The
Dawson River is one of the main trubutaries of the mighty
Fitzroy River system of Central Queensland. Rising on
the central Downs north of Injune close to the well
known Carnarvon Gorge National Park, it is commonly
crossed by many tourists, but rarely it seems fished.
As it winds eastward, the Dawson crosses the Leichardt
Highway at Taroom and again at Theodore skirting the
Precipice National Park along the way as its path takes
a more northerly route. Passing through the towns of
Moura and Baralaba the Dawson River gains some momentum
where the Don River joins it before it crosses the Capricorn
Highway and finally meets with the MacKenzie River north
west of Dauringa to form the Fitzroy River. Along its
course the Dawson River has several weirs on it with
varying degrees of public access.
The
Dawson River is steeped in fishing folklore with tales
of bulldust and corrugated roads leading to remote fishing
holes and the associated big fish tales.
Barramundi are the main target is seems for most anglers
here however the word barramundi (or simply barra) can
be a touch misleading when talking to some locals along
its course. What many a local calls a Barramundi the
majority of Australian anglers refer to as Saratoga,
so there may be some confusion.
While there is no doubt that Barramundi (Lates calcarifer)
were once here, and thanks to restocking efforts in
the lower sections of the river, still are present and
catchable, the true icon of this river is the Southern
Saratoga (Scleropages leichardti).
Also known as Dawson River Salmon, Tropical Trout or
simply as 'Toga, Saratoga are a fantastic sports fish
that will readily take bait, lure and fly. The can commonly
be seen swimming just under the surface beating a pad
up and down their favourite piece of water. Most often
seen swimming solo, at the right time of year saratoga
can form small groups of two to five and when the spawning
season is in full swing, large congregations may form
around suitable structure. This is rarely seen and is
a sight to behold when fish pair up and begin a rythmic
courtship dance, noses often out of the water, in perfect
unison.
Click
on images for larger view
Saratoga
can be one of the most frustrating fish to catch, yet
also one of the easiest. Being part of the Bony Tongue
family of fishes, Saratoga have hard areas in their
mouthes which can lead to them throwing hooks either
on the strike or on one of their frequent airial performamces
when hooked.
Casting a fly in front of a fish seen cruising would
have to be one of the most enjoyable forms of fishing
going however one of the best ways to get a strike from
a Saratoga is to cast / troll spinners. Either the tradtional
celta style spinners or the more fancied Spinnerbaits
work equally as well with the little known and even
less used Buzzbaits being a game breaker at times. Basically
if it spins, its a chance.
While the purists would have you believe the only way
to tangle with a 'toga is to cast lure or fly, the dead
set easiest way to catch one is to put a hunk of steak
under a float, toss it out and wait for a fish to find
you
An
rarely sought after species by travellers but one that
is the prefered target of many locals is the Golden
Perch or Yellowbelly. What is not known about the Golden
Perch in this catchment is that it is different to the
Golden Perch caught in the Murray / Darling catchment
and their tributaries. There is little by way of looking
at them to pick the difference so there is little to
worry about except that the Fitzry strain dont tend
to grow as big as their Murray / Darling cousins.
A favourite way to catch Golden Perch is to bob a (preferably)
live shrimp or cray around snags. A well known way to
target these fish is to fish on the bottom side of a
weir when it is flowing; the migrating fish cant get
past the barrier and are susceptible to over fishing.
That is why most weirs have a no fishing zone either
on the top side, the bottom side or both.
One
overlooked species in the Dawson River is the Fork-Tailed
Catfish (Arius grafei). This species is said
to grow to 70 or 80 cm if you take the many fishing
books as gospel, however in reality the Forkies of the
Dawson River and its sister systems of the Fitzroy Catchment
grow to well over a meter. I was once fishing a hole
near Theodore and had a 65cm Saratoga next to the boat
when one of the biggest fish I've ever seen in sweetwater
tried to eat the whole thing. It was easily 1.3 meters
long and had to be 50 - 60 pound. It killed the saratoga,
managed to rip 4 or 5 runners of my rod before breaking
the last 30 cm of the tip off. That rod just wasnt built
for fish of that magnitude!!
Forkies of all sizes tend to show up when least expected
especially of bait or lure, but rarely on fly from my
experience.
As
previously mentioned, Barramundi (yes the big silver
ones with pink eyes) were once widespread in the Dawson
river, however due to the construction of the many weirs
on this river and the systems dowstream, Barra became
a very rare capture. With the intruduction of fishways
that acutally work to some degree and the tireless efforts
of various fish restocking groups, they are recovering
in numbers becoming a drawcard in their own right. I
dont think it will be too long before the many anglers
that go chasing Barra in many of Queensland's stocked
lakes discover the potential of the inland opportunities
that are available.
Other
less glamorous species that can be caught in the Dawson
River include Silver Perch, Eel Tailed Catfish, Sleepy
Cod and Spangled Perch. These are mostly caught with
a fresh bait fished from the bank, often around snags.
Camping
Camping is permitted at most of the major weirs with
varying degrees of facilities.
Hotel / Motel available at various towns along the Dawson
River. See Accommodation
page for details.
Access points to the river are spread out but fairly
consistent along its course. Most weirs and bridges
offer at least the opportunity to wet a line from the
bank, if not the chance to drop a roof topper tinnie
or canoe / kayak in. Some of major weirs have boat ramps
for the trailer boats.
Some of the common access points are listed below. Outside
of these, most of the land along the Dawson River is
private property. As a general rule, if there's a fence
dont cross it without asking permission. If you ask
permission to access the river via private property
and are denied, respect the land onwers rights and move
on.
Glebe
Weir - 30 from Taroom on Theodore Rd
Bank access & boat ramp. Toilets, drinking water
& picnic tables provided.
Caravan and camping sites at weir. Bush camping at Wide
Waterhole.
No fishing 100m upstream and 200m downstream of weir.
Ph Taroom Shire Council - 07 4627 3211
Saratoga, Golden Perch, Silver Perch, Catfish, Sleepy
Cod, Spangled Perch.
Orange
Creek Weir / Cracow Beach - Cracow
Small bank access area with bush camping permitted on
higher ground only. No facilities.
Roof topper boats can be carried to the water on the
top side of the weir.
No fishing 150 meters downstream
Saratoga, Golden Perch, Silver Perch, Catfish, Sleepy
Cod, Spangled Perch.
Theodore
Weir - Theodore
Boat ramp provided.
BBQs, toilets and picnic tables provided.
Hotel / Motel type accommodation in Theodore.
Saratoga, Golden Perch, Silver Perch, Catfish, Sleepy
Cod, Spangled Perch.
Moura
Weir - Maura
No camping at weir. Camping is permitted at Apex Park
just upstream.
BBQs, picnic shelter and toilets provided.
Boat ramp provided, no restrictions.
Barramundi, Saratoga, Golden Perch, Catfish, Sleepy
Cod and Spangled Perch.
Baralaba
Weir ( Neviile Hewitt Weir ) - Baralabla
Boat
Ramp provided. No restrictions.
Caravan and camping sites at the weir with bush camping
along the river. Ph 07 4998 1369
Barramundi, Saratoga, Golden Perch, Spangled Perch,
Catfish, Spangled Perch and Sleepy Cod.
Capricorn
Hwy Bridge
Bank angling only. Possible to carry a canoe or kayak
only to the water.
No facilities. Private property along river banks. Worth
a stop on the highway for a look or photo.
The
Dawson River holds a special place in my heart. Not
just for its fishing but for the people I've met there
and the sheer beauty and serenity of the place.
I'm sure it will become a special place to you if you
go exploring the region. I'll definately be going back
there many many times in my lifetime.