I'd not fished it all year and had heard there were a few barra feeding on the perch and rainbows at the small runoff creeks our latest wet weather period had supplied.
I grabbed a few small lures and a few drinks, my camera and spare leader and jammed it all into a backpack and headed up the 4wd track from the bridge.
Flicking all the likely areas I'd traveled the 2km up to the rapids before I knew it.
It was pretty sketchy getting out to the deep area of the 40m wide rapids pouring through the pandanus and freshwater mangrove forest. But soon i was in position to make the cast. Don't let it tangle up or snag i thought as it flew out through the air. It landed perfectly and the retrieve was textbook .
Every fibre tensed in anticipation. ...
No bite.
Cast again ....no bites, 20 more casts and still nothing .
I'd all but given up and flicked one last cast up into the pool above the small waterfall. It was an awkward backhand short 4m cast and I was just recovering the slack and a nice barra around 60cm crunched the lure right at the rod tip. A chaotic 40 second fight in the tight country of the jungle ensued. But the 55lb braid held strong and the factory trebles on the yozuri remained intact and soon the battle was won. I admired the fish while i snapped a few pics before returning it back into the pool off to the side of where i was casting.
I cast for a bit longer but the rain that had been nearby all arvo began to fall so i headed for the car... soft. i know but thats what I did.
1 bite 1 barra.
.. can't complain about that all 20min up the road...
