WTF and closed season options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . by John Boon

How’s this for a local threadfin. Daniel Brind with a cracker. Persistence always beats resistance.

Local spanish guru Chris Nash with a beast 30kg model from north of Yeppoon.

WTF and closed season options

LAST month was the tenth anniversary Women That Fish Barra Classic, run on the mighty Fitzroy River.

The masterminds behind the WTF comp, Shara Van Haren and Kalana Thomas, need to take a bow for the quality event they have put so much hard work into.

We have been involved with this competition in the past and it has been nothing short of spectacular, catering to all skill levels.

Unfortunately, this year we were unable to attend but I got a good run down on the proceedings.

Day one would have to go down as one of the toughest in the comp’s history.

Any of the anglers who braved the conditions on that first day would have had full wet-weather gear on because it rained practically all day.

I checked the radar at about 9am on day one and it showed it was bucketing down.

By reports, most of the anglers were still on the water, which was a huge effort.

There weren’t a lot of fish sent in on the first day which was no surprise given the weather.

Chasin Tails was in top spot with 188cm of barramundi registered and the longest barra for the day was a cracking fish caught by Shelly Newton at 94cm.

The conditions for day two couldn’t have been more perfect, with rain clearing, blue skies and next to no wind.

The barra came in thick and fast with the good conditions.

It was definitely a race to the finish and at the end of the competition the overall champion team was separated by only 1cm. * continued P55

Capricorn Coast by JOHN BOON

* from P54

Champion team of one was taken out by Gone Fishing with a total bag length of 261cm, champion team of two was won by Chasin Tails with a bag length of 262cm, and champion team of three was won by Bluefin Sports Yamaha with a bag length of 240cm, which gave Chasin Tails the overall win.

The champion individual angler was won by Shelly Newton with a bag length of 261cm, including a couple of beautiful barra that measured in at 92 and 94cm.

The smallest barra overall was taken out by Helen Maclean at 34cm – a great sign that there are some juveniles swimming around from last year’s recruitment.

The longest barra was caught by Vicki Manns at an impressive 97cm, pulled from very tight structure.

The longest other species was a king threadfin caught by Kelly French at 128cm.

So many prizes were given out including a boat, motor and trailer package, Humminbird sounders, Humminbird 360 transducer and loads more.

You didn’t even have to catch a fish to walk away with a prize.

Many sponsors make this event possible – to find out who, check out the WTF Facebook page.

Make sure you give it a ‘like’ to stay upto-date and to keep an eye out for next year’s dates.

Right, what’s been happening on the Capricorn Coast lately?

Well, the saltwater barra season is now closed, so you will need to look elsewhere for your piscatorial pursuits.

I think the first fish on the list for this time of year is a late season little black marlin.

I’ve been busting at the seams to get out and give it a go but haven’t had the opportunity as yet.

I know Yeppoon sportfishing charters have been out smacking a few of late, so if you’re not confident chasing marlin, give the pros a call and they should be able to hook you up.

If you’re not interested in marlin then the bay pelagic action should get you fired up.

School and spotted mackerel have been running red hot in all the usual areas.

We did a trip recently chasing bay reef fish and were getting snipped off quite regularly.

We changed our technique from the bottom to pelagics and were rewarded with a good feed of school mackerel.

Trolling spoons seemed to be one of the most effective ways to catch them.

Trolling smaller barra lures – such as Classic – has also been reliable in the past and is such a simple technique.

If they don’t respond to a trolled lure then try doing some nice slow drifts over them with a pilchard or garfish, this can get the action going again.

Leaving wire off the rig used can see you get more bites too but you also run the risk of being snipped off.

Occasionally, I will use a swivel and split ring on the front of the gangs to get the mono leader away from the hooks a little.

If the weather isn’t favourable for heading out the front, then chasing a king threadfin in the Fitzroy River on a neap tide should be high on the priority list.

Some great schools of king threadfin can be found throughout the river, so it’s only a matter of putting in time to search for them.

If you can find a school outside the more popular areas, you will find it easier to get a bite out of them.

Less pressured fish equals more bites.

Well, that’s it from me, so take care and I might catch you out on the water.

Vicki Manns with the biggest barramundi caught in the Women That Fish Barra Classic competition at 97cm. Skipper Kelly Manns putting them on the fish.