when a silver flash erupts from the depths and swipes at my lure. It just misses though and all I feel is the bump! Oooh, that was close! Not long after that, Anthony gets a bump too so we are all alert and on tippy-toes ready for action. I put a cast right in next to a submerged log and twitch the lure down when it's belted hard. No missing this one and he races up and jumps twice, shaking his silver-bronze head in anger. Yeeha, this is great and after a few strong surges he about to slip into the net when he gives one more shake and throws the hooks. NOOOOOOOOOOO!!!
Bugga! Oh well, at least I've hooked one so that's a start. I'm hoping a little while later that I'll get another chance when this time mid-retrieve I'm smashed again. Another quick jump and I keep the rod tip down to discourage him from jumping again. He zooms around to the other side of the boat, and then races back around to the other side. No mucking around with this one and he's into the net and there's yahoos and high-fives all around.
My first Barramundi. Not big at 72cms but he'll do. A few quick snaps and he's back into the water until next time. Magic. So with one under my belt, I decided to tie on one of Gladiator Tackles imported Japanese lures, a Blooowin! 140s made by BlueBlue. I only had the one lure with me and even though it wasn't the ideal colour for where we were fishing, I figured it's action would still be enough to tempt the fish.
As soon as I removed my original lure, Mark snatched it and tied it onto his line. I'd obviously imbued it with some good mojo because he was the next to hook up! More spectacular jumps and this time some great net work from Anthony saw barra number 2 hit the deck. This was Marks first Barramundi too, so more back-slapping and congratulations were on offer. Now it was time for Anthony to get one.We'd basically narrowed down a 200 meter section of the lagoon that was holding the fish so we'd electric along the length, then would turn around and work it again. I briefly hooked up only to lose it again and then Mark lands his number two for the day. He was just as happy although you wouldn't have guessed it from the photo! back into the drink he goes and Anthony calmly walks over and says 'Gimmee that lure!' No arguments from us and fingers crossed it'll work for him, too.
As well as the Barramundi we were landing small catfish every now and then, although obviously these weren't on our hit list. We all turned when Anthony calls out in exasperation as he misses a hit and I stop winding just for a second. Two winds of the handle later, the lure is hit mid-stream and another barra leaps into the air. These are such a spectacular fish to catch and I'm doubly over-the-moon to get number two for myself.
Fresh out of the water, these fish are strikingly beautiful with large bronze and silver scales adorning their flanks. Again it's a quick unhooking followed by some happy-snaps and then it's back into the water. Time was nearing it's end for us and I briefly hooked up before dropping it mid-battle again. Try as we may, we just couldn't manage to get Anthony on the Barramundi Express even though he flogged the water to a foam. That's just the way it goes I guess: sometimes you land them and other times you just want to punch the others anglers landing them in the back of the head. : )
So what a day! Brilliant and I can highly recommend Johnny if you are up that way. Having limited time meant we didn't have the choice to scope the area and work out where to go. This way we could rely on someone elses experience and it can save wasting a lot of precious time. Even if you're there for a week or more, it's worth while getting out and picking the brains of someone that lives and breathes the fishing in the area. Johnny can be contacted through his website: Johnny Mitchells Fishing ChartersSo now that I'm back home, what'll I go out to chase next. In a few weeks time I'll be heading to Port Macquarie for the ABT Daiwa Hobie Bream Tournament and it's the last chance to try to qualify for a spot on the Australian Team for the World Championships later this year. There'll be a strong field of anglers vying for these last two places so maybe I'd better get out and try to land a few bream. Maybe there'll be a few stray Barramundi in the Georges? Then again, probably not. Happy yakkin', everyone!
cheers,
Cid
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