How to catch your first barra

By Robert Thornton 

Despite their widespread popularity, barramundi are not what most would call a ‘beginner fish’. Barra sit somewhere between the ‘holy grail’ or unicorn fish (like blue marlin or big Atlantic salmon) and the bread-and-butter species (bream, whiting, garfish etc). In general, they aren’t easy fish to catch by any means, demanding a lot of mechanical skill and intuition, however they aren’t elusive unicorns either.

The hardest barramundi to catch is usually your first one – but how do you catch your first one? In this blog, we’ll look at some scenarios a budding barra angler might find themselves in, and importantly, how to put that first barra in the net!

ACROSS THE TOP AND BEYOND?

Barra inhabit coastal waters across the northern half of our continent; however, their actual range is subject to some debate. Once upon a time, the Brisbane area was not considered barramundi habitat at all. These days, there’s a dedicated group of Brisbanians who specifically target these fish beneath her tall buildings. The same is true on the Gold Coast even further south!

Have these fish travelled down from the north? Were they always here? Has someone been secretly stocking these fish? No one I know is able to give a precise answer, but my guess is it’s a mix of all three. What I do know through talking to scientists is that barramundi do spawn in these southern zones, so they aren’t going away any time soon.

The barra in these extreme ends of their range tend to be uniquely challenging, possibly owning to their lower population, relative lack of suitable habitat or the fact that these regions have more people in them (again, I believe it’s a mix of all these factors). With that said, the lessons we will cover in this blog can still be applied in the sub-tropics, so don’t tune out if you live in the big smoke!

BARRA LIVES HERE

Within their distribution, barra can be found in a range of natural and artificial habitats. While most barramundi these days are caught either in estuaries or stocked impoundments, they can also be found along beaches and headlands, in land-locked swamps and billabongs, coastal freshwater streams, and even man-made drains and culverts.

When given the chance, barra like to move between different habitats, usually in search of food, comfortable water temperatures or spawning opportunities. Understanding the barra’s life cycle is helpful when finding potential areas to fish. To learn more about the barra’s life cycle in the wild, click here.

This paired with a reasonable knowledge of the seasonal patterns in the area (i.e. when rain tends to fall, what it does to the rivers and creeks, when spring and neap tides occur, what food sources are available etc) is a good foundation for your barra journey. This information can be found by talking to local angling veterans, studying weather charts, flood maps, and even getting out and doing some reconnaissance yourself.

Understanding these factors will help you to decide where to focus your efforts at different times of the year.

FRESHWATER BARRA

For some Aussies, their nearest body of water with barra in it will be a billabong, freshwater lagoon, urban pond or stocked lake. This doesn’t necessarily make things easier or harder, but it does demand slightly different tactics.

There are some basic assumptions you can make about most barra living in non-tidal freshwaters. Firstly, barra need a lot of food to sustain their rapid growth rate, so if there’s little or signs of life in the way of small fish, insects, frogs, shrimps and so on, you’re probably best finding another pond to fish.

Secondly, non-tidal freshwaters often have aquatic weed of one sort or another (or multiple varieties) growing in them, and many aspects of the barras’ lives are closely related to it. Aquatic weeds harbour all sorts of prey that barra eat, plus they make excellent cover for the barra when they’re not eating, resting up, or simply trying to stay hidden.

Thirdly, with the exception of stocked impoundments, non-tidal freshwaters tend to produce smaller barra on average. While these environments are a normal part of a barra’s life cycle in the wild, these fish will usually leave in search for tidal waters after a few years or so; this happens during floods. This his allows them to complete their life cycle, as they can only spawn in tidal water. What this means is that you can often get away with lighter gear in non-tidal waters. Medium or medium light gear is usually sufficient.

Seasons

Freshwater barra do move around throughout the year, however the nice thing about these environments is there are only so many places they can hide, whereas wild barra can literally swim to another river system if they want. Larger waters like impoundments offer a bit more sanctuary than the average billabong, however with good electronics an angler should be able to find active fish.

At the height of summer, the water in still freshwaters can get very warm, often too warm for barra – on the surface, at least. Because of this, the barra will often go deep to find cooler water, or they will shelter up in cover, with weed being one of their favourite summer hideouts. Trolling is an excellent way to target fish down deep in dams, while weedless presentations like the Kikker Curly or any other of Daiwa’s Bait Junkie range rigged weedless can work well for those fish tucked up in the weed. Night fishing is another good tactic in summer, as they will often move away from cover or out of the depths and into shallow water once the sun goes down.

The autumn months can be quite productive, especially with ample wet season rains that bring an explosion of life to these land-locked waters. This is the time for casting lures around ambush points, such as weed edges, shallow points, the mouth of any run-off creeks and hard structure such as timber or rocks. Paddle tails, prawn imitations, soft vibes and suspending jerkbaits are all great presentations at this time of year.

When winter rolls around, the water usually clears up and cools down, and the fish will slow down with it. When it’s cool, barra like to get into sun-warmed shallows and spend as little energy as possible. They still have to eat, but with their metabolism slowing, you need to make it easy for them. This is where lightly-weighted soft plastics can work well, as they can be hovered in the fishes’ faces for longer.

Spring is go time! With the water warming, barra are keen to build condition for the summer ahead. Spring is probably the easiest time to find actively feeding fish in the fresh, and a mix of hardbodies, soft plastics and topwater lures will draw interest from these fish.

SALTWATER BARRA

The estuaries are arguably where barra are at their best, and like the freshwater, there are some basic assumptions you can make about the barra in your local creek.

Firstly, these fish move around a lot, with tidal movement and fresh inflows affecting water temperature and clarity throughout the day. What this means is that a spot completely devoid of life could be a bustling hive of feeding activity in the next hour, and vice versa!

Secondly, like their freshwater counterparts, wild barra often relate to cover, and in estuaries cover can be mangroves, fallen trees, rock bars, sand bars, bridge pylons and so on. Bear in mind that some cover will be underwater and out of sight, so this is where good electronics help.

Thirdly, wild systems hold barramundi of all sizes, and while some anglers are skilful able to target barra in a specific size class, a novice has little control over whether their first barra is 30cm or 130cm. For this reason, it’s best to fish with at least medium tackle, and preferably medium heavy.

Seasons 

These highly mobile will fish really do move with the seasons, so it pays to be on top of the specifics of the season you’re in. While past seasons give us clues, seasonal patterns, and in turn the fishes’ habits, can vary considerably.

Barra spawn in summer, and in Queensland, much of this period falls under a closed season. For those in states without a closed season, the fishing can be very productive at this time. The breeding stock will usually congregate around the river mouths, especially during the intense build-up to the wet season. Trolling hardbodies, casting heavily-weighted soft plastics and vibes, and live baiting can be very effective in summer, but the best results come to those who locate schooling fish first with either their electronics, intuition, or (if the water’s shallow and clear enough) the naked eye. 

As we enter autumn and the wet season run-off is in full flight, fish will be congregating around any inflows or colour changes (freshwater meeting saltwater). These ambush zones are happy hunting grounds for anglers as well. As with a lot of fishing, you want to replicate the local forage as best you can, so keep your eyes peeled for clues. 

By winter, the run-off is usually finished, and the water is clearing considerably. Barra can be difficult to target in gin-clear water, so you’re always best finding somewhere with a bit more turbidity, which can usually be found upstream near the tidal limits. Just like winter in the fresh, wild barra wild will respond to slow-moving prey that they don’t have to work too hard for.

In spring, many of fish will still be upriver, however as larger tides, wind, and sometimes early season rains stir up the lower sections of the river, the fish will move downstream accordingly. With warming water, the barra will eat a bigger variety of prey items and feel more inclined to chase after them.

NEVER FORGET YOUR FIRST

Your first barra is always a special one, and I can remember my first from over 20 years ago very clearly. Remember, catching your first barra starts with knowing where they will be and putting yourself in the right spot. After that, it can be a matter of trial-and-error before you find a pattern. Once you do, the learning curve can be a very addictive one!

Good luck!