{{start}}

Over time I have come to understand that there are two distinct classes of Barramundi in Lake Awoonga and other similar impoundments ... "residents" and "travellers".

ADDING PHOTOS WITH TEXT BOX BELOW

Residents

Barra are released into Lake Awoonga generally at a range of sizes from fingerlings to grown on fish of around 30cm in length.

With the abundance of food sources which includes bony bream from just a few centimeters in length to hand size fish, mullet of a range of sizes, other small fish including snub nose gar fish, barred grunter and catfish and red claw and shrimp there is an abundance of food and consequently the juvenile and teenage barra grow at about twice the rate they would have in the wild.

So, by the end of the first year even the fingerlings have grown up to around 30cm in length and over the second year they go close to doubling their weigh. Their growth rate declines as they grow but is still impressive and for above 70cm growing something like 10cm a year.

The stocking process is well organized and the fingerlings and slightly grown out barra are widely dispersed in weedy locations around the lake so as to avoid cormorants and bigger barra being able to gorging themselves on the new arrivals.

They start of by being very gregarious and school up and take up residence with their cohort in those appropriate weedy nursery areas. Those areas are made up of extensive healthy thick weed beds that are also the habitat of the food sources that barra thrive on. The weed beds do wax an wain in health in response to changes in water depth, seasonal changes in wind direction and water temperature but in general the change is creeping rather than overnight and that leads to the smaller barra being resident of one general area in their formative years.

Progressively as they mature and grow most barra become more confident and individuals and small cohorts generally above 80cm in length, leave their nursery area and move further and further away and progressively become travelers rather than residents. It's interesting that a very small number of bigger barra, for one reason or another, never leave these residential areas.

Working out where to catch resident barra is definitely easier than finding travelers and it's a matter of applying the information described later in this post "DEALING WITH WHERE ..." to determine areas where there are long term, albeit creeping weed beds as described above.

Travellers

These are bigger confident fish that have matured and have moved out of the nursery areas into a lifestyle of spending most of their time in deeper water.

In that part of this post "DEALING WITH WHERE ..." I have identified some of the triggers that motivate traveling barra to move into areas where bait fish are or are likely to be at a particular time so they can either snack or aggressively feed on bait fish.

So, whilst they spend most of their time relatively spread out in those deeper areas, which I have learned to refer to as their "lounge rooms", they rely on urges entrenched in their DNA, and triggered in their environment, to work out where the "kitchen" is and consequently where their feeding needs can be best satisfied.

Working out triggers that motivate those urges that barra are responding to makes a mammoth difference in your chances of hooking barra in the 90cm, magic meter and bigger ranges. Those triggers are described in detail below particularly under the heading later in the post "DEALING WITH WHERE ..." but for the travelers you have to take a macro approach to the more open waters and accessible feeding areas.

SO, THE PROCESS BEGINS.

 

There is an old adage, “moon rise at night fish at night, moon rise at day fish at day”. I wish it was just that easy for barramundi fishing but of course it is not. I don’t disagree with that but "moon above" is only part of the answer when it comes to answering the question ... when and where is the best time to catch barramundi ?

Solunar charts are a place that some fishos turn to answer the question, and they will help, but just like the “moon above” approach above I don’t think solunar charts answer the question in full.

So, where do we go from here in answering the question.

The first thing I want to put on the table is that not all fish species are alike and I think it’s important to recognize that, and to take into account, the individual feeding habits of each fish species. If you want to catch more barramundi that comes down to understanding what triggers barramundi when and where to feed.

Dealing with the "when" ...

As it turns out Barramundi are cathemeral feeders which means, that because their eyes have evolved to allow them to hunt in the dark and at times of low light, that, when they feed, is determined by other factors other than night or day. Those factors are what we call trigger events.

Barramundi understand those trigger event ever so well as it's entrenched in their DNA.

For us the more of those triggers that we can understand and line up the better our fishing outcomes will be. When less triggers line up it's reasonable to expect that barra don't eat so well and when there are no trigger events, the barra just don't feed and may go hungry. Sure they may scrounge up something to eat but without the triggers being present and creating what barra see as bite windows barra won't congregate and our chances of finding groups of feeding fish schooled up together gets harder.

As anglers what we have to do to get the most out of our fishing time is to recognize what the triggers for bite windows are and what causes the triggers to be in different places at different times so that we can take advantage of the accumulation of those triggers, just as the barra do.

I have set out below triggers which can have a profound influence on the occurrence of bite windows and consequently the success or failure of a barra fishing outing.

I have broken those triggers down into two distinct groups. The first are those triggers that I believe it's best to take into account when DEALING WITH THE WHEN ... and the second is more about DEALING WITH THE WHERE ... at the time your fishing.

 

PLANNING A BARRA FISHING OUTING

• MOON ABOVE

Having the "moon above" is definitely the major feeding trigger for barramundi.

The other trigger events below are subsidiary to that but non the less, the more of these "triggers" that you can line up when planning a barra outing the more chance you have of being able to determine when the not so good, better and best time and place, all other factors remaining the same, will be for your next Lake Awoonga and other similar barramundi fisheries outing/s.

• TIME OF DAY AND CLOUD COVER
• TIDE CHANGES
• SAFETY - WIND SPEED & DIRECTION

MOON ABOVE

To understand when the moon is above is a function of understanding the phases of the moon. For me having the "moon above" is the most important (a prerequisite) in determining when barra will be feeding.

FIRST QUARTER
On the day of the first quarter, for all locations on Gladstone Qld's longitude, the moon rise (when the moon starts being above or is in our sky) is around midday and then moves through our sky over roughly the next 12 hours. Each day after that the moon rises is about 50 minutes later than on the previous day.

The First Quarter occurs at that point of time when the when the moon is in our Northern Sky at point of its orbit half way between the New Moon and the Full Moon. Over the next 7 or 8 days the moon moves clockwise from that Northerly position toward our East gradually making progressively more of the moon visible to us in the Northern sky. As the amount of the moon that is visible moves from being 50% visible at the beginning of the cycle to being almost fully visible by the end of the quarter it is referred to as being a waxing gibbous moon.

This would have to be my favorite quarter of the full lunar cycle.The first 3 or 4 days of this First Quarter are a great time for afternoon fishing. As you move into the last 3 or 4 days of this waxing gibbous phase you'll also be able to include the sunset which also tends to trigger an increase in barramundi feeding or what we commonly refer to as a bite window. Target progressively later afternoon / evening sessions starting the earlier of on hour before the moon rise and sun set and finishing an hour after the later of sun set and the moon rise. If you can include a high or low tide in your session you that's another bite trigger you may be able to capitalise on.

So, here is an example using for the first quarter that started on 2nd June 2020 at Awoonga as an example. The waxing gibbous moon rises was at 14:35 (2:35pm) and sun set was at 17:15 (5:15pm). As I like to fish a full hour after each of those events so that I can ensure that I cover the moon rise and dusk bite windows that gave me a session start time of 13:35 and a finish time of 18:15 and a 5 and a half hour session. As the moon will rises about 50 minutes later each day that gives me 4 consecutive fishing days where I can fish the moon rise and dusk bite windows.
 

FULL MOON

The Full Moon is that point of time when the moon is at that point of its orbit at it's closest point to us. the moon is above our head".

On the day of the Full Moon for Gladstone Qld's longitude the moon rise is around 6pm and then moves through our sky over roughly the next 12 hours.

Each day after that the moon rises and sets about 50 minutes later than on the previous day.

When the moonrise is not visible in the sky until after sunset there is generally hiatus of bites between the dusk bite window and when the moon rises over the eastern horizon. With other conditions remaining the same, the rise of the full moon after dark triggers the most active bite windows of the month. Those "full moon" bite windows can occur at any time between when the full moon is in our sky.

Interestingly, when barra will take advantage of that bite window goes through a cycle of its own. After winter as the water starts to warm and bait fish and barra become more active and the night time moonrise bite wind can be quite narrow but very intense. This is believed to be because barra are hungry after the slim pickings of winter.

Then as spring and summer months progress the barra population increasingly spread their feeding times over a progressively long period of night time. This is understood to be because the barra have overcome the hunger pangs from the slim pickings of winter and also as by waiting the barra can take advantage of water becoming just a little bit bit cooler under the prolonged cover of darkness.

Keep in mind that for dams like Awoonga that have significant hills along their eastern side moon rise over those hills will be around 45 minutes after Gladstone. This may be why some bite windows don't occur until 45 minutes or longer after the moon is up but not yet visible.
 

If you’re into fishing into the night the first 3 or 4 days of this second lunar cycle is potentially the most exciting part of the month. Target starting the later of one hour before the sun set and the moon rise and finishing about 3-5 hours later. And if you're into your early morning fishing the last 3 or 4 days of this second lunar cycle is the best fishing time. Target starting the earlier of one hour before the sun rise and the moon set and finishing about 3-5 hours later. If you can include a high or low tide in your session you that's another bite trigger you may be able to capitalise on.

Continuing the example in the First Quarter section above the Full Moon rose on 6th June 2020 was 17:42 (5:42pm) and after sunset which was still at 17:15 (5:15pm). That meant that the dusk and moonrise bite window crossed over with or closely followed the sunset bite window and to take full advantage of that and the next two days leading up to the full moon it would be best to start later each day and finish later each evening than for the previous 4 days.

Third (AKA Last) Quarter

The Third Quarter occurs at that point of time when the when the moon is in our Southern Sky at point of its orbit half way between the Full Moon and the New Moon.

On the first day of the third quarter for Gladstone Qld's longitude the moon rise is around midnight and then moves through our sky over roughly the next 12 hours.

Each day after that the moon rises and sets about 50 minutes later than on the previous day.

During 7 or 8 days the moon moves clockwise from that Southerly position toward our East gradually making progressively less of the moon visible to us in the Southern sky. As the amount of the moon that is visible moves from being 50% visible at the beginning of the cycle to being just a crescent slither visible by the end of the quarter it is referred to as being a waning crescent moon.
 

This is generally a tough quarter for barra fishing. I put that down to the barra coming off around 10 days of good bite windows and the moon not having much influence as it wains into a crescent phases. Focus on morning sessions incorporating the last of the moon in our sky and the dawn bite window. If you can include a high or low tide in your session you that's another bite trigger you may be able to capitalise on. For this quarter my preference is to get "brownie points" by focusing on family, the yard and home chores and of course sorting out fishing gear.

NEW MOON
On the first day of the New Moon for Gladstone Qld's longitude the moon rise is around 6am and then moves through our sky over roughly the next 12 hours.

Each day after that the moon rises and sets about 50 minutes later than on the previous day.

There is plenty of anecdotal evidence to support the premise that morning sessions in the first days of the Third Quarter and then morning sessions in the first 3 or 4 days of the New Moon quarter are a good time for fishing.

First the moon is seen as only a sliver of crescent then as the orbit of the moon travels clockwise around the earth more of the moon is exposed to the sun increasing the width of the crescent. Whilst that crescent builds until it is 50% of the moon is visible, and the moon is somewhat to our north, this lunar phase is known as a building or waxing crescent moon.

The New Moon is that point of time when the orbit of the moon places it at it's furthermost point from the earth and if you like "below our feet".
 

There is plenty of anecdotal evidence to support the premise that the first 7 days around the new moon is a good time for fishing. Start the quarter by incorporating the dawn bite window and as the moon set passes the sun set incorporate the dusk bite window in your session. If you can include a high or low tide in your session you that's another bite trigger you may be able to capitalise on.

TIME OF DAY AND CLOUD COVER

If your like me and fishing late at night or before the birds are up in the morning is not your cup of tea but particularly in summer you can stretch it to starting a little before dark and for an hour or after the sun has gone down that is defiantly something you should be doing.

The dawn and dusk bite windows are nothing like as strong as the main bite window which remains the effects of the moon but non the less particularly when the moon is in its later waning crescent stages or early waxing crescent stages. In any case the dawn and dusk triggers often extend for an hour or so either so of dusk and dawn and including one of those bite windows may make the difference between success or failure in your outing.

In summer the dawn and dusk bite windows are more intense than in winter because of the associated change of water temperatures. The preferred temperature range for barra is slightly different in each fishery but is generally around the 28 degree mark. So in summer if the water temperature is above that during the day as the sun drops the temperature will fall a little closer to that mark making the barra more comfortable and inclined to feed. The reverse happens in the morning

Given that barramundi are more active at night and times of low light it's clear that if you want to increase your catch rate of barramundi that, all other factors remaining the same, that you should target barramundi at night and other times of low light.

I have not been able to find anything on the evolution of barramundi to explain that in scientific terms but it’s likely that their eyes evolved to allow them to hunt in periods of little or low light for one or both of two reasons. The first is to be safer from predators of that evolutionary time period and the second was that it allowed them to hunt at a more productive time.

So it’s in the barramundi DNA to be more active at night and times of low light such as around dusk and dawn and of course when cloud cover shades their habitat making them less obvious to both their pay and of course their predators. Other than man barramundi no longer have significant predators in fresh water habitats. They may have in the past but evolution has been kind to them in that regard. But in salt-water they are not at the top of the food chain in which they exist … that is the realm of crocodiles and sharks.
 

TEMPERATURE DIFFERENTIAL

Water temperature influences barramundi metabolic rate. As warmer temperatures flattens out into a temperature range which is comfortable for both baitfish and barramundi alike barramundi feed more actively. As water temperatures move out of that comfortable zone the metabolism for both baitfish and barramundi progressively declines and both gradually move more from feeding heavily in bite windows to just snacking as in normal winters or in extreme circumstance struggling to survive.

While preferred temperatures for barra vary location to location, the range from about 25-30°C is the temperature that is comfortable for both barra and baitfish with the barra preferred temperature being around the 28°C.
 

Warmer water times

Once summer settles in the water temperature throughout Awoonga dam and other similar barra impoundments flattens out into a temperature range which is comfortable for both baitfish and barramundi alike. For both, their metabolism increases requiring more food and consequently what moves or concentrates populations of baitfish becomes the dominant force determining where baitfish and consequently barra will be.

Bait-fish, and in particular bony bream, spend a lot more time spread out feeding in the deeper water gently moving around the lake in water currents created mostly by wind. As those water currents approach the shore the shore topography and structure concentrates the currents and moves the baitfish into concentrations that are targeted by barramundi.

To understand where those concentrations of baitfish and therefore barra are you need to consider the prevailing wind direction over the few days before a fishing trip rather than just the wind direction at the time. If it’s been blowing from one direction for a week that will be the dominating force on the movement of water where the baitfish will be and where the barra will be.

In warmer water times when not feeding barra prefer deeper water but when there is a bite window, almost in unison, they follow those prevailing winds and baitfish past those points, eventually finishing up deeper into the bays and often in the murky water toward the back of the bay and then as the bite window comes to an end barra follow the currents back out of the area. The fact that that process takes time may explain why the after dark bite window can be quite short or prevailing right up till after midnight when all of a sudden, the bite window just turns off.

Wind definitely creates a “a moving feast” for barra so it’s important to be aware wind direction and speed predictions so you can position yourself to fish both the early movement of water during a fishing session but also the changing direction of water as a predicted wind direction or as the wind speed change kicks in. So if the wind direction prediction signifies a change to the left then you may choose the LH point rather than the right hand point so that your in the right position to take advantage of barra following baitfish into and out for the bay whereas if you chose the right hand bank you may only be in the right position to take advantage of barra following baitfish into the bay.

From fishing point of view the most targetable collection of baitfish and therefore barra is the points in the main basin of the lake where the currents are either split as they hit relatively squarely onto points or hit onto one side or the other of points and along shores and around corners before dissipating again.

So, for Awoonga and other similar barramundi impoundment when water temperatures are in a comfortable range for both baitfish and barramundi alike the first place you should consider fishing, is the points, and other structure as described below, on the side of the main basin where stronger winds are blowing. That’s where the baitfish are being forced onto those points, along the edges of the points and into the back of bays making them vulnerable. Generally the part of the points that you can see is only the ‘tip of the iceberg’ and you can expect that there will be a gradual continuation of the point below the water forcing baitfish into shallower water and making them more vulnerable, at least until that cut a break and find a friendly current past a weed bank, the shore or some other structure out of the danger zone or into the back of a bay with dense weed banks to hide in or where the wave action has muddied up the water providing some cover.

Barramundi have an inbred natural understanding that these structures around wind swept points is where they are most likely to get a feed.

Keep in mind that if you’re going to fish any of these windy areas you’re going to need a good anchor or drogue or as a minimum electronic anchoring on your electric motor.
 

Cooler water times

As water temperature start to decline and the water temperatures in different parts of the lake moves further apart the metabolism for both baitfish and barramundi progressively declines and both gradually move more from feeding heavily in bite windows to just snacking. Both baitfish and barramundi become more uncomfortable in cooler water and barramundi in particular become actively preoccupied seeking out warmer water.

In these cooler water times when not feeding barra prefer warmer water but when there is a bite window, almost in unison, they become relatively active and generally without leaving the comfort of the warm areas hey feed or snack.

The windswept points and associated structure will become less of an option but as baitfish will still be in those currents hitting points think about those secondary areas where baitfish looked for a break when the water was warmer such as the back of bays with dense weed banks to hide in or where the wave action has muddied up the water providing some cover from snacking barramundi.

In those cooler times the warmer water is generally in areas where weed banks inhibit the movement of water or shallow bays where warmer surface water has been blown in and it’s common to find barra with their heads poked into banks of weed or just cruising the gutters in the weed banks taking advantage of the warmer water trapped there.

With other conditions remaining the same, as the coastal winds abate at night the water that has been pushed up into bays will start to return to where it came from and that will change the water direction … that will be the direction warmer surface water is moving so look for bays that are in the direction the prevailing winds are blowing and particularly those with points off to either side.

There is a point of course where the effect of gravity or a change in wind direct, no matter how slight, will be stronger than the prevailing wind and that will change the movement of the water either taking the water back along passage ways in the topography and structure and through weed banks from where it came if it’s just a decline in wind speed or if it’s a change in wind direction through different passage ways in the topography and structure of the lake and channels through weed banks and to slightly different locations from where it was earlier in the day and just before the wind change.

Keep in mind that the bite windows are still there but remember that the metabolism of barramundi has slowed so they wont feed as actively as in summer.
 

TIDE CHANGES

Don't forget to include the time of tide changes (particularly highs) in you fishing outing planning if possible.

Salt water barra are very responsive to tide changes and on both high and low tides they move into structure to feed and between tides they fall back into deeper holding water. Whilst Awoonga and other lakes and impoundments don't exhibit the same sort of tidal movements that occur in salt water fisheries evolution has left barramundi with an understanding of the effect and responses entrenched in their DNA that are similar to fresh water barra.

So, even if the tidal movement in an impoundment is only a couple of centimeters along the length of impoundment that is enough of a trigger for barra to move into shallower structure to feed around both the top of the high tide and bottom of the low tide.

As the tides get bigger around the full and new moons the trigger associated with the tide change gets stronger. Use the tide charts for your closest tidal salt water fishery to determine the tide times that you can apply to an impoundment.
 

SAFETY - WIND SPEED & DIRECTION

The reason that the wind speed and direction are important considerations when planning a barramundi fishing out is more of physical comfort and handling the boat. For example, The only concrete launching ramp at Lake Awoonga is located on the NE shore about a kilometer NW of the dam wall. I'll fish in almost any weather in a fishing competition that the competition organizers deem fit because I know that there will be plenty of people at the ramp to help launching and recovering boats. When I am fishing by myself I only fish Awoonga when the wind is coming from somewhere between NNW and NNE. With the wind coming from between those directions the ramp is somewhat protected by the hill to the NE of the ramp and this ensures that waves are not crashing onto the ramp.

Where ever your going fishing have a think about the logistics of boat a management and of course personal safety.
 

DEALING WITH THE WHERE...

Lining up the "triggers" bwlow, all other factors remaining the same, will help you determine the not so good, better and best locations on the day to target barramundi in Lake Awoonga and other similar barramundi fisheries.

ACTIVE WATER - WIND & TIDES

To help understand "where and why barra will be at a given place and at a time" you will need to understand the influence of water movement in creating activated aka energized water.

BAROMETRIC PRESSURE

Many fish, including barra, are influenced by changes in barometric pressure (BP).

From what I have read the fish that are most effected by changes in BP are those that have relatively large air bladders. I haven't been able to find anything on barramundi physiology that confirms that barra are amongst those fish that have relatively large air bladders but I assume they do. That assumption is based on:

• I can recall reading in the past that barra have relatively large air bladders (aka swim bladder) and that the barramundi air bladder is fairly big and is prized as a delicacy in several aboriginal recipes.
• There is plenty of anecdotal evidence of barramundi turning off as BP falls.

For fish with relatively large air bladders I understand that as BP falls there is less pressure on their air bladder causing the air bladder to expand which puts pressure on other organs making the fish uncomfortable. In response to that discomfort fish with larger air bladders stop feeding and seek out deeper water where the weight of water above them, or a increase in BP, gradually reduces the size of the swim bladder to where they are comfortable again.

Given that I am not surprised that there is significant anecdotal evidence that barra don't change their feeding habit much at times of relatively stable and high BP but in those periods of above average summer temperatures one can expect that barramundi can sense that the barometric pressure is about to drop as a storm forms barramundi respond in much the same way as mangrove jack to changes in BP which includes.

• Other things being equal that triggers a bite window for barramundi as they feed up pre storm.
• Once the anticipated barometric pressure does drop and storm becomes active the barramundi turns off just as quickly as they started feeding.

STEALTH

Keep in mind that barra are easily spooked so you have to be stealthy in your movements and casts.

• When you approach an area you going to fish do it slowly and if available quietly under the power of your electric motor and take advantage of any cover that's available. Don't cast a long shadow over or motor over over the water your going to fish.
• Longer casts are important. You will increase your results exponentially if you can consistently achieve long accurate and tidy casts of both fly and lure. Particularly when fly fishing, make sure long and tidy casts. The same goes for lure casting. Even if your targeting a close by barra it's a good idea is to cast beyond the fish so as not to spook it and to ensure that your lure is swimming at the right depth and speed as it approaches or passes the target. It's not that your line or the casting itself is spooking barra it's just that barra are spooky and will hear the boat if its too close to where your fishing and also that barra do like to follow an offering and will turn away if they sense you are close.
• Whilst on casting, another thing to remembers is avoid casting right at a fish. The best option is to cast either side and beyond the target with a preference of casting on the side to which the barra is moving. Barra will generally hear a fly or lure land and if you haven't spooked them they will often turn to the side the impact came from so as to investigate. Then if your fly or lure casually swims past them your in with a chance.
• Also where possible get the sun off to the side or in your face as that will help mitigate barra seeing the flash, particularly of a fly line, as it's cast.
• How you set your boat up to target barra is important because particularly at night or leading up to or in a bite window you don’t want to be moving around.
• So, after considering all of the above and favoring a spot with some surface movement as opposed to a calmed-out position and picking your spot it seems that the best approach is to anchor up with room to put your best casts in behind and to the port and starboard of the boat. If there is weed target casting over the front edge of the weed and then retrieving the fly or lure down the face of the weed. Whilst on the topic of anchoring up remember that tying up to a tree is a great alternative to deploying an anchor. In any case you have to do that with stealth so take care not to bump the tree with the boat ... barra will hear that from a long way off. If your tying up to a tree make sure that tree and others do not interfere with your casting ... you catch very few barra with your fly or lure firmly snagged half way up a tree. Checking what your doing on your sounder is a good idea but if you have the basics above right it should not dominate your decision making. If you have set up correctly you can cover a channel or passageway through topography or weed banks, or the edges or back of a bay and either side of the boat. If you're fishing soft plastic or hard bodied lures that's comfortably two hundred feet around the boat but with fly fishing that area reduces by at least half.
• My preferred anchor is a sand anchor (aka fluke anchor). My rode is made up of 2.4 meters of chain that is connected to the crown of the anchor with a shackle. I have then covered the whole chain all the way down to the shackle with an old push bike inner tube. The bike inner tube mitigates some of the noise of the chain as it's being moved into position around the boat before deploying the anchor and then when you deploy the anchor. I have then laid the inner tube covered covered chain along the side of the anchor shank and then connected the inner tube covered chain to the hole in the top of the anchor shank with a couple of cable ties. It pays to carry a few spare cable ties in the boat tool kit just in case you need to repair your anchor rode. Connected to the top of end of the anchor chain I have 100 feet of 10mm "silver" rope. If the anchor gets snagged, for example under a drowned tree or under the edge of a rock, I can move forward into the wind and then put pressure on the anchor rope to break the cable ties to pull the anchor out from under the snag with the chain connected only to the crown of the anchor. By the way this is not an alternative for your normal anchoring system ... I also use my 5.3 meter Polycraft boat off shore and for offshore safety reasons I have a big reef anchor with 5 meters of chain and 200 meters of heavier "silver" rope.)

FLIES AND LURE SELECTIONS

Flies
Lures

ADDITIONAL NOTES

1. Barra do seem to prefer areas around standing timber in the morning and areas of weed banks in the afternoon.
2. Fish for only 30 minutes without a fish and then change something
• Position
• Lure, softies, flies
• Target depth
3. It’s worth noting that particularly after dark there are often as many fish along blank shores that have no trees or visible weed banks.
4. Never forget that you need to focus on fishing at the depth that barra are holding or hunting in. So in low light you many need to fish deeper than at times of good light. You can substitute 'moon light' for "light" at night time.
5. Unless your fishing to fish you can see on the sounder work water 1-6 meters during the day but only as deep as say 5 meters at night.
6. My 80:20 rule is to fish slow 80% of the time and faster for 20% of the time or until you find out what’s working at that moment.
7. Work through your retrieves until you find out what’s working at that moment.
• Slow roll with or without pauses
• Draw with pauses of various lengths
• Roly poly at a range of speeds with or without pauses for flies and jerk bait retrieve for lures
• Strip at various speeds with pauses or without pauses
• Jumping across the bottom
• Surface retrieves that depend on the type of fly

My favourite locations:

These are all areas I have explored and now consider as target locations as I work through the key triggers that I have described above.

ON THE SOUTH EAST SIDE OF THE LAKE

1. Iveragh Creek arm

If you out your boat in at the ramp and travel to the past the dam wall the big SE bay in front of you is the Iveragh Creek arm. Big Creek and the heavy tree structure on the NE side are great locations and on the back side of Kens Bay the point you pass to enter Kens Bay and Kens Bay are always worth a close look. Moving further into Kens Bay Horse Gully is a favourite location for resident fish.

• The standing timber on the LH side as you enter Iva
• Kens Bay … the points on each side and the three back waters
• McDonalds bay to the west of Wedge tail Island … the points on each side and the gutter between the land and the shallow area
2. New Zealand Gully

The biggest bay ... about half way up the main basin on the NE side.

• weed beds at the back of the main arm
• weed beds along back bay on the east side
• weed beds along back two bay on the west side
• dirty water at back of bays
• Riverston Creek arm

The NE arm of Awoonga and just to the NE of the ramp.

• weed beds
• standing timber
• Gold Mine

The first big point as you travel south in the main basin. Tortice bay and Grevillia Creek Bay offer some great options.

• Point
• Tortoise Bay Timber
• First bay to right of Tortise Bay
• Eagles Bay

This is the next big bay up from Grevillia Creek Bay and there are a couple of timber banks at he back of the bay that can be fantastic and then the

• Middle Creek
• Windward banks
• Dingo Island
• Along the mainland side
• Bays behind
• Futter creek
• 4-5 meter deep flats coming off weedy points
• Timber structure

{{end}}