|
|
Dean Butler joins Michael Winterton on a Top End barramundi safari.
Slow
down the strip. Stop. Now jerk real hard and let it sit. Jerk again.
Now do it over. Fish it like a Gold Bomber lure, give it action, get
it flashing . . . Just be ready for a bite." Mick Winterton stood
on the bow of his boat, guiding me by example. I was quietly appreciating
the live demo of his retrieve while absorbing the beauty of the surrounds.
Territory billabongs can be some spectacular puddles indeed.
A grunt from the bow brought me back to the job at hand. Winterton had yet another serious bend in his fly rod, the line stretched taut to the maw of a bulldozing barramundi. Boils and humping bow waves gave clues to the bulk of a good fish, so strong in fact, it was pulling the boat toward the bank. Tense tug-o-war seconds kept the fish away from line snagging cover until finally the barra turned and took to the air, broad flanks a blast of gold and bronze above the lily pads and gills rattling in a wild effort to shake off the fly.
Split seconds later, the freedom bid proved successful, but in these parts it never feels so bad to lose even a lunker like that one when you know that in the next few casts you could be on again. This was billabong barra fishing at its finest. Regarded as Northern Australia's premier native sportfish, barramundi truly ignite angling imagination and catching one on the fly is the primary aim of most fly fishers heading to the Top End. To be sure, the heady excitement of first connecting with a good and hefty, chrome-sided bucket mouth is to be treasured as a milestone in a fly fisher's career, and each subsequent encounter is an angling highlight.
The life cycle of the barramundi (Lates calcarifer) and its need to have access to both fresh and salt water have been closely studied and well documented. The Northern Territory's natural environment, with its monsoonal rains, sweeping floodplains and myriad river and estuary systems is an anglers' paradise, the value of which is known and well protected by progressive fishery management. A decade of this intelligent, eco-aware management has ensured that fresh and saltwater barramundi will continue to thrive here into the new millennium.
Freshwater
barra are generally considered to be secondary to their salty counterparts,
both in the eating and pulling departments. Being categorised as dark
or dirty fish, muddy swamp dogs and the like has not helped their
reputation. But while I would hesitate to eat a freshwater barra unless
I was extremely hungry, plenty of big freshies have made a meal out
of me in the fighting stakes. Believe me, once they get over 12 lb
they can sure as hell pull the coils out of your fly line.
And so it was proved to me time and again last October as I fished late afternoons through to dark on the renowned Corroboree Billabong alongside my mate and guide Mick Winterton. Twenty-seven year old Winterton owns and operates 'Fishing Therapy', a guiding service that encompasses the broad spectrum of NT fishing options. Winterton has only recently established himself in Darwin, having cut his fly-rodding teeth down south, along the way earning something of a young gun reputation on everything from Tassie trout to Victorian cod and NSW yellowfin. His considerable fly fishing ability now sees him in big demand as increasing numbers of fly-rod toting anglers head north to take on the legendary barra.
In his early guiding of conventional anglers on Territory waters, Winterton soon worked out that the famous treble-armed Gold Bomber lure was one of the best ways to coax strikes from billabong barra. In an inspired stroke of fly-tying innovation, he 'matched the hatch' with a fly design that imitated the features and action of the Gold Bomber. As for its effectiveness, just one session on the Corroboree with this clever fly was all the proof I needed. My verdict was that Mick had created a minor masterpiece.
TECHNIQUE
When the fresh waters of NT billabongs start to warm up in late August,
the barra begin to do the same. These early pre-wet season manoeuvres
can spell top fishing, as the barra begin actively hunting from the
cover of deep banks, weed beds and lily pads that have harboured them
during the cooler months. Then, as the water temperature continues
to rise through the build-up to the wet, the fishing gets even better.
Fly fishermen will get their best shots during this build-up period,
and by adopting Mick Winterton's techniques, they can be assured of
numerous encounters with hard-pulling fish.
As
mentioned, the long-established success rate of the Gold Bomber lure
is the basis of this simple but effective fly fishing technique. The
method relies on a combination of a stop/start retrieve (keeping the
fly in the strike zone) and a near neutral bouncy /slow descent punctuated
by plenty of aggressive jerking strips that help to highlight the
fly's light-catching flash. Once the cast is made to bankside cover,
or, better still, along it, the fly is left to slowly reach the desired
depth. The first strip should be a big one, not long and fast but
short and sharp. Then the fly is left hanging for three or four seconds-count
them-and the process is repeated all the way back to the boat.
When it's possible, keeping your eye on the fly can give you a millisecond's warning of the bite. Barra can appear with astonishing velocity, as if from nowhere, with a flash and bite that sees line skidding through your fingers before you know it. Up here, line-burns courtesy of ambushing barra autograph the stripping hands of experienced fly anglers and newcomers alike. Real concentration is needed during retrieval, especially during those 'do nothing' seconds, for most bites come as the fly sits motionless. As with any fishing, you need to make continual presentations to get the feel of where the fish are hanging. A 'flash and miss' can be turned into a taker and bent rod by constantly putting the fly over and through the fish's cover. Turning lookers into takers may require just a subtle change in the retrieve or depth.
Cover on a billabong comes in many forms. Fallen trees, logs, undercut banks, pockets of lily pads and bombie-like weed clumps can hold a surprising number of fish. Mick Winterton has sussed an extensive range of bays and banks that offer all these features and he works them with a precise and knowing pattern of presentations to get results. Once you get a fish on, don't take anything for granted as a fish of 20 lb and better can truly test you, your tippet and tackle to the max. I've been humbly brought undone with broken 16 lb tippets on more than one occasion.
TACKLE
The fly pattern Winterton devised to trick the barra has many features
that contribute to its success. One very important aspect is its castability.
Ideally, strong rods in the 8 to 10-weight class are required for
the job. An average caster with a saltwater strong 8-weight will put
the fly in the right spot often enough to get results. The lighter
rod is also easier on the user but may lack pulling power when a bigger
fish (10 to 20 lb) gets its head and is looking to wipe you out. I
prefer a 9 or 10-weight rod to help in this department.
During my fishing with Mick, I stuck with my favourite warm-water line, the Cortland Lazer Tropical Plus Intermediate and found it perfect for the job. Mick used a Scientific Angler full floating line. Both lines worked, though, making it a matter of personal choice. By way of recommendation, I'd suggest going with a slow sinker when starting an arvo session, which will allow you to get down a bit quicker, then go to a floater as the light begins to fade.
Leader construction can be as simple or as complex as you want to make it. You must use a shock tippet-40 lb is adequate, 60 lb is best. If fishing IGFA regulations, it can be no longer than 12 inches in total. Class tippets of 8 or 10 kg are as light as you'd want to go. You can of course choose to go lighter if you wish, just be prepared with plenty of Bomber flies in your box.
I tend to keep overall leader length short, no more than a metre and a half, and, truth be known, when the action is fast I tend to run a 40 lb tippet straight through to the fly. As billabong barra fishing is totally catch and release, I can see no need to fish lighter.
FLY PATTERN
That the flash of Mick Winterton's flies was a major element of their
barra attracting powers was proved by the fact that the bite tended
to slow considerably when the light faded. Whether the fly's sparkling
characteristics create an illusion of wounded baitfish or the flash
of another barra feeding, I'm not sure. What I do know is that, when
it was in the right place, a jolting strip would create a remarkable
strobe effect that got results twenty-odd times a session.
Hook configuration is also important. Tied bendback style, the fly rides over and even through the weeds a lot better than any lure ever can and ambushing strikes saw solid hook-ups in hard mouths most of the time. You can build them on any hook size you want but be sure to taper your materials-layer them to give the fly the desired profile. I have tied a bunch of these flies up myself so it is not hard and I am sure that they will produce fish all over the tropical Top End of Australia. Smaller patterns and experimentation with silver flash should see a use for the pattern all over the place in both fresh and salt water.
During the months of August, September
and October, billabong barra offer superb fly fishing sport. Add to
this the soul nourishing appeal of fly fishing in the purple Territory
twilight, amid a spectacular array of bird and wildlife, and you have
got an experience that is damned hard to beat.
Doing it tough in this situation last October, I could not help thinking
more than once just how aptly Mick Winterton has named his 'Fishing
Therapy'
|
BODY: Gold Lure Flash BELLY: White Supreme Hair TOP: Black Supreme Hair or Black Lure Flash FLASH: Copper Krystal Flash EYES: Stick on or lead dumbbell eyes
|
 |