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Impoundment Barramundi Adventure

By Justin Willmer

As often happens with fishing adventures someone threw an idea out there, some chat began and before we knew it we were gearing up for a trip to Lake Awoonga to try and catch an impoundment barramundi. The moon was wrong, with many anglers preferring the full moon, the weather forecast was hit and miss, Andrew had never caught a freshwater barramundi, my cousin Alex had never caught a barramundi at all and even though I had caught plenty of Awoonga barra, it had been over a decade since I had been there... what could possibly go wrong. The thing with fishing is that sometimes you just need to lock it in and go, the dates suited and we had all been busy with work and life and were looking forward to the trip away.

The plan was to roll up on the Thursday, fish Friday and Saturday from Alex's 4.2m tinny and then roll back Sunday, staying in a cabin at the lake. We met at Alex's loaded the gear and rolled from north Brisbane around 11am, arriving at the lake in time to have a feed, a coldie and rig some gear. The weather was wet and windy, with a storm chasing anglers off the water the afternoon that we arrived and the park manager informed us that the bite had been tough, with most boats coming in fishless. One thing I have learnt from previous impoundment barramundi sessions though is that regardless of the hot or cold reports, expect to throw a lot of casts and don't expect to catch a crazy amount of fish... it happens, but it's better if you can manage your expectations and the expectations of your fishing buddies. It's always nicer to think it will be tough and prepare for that and then find a hot bite. The rewards can be awesome with hot sessions and big fish, however you can guarantee that plenty of casts will be thrown.

We were fishing on daybreak and worked a few inlets and bays, timber and weed beds, casting hard bodies and surface and sub-surface plastics. The results for the morning session were a bunch of bumps from long tom and one hit from a small barramundi that occurred while fishing a weed point that extended on the surface and then expanded further about a metre below the surface of the water. These areas have produced well in the past, with ZMan paddle tails rigged weedless on TT Lures SnakelockZ jigheads and swum just above the weed getting the bites. It was a ZMan 5" DieZel MinnowZ on a 3/8oz 6/0 SnakelockZ that had produced the interest... but no fish in the boat.

With a storm building and moving in our direction, it was time to head back to the cabin for a feed and relax. Lake Awoonga has a large main basin and when the wind whips up you may as well be offshore. Keep this in mind when fishing the lake, especially if you venture further up into the timber where you may not feel the effects of the wind. There are plenty of sheltered areas to fish and you can run along the edge to gain some protection, however at some point you will need to cross the main basin to get to the boat ramp, so safety first. By the time we reached the cabin it was bucketing down rain and blowing a gale. We had a feed, re-rigged some rods and put a call out to our Facebook fishing community for any hot tips, receiving a few tips and suggestions from those who had fished the lake recently.

The storm passed and we headed out to a glass out in the afternoon, again working the weed edges of bays and points, casting to the surface weed and then rolling the lure out, while allowing it to bump down the face of the weed and across the patchy weed that was rising from the bottom. The call of 'yep, fish on!' went up as Andrew hooked up on around a 60cm fish, went hard on it from too much mangrove jack fishing and the hook pulled almost at the boat. He then had a couple more hits and a bite from a solid fish that quickly threw the lure. We had found what they wanted to eat, a ZMan 6" SwimmerZ in Opening Night colour. Our glass out quickly turned into another storm front and it was time to get back to the ramp.

We now had a solid plan for the final morning and started rigging rods. Hmmm, I could clearly see my packet of Opening Night ZMan 6" SwimmerZ sitting on the bench in my shed... I had them in and then out of the kit again before leaving, meaning we only had two that Andrew had brought with him... one for Andrew and one for Alex as they needed to get a barra. After some discussion I discovered that Andrew had been running the 6/0 from the 5" DieZel MinnowZ in the ZMan 6" SwimmerZ and this may have been the reason for the poor hookset the previous afternoon. I dug out some 8/0 TT Lures ChinlockZ SWS hooks that I had, we cut off the belly weight and they were ready to go as a 1/2oz 8/0 TT Lures SnakelockZ, a perfect option for hook clearance in a ZMan 6" SwimmerZ.

The report the previous afternoon was that one boat had landed a 62cm barra, so we knew that despite the conditions we were in with a chance. In the morning we hit the area where Andrew had some action the previous afternoon and it didn't take long before he came up solid on a barramundi that measured around the 55cm mark and the 8/0 had securely found its mark in the corner of the jaw. A textbook hook up on a weedless jighead. It was high fives all around as the first fish is often the hardest to crack and then everyone chills out and the fish flow a little more easily. With the 8/0 rigged the previous afternoon we may have already boated fish, but that's fishing. We were on the board!

No more action on that bank, so we moved to fish a couple more windblown points that had good solid weed edges that dropped into 10-14 feet of water. I had given Alex my lighter spin combo, an Okuma Cerros 5-12kg rod and Epixor XT 40 reel, loaded with 20lb Platypus P8 braid and the sample that we had of the new Platypus Hard Armour Supple Leader in 60lb, which he was casting accurately to the weed edge. Then it happened. I was watching Alex slowly roll the Opening Night SwimmerZ back when the rod loaded, the braid cut through the water and the expression on his face changed from chilled to shock and then into a smile as he realised he was hooked solid to his first barramundi. It was pouring rain, we were all pumped and I pulled the GoPro out to capture the moment... asking Alex if he'd caught a barra yet, to which he replied 'not yet'.

The 65cm fish was soon in the net though and it was high fives, pats on the back, photos and a release. Even though I hadn't had any action from the back of the boat, I was super pumped and am always happy to see fish caught. I had shared a good mate's first freshwater barra with him and now witnessed my younger cousin (by 5 days) and good mate Alex hooking and landing his first barramundi. Fishing isn't just about catching and this trip had been a good break, making great memories with mates, adventuring, laughing, sledging, exploring and catching fish when the odds were against us.

We continued to fish the weed edges, around the point and into the next bay, where Alex was on again. This 55cm fish played up a lot more, jumped and didn't want to come to the net. Having the opportunity to land another fish gave Alex the opportunity to enjoy the fight more and take it all in as that first fish can often be a blur of mayhem. I was on the net this time and was super proud to lift in Alex's second barra. These fish are a fun size to catch and after tonnes of fish being lost over the wall many years ago and a couple of fishless trips that followed, it was great to be back on the lake again with anglers getting their first Awoonga barramundi.

Not the many big barra that I had been lucky enough to catch in Awoonga when it was at its prime over a decade ago, however the lake is on the mend and there are plenty of 80-90cm fish being landed and good numbers caught when the conditions are right. Give it another year and these fish will be over a metre and the Lake Awoonga glory days will return. The boys are already keen for another Awoonga adventure and even though I was fishless on this trip, I know that these trips make the hot sessions even better. I will be back again for the location, the wildlife, the mateship, the adventure... and to find that signature barra bite. BOOF!

See you on the water...
Justin Willmer

Awoonga - Three Proven Techniques

Although we didn't smash it on this quick trip up, we did land a few in tough conditions. Here's a few techniques that are proven in the lake from previous adventures and our Pro Team's recent adventures.

1. Paddle Tail Plastics

Paddle tail plastics consistently produce in the lake with ZMan 6" SwimmerZ and ZMan 5" DieZel MinnowZ a couple of favourites. In open water, such as fishing over weed flats, these are generally rigged on a TT Lures HeadlockZ HD jighead in 6/0 for the 5" DieZel and 8/0 for the 6" SwimmerZ. When fishing the weed and timber it's a TT Lures SnakelockZ weedless jighead, again in a 6/0 and 8/0.

As the barra get bigger the ZMan 7" DieZel MinnowZ and ZMan 8" Mag SwimZ will become go-to plastics, rigged on TT Lures SwimlockZ jigheads in 9/0 and 10/0 sizes, along with 12/0 ChinlockZ as a weedless option.

Paddle tails are generally cast long and slow rolled, bumping through and over weed and timber, covering ground and letting that lively tail action attract the fish. Popular colour options include natural baitfish colours, Pearl and then something out of the box such as a Sexy Mullet.

2. Bagley Rumble B 11

For those wishing to throw some hard bodies around the timber and weed edges, check out the Bagley Rumble B 11. The size and action are right, it has accounted for a stack of barra, comes fitted with heavy duty hooks ready to fish and there is a great range of colours, with favourites including Gold, Aussie Gold, Albino and Silver Chartreuse.

Hard bodies are generally cast or worked tight to structure, using a twitch and pause retrieve, or a slow roll with occasional pauses. Some anglers also opt to troll these around the points and bays, which can also be an option while breaking for a snack and drink, or moving between spots.

3. Surface FrogZ

Over the years we have caught many barra in Lake Awoonga fishing surface frogs and it can be addictive. Strikes are aggressive, visual and come complete with that signature BOOF! The best performing frog over the years has been the ZMan 4" Hard Leg FrogZ, rigged on a 1/8oz 6/0 TT Lures ChinlockZ SWS jighead. You can fish it on an unweighted 6/0 ChinlockZ, however the belly weight on the ChinlockZ SWS assists with casting distance and keeling the plastic, while lifting the rod tip at the start of the retrieve can assist in getting it buzzing across the surface. Buzzing is the word as the retrieve is quite quick and you will hear the paddle tail feet bubbling and gurgling on the surface when you hit that magic speed. Using any available wind to increase casting distance can also assist with covering water, reaching open pockets of water and not spooking fish.

FrogZ are most effective early morning and late afternoon into the night. Prime areas to fish FrogZ are areas where there is at least a few feet of weed growth below the surface for the barra to hide in and launch an ambush from. We fish FrogZ amongst weed on the surface, down to weed that is about three feet below the surface as the barra will still rise and ambush the FrogZ from here. Weed may be in open water, along a point, in a bay or amongst timber and as you fish your way around the lake, having a rod rigged with a FrogZ will allow you to buzz appropriate areas when you come across them.

Colour wise I always carry a dark colour, such as a Green Pumpkin or Blue Black, a White and a Watermelon Chartreuse.

If you're keen to catch an impoundment barramundi there's three options that have worked for us to get you started. At times it takes plenty of casts to get one to bite but when you do the action can be explosive, the rewards great and the memories with you for years to come. BOOF!

Gear List:

Open Water & Weed Spin Combo

Okuma Cerros Spinning Rods - 701H 7' 5-12kg
Okuma Epixor XT Spin Reels - EPXT-40
Platypus P8 Braid - 20lb
Platypus Hard Armour Leader - 60lb

Heavy Timber Spin Combo

Okuma Cerros Spinning Rods - 701XH 7' 8-15kg
Okuma Epixor XT Spin Reels - EPXT-40
Platypus P8 Braid - 30lb
Platypus Hard Armour Leader - 80lb

Open Water & Weed Baitcast Combo

Okuma Komodo Baitcast Rods - 661H 6'6" 8-15kg
Okuma Komodo Baitcast Reels - KDS-273
Platypus Bionic Braid - 20lb
Platypus Hard Armour Leader - 60lb

Heavy Timber Baitcast Combo

Okuma Komodo Baitcast Rods - 661XH 6'6" 8-20kg
Okuma Komodo Baitcast Reels - KDS-364
Platypus Bionic Braid - 30lb
Platypus Hard Armour Leader - 80lb

Bagley Rumble B 11 diving minnows

ZMan 4" Hard Leg FrogZ
ZMan 5" DieZel MinnowZ
ZMan 6" SwimmerZ
ZMan 7" DieZel MinnowZ
ZMan 8" Mag SwimZ

TT Lures HeadlockZ HD jigheads
TT Lures SnakelockZ jigheads
TT Lures ChinlockZ SWS jigheads
TT Lures SwimlockZ jigheads

Pro-Cure Mullet Super Gel Scent - Other favourites include Garlic, Pilchard and Aniseed.