Bush 'n Beach Fishing Magazine Location reports & tips for fishing, boating, camping, kayaking, 4WDing in Queensland and Northern NSW
Barramundi will be on just about every estuary angler’s mind as we move into October and closer to the closed season for this iconic fish.
These chrome-sided fish are a majestic sight when they jump.
Even people who have caught plenty still get that hit of adrenaline when a good sized barra surfaces.
Central Queensland houses a great population of wild barra and shouldn’t be overlooked for more northern areas as a viable barra fishing holiday destination.
With Rockhampton only a 6-8 hour drive from Brisbane, it makes it a cheaper alternative and can be fished effectively over a long weekend.
The introduction of the net-free zone has boosted the population of both barra and threadfin salmon.
The average size of fish has risen and since the big fish are no longer being taken out by nets, large trophy-sized fish are more common.
You still can’t expect to turn up and get straight into the fish, however.
Even finding large numbers of fish with your electronics cannot guarantee they will be biting.
Tide, temperature, water clarity, wind and weather are just some of the major factors that can influence how the fish bite.
Cracking a pattern on where the fish are, what stage of the tide they bite and what they will bite on will see you get into some nice fish in good numbers.
With the Fitzroy River, Port Alma and its surrounding waterways being such a large area, it can sometimes take a few trips to get an idea how to best fish these systems.
If you base yourself in Rockhampton, you have a variety of different accommodation styles to choose from.
There are caravan parks, hotels and plenty of Airbnb houses throughout the city.
It’s great to come back from a day’s fishing and be able to top the boat up with decently priced fuel and grab supplies at the supermarket before heading out to dinner.
Rockhampton has many great eateries to suit any craving and budget.
It’s always a good idea to drop into the local tackle store to get the lowdown on where the fish have been biting and what lure or bait has worked best.
If you want to leave the boat at home, there’s the option to fly into Rockhampton and jump on board one of the charter boats that work out of the region.
If you’re after a bit of competition, there are now five to six fishing competitions held in the region annually ranging from social events to the more competitive barra tournaments.
Gladstone doesn’t have the same numbers of barra as the Fitzroy River and Port Alma and fishes a little differently.
Barra are found here in smaller schools of about one to five fish, which means you will need to cover more distance to find them, and they will often move quickly once pressured.
A live bait rather than a lure will be more successful on these smaller schools, but once a fish is caught the school will soon shut down.
The joy of an area like Gladstone is the diversity of fish species found so close by with plenty of different rivers and creeks near the harbour as well as the headlands, islands, reefs and wrecks just outside the harbour to be fished.
You can be fishing a deeper section of the harbour for fingermark, black jewfish, barra and the odd reef fish then hit a headland or pressure point for a queenfish or trevally.
Next you can be chasing the birds for tuna and mackerel or fishing the flats for permit and trevally before racing up a river or creek looking for barra, mangrove jack and salmon.
Depending on the size of your boat, there are plenty of reefs close by to bottom bash or headlands to throw poppers at for trevally and queenfish.
If you have a larger boat, the Great Barrier Reef is an option depending on weather conditions and how far you want to travel.
Awoonga Dam is great for a getaway, especially if you’re looking for a barra fix while the season is closed.
With a caravan park and cabin accommodation nearby, it allows you to fish the early morning bite, rest during the day, and fish again in the late afternoon and into the evening.
Gladstone has plenty of accommodation that suits all lifestyles and budgets for a weekend away or extended holiday.
I have just touched on the two larger towns in our region but there are many smaller places to fish that offer an excellent fishing holiday.
On the fishing front, the warmer weather and water temperature means the barra will be more actively feeding for longer periods of time.
Mangrove jack will also be firing as they respond to the increasing water temperature – an early morning and afternoon surface session is the way to go.
Fingermark and grunter will still be good to target in slightly deeper water as we move into summer.
Crabs need a good flush from rain, but it’s still worth a crack at them as there are enough being caught to get a feed.
Some decent rain would get the prawns moving and the predators chasing them.
With a month left this year to target barra in the salt, it’s time to get out on the water and chase a few.
If you’re looking for a fishing holiday, consider the options around Central Queensland.
You might be surprised.
Cheers, and happy fishing from Gladstone.
