A Day to Remember!

Now I have fished all over northern Australia...........from Darwin to Arnhem Land......from the Kimberley's to the NT border, remote Cape York to Mission Beach, and the rivers near Cairns are known like the back of my hand. I have witnessed some amazing sights and experienced some truly magical fishing. I have memories that are etched into my mind and I can recall them like it was just yesterday.

Fresh Water Barra

Well, last Saturday, in a little river just south of Cairns, my partner Debbie & I had such a moment: a moment that lasted for almost 2 hours of constant action on quality barra like I have not seem before in local river systems. But before I tell you about this, I'll set the scene for the day.

It was a high tide at approx. 6:00 am that morning and I wanted to use the backed up waters to cruise as far up the system as my little 4m Cairns Custom Craft would allow. We fish skinny water most days Deb & I, we just love flying upstream as far as we can go and there are various reasons for this.

Skinny water fishing

Not many people venture that far up our waterways, most vessels (or skippers) just can't manage it.......and the scenery can be awesomely beautiful surrounded by mountainous peaks and lush green rainforest. Oh!....the fishing can be great too. Targets are often sooties and JP's, tarpon and jacks as well as "ol’ bucket mouth" when conditions are right.

On this day I was quite surprised to find that the river was so low. We had had plenty of rain the previous week but, being the very start of our rainy season, I guess most of the rain had just soaked up OR flushed out to sea very quickly. But you have to make the most of prevailing conditions so we pushed on as far as I dared and called it a halt at one of the drains that I regularly fish. Sure enough there were a couple of rats hanging around and it wasn't long before Debbie & I had landed, photographed and carefully released a few little barra.

Check out that rainforest backdrop

We drifted slowly down on the falling tide, casting to bank side structure, stopping occasionally at more promising looking weed beds and landed a few more juveniles. The day was just perfect, a little overcast which kept conditions a little cooler but still quite humid......tropical fish just love this scenario. Coffee / late breakfast was had anchored up beneath some beautiful rainforest cover. We were truly in a tropical paradise.

What a coffee spot

My lady is a sailor / an ex prawn trawler skipper and she just loves being in "salt water".

And why do I mention this? Well, on most fishing outings I have my way and tend to fish the fresh (refer above) but today Debbie pestered me to go down to the mouth and try our luck in the salt on the incoming tide. Remembering that it was a low at approx. 12 noon and a gentle 1m run in, I reluctantly agreed to give it a go (well actually it was my hidden plan all along but I'll let her have the credit this time). And credit indeed it must be.

Drifting along on the incoming tide, occasionally using the electric to keep us positioned parallel to the bank, we cast to likely looking structure - we had switched lures to smaller 3" jack baits hoping to find a few mangrove jacks and GT's hiding amongst the snags. I was the first to hook up, but it was not what I had expected. A nice 60cm flathead had taken my lure from the mud and was quickly placed into the live well.

Lizard from the salt

Next cast Debbie had a "flash" from a nice looking barra. "Put the lead down darling" I shouted with excitement, there just might be a few barra hanging around here I thought.

The very next cast Debbie was hooked up to a nice 65cm silver streak........these feisty salt water barra are a lot fitter than their river cousins and the barra started jumping all over the place. Deb was having a bit of trouble coming to terms with the "pump & wind" technique but with my coaxing (read shouting instructions - sorry Deb) she soon had the fish under control, photographed and gently released.

Silver / salt water barra - great!

Just a little digression here. I have owned a Boga Grip for years now, having bought one many years ago when they first hit the scene as the next new “must have” toy. But it had hidden itself in the bottom of my tinny and not used for years.....something about not wanting to "hang" big fish like barra from the lip for that photo. In recent times however, I have had a change of tactics and now I use them to land almost every fish.

They are an excellent tool, offer more security that nets etc and correctly handled and used to "control" a fish while de-hooking, can actually improve the release process with a less stressed fish and a lot less damage. It is always a pleasure to see a quality fish revive and swim rapidly away.

Correct use of Boga

Back to the fishing.

On my very next cast the same scenario happened. A quality silver barra crunched my lure and launched herself into the air throwing the hooks in the process. Darn I thought, I had missed an opportunity. But I needn't have worried. Over the next couple of hours Deb & I had non stop fishing action.

Women (and blue lures) catch more fish

We even switched lures to try and stay connected to these feisty critters, they were so acrobatic. But whatever we tossed in their direction was seized upon with gusto.

There were hidden dangers in these waters however. On a couple of occasions our hooked barra would scream off in all directions followed by an almighty swirl the size of half a cricket pitch. All I got back was a lure with straightened hooks and a broken bib. We never did see what was lurking there.


Our second lure of choice was the beaut little Leads deep diving shad, as rare as hens teeth I might add, but boy oh boy, do they work in the right conditions. And on this day they wanted the blue one! (See above image)

We occasionally hooked up on the snags and reluctantly had to go in and retrieve our lures.......on most occasions this would be the end of the bite but not this day. We quietly motored back off the structure, repositioned the lead blob and cast away. We were into them again.

We actually lost count of the number of fish we had hooked and lost, probably a dozen or 15 or so. Now days we try to photograph every fish, just to keep score, so to speak, and on this day (at this spot) we landed at least 17 barra, lost another 4 at the boat (that's technically landed isn't it - we are fiercely competitive remember) and had the above win their freedom.

We left them biting - had to beat the rain

While all of this fishing action was happening and we were mesmerised to the targets at our feet, the skies out to sea were as black as !!!!!!! and the clouds were banking up on the mountains. A few drops of rain started to fall and we decided to call it a day. We scurried out of there before the heavens really opened up and made it to the safety of the ramp before a couple of drowned rats had to skulk home.

As we pulled away from the boat ramp we were still a bit shell shocked at what we had just experienced. We had landed over 20 barra, witnessed quality barra fishing that rivals anything that this great land can offer, and all within less than an hours drive from home.


Wouldn't it be fantastic if this was the norm.........and not just the occasional freak experience.


Happy fishing, regards Les

www.fishingcairns.com.au

Liverpool Lady on the Mend

Liverpool Lady on the Mend


It’s a week past, I offered to do the fishing report…got tied up with a 7 day work week..and the weekend is gone but for the memory (and the Jack in the freezer!) It’s now a Wednesday night, 4 long meetings today with a 5am start. It is now 9.30pm and once again, I am drawn back to realize this great obsession some of us have with fishing! I’ve got the urge to write you a little story. Man, I love fishing.

Up here in Cairns, the big wet is finally over…I had the day off from my game of real estate. Les asks, “So Babe…where do you want to go?” My choice, you bewdy! Liverpool Creek’s my pick for poison. Les & I have snuck down for a peek at this beautiful little river a few times this year, only to be disappointed by bright orange waters as the river banks & hillsides have bled mud for months, Cyclone Yasi has absolutely devastated the place. It has been kind of like looking in to see if your old friend is still breathing..her heart beat is still there, her beauty gone. The trees have been stripped of any dignity, old, crooked hands reach up into the sky, dotted over the bald heads of the hills. Very sad. We had been reminiscing only 2 months ago about how wonderful it was to see everything finally recovering, lush & green after Cyclone Larry in 2006 had wrecked the place. Liverpool is smashed up badly this time.

Crooked Hands reaching for the sky!

Badly eroded bank side

What a thrill to drive over the hill & see the river running crystal clear! We were feeling lucky, the sun was shining bright, barely a cloud in the sky. An esky full of kiwi cooking, the water was dead flat & the local Council had even spread a new layer of gravel down the boat ramp, usually skid row with bare clay and a rock drop off. Gently slipping into the water, rig the rods, slap on the sunscreen & you turn around to survey the scene. Breathtakingly beautiful, steam rising from clear water. Like a cancer patient, her hair is recovering. Green tuffs of ferns & fresh green leaves are popping out of the the slender trunks forming a guard of honour along this little piece of paradise, Liverpool Creek.




At the ramp!



Tidal Mangrove Zone

For those of you that don’t know, Les & I are fiercely competitive…he is the official Fish Whisperer, I, the apprentice. It is still a bloody good competition. (I LOVE it when I win, he is still the best) The lures of choice first up are Leads High Jackers. Les is into his flavour of the month- an orange/brown colour. I’m into green today. Don’t worry, I have a small plastic bucket with 4 more different colours in case this one doesn’t work. I need a quick change in case Les starts beating me! He laughs at me. He will use 2 lures all day, generally a High Jacker or a deep diver. He has experience on his side you see.

A quick run up the river literally brings tears to your eyes, the river banks are exposed with old junk from years gone by…kind of interesting though. Old cart wheels, bits & and pieces of old sugar cane equipment, roofs swept into the trees by Yasi, grand old trees slipping to their death after a hundred years of pride. Oh so sad…almost as sad as the two boats we pass. Dads & sons in their little punts out to conker the mighty barra.

“There’s nothin’here mate!” they holler. Poor buggers.

Old tin iron from someones roof

Our favourite spot looms, it is so hard to recognize! The structure is all different, the weed beds vanished, trees broken. Les casts once, he casts twice. He’s on! The best barra of the day! A 55cm beauty. Always nerve racking to get such a good fish so early…sometimes the rest of the day can seem disappointing. It takes us 100+ casts to get the next one. Only 50 metres of river bank left intact on the entire river. Another blast up the river on the high tide, the plan was to drift back on the out. Did we have a ball!



First (and biggest barra)



Note how healthy and shiny the juveniles are

Not an easy day, but a steady day of total excitement, excellent fun & tough competition between ourselves ( I still maintain that Sooty’s should not be counted Les) No fish on the banks at all. 100% of what we scored was on the creek run outs or on structure nearby. The tally mounted. We lost count of our numbers. I took photos of each one caught…that makes the counting fair. Besides that, I am Les Marshes official photographer so pardon me if we go overboard with the photos sometimes. It’s my fault. I love my camera almost as much as the fishing. Les has lost his favourite 3” Jack Lure. (Okay, he used 3 lures today!) He jumps about like Rumplestiltskin, swearing like a bogan. I’m onto my 4th lure of choice, but I’ve nailed it. I’m onto them-I’m 5 ahead of Les. The fish are loving brown today. Funny how sometimes they go for the red lures (when the berries are falling off the trees) or they are into blues & greens. (Is that when frogs are attempting to cross the rivers?) Les studies his 5 tier tackle box full of lures & gleefully squints at a replacement pale green one in the sunlight. He’s cranking again & back in the race.

Old "fill" exposed by the floods

Nice jack Debbie!

The only bit of bankside weed bed left in the river!

The total tally? 37 BARRA! None (surprise, surprise) legal. 1 fat Sooty, 8 Mangrove Jacks & 12 Jungle Perch. What a blast! The score ended up 27-30 to Les. Not bad considering he has to drive the boat as well.

The only sooty of the trip

Its getting late now - where are those lights?

What an absolutely wonderful day, one of the best I have ever had in my short 4 years of barra fishing & judging by the look on Les’s face, he would agree. Some of these rivers may look pretty ragged but I guess Mother nature will always recover. The cyclone has given the barra more structure on the river beds, the system is very much alive and well. I’m buying Les a set of navigation lights…why should we stop fishing at 6.30pm? Rest well my beauty…we’ll be back!

Kind regards, Debbie (for Les Ha ha!)

http://www.fishingcairns.com.au/

I've Been Busy OK!

Well the last three weeks have gone like a blurr!!!!

A change in business, Ray White On Mulgrave is no longer, but Management Excellence has taken its place. And then we have had the rush of Easter, Anzac Day and now the May day long weekend is upon us. But I did manage to get a few well planned fishing trips in so here is the story. Due to time constraints, its Friday night and I need a beer before the big wedding / footy / Taipans NBL play off etc so I'm going to be a bit slack here and "Let a picture, or two, tell a thousands words".

I trust this is all OK with my followers so here goes.

Daintree River - Saturday 16th April - the last trip to the high country before the dry season sets in.


Daintree - Just after launching



Now this is a calm day

Typical fresh water juvenile barra

And another!

And another!

And another - boys will be boys!

Just one more

Warren enjoying the ride upstream

Why would you need this much Roundup......makes you fee a bit sick to see this!

A pair of juveniles - fish I mean (sorry Terry)

That's better - just under legal

Best of the trip - 63cm

Happy anglers returning to the ramp

A great day spent with a couple of mates

• 30 barra
• 2 jacks
• 5 jungle perch

Mulgrave River - Good Friday - Debbie & I tried our luck in the upper fresh water reaches.

Here we go again - juvenile barra

Magnificent river / rainforest / mountain scenery

Heading upstream

Wet season debris

Mulgrave Sooty

Just part of my sooty lure selection

Best barra - 59cm on Rapala SR5 shad




 

And here she is in the boat



Nice dark sooty



They come in pairs too!

Beautiful silver tarpon - great sport on light tackle

Sometimes they come upside down?

Now that's a nice jungle perch

Deb with barra from the snags

You can't get much better than this

Last barra for the day

happy jack!

Another wonderful day for Debbie & I

• 6 barra
• 5 tarpon
• 10 JP's
• 15 sooties

North Johnstone - Sunday 24th April (Easter Sunday - the day of the rabbit!)

First barra right in town

Sooty from the sticks - check out that structure

Juvenile fresh water barra

And another

Now that's a small barra - the camera is playing tricks too!

Nice sooty

Good size jack from the fresh

Monster sooty on popper - went 5lb

Terry with nice sooty

Best jack of the day

That's a nice sooty



And the tally for the day

• About 30 barra
• 15 sooties
• 3 jacks
• 10 jungle perch

Terry and I had an absolute blast - he is one of the best guides in North Queensland so this day I let him cast from the from the front of my boat and gave him first cast to all the best spots - bugger beat me too!

Happy fishing, regards Les
www.fishingcairns.com.au