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Impoundment Barramundi Fishing Tips
By David Brace
If the magic milestone of catching a metre-plus barramundi has eluded you, with a hot, dry summer predicted, now is the prime time to start planning that trip to Queensland’s barramundi impoundments. Pro Angler David Brace offers some hot tips to help you tick that fish of a lifetime off your bucket list.
It is no secret that the barramundi is one of Australia’s most well-known and prized sport fish. In landlocked environments, such as our Queensland impoundments, the mighty barramundi is the top dog of the food chain. They are renowned for snapping fishing line, straightening split rings and hooks, and can destroy lures, leaving even an experienced barra angler in despair.
They possess large-scaled, armoured bodies, with extra hardened jaws and super sensitive lateral lines that can detect minute vibrations in the water, assisting them in finding their prey. They will feed on almost anything above and below the water and are fierce ambush predators. Their eyes are positioned on top of their heads, so baitfish, frogs and lizards have no chance when in close proximity to a barramundi in a feeding mood. They possess a massive caudal fin, to power their large bodies through the water.
Once hooked, they are renowned for their hard pulling strength and dirty tactics, above and below the water. They will go to any length to dislodge a lure. Beneath the water they use structure in the hope of regaining their freedom, while above the water their spectacular acrobatic skills are just absolutely mesmerising. They emerge from the depths, launching themselves, sometimes to great heights, while shaking their head side to side violently with flared gills, hoping to shake that lure.
Tip #1 Planning & Preparation
Planning and preparation for a trip should be an enjoyable experience. A fun time with mates, putting together a strategy to increase the chances of catching these iconic fish. Sometimes it’s not all about the destination it’s more about the journey. When anglers fail to plan, when organising a trip to one of these premier Queensland impoundments, it normally ends with disappointment.
I believe that researching the fish is one of the key areas where anglers also fail. Studying the fish’s traits, including where they are likely to be located at any one time, what structures they prefer to ambush their prey from, their feeding moods and modes and their spawning rituals are all considerations when selecting a target species and location. Although barramundi spread throughout the entire lake, at this time of year they can commonly be located within a short distance from the launching areas of these larger landlocked environments, close to the dam walls. The genetic make-up of a barramundi, during their spawning season, magnetically draws these fish downstream. They require salty waters to spawn and when they finally reach the structure of the dam wall, they tend to congregate and school, in the hope of a large rain event raising water levels, eventually spilling, and pushing them further downstream.
There are quite a number of impoundments within a 2-to-3-hour drive of each other within Central Queensland and depending on weather conditions leading up to your trip, it could be to your advantage to drive that extra mile to the preferable location, especially if you have limited time to spend on the water. Like most living organisms, fish are driven by the weather and in turn selecting a destination that will give you optimal chance of catching these large fish, is sometimes the difference between catching one or two fish in a session or even better, double digits.
It is always good to have a ‘Plan B’ just in case ‘Plan A’ is impeded by inclement and unfavourable weather. Preparation is the key to success for these trips and spending time observing water levels, temperatures, moon phases and other environmental influences is extremely important. The most important weather element to focus on would be the wind and wind direction. Wind creates currents in a lake, which drives and relocates food sources and can either heat or cool water. Having a map of the lake and observing the points and bays that the wind has been blowing onto and into, will short cut the process of locating fish when you first arrive at your destination.
Tip #2 Rod, Reels & Lures
There is always an uncertainty when first launching at a barramundi impoundment, knowing how challenging it can be to catch these fish at times. Having confidence in your gear is incredibly important. If you give these fish an inch, they will take a mile. Take the time to look over your gear prior and be sure to tie your knots carefully and with precision. The outfit that I prefer to use is a TT 4-8kg medium/heavy, fast action Red Belly or Black Mamba spin rod, matched with an Okuma ITX-4000 spin reel. These reels are incredibly lightweight and constructed using rigid C-40X long strand carbon fibre in the body, side plates, and rotor, providing exceptional strength where needed the most. A 7HPB +1RB, bearing system and precision machine cut brass pinion gear keeps the reel feeling both rigid and smooth. Okuma has housed a slick multi-disc Carbon Fibre drag system in the spool, with Hydro-Block gasket to prevent water intrusion for consistent drag performance.
These reels are spooled with 30lb Platypus Pulse X4 Braid. This line is manufactured in Australia, with Armour-X Coating for increased abrasion resistance. It comes in hi-vis Aussie Gold colour for enhanced visibility and bite detection. Pulse X4 is also engineered with super low stretch and excellent knot strength. The leader I use is 80lb Platypus Hard Armour Tough Leader, which is manufactured to provide the ultimate abrasion resistance and designed for fishing in harsh environments and heavy structure.
The lures that I prefer to use, and have most confidence in, include the ZMan 6” SwimmerZ, 5” and 6” HerculeZ and the 7” DieZel MinnowZ, in a range of natural colours. More subtle soft plastic lures, such as the ZMan 9” GrubZ are also worthy of casting. These soft plastic lures, made from 10X Tough ElaZtech material, can take a fair amount of abuse, catching copious amounts of fish before needing replacement. Rigging on an 8/0 size, in the award-winning TT SnakelockZ or HeadlockZ HD jighead, will give you the confidence to stay connected to these aggressive fish throughout each fishing session. The techniques you are using to target these fish and the depth the fish are holding at, will determine what weight jighead you select.
Tip #3 Knots Made Simple
There are so many knots to choose from when it comes to tying your mainline to your leader. In recent years, the FG Knot has become quite popular among anglers, however, I still prefer to use the lmproved Albright Knot, due to its simplicity, strength, and reliability. It is also a very quick knot to tie, especially during a hot bite period. Get familiar with tying knots that work for you, that are easy to tie and to configure. Do not get complacent. Retie your knots, especially if there is chafing on the leader after a fish has struck the lure. Eliminate every weak link where possible and try to avoid using clips and terminal tackle. Using a Loop Knot to tie your lure to your leader will give the imitation bait more free-swimming action and optimum maneuverability.
Tip #4 Targeting Structure
The key to finding barramundi is finding their food source and structure. Fish holding structure can be located everywhere and may not be visible to the naked eye. It could be as simple as a current line in deep water, weed beds, or stand out structure such as a fallen down tree or a rocky outcrop point. Hooking up to a metre-plus fish, in a heavily timbered area, as a novice angler, can be daunting and intimidating. If conditions allow, try cutting your teeth targeting these fish in less threatening structure, such as weed beds or an open point or bay.
If there are no other options, other than to target these fish among a labyrinth of timber, it is best to fight the fish on a short lead and try to avoid the fish taking long runs. A hot tip, to prevent them from winding your main line throughout the timber when running, is to take the pressure off the fish by opening the bail arm of your spin reel. Don’t just keep fighting the fish and applying pressure as this can encourage them to return the favour. In this instance, by reducing the pressure, the fish will often stop fighting. You can then engage the bail arm once again, while motoring towards the fish and retrieving line back onto your reels. Once you are comfortable that you have caught up to the fish, load the tension back onto the rod and proceed to fight and wear the fish down again. This process may be repeated several times before you gain the upper hand.
Targeting barramundi among and adjacent to weed presents great opportunities. The weedy structure can vary immensely and offer a multitude of ambush points for the fish. This type of structure also slows the heat of the water from escaping, along with the lilies that form a blanket, maintaining a higher temperature that barramundi prefer. Locating pockets of water that are even half a degree warmer can make the difference in finding actively feeding fish.
Tip #5 Stop, Look & Listen
One of the hardest challenges an angler will find is locating fish to target. Sometimes it is good to put the fishing rods down and look, listen, and observe. Be at one with nature and try to comprehend what is happening within your environment. Failing to do this at times is often the demise of anglers.
Acting and working on the theory of finding the three B’s, will put any angler in good stead. Locating Birds working the surface is a great sign, as they are targeting Baitfish in the upper water column. Baitfish are pushed higher in the water column for a reason, which is usually from predatory barramundi below that are in a feeding mood. Take note of where you locate these baitfish during the day, as at times they won’t move too far under the cover of darkness, depending on weather conditions. Find the Birds working Bait and it is likely that you will find Barramundi. Pelican’s working bank lines is usually a dead giveaway that there could be bait fish within the area.
During the night, listen for catfish close to weed edges, working in large schools, and taking advantage of schools of small baitfish. Barramundi will be in ambush mode, cleaning up fleeing baitfish and targeting stray catfish that wander too far from their school. Take the time to observe your surroundings and look for revealing signs of where these fish might be during various stages of the day or night. This awareness of your surroundings will increase your rates of finding fish.
As mentioned above, barramundi are driven by their food source being relocated around the lake by the elements of the weather. Taking note of the wind direction and changes in weather patterns during the day is imperative. Although it is a lot more comfortable and pleasurable fishing in calm water, it's highly likely that the fish won’t be there. Fishing bays and points with the wind blowing onto them will often be highly productive. The wind generates more oxygenated water, blows microorganisms into these areas, which baitfish feed on, and in turn barramundi will hunt for and feed on the baitfish. If you do find barramundi on your fish finder, that are not interested in taking your lure, do not be discouraged. These fish may have already fed and could be in a digestive mode, rather than a feeding mood. Not all fish will feed at the same time, be persistent and methodical before moving on, taking note of their location so that you can return later in the day.
Tip #6 Trolling & Casting Techniques
Trolling for barramundi is a very underrated technique, however it is an incredibly productive way to locate actively feeding fish. Although there is no better feeling than experiencing an aggressive, hard-hitting barramundi strike when casting and retrieving, it can be just as fun feeling that same bite with rod in hand while trolling.
There are four factors that you will need to consider when using this technique. The length of line that you have out behind your kayak or boat, the speed at which you are trolling, the fishing rod angle, or in simpler terms the height of the rod tip, and finally the depth at which your lure is swimming. Setting the lure back further from your vessel has merit, due to the stealthy nature in which your artificial bait will be swimming. However, from experience, an aggressive feeding barramundi will also be just as content to take a lure directly at the back of the kayak or boat.
Having fished a lot for barramundi from my kayak, I have been able to examine closely the way this fish feeds and hunts. When targeting these fish in deep open water, don’t discount how high they will be in the upper water column hunting for food. I have witnessed, on hundreds of occasions, barramundi feeding in the top metre of water, away from any structure and in depths of 30 metres or more. If you’re asking yourself right now why barramundi are out in the middle of the lake away from any land, the answer is simply bait.
Trolling has its advantages as lures can be kept within the fish’s strike zone for a longer period and you can cover more ground. Essentially the lure is in the water longer when trolling, rather than when casting and retrieving. The theory of a fish being aroused by another fish actively feeding, is one that I wholeheartedly believe in. When this happens, a chain reaction occurs with every pass while trolling. It is common to attract numerous fish and double hook ups are common, which can lead to absolute chaos when fighting the fish. When trolling in a kayak, upon a fish striking your lure, refrain from grabbing the rod immediately from the rod holder. Rather, take three strong strokes of the paddle to ensure the hook is properly set.
Casting lures at these iconic fish also has its advantages over trolling as sometimes you need to land the lure in places where a trolled lure just simply can’t get to. A lot of the time just slow rolling the soft plastic lure is all that’s required. Be mindful of the lures speed while you are retrieving it, as slower is better than too fast. Remember barramundi are opportunistic fish and an implosion feeder. Vary your retrieval techniques and know where the fish are holding within the water column. Envisage your lure swimming in the water and take the time to understand where it is throughout the whole retrieval process of each cast. Keep the lure in the strike zone longer by pausing the lure and letting it drop further in the water column, before starting the retrieval process again. If the fish are holding higher in the water column, change to a lighter jighead and repeat the process until you find a presentation and lure retrieval technique that they want to eat at the time.
Tip #7 Optimizing Fishing Time
During the warmer months of late spring and early summer, the heat of the days can be extremely intense. As a result, fishing during low light periods and at night can be in the favour of the angler. Concentrating on when the fish are feeding may take a day or two to work out and find a pattern. Fishing at dusk and dawn are always great times to target barramundi, however they can be heightened even more by planning your time on the water to coincide with moon overhead, moonset and moonrise.
It is under the darkness of night that larger fish can be caught consistently, and at times nowhere near any structure. If you have chosen the right area to fish, at a time with the right ingredients and elements in place for the fish to be in a feeding mood, it can be absolute pandemonium. During these dark hours, with minimal to no moonlight present, barramundi can be caught higher in the water column and on the surface. This is because the fish are less easily spooked.
Locate baitfish at night, high in the water column, and you have found a great area to target these iconic brutes while trolling. Unlocking the secrets of these fish is best achieved by spending time on the water, while being astute, persistent, and extremely vigilant. Working out patterns, as to when these fish are inclined to be in a feeding mood, can be much harder than it seems, with the wind being the largest environmental influence in triggering bite periods. Whether you are fishing deeper water or the shallows among the weed beds, the wind can be a powerful influence.
Targeting these majestic fish in some spectacular environments, the bite, the jumps, and the fight is nothing short of breathtaking. Once you have been hooked, you’ll be hooked for life. Never underestimate this fish’s abilities and when you think you have them all worked out, think again. Just remember… there is never two days the same on a barra lake!
Cheers, David