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Poll

What breaking strain leader do you mostly use when Barra fishing?

Less than 10lb
11 to 20lb
21 to 30lb
31 to 40lb
41 to 50lb
51 to 60lb
61 to 80lb
81 to 100lb
higher than 100lb
Other - I will post a reply

Author Topic: Barra leaders ?  (Read 70394 times)

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Re: Barra leaders ?
« Reply #45 on: November 28, 2010, 11:28:05 AM »
A guy survived 77 days on a floating raft without much food or water.
The next crew lost at sea with more supplies didn't make it through the first week.
There will always be extreme cases- but common success for metre long barra captures in lakes- based on thousands of fish caught by anglers on 'accross the board techniques and situations' isn't a light leader scenario.
I once heard a guy say he has never lost a barra that struck his lure. I replied nicely with a question, "Well, you haven't caught many barra then have you?" He said "No!"

Considering many modern lake barra captures are dominated by soft plastic lures with single hooks- it allows greater circumstance where the lure is inhaled deeply. Lighter leaders fail here.
HB lures and more lip- hooked connections will see more barra landed on lighter leaders- but who know's what monster will jump on next. 80 lb black magic has served us well in more than enough situations to keep it as number 1 for this black duck. I've had to re-tie a lure after a missed strike from a barra on 80 lb leader, let alone from what happens during the fight. Amped up fish can chaffe/cut 80 within a second on the strike. I lost two lures like that in two casts about a month ago. A rare case, yes, but that's barra. Is there a better leader destroyer than a barra, that can still wreck a leader in the dying stages?

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Re: Barra leaders ?
« Reply #46 on: November 28, 2010, 04:56:32 PM »
Considering many modern lake barra captures are dominated by soft plastic lures with single hooks- it allows greater circumstance where the lure is inhaled deeply. Lighter leaders fail here.
HB lures and more lip- hooked connections will see more barra landed on lighter leaders- but who know's what monster will jump on next.

A very pertinant point JM. So, a question about leader should include main method to be used. I'm no stranger to barra on frangers, but I will say that my main method of attack is with suspenders.

Thanks for the jolt in thinking...  :thumbsup

fitz..

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Re: Barra leaders ?
« Reply #47 on: November 28, 2010, 07:32:06 PM »
but I will say that my main method of attack is with suspenders.

fitz..

And this, ladies and gentlemen, is why I avoid barra fishing with fitz.  He is not a pretty sight in suspenders!

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Re: Barra leaders ?
« Reply #48 on: November 28, 2010, 08:41:59 PM »
Haha...left yourself wide open for that one Fitz.....you knew it was coming :)

RG

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Re: Barra leaders ?
« Reply #49 on: November 28, 2010, 09:17:59 PM »
Haha...left yourself wide open for that one Fitz.....you knew it was coming :)

RG

Yeah yeah I know....  ::) 

Save a pod of whales.... nobody cares,
Plant a million trees.... nobody remembers,
But do one undie run & nobody forgets.......  :-X




Back to the topic..... JM raised a good point about the difference between fishing with frangas & hardbods.

On the whole, apparently I fish too light, which I tend to agree with. Maybe I need to go back & rethink how I fish, it appears I've got it all wrong. Over the weekend I was looking at the gear I've got for cod fishing next week, the heaviest leader I've got is 40lb. Bearing in mind I don't own a rod over 4kg, not a reel with a drag better than the same, I might need to go shopping for some leader 10 times this amount. (Not being sarcastic, I'm serious, but still don't see the logic or need).

Cheers,

fitz..

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Re: Barra leaders ?
« Reply #50 on: November 29, 2010, 07:08:17 AM »
You do fish light Fitz...right across a broad range of target species. I think your success rate of landing fish may be due to a big slice of natural talent :)
I have always loved watching you calmly deal with a fiesty fish. Like I said in an earlier post, It`s knowing when to apply pressure and when to throw slack.

I still reckon you need to buy yourself a barra rod  ;D

Randall.

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Re: Barra leaders ?
« Reply #51 on: November 30, 2010, 11:46:45 PM »
Bah humbug to mono leaders! ;), I reckon we've all been duped by leader salesmen, caught barra for a million years on plastic coated wire so I can't belive that they have changed their behaviour in recent decades to suddenly start being sus of lures with wire attached - especially black plastic coated wire with minimum use of other terminals (swivels, clips etc) in the dim water conditions of most impoundments and other natural water you chase them in - maybe in cystal clear fresh rivers or  gin clear estuaries there is a case to be made for the stealth afforded by clear mono but otherwise I doubt it!  Back in the day (70s-80s), we used to raise eyebrows if anyone claimed to be serious about catching barra but didn't use a wire leader - 'they'll bust you off you know' - either by deep inhaling or via gill cutters - I think there is a case for revisiting the use of flexible plastic coated wire in terminal tackle - don't get me wrong, I love the finess of clear, flexible mono for my lighter fishing - bass, cod etc but I've lost barra just once or twice too many times on mono leaders not to question why we've all gone that way and lets face it 80lb mono in terms of flexibility is no flasher than 40-60lb plastic coated weld wire.  The main attraction I've had to mono terminals is that streamlined joiner knots allow them to wind on past the join unlike the swivel joins I used to use for leader-line connections - so I've been mucking around with knots and attached photos show my best yet outcome.  I've used a heat fused double hitch each end (half a hitch either side of the lure) and wrapped and heat fused the tag back onto the leader (don't worry these knots don't come undone - used them for a good 20 years including big fish) - I've just blood knotted the braid double onto the terminal end and it seems to work good - breaking strength is near enough as good as the line and the knot compresses nicely through the runners when casting and retrieving making it a 'wind on' leader - I'll just have to go a blood it on something decent to give it some street cred - PNG next week maybe - watch this space!! :thumbsup

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Re: Barra leaders ?
« Reply #52 on: December 01, 2010, 08:28:30 AM »
Jim,
There are a lot of early day methods and lures that still hold their place.
I think mono has taken over in the versatility sector. In the barra lakes, it's common to swap from a heavy weighted softy to a very light, finely balanced soft lure that swims on it's tippy toes. The next lure tied on could be an ultra-light surface lure that is rigged and tuned to match a lighter and shorter mono leader so it stays within a mm section on the surface. (Finesse presentation).
A length of decent wire would kill their action.
All of these lures can be swapped in the blink of an eye- on the same mono leader system without interference.
Light wires could be used to suit, but work hardening takes place ( snapping off) on the many repetitive casts, placing wire in the same category as mono - still not perfect.
For repetitive cast and retrieve situations (6 inch nilsy), or a medium weight lure, wire would still be a goer.
That's my two bobs worth- no perfect leader system for every situation.
Johnny

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Re: Barra leaders ?
« Reply #53 on: December 01, 2010, 09:19:49 AM »
Appreciate the informed comments Johnny - can see that for flexibility the mono system has advantages and have learnt in local hard fished estuaries that lighter finesse mono leader systems out do more clunky terminals - suppose I was thinking of application more to the repetitive minimum lure change type application you refer to, where you flog the water to foam with a proven favourite SP or HB waiting for the threshold cast that finally convinces the buggers to nail it!

Anyway I thought all you flash guide mob carried one rig per presentation type so you didn't have to change lures mid action anyway! ;)

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Re: Barra leaders ?
« Reply #54 on: December 01, 2010, 10:28:56 AM »
Hahahaha...flash Guide Mob.....Hey Johnny, never heard you labelled as this mate  :D

Leaders:  I gave a piece of 125lb braid a go for a leader several years back. I think Paul Dolan gave me the heads up. I used it for a couple of months when I was frequenting the barra dams a tad more regularly and it never let me down. (But I only fought 3-4 average sized barra on it) the 125lb stuff could be scrapped heavily across timber with no real detrimental effect. Barra gill rackers may be a different proposition though :)

I think the principle has merrit. 125lb braid is thick as a slice of raisin toast....but really strong!!

Maybe Dales Cod Fishing Brothers have got the right idea tying lures directly to their braided lines?? I`m sure there are applications where this method is best.

Randall.

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Re: Barra leaders ?
« Reply #55 on: December 01, 2010, 11:33:21 AM »
Jim,
I'm definitely not a good representation of the word 'flash'. Throw in 'Genuine Aussie Yobbo' in dab clothes with a couple of simple rods and a few boxes of varied lure designs and that'd suit.
I do believe anglers can get caught up with too much jazzy tackle, boats and the like- forgetting about the basic fishing fundamentals which drive most success. We only have to use the words
"Taylor Brothers" once again to put the point in neon lights.
This is the 5th year in a row, where they have blasted the barra competition field with more first or second places than any other anglers, taking out 'angler of the year' again, using simple strategies and applying them, using ideas that are old school among some modern designed lures and simple cast and retrieve presentations. I know your fishing history, well some of it, and the twins follow lots of the same style of approach- never forgetting that the fish is just a fish, and a lure is just that. They think of boats as basic platforms, and a mode of transport. They fish the whole history book, not just the last few raved pages. The brothers keep alive how important 'all' fishing knowledge is- and as you mentioned, the 'wire leader'- it has been microscoped by Cy and Kerrin, along with everything else that has influence.
This is again another year where they have rammed home their superior skills as fishing strategists, anglers, and for me, 'listeners'. They haven't won with the notion of fast boats, big motors, latest and greatest items of model number 2351/222.C56 tied to a 339.775t1g matched with a xyz666 which goes against the grain of some perceptions.
That means very little as you know too well.
All of the pioneers of barra angling in Australia can take a bow- modern guys winning with a strong link to history and basics mixed with some A-class front running info.
Johnny Mitchell

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Re: Barra leaders ?
« Reply #56 on: December 01, 2010, 12:52:09 PM »
Hi all,

I have watched this topic grow and grow over the past week or so  :thumbsup  I gotta say I bare no knowledge that could be of use in this topic other than I cant wait to nail my first impoundment barra!! 

I must admit that I like Johnny M's last post and suscribe to the same theories that the Taylor twins do in relation to flash boats etc.  Simple gear for a simple fella (me)

In saying that I am going to add all of the breaking strains of leader material that have been mentioned in this topic and divide that by the total no. of breaking strain posts to get an average breaking strain and start there.  The diverse range of posts in relation to this topic highlights one of the greatest thing about fishing in any form, that is it is you against the fish and with the advice of other as well as your own ideas you will soon find what works for you.  I guess we are lucky to have access to the technology we do and have a forum such as this in which to voice our ideas and its with this information we can certainly narrow down the vast array of gear, techniques and systems used successfully by others to devise our own  ;)


Thanks to everyone for sharing the knowledge and allowing me to atleast start to formulate a plan in relation to making my first Barra a successful one. 

Regards
Colin

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Re: Barra leaders ?
« Reply #57 on: December 01, 2010, 01:42:45 PM »


Just a quick one the average came out at around 67.5lbs  ::) so I guess somewhere in the 60-70lb range is going to be in the mix when I get my chance  ;)

Cheers
Colin

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Re: Barra leaders ?
« Reply #58 on: December 01, 2010, 02:11:49 PM »
Remember watching the Dam Hot dvds & seeing Matt Fraser catching big barra on 6kg line. I'm wondering who is going to tell him he's got it all wrong.
I guess its just another example of one fisho having different knowlege and techniques being used.

Open water Vs thick snaggy timber makes a big difference in regard to the original question asked. Awoonga in some ways is quite similar to Tinaroo. Large areas of open water in the basin, you could pull up a horse with some fine cotton.  ;)


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Re: Barra leaders ?
« Reply #59 on: December 01, 2010, 02:43:30 PM »
At the end of the day, if you want to take just one rod and reel, one spool of leader, and have one very good chance of landing what you hook whilst trying almost every luring style known to man on your travelling holiday; and minimising any losses, I'll still recommend to use 80lb leader, like black magic tough trace, regardless of terrain fished. Are barra shy of the leader- no, so why not maximise the chance and minimise the loss? The amount of stories you hear of guys in pubs, clubs, BBQ's and the like saying-----" you shoulda seen the size of the barra that got away,,,,,,,,,,rubbed through the leader" I may be a boring bugger, but if we control what we can control, we'll have minimal loss stories through leader chaffe whilst still maintaining a supple system that allows a smooth delivery of said lure. There's little point in saying---" Oh, I wish I had a......."
Metre plus fish are the common size. I'll never fish less than 80- it's too risky.

 

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