Barramundi Recipe for Angling Success
There are a few tips and tricks to angling success in Lake Monduran, and when it comes to Barramundi you will be well rewarded for your learning effort. Here are a few of the most successful tips for hardware and lures we have collected over the years.
Rod – Graphite or woven rods from 8kg to 12Kg will suffice. Preferably Graphite because of its lightness, which makes hours of casting less physically demanding.
Reels – Low profile or Barrel type overhead reels are most popular because of their design, lightness, strong drag systems and accurate casting. Spinning Reels are fine but can be a little heavy when casting reels all day. Spinning Reels are excellent for trolling.
Line – Braid or mono from 15kg to 25kg are best. Preferably braid because of its non stretch characteristics and small diameter for casting.
Leader – Leader from 20kg to 30kg. Preferably fluorocarbon which becomes completely translucent in water.
Clips – Coast-lock and Cross-lock clips rated between 40kg and 50kg will be strong enough. When using mono line use a clip with a swivel on it because of line twist.
Lures – Lures ranging from 100mm to 180mm in length are ideal. It is best to have a selection of lures which will dive in depth of 1 metre to 7 metres. Colour selection is fairly important with Gold, Silver and White being the most popular.
Lure Hardware – upgrade all hardware on lures to be heavy duty split rings and hooks.
Water Temperature– Optimum Water Temperature is 27 to 30 degrees Celsius are critical for catching this iconic species. Barramundi like warm water and tactics will change throughout the seasons. Because of low temperatures throughout the winter months, target windward areas on the side of bays where the temperature is highest. Prime fishing for this period is between 10am to 2pm.
During the summer months, water temperature can get too hot during the middle of the day, so fish between 5am to 9am and 3pm to 6pm.
Moon Phase – Prime lunar phase is 2 days before and up to full moon and new moon.
Food– Normal food is gar and boney bream. Find a bay where there is plenty of gar and you will be sure to find Barramundi. For those that have an echo sounder, look for balls of bait. Barramundi are often found just below these natural food sources.
Barramundi Habitat– One of the important ingredients for catching Barramundi is ‘habitat’ or ‘structure.’ Fallen timber and lantana bushes with plenty of branches are prime areas to look, as are gradual sloping rocky spots with deep water surrounding each side.
Other successful fishing spots are the windward side of shallow bays and close to timbered foreshores in 6 to 7 metres depth which is adjacent to the Kolan Shire riverbed. Other productive areas have been the edges of weed beds and small islands surrounded by shallow water.