Big Barramundi

[Norm B]

Might pay to soak the fillet(s) in lightly salted water for a few minutes before cooking them.

 

 

Or...Come to Australia and experience the thrill of catching them as well.

I keep trying to get to Oz as my GG Grandfather is buried there but Mrs B says it's a long way to go just to see a grave, I also have family in NZ and say I could just "pop across" for a couple of days while she stays with my sister but I think that argument would be flawed if I packed my rods.

[Bobj]

I keep trying to get to Oz as my GG Grandfather is buried there but Mrs B says it's a long way to go just to see a grave, I also have family in NZ and say I could just "pop across" for a couple of days while she stays with my sister but I think that argument would be flawed if I packed my rods.

Man, or mouse??

 

You could even beat Ken L for a 'trophy' barra!

[Norm B]

Man, or mouse??

 

You could even beat Ken L for a 'trophy' barra!

I'll see what I can do next time we're in NZ.

[Bobj]

Yeehaa! fishing yesterday morning for mackerel using pillies for bait and got a solid hook-up. This is the result, a(nother) 92 cm barra. As it is 'closed season' for barramundi, had to return the big girlie after a quick pic. Managed to get a 60 cm 'doggie' mackerel a few minutes later.

Never heard of barra hooking up on pillies before. Indeed, I once hosted Chevin and took him barra fishing on our local dam. He bought a packet of pillies for the barra and I told him the barra don't go for pillies...And all he caught were several catfish.

 

Edited December 19, 2016 by Bobj

[Norm B]

Yeehaa! fishing yesterday morning for mackerel using pillies for bait and got a solid hook-up. This is the result, a(nother) 92 cm barra. As it is 'closed season' for barramundi, had to return the big girlie after a quick pic. Managed to get a 60 cm 'doggie' mackerel a few minutes later.

Never heard of barra hooking up on pillies before. Indeed, I once hosted Chevin and took him barra fishing on our local dam. He bought a packet of pillies for the barra and I told him the barra don't go for pillies...And all he caught were several catfish.

 

Nice.

[Bobj]

A tiddler this morning, 71 cm...But a very good fight. The new 'No Net' laws are really working well.

 

 

 

[Norm B]

A tiddler this morning, 71 cm...But a very good fight. The new 'No Net' laws are really working well.

 

We could do with "no net" laws here but the government are afraid of the commercial lobby.

[Bobj]

The commercial sector has been fairly strong in Qld but the voice of the amateurs was a bit louder....

 

Many years ago (ca 1980s) 2 lawyers wrote a paper re the pros and cons of commercial fishing against recreational angling. These 2 lawyers reasoned that a released barra brought more revenue to the NT than the killing of a day's catch by pros. They postulated that several fishos could catch the same fish many times over, whereas a dead fish was only good for its weight in a restaurant.

From that, the NT and Qld, have seen quite a few guides take up good areas for their clients. Indeed, that paper helped the NT stop pros netting river mouths and decimating the barra stocks. The NT has since gone on to promote recreational angling by releasing million $ fish for the holiday fishos.

Edited January 3, 2017 by Bobj

[Ken L]

Nice fish!

Can't beat your freshwater bara for size but there are still plenty to be caught in India.

They are also present throughout south east Asia but accessable parts of Malaysia and Thailand (where I am now) have been pretty well fished out.

One possitive about India is that in most locations, there are no crocs to worry about, so I can fish in the surf at the mouth of a river at night without getting eaten.

My next India trip will see me experimenting with drop-shotting tactics for the Bara. A big lead should see me able to cast a long way and keep the lure down where the fish are.

[Norm B]

The commercial sector has been fairly strong in Qld but the voice of the amateurs was a bit louder....

 

Many years ago (ca 1980s) 2 lawyers wrote a paper re the pros and cons of commercial fishing against recreational angling. These 2 lawyers reasoned that a released barra brought more revenue to the NT than the killing of a day's catch by pros. They postulated that several fishos could catch the same fish many times over, whereas a dead fish was only good for its weight in a restaurant.

From that, the NT and Qld, have seen quite a few guides take up good areas for their clients. Indeed, that paper helped the NT stop pros netting river mouths and decimating the barra stocks. The NT has since gone on to promote recreational angling by releasing million $ fish for the holiday fishos.

We've had several surveys here that prove that recreational angling is far more beneficial to government coffers and the natural environment than commercial fishing but to no avail. The government is reliant on the block votes from commercial fishery areas to win seats where as recreational votes are spread across the whole country so would only affect a marginal seat. Mr Cameron did say that best use would get most benefits but we know what a big liar he turned out to be. All the evidence points to the recreational, tax and employment benefits angling provides but no government will give angling what it deserves, fish. The commercials get quotas, anglers get what is left, if any. Farmers and sewerage companies pollute at will and get a small fine compared to their huge profits and fishery owners usually have to go through the courts to get compensation and I can't see it ever changing.