Bush 'n Beach Fishing Magazine Location reports & tips for fishing, boating, camping, kayaking, 4WDing in Queensland and Northern NSW
For something a little bit different this week, I’m going to try to explain what tackle and lures I like to use for certain species around the local Bundaberg region. We are lucky to live in an area where we have so many options to wet a line.
Anyone who knows me knows that chasing barramundi in freshwater impoundments in Queensland is my passion. At the moment the COVID-19 restrictions mean that all Sunwater and Seqwater impoundments are closed to fishing and boating, but hopefully if won’t be too long before these restrictions are lifted and we can all get access again to these world-class fisheries.
I’ve been an active member of the Monduran Anglers and Stocking Association (M.A.S.A.) for a few years. M.A.S.A. is a small group of enthusiastic members whose number one aim is to put as many barramundi and Australian bass fingerlings as possible into Lake Monduran each year. This is done through the Stocked Impoundment Permit Scheme, fishing competitions and various fundraising activities. If we keep going, it won’t be long before Lake Monduran is once again the place to come to catch your metre plus barra. So here’s the tackle I use for targeting Bundaberg’s most wanted.
TACKLE FOR MONDURAN
As the barra grow in size, so do the rods, reels, braid, leader and lures to combat the size and power of these impressive sports fish. I prefer shorter baitcast rods around 6 foot for casting suspending lures around the many snags in Monduran. A longer baitcast rod around 7 foot makes short work of casting soft plastics to weed beds and wind-blown points.
I’m a big fan of the Daiwa baitcast reels – I’ve been using them for years and have never had a problem. At the moment my baistcasters are spooled with 40-50lb J-Braid brand braid and my leaders range between 50lb and 80lb fluorocarbon.
I first started fishing Lake Monduran around 2003 and in the past I have seen the dam as low as 4% capacity. Monduran is currently sitting at around 60%, which is still plenty of water to explore.
My favourite lures for Monduran would be the Jackall Squirrel, the Lucky Craft Pointers, the Rapala Shadow Rap, and as the fish are getting bigger, lures like the Reidy’s Judge and the Halco Scorpion will be ideal for both casting and trolling.
Let’s hope it won’t be too long before all the impoundments are open so we can once again all enjoy the world-class fisheries right on our door step.
Stay safe and keep smiling.
Dale Smith
