10 TIPS - Impoundment Barramundi

By Justin Willmer

I have had some awesome sessions chasing impoundment barramundi, including sharing a boat with a couple of gun tournament anglers in the very early days of froggin' (fishing soft plastic frogs on the surface) and watching the barramundi explode on the lure, skippering a ladies team to a top three finish and landing some decent barra from a kayak. Probably my favourite session though was when I took my dad to catch his first barra and within a single session at Lake Awoonga he had landed a barra fishing a plastic down a deep weed edge, then we moved onto a weed bed and he landed one on a surface fished frog and then onto a weed flat to roll large soft plastic paddle tails and fish on again! The session produced a dozen barramundi, six each, with a couple each over a metre.

These hot sessions make the tougher sessions easier to handle, and there can be some tough sessions when the weather cools, the barometer drops or for some unknown reason the barra just decide to shut their mouths and not eat. You can find yourself standing in the boat with a pile of lures around your feet, having tried everything in the box and still without a bite. There are some things you can do to swing the odds in your favour though, even when the bite is tough and hopefully the 10 tips below help you hook a few. When it all comes together and your rod loads and a metre barra attempts to launch itself from the water... it's worth every single cast. Fish on!

1. When

Prime time to target impoundment barramundi is through the warmer months as the fish become more active. Peak bite times can be based around low light, including dawn, dusk and through the night, however bite times can occur during the day when conditions suit, such as moon above, where shade and structure is available and when the barometer is rising. Anglers also often target the moon phases, with full moon a favourite. If a cold front rolls in and the temperature and barometer drop it can be pretty tough fishing.

2. Structure

Structure is often the key when targeting most species and barramundi are no different. Structure creates shelter, provides ambush points and attracts food. Prime structure for targeting impoundment barramundi includes timber, weed and lilies, while changes in bottom depth, such as the original river bed or flooded hills and cliffs can also attract fish, at times seemingly in the middle of nowhere.

Visible structure is a perfect starting point, with quality polarised sunglasses assisting in spotting sub-surface structure, as well as annoying weed and lily stems that can see a cast fouled before a fish has time to eat it. When it comes to deeper water then a sounder is your best friend, with better quality sounders now providing clear vision of the shape of the fish, allowing you to identify barramundi.

The amount of structure and the mammoth size that impoundment barra grow to can see you stepping up from saltwater barra gear to a heavier class of rod and reel. Check out the Okuma Komodo SS baitcast reels and Komodo KM-C-661XH 6'6" 8-20kg rod for a purpose built impoundment barra combo.

3. Weed

One of my favourite types of structure for targeting impoundment barra is weed. Find a weed bed rising to the surface or just below and there is likely to be barra feeding around it at some stage. Work lures over the sub-surface weed, into the pockets in the weed, down the face of weed edges and work the points of weed beds over thoroughly. I have drifted over weed beds and seen big barra laying in the smallest break in the weed or a channel created by a boat motor moving through the weed.

Combine weed with lilies or timber and it becomes even more likely that fish will be holding in or moving through the area. To effectively fish these areas, weedless rigged plastics are unbeatable.

4. Weedless

Weedless rigging with TT Lures ChinlockZ (surface), ChinlockZ SWS (surface/slow sink) and SnakelockZ (shallow to deep), allows you to effectively fish soft plastics in and around structure with minimal chance of snagging or fouling as the point and barb of the hook rest snug against the top of the plastic. To learn more about weedless rigging, check out the 'Rigging Guides' section of our website.

A few absolute go-to weedless rigged impoundment barra plastics for me would include;

Topwater - ZMan 4" Hard Leg FrogZ, rigged on a TT Lures 6/0 ChinlockZ jighead or a ChinlockZ SWS for additional casting distance, especially in windy conditions. These are then cast and buzzed over structure at a fairly fast retrieve, making the paddle feet bubble and gurgle. They can also be slowed down and fished around structure.

Sub-Surface 1 - ZMan 5" DieZel MinnowZ, rigged on a TT Lures 6/0 SnakelockZ jighead in 1/4oz (shallow and over structure), 3/8oz (shallow to a few metres) and 1/2oz for deeper water. These can be cast and slow rolled or you can add a twitch or pause to mix things up.

Sub-Surface 2 - ZMan 6" SwimmerZ, rigged on a TT Lures 8/0 SnakelockZ jighead, in similar weights as outlined above. The 6" SwimmerZ has proven itself as a favourite for barramundi and has plenty of action and body roll, even on a dead slow retrieve, making it a go-to when the bite is tough.

Carry a natural baitfish colour (eg. Smokey Shad, Bad Shad), a dark silhouette colour (eg. Gold Rush), a fluoro colour (eg. Sexy Mullet) and Pearl, to ensure you have all bases covered.

5. Points

Points have traditionally been a favourite hunting ground for both barra and barra anglers, be it weed points, lily points, timber points or land entering the water and forming a point. Points often include structure and / or shallower water in close proximity to deeper water, allowing fish to move up onto the point to hunt food, while also creating a holding point and standout structure for schools of fish that are moving around the edges of the impoundment or in and out of bays to hunt.

Try presenting your lures at different angles along the edge and across the point. Spend additional time and peak bite times working points and you may find that fish are moving in and out of bays and regularly moving past the point. If you catch a few on the point and things go quiet, it's worth moving on and then returning to the point again later.

6. Wind

Wind can be your friend and while fishing with experienced anglers they have said let's move to this bay that the wind is blowing into. At first I wondered why we were moving to a bay that was more uncomfortable to fish due to the wind, however over time I realised it was oxygenating the water, stirring up food, creating a dirty water line, providing shelter for the fish to feed under the rougher surface, assisting with long prospecting casts and it can also push warmer water into the bay.

After being uncomfortable in rough conditions and landing barra, I realised it was a better option than being comfortable and not catching.

7. Topwater

Topwater is especially effective during low light conditions around dawn, dusk and into the night and the surface takes can be explosive and heart stopping. Lures fished on the surface can be used for targeting structure and points as previously mentioned, however they are also an effective method for prospecting large areas and drawing fish to the lure.

A couple of go-to topwater presentations include ZMan 4" Hard Leg FrogZ and 4" GOAT ToadZ rigged on a 6/0 TT Lures ChinlockZ or ChinlockZ SWS jighead (increased weight for casting and keeling the plastic). This presentation is easy to fish and is a proven performer. Simply make a long cast and retrieve the plastic fast enough that the legs begin to bubble and make a gurgling sound. Hang on because the strikes can be brutal. If a fish explodes on the lure and misses the hook, continue the retrieve as they may return to finish the job. If they don't return cast to the same area again and you will often get a follow up take. If they don't take it on the return cast, try casting a sub-surface plastic into the same area as the switch of presentation can often switch on the bite.

In some impoundments topwater presentations can be effective throughout the day, especially where there is shaded areas and plenty of structure for barra to ambush the lure from.

8. Plastics

Soft plastics are a favourite way to target impoundment barramundi and we have discussed a few models and weedless rigging. Paddle tail plastics dominate, although I know a few anglers that love a ZMan 9" GrubZ rigged weedless and fished around the weed, while some other switched on anglers twitch and pause ZMan 5" and 7" Scented Jerk ShadZ on light TT Lures HeadlockZ HD jigheads or ChinlockZ SWS jigheads. Below are 5 go-to ZMan plastics and the jigheads we generally rig them on.

ZMan 6" SwimmerZ - TT Lures 8/0 HeadlockZ HD or SnakelockZ jighead.
ZMan 5" DieZel MinnowZ - TT Lures 6/0 HeadlockZ HD or 6/0 SnakelockZ jighead
ZMan 7" DieZel MinnowZ - TT Lures 10/0 SwimlockZ or 12/0 ChinlockZ SWS
ZMan 8" Mag SwimZ - TT Lures 10/0 SwimlockZ or 12/0 ChinlockZ SWS
ZMan 4" Hard Leg FrogZ - TT Lures 6/0 ChinlockZ or ChinlockZ SWS

9. The Bite

One thing that I learnt early was that the bite from a big impoundment barra can be subtle as the barra flares its gills, inhales the lure with water and in a split second, if it senses something isn't right, ejects the lure back out again. I remember saying to a mate on my first trip to the northern impoundments, "I think I just had a bite". I wound in the lure and six inches above the lure there was a scuff mark on the leader. That's how far the lure had been inside the mouth of a big barra and I failed to set the hook! At times you will connect on the take and all hell will break loose, while other times the bite is described as a 'tick' that you feel when the barra inhales the plastic. I always remember someone telling me that strikes are free, so with barra don't be afraid to strike if you think you get a bite.

10. Landing and Handling

Another aspect to consider is how you are going to land and handle these impoundment barramundi. These barra will be larger and heavier than the fish that many of us encounter on a daily basis and I have seen good fish lost at the boat because people don't have the equipment to land the fish or a plan. Make a plan and talk about it during the fight. Where will the angler be, where will the net guy be, steer the fish into the net, where are we going to put the fish so that it doesn't damage itself, us or the gear in the boat.

A large 'barra' net can be one way of landing the fish and once in the net both anglers can lift the fish in together. Quality lip grips are handy for controlling and handling the fish for a few photos. It's important to remember that cheaper or smaller lip grips can twist and open, releasing the fish into your lap, the boat or the water, so consider a better quality pair of lip grips. A large release mat is handy for measuring the fish and this should be wet before laying the fish down to protect its slime coat.

Finally, remember those razor sharp gill rakers on each side of the head, along with the spikes on the fins of the barra. A first aid kit is a handy accessory when dealing with hooks, braided lines and battles with big barra. As we always say, safety first.

All the best with your impoundment barramundi adventures. The bite can be tough at times, however the rewards can also be great, especially when you lay that big barra on the brag mat and watch its tail extend over the magic metre mark. Barramundi have it all; they eat a variety of lures, including topwater, they fight hard, jump and look good in photos... no wonder they are such an iconic species in Australia and a species that anglers travel from around the globe to target.

All the best with the fishing.

Cheers,
Justin