Barramundi off the Beach

By Jacob Iedema

Ticking off the bucket list...

Barramundi... the jumping, hard fighting and lure smashing Australian icon. The fish that dreams are made of. Barramundi are at the top of the bucket list for many Australian anglers and it was a fish that I definitely wanted to tick of the list too. Two weeks into a family road trip we stayed by a beach north of Townsville and I had my opportunity.

On the low tide, mud flats stretched for hundreds of metres, however these flats were covered in structure and depth variations. The high tide covered the flats in two metres of water right up to the beach. Two small creeks flowed out into the sea about 800m up the beach, boosting the ecosystem with bait and available structure.

I flicked a ZMan 4" DeiZel MinnowZ out as far as I could into a strong easterly wind, allowed it to sink and gave it a slow roll back to shore. By throwing pauses into the retrieve every so often, I was able to keep the lure in the strike zone. Two hours passed without a hit as I continued working my way up the beach.

As the tide commenced its retreat, baitfish and nutrient rich water was flushed out of the creeks. I targeted my casts around a current line created by the tide, approximately fifty metres down from the creek. My second cast into the tail section of the current line was absolutely pounded and I set the hook on my first ever barramundi. It instantly became airborne!

After two acrobatic flips it began peeling line from my reel, until I slowly began regaining the line I had lost. The stubborn beast sat stationary, while attempting to shake the lure from its bucket mouth. After a brief stalemate, I made short work of getting line back onto the reel and attempted to land the fish. With the help of a small wave I swiftly slid the fish up onto the sand and ran down to secure it.

My first ever barramundi and from a silty, windblown and extremely exposed beach. It was a fat and healthy, 55cm saltwater barramundi, with chrome highlights and vibrant yellow fins. I slipped the sturdy bar of silver into the gently receding swell, as I marvelled at its armour like scales and stunning physique. The barramundi's sharp outline gradually dissolved, before it disappeared with a thump of its powerful tail.

The following afternoon the wind had picked up to a twenty knot easterly. The water was stained by the increased salinity and sediment mixed through the water column. I began by flicking along the beach with the same soft plastic that I had success with on the previous day. Slowly making my way up to the creek, I covered ground fast but thoroughly. This time I changed to a ZMan 5" DieZel MinnowZ, rigged weedless, to have more presence in the water, due to the bigger profile, darker colour and that bigger tail in order to send out larger vibrations.

The tide had turned and all of the baitfish that had taken refuge in the creek on the incoming tide, were beginning to be flushed out into the sea. I slowly rolled the plastic right to my feet and just as I was going to lift it from the water a barramundi appeared out of nowhere and inhaled the entire 5" DieZel MinnowZ right at my toes! After a short but intense fight, I managed to pull 61cm of chrome to the shore. To say I was stoked would be an understatement, ticking a fish off my bucket list and then upping my PB slightly the following day.

Barramundi truly are an iconic sportfish and after this experience I was definitely keen on getting stuck into a few more on our journey north.

Gearing Up:
Okuma Cerros Travel Spin Rod - CER-S-703H 7' 5-12kg 3 Piece
Okuma Epixor XT Spin Reel - EPXT-40
Platypus 8-Carrier Braid - 20lb
ZMan 4" DieZel MinnowZ
ZMan 5" DieZel MinnowZ
TT Lures HeadlockZ HD Jigheads
TT Lures SnakelockZ Jigheads