After the flush-out

Cameron Christian

Plenty of rain over the past few months has given our fresh and saltwater systems a good flush-out and a great boost to baitfish stocks. March is typically still the wet season around Mackay, and dealing with the dirty water may still be an issue. Plenty of barra will still be about though, particularly while the weather is still warm. Toward the end of March as we transition into the cooler months, some of and drains, picking off bait as it flows out with the dirty water. Casting lures or live baits into the flow and letting them drift out into the main creek is a great way to target these fish.

Live baits typically work best around Mackay, and the bridges in the Pioneer River can be a great place for barra and jacks. Rigging the best offerings, including several prawns ganged up on a hook, can produce the best results.

Meanwhile, the rocks below the Ron Camm bridge are perfect for flogging lures for barra and jacks, the tide. Casts can also be focused on the shadow lines at night created by the streetlights on the bridge to target the barra patrolling the shadows, picking off bait in the light. All barra lures will work, however weedless soft plastics or floating hardbody divers are sometimes best for avoiding getting snagged. and can be targeted using lures like poppers, shallow divers or lightly weighted soft plastics. Prawn lures will be a great option during March as anglers should expect good prawn runs if we keep getting rain.

If there is a bit of rain about and the creeks are dirty, snub-nosed dart (permit) can be a good option around spots like the mouth of the Pioneer River or the Harbour and Eimeo beaches. They can be targeted using small flies or soft plastics on light gear, focusing casts on gutters, drains or rock walls and points.

As the fresh water clears anglers can expect good action while fishing rocky headlands like those around Seaforth, Shoal Point and Eimeo. Lures or live baits can be cast tight to the rocks in the shallower zones for barra, cod or jacks. Alternatively, deep diving lures can be slowly trolled tight to the bottom for fingermark (golden snapper) in the deeper zones while shallow divers can be worked at the surface for queenfish and trevally. Trevally and queenfish can also be found schooling up and chasing bait around the mouths of systems like the Pioneer River on the last of the outgoing tide, however this will usually only occur when the water is nice and clean.

Flathead will also be around flats like these, and more catches should be seen around the end of the month.

If barra or trevally can’t be seen bashing bait then chasing flathead around the gutters, drains or edges of rubble patches using similar taken the opportunity to try for another spawning run. Eggs have been successfully produced and are currently hatching.

While the extra rain during January was pretty good for the sooties, it has been a disaster for Teemburra as many large barra jumped the wall in their efforts to breed. Some of these escapees would have survived, but the majority would have died, which is pretty tragic considering how healthy the fishery has larger barra genuinely look old and decrepit (and fight like it too).

In addition, the added flow and spike in oxygen and nitrogen from the dump of rainwater triggers baitfish to spawn, ensuring great bait stocks for the new and remaining barra to thrive on.

While there may be some silver linings, the dam flowing over has taken a significant toll on MAFSA’s stocking efforts. A Gofundme has been set up to assist with the revitalisation of the winter species should become easier to find.

With rain about, barra will often sit to the sides and at the mouths of small gullies particularly on the outgoing tide. Casts can be focused on drains or waterfalls where the bait is left vulnerable as they are flushed out with

The flats around the Pioneer River, Eimeo and Seaforth are great to fish on the larger tides as predatory fish push bait up into the shallows during the incoming tide. Species like barra and golden trevally can be seen with their backs out of the water as they chase this bait lures to those mentioned above is a great option.

While hanging around rubble patches, anglers are likely to come across grunter as they forage for crabs and baitfish. Grunter can be best targeted using strip baits like gar and ribbon fish or lures like vibes, prawn imitations or divers worked close to the bottom.

Plenty of rain over January has triggered sooties to breed, and MAFSA has been, and how big and fat the barra were.

The dam flowing over means a lot of work and time is required to bring it back to its peak condition. However, some positives may be taken from the event. For example, the clearing of the large, old barra provides a better opportunity for the small, young barra to survive and thrive. Peter Faust is a good example of where this is required; some of the

Teemburra, with funds going directly to purchasing new fingerlings for the dam (see MAFSA’s Facebook page for more details). 1000 barra at an average size of 200mm were recently stocked into the dam, with 100 of these fish tagged. Efforts like these are not cheap, particularly with the added expense of tagging, hence funding is needed. Any contributions are welcome and much appreciated.

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