Qld Dams Late Report

[Member]

Back in March, I asked for suggestions on where to go for our holiday. I would like to thank Dale, Andrew, Pete, StevenM, Jono, Br65 and Binder for their suggestions. Unfortunately, neither the fish nor the weather cooperated very well, but we did gain some wisdom from the trip, and will try to share it with you here.

Firstly, it would seem that no matter what dam you fish, if the water is very dirty despite it being a long time since heavy rains, head upstream as far as possible where clean water may be flowing in. Secondly, if choosing cooler months to fish for Barra, head for the shallows. In Lake Monduran, this is approximately 12 – 15 klm from the wall. Pete suggested that there is a road up that way where we could launch, but we couldn’t find out where it is.  At the deep end of the dam, the depth of the water prevents the sun from warming it up much, and the fish stay lethargic. At the shallow end, the sun warms the water and the fish are more likely to feed. If you don’t mind the heat, summer is better, but you CAN catch fish in winter if you seek warmer water. We went in May.
Wuruma Dam seemed a waste of time for us. There was a big crowd of free campers, and they all said the same thing ….. they had given up fishing, as there was nothing biting at all. Perhaps it was bad timing, perhaps all the fish went over the wall. Perhaps it is because the water was so dirty. Whatever the case, although we tried to do what nobody else had been able to do, it didn’t work. We were fishless after 3 days. Apart from that, it was a great spot to be. The weather was good whilst we were there, and the bush camping right on the water was terrific. There are toilets up on the hill, but nothing else. There used to be showers, but not now. You have to be totally self -sufficient.
 
Cania Dam. We fished the dam, but came up fishless on our target species. Ana fished the river behind the caravan park, and came up with a few silver perch and spangled perch and even a turtle ( poor little bugger probably had a sore foot for a while after the encounter ).  I refused to use bait, and persisted with an imitation frog lure, and enjoyed practicing surface fishing, which is hopeless back on our home turf at Wivenhoe. Standing high on the embankment, I got to see a fish rise to it, eyeball it for a few seconds whilst I kept the lure still, and then strike as I moved it again, but unfortunately it missed. ( twice ) It was good fun, all the same. After we packed to leave, the locals told us we should have gone 5 klm upstream from the dam wall, to the clearer water. Oh well ….. ( as least they didn’t tell us we should have been there YESTERDAY). Having the river behind the caravan park made the Big 4 park our obvious choice, even though it was cheaper at the other one. People were kayaking in the river, but we didn’t. We are not used to paddling, and didn’t want to risk the mirage drives with all the fallen trees that have been washed into the river. The Big 4 park is a good choice all round, which caters well for all your needs, and has playground for kids. They have powered sites and good camp kitchen. The weather was not great whilst we were there.

We headed next for Monduran Dam, and placed our trust in the Garmin to get us there safely. It was set to avoid dirt roads, but I guess it must have considered Mt Perry too far of a detour, so it took us up the Kalpower Road to get there. Having a little 2 litre motor in our motorhome, it struggles up hills, especially when towing an 8x5 trailer with kayaks, spare fuel and assorted gear. WARNING …. This road is not for underpowered vehicles. (^_^). It took much longer than the original estimates, and we found ourselves driving in the dark, and then the rain came. Mountainous dirt roads at night in the rain are not much fun, especially with cattle roaming around and causeways rising.

Monduran Dam. This is another place with good camp kitchen, showers, toilets, powered sites, cabins, houses …. and fishing guide. Robert can be hired for $75 per hour for minimum 3 hours. Once again, we had a mixed bag with the weather, and no luck at all with the fishing. We did try the weir after hearing reports of good numbers of barra, but when we were there, nothing was happening. We spoke with a guy who was fishing from the bank. He said he had done very well 2 weeks prior, but not a bite at all today. ( hmmmm …. Should have been there YESTERDAY !!! ) It’s a pleasant place to paddle ( or peddle ) , and a couple of small bass were landed.

After Monduran, we spent a few days catching up with relatives in Bundaberg before heading off, only get some serious rain settling in, so we cancelled the rest of the trip and returned home. After a few days, the rain eased, and we headed off to our favourite haunt … Wivenhoe Dam. We had a mixed bag with the weather. Beautiful one day , up to putty the next. We spent a few days and returned home for a couple, then came back again when the worst was over. Ana caught a PB Bass that went closer to 55 than it was to 54. As a fisherman, I make a good photographer, and so that pic made the Queensland Times. Ana outfished me just about every time we hit the water. On the one occasion that I caught a few, and she got the donut, she asked me if I was developing female hormones that day. ( cheeky bugger )
We have come to the conclusion that there is no place like home …. Wivenhoe has good camping and good fishing and is close to home. The grass is not always greener on the other side of the hill, but next year, we would like to try Lake Kinchant. I have an idea our luck just may change. We’ll probably go in September next year.

Be seeing some of you at Wivenhoe in September for the kayak and canoe convention.
Cheers … Paul

[Member]

Hi Paul,

Great report, thanks for sharing. I think Ana always outfishes you doesn't she? (you get to say you're a good guide  )

See you at Wivenhoe in September.... 

[Member]

It's all about the guiding, not about the fishing.  Sounds like an interesting trip.  I never trust a car GPS.  I set mine to find out how far it was to Darwin once, and it was going to send me via Perth.  I don't think there is a longer way around unless you go to Hobart too. 
As always, Go Ana!

[Member]

Great report report and insights, Paul.  I fished Mondy with a mate back in October last year and had a hard time finding too many fish.  We got a few small ones up hard against the banks in 2 particular little inlets - we'd hit one for an hour then head to the other one and do the same, then head back to the other.  We tried a few other spots for zero.  Seemed the barra weren't feeding and we were only getting the ones we did because we were pissing them off with the lures to get them to strike.

Cheers, Pete

[Member]

It's all about the guiding, not about the fishing. 

I like the way you think. I will have to use that one. These days, I have taken to telling people that Ana goes fishing, and I go kayaking.

[Member]

and we were only getting the ones we did because we were pissing them off with the lures to get them to strike.

Yeah Pete, I actually think that is what happened to me. I had one very solid hook up, after working one spot pretty hard, but unfortunately, within seconds, he had me around some snags. I spent the next 30 minutes trying to coax him out of there, but no luck. In the end, he got his revenge on me for pissing him off with that lure .... he got to keep it.  Oh well, I will dream of Kinchant. I'll have to practice fishing at night before I go there.
Cheers Pete   ( ps .... hear from paddlepop these days?

[Member]

Ana always outfishes you doesn't she?

Thanks for reminding me Gary. Why don't you rub it in a little?  You should go fishing with her and tell me if it's just me being useless or her being good ( or lucky )
I told her not to let it go to her head. I said nobody will remember that you came 3rd last year ..... they will only remember that you were in the shower when your name was called. She asked how I will be remembered, and I replied "husband of SHOWER WOMAN " 
Male pride is taking a beating.

See ya Sept.

[Member]

Hey Paul,

Saw Paddlepop late last year when he was up fixing up his place at Bray Park before he sold it.  Had a couple of emails with him after that.  But haven't heard from him since then.  It's as if he's gone off the radar.

Cheers,
Pete