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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 70339 times)

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Re: Barra leaders ?
« Reply #30 on: November 21, 2010, 10:48:25 PM »
Quote
That said it makes sense to set your gear for the fishing technique that suits you the best from a physical and mental perspective.  If you try and emulate what someone else does without considering your own preferences you could end up being a round block in a square hole so take care
Spot on there Dick,I'm  beleiver in Each To Their Own,if your comfortable and Confident in what your using you WILL catch more fish.

I started chasing impoundment Barra 10 or so years ago and started with 55lb Schnider and lost fish then I went to 125lb Super Braid and lost fish and now use wind on leaders made with 80lb Jerry Brown hollow braid with Penn 10x in 40,60,80 and 100 lb and still lose fish there is no perfect leader system I believe,and most of the time it's in the hands of the fish gods wether they are landed or not.

Paul

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Re: Barra leaders ?
« Reply #31 on: November 21, 2010, 11:25:51 PM »
That's a good perspective fellas.   :tick  And, there's no two situations the same. Recon adaptability is paramount.

Thanks for the insight.  :thumbsup

fitz..


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Re: Barra leaders ?
« Reply #32 on: November 22, 2010, 08:12:52 AM »
Yep, I would have put money on Fitz dropping that fish . One of many more lured and landed on lighter gear. Faust was pretty full and accurate casts right up into 2 ft of water in between freshly floooded green trees being the only method to get a strike.Barra alley back then was a free for all in the right conditions :) We fished mainly lighter but were only really adapting to the local conditions to get the explosive hits where a lure was not ment to be . No rocket science, just fishing and enjoying the chalenge of getting the lure on the dinner plate at 20 mtrs. I was never one for upgrading trebles. I`ve lost a few by staightened hooks, but not many. I`m not going to lose any sleep over it....It`s fishing and dropping fish is not the end of the world. Better to have hooked and dropped than never to hooked at all. Ivè allways used Pen 10X. Have done so for the last 10 yrs and more so ever since I had a yarn to  Jack Erskine at one of the early Barra comps at Faust.  I did go through a Knotted Dog stage but due to my hatred of clips, went back to the 10X. Ivè lost a few bigger fish to abrasion through 60-80lb but then again, I was probably putting too much hurt on the fish and he reacted badly.  :) No problem, its fishing and you need to expect this.

Each to thier own truth I reckon. In the meantime, get out there and throw lures in the water. :D

Randall.

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Re: Barra leaders ?
« Reply #33 on: November 22, 2010, 07:49:43 PM »

Sorry Brian, after you've publicly made your opinion of me quite clear in the past, I really don't feel the need to justify myself to you.  I've only caught 10 Barra this year.  8 were over a metre and two were high 80's low 90's.
As Dick said, do whatever floats your boat, as long as it isn't trying to call someone out on a public web site.  I fish how I like to fish, some agree with me, some don't.  Sadly, that's your problem, not mine.  Demanding that the guides tell you what they use is following in the footsteps of your old mate.
I have two brothers, both are pretty good fishoes, but like the majority, don't frequent the internet.  My brother in Victoria mainly fishes for Murray Cod, his best is 85lb.  The one who live up here visits Awoonga at least once a year, his best is 127cm.  Neither use leaders at all.  The 85lb Cod was taken on 35lb Spiderwire, and the Barra was on 50lb Bionic (yep bright pink).  The Barra was taken solo and took over 30 minutes to land.  I'm not sure that I have the right to tell them that they're doing it all wrong.  Here's a pic of two 114s they got at Awoonga.  No leaders used.




Thanks Dale, based on that I'll stick with what works for me then.
Apologies to any guides that fell I demanded infomation - my personal opinion is if you want a fast tracked education from a guide - go pay for it.

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Re: Barra leaders ?
« Reply #34 on: November 22, 2010, 08:33:36 PM »
Recon that could be a result of too heavy gear/drag. Reading some info above and in past from the likes of Harro I've caught and seen caught fish with standard hardware. heavy handed tactics give put more strain. Where's that big lake barra dvd where they showed meter+ faust barras getting caught in the sticks on light rods and standard hardware?? It was only shown in a few info nights around the place

No heavy drag mate ......... NO DRAG AT ALL  -     I got the hook up in a narrow creek bed  .... hooked up it felt like a cat fish swam straight towards me  till it  popped its head up at the boat to say "hi" before swiming under the boat at which stage I was on my knees with the rod plunged into the water & the reel in free spool with only light thumb pressure applied to avoid an over run  - no big run or jump ....... but the hooks were opened because of jaw opening pressure . 
************************************************************************************************

back to leaders though   -   Are we trying to answer the original question in a thoughtful and practical way ?.....  It's a genuine question from someone who has not done a lot of impoundment barra fishing.   Yeh sure what Dick has said is quite true ...... whatever floats your boat.    If you are into muscling big fish in heavy timber...... you need the broomstick rod , heavy braid & leaders ...... or you can go down the path like blokes that chase records and troll 1 & 2kg pretest in open water and bore the fish to submission. 
Offering practical information which will serve an angler well is what we should be doing  ...... light leaders  & fine wire hooks would certainly fall into the advanced category if not "trick" fishing   -    blown fish & tears can only come from some of the stuff that gets thrown around and offered up as good information.
I'm not saying that I have all the answers -  but I can say that having fiddled with so many configurations , brands , poundage etc ...... I went from regular blown / worn leaders to none over 18 months (55lb - 0.8mm Schneider Klear) ...... including some extended fights where fish had to be unstitched  -  something that would not be possible if lighter leaders were used. 
Yes .... you can catch big barra on bass gear  -  but it is not practical & certainly not for the inexperienced.

Chris 

PS - Dale ..... No one is demanding to know what guides are using as you state -  but I can just about bet that they are not using <40lb in general impoundment barra situations. ...... probably a 0.8mm (55-80lb) would be standard 
     
 
     
   

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Re: Barra leaders ?
« Reply #35 on: November 23, 2010, 06:59:14 AM »



Thanks Dale, based on that I'll stick with what works for me then.
Apologies to any guides that fell I demanded infomation - my personal opinion is if you want a fast tracked education from a guide - go pay for it.

Thanks for sharing your preferences with us.  Oh, hang on, you didn't.  The original poster asked for info on Barra Leaders, as did Franke who resurected this post.  Most people posted their experiences and preferences.  Your posts consisted of:
Quote
Never lost a baramundi to a chaffed leader or straightened hook, really? Thats some good angling all right!
Im a little curious, how many trips do you do a month/year/the last 5 years? How many big, active Australian pond barra have you recently landed in tight country on light leaders. Now Im no expert, but I'd consider anything over 90 as big and active, they are often the most troublesome to put in the net, big and quick enough to cause a fisho grief, small enough to not knock up to quickly. Is it just a percentage game, you dont catch a lot of these fish, so percentage of lost fish to leader/hook failue is low, or in your case 0%? Statistics statistics statistics.

What do the guides use, after all, they are on the water day in day out and one would assume that their bread and butter depends upon ensuring the client lands the fish? After all, it is about a successfull outcome to the hunt, balancing subtle presentations to fool wary fish against the demand on gear to then successfully land that fish! I would assume they try to maximise the odds of that happening, are they fishing finese leaders and light hooks to do that?
Quote
BTW, Im not having a go, or interested in a sh%t fight, Im just curious as to what first hand recent experiences you base your comments on?
If your up there smackin fish weekly, or even monthly, I will stand corrected?
If you go 2 or 3 times a year, I'll stick with what I know works for me, and dis-regard your comments?

Brian
Quote
Fitz, thanks, but the question was aimed at Aussiebasser.


honestly, I have never lost a Barramundi to a chaffed leader or a straightened hook. 


cheers

brian
Quote
yep, also a fan of the free spool and softly softly method, in the right instances.

Quote
Thanks Dale, based on that I'll stick with what works for me then.
Apologies to any guides that fell I demanded infomation - my personal opinion is if you want a fast tracked education from a guide - go pay for it.
Read this bit again
Quote
BTW, Im not having a go, or interested in a sh%t fight,
You had no opinions to offer the original posters, so what exactly were you trying to do?


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Re: Barra leaders ?
« Reply #36 on: November 23, 2010, 07:44:29 AM »
I reckon theres an argument for too light and theres an argument for too heavy.
The fun part is playing within these parameters. There is no right or wrong. I know for a fact that Fitz and Dale have been known to lock up drags on 50lb spools and tough it out just for the fun of it. Doesn`t everybody? :) Theres a time and place for all  tackle to be used.

Randall.

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Re: Barra leaders ?
« Reply #37 on: November 23, 2010, 08:56:44 AM »
Geez Dale, thats a lot of effort youve put into all that quoting! Relax and stop picking the eyes out of everything.
I could do the same, but Im not interested, so leave it be.

Like I said, Im not an expert, or a self annoited expert, or an instant Monduran expert, Im just a mug punter. Thats why I generally dont offer advice, or lecture on the do and donts, or negatively critique others input on here. I leave that for posters such as your self.
For what its worth, I use 60 & 80 10X, or 55 Schneider, no doubles, just leader to braid, up-grade on hooks and trebles inc Owners, Halco fish rings, decoys and VMC 6X as required. Works for me - most times.

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Re: Barra leaders ?
« Reply #38 on: November 23, 2010, 09:25:53 AM »
Geez Dale, thats a lot of effort youve put into all that quoting! Relax and stop picking the eyes out of everything.
I could do the same, but Im not interested, so leave it be.

Like I said, Im not an expert, or a self annoited expert, or an instant Monduran expert, Im just a mug punter. Thats why I generally dont offer advice, or lecture on the do and donts, or negatively critique others input on here. I leave that for posters such as your self.
For what its worth, I use 60 & 80 10X, or 55 Schneider, no doubles, just leader to braid, up-grade on hooks and trebles inc Owners, Halco fish rings, decoys and VMC 6X as required. Works for me - most times.

I love your modesty Brian  but dont sell yourself short ....... those that know you  - know your ability and your application of that knowledge on the dam (Mondy) .....   

Chris

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Re: Barra leaders ?
« Reply #39 on: November 23, 2010, 11:26:35 AM »
I have been watching this thread with interest.  Funny how some comments are taken completely out of text from how they were intended...

We have tried various barra leaders over the last four years including Jack Erskine's Twisted Leaders, Penn 10X, Black Magic Supple Trace , Black Magic Tough Trace, Black Magic Fluorocarbon and Schneider Klear...

At one stage or another all, except Schneider (which has only been used in the last three trips), have been abraded through by rampaging barra - even when going gently on fish in open water.  I believe that if a barra is deep hooked in a sensitive spot (or is just plain cranky) then it will abrade through your leader with ease in very short time...

I read here just recently that Johnny Mitchell never uses less than 80lb Black Magic leader when taking clients out...

Kyle still prefers 60lb or 80lb Black Magic Supple Trace while I like the 55lb Schneider Klear.  Just our preferences...

Regs

Pete

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Re: Barra leaders ?
« Reply #40 on: November 23, 2010, 12:08:00 PM »
Interested what your all using in regards to impoundment barra leader material now days - brand & strength ?

Thanks Scotto

Hi Scott,

To help answer part of your question, I've added a poll to your topic. Here's hoping it helps get a broad spectrum of feedback from those who don't type a reply.

The results will only be shown to those who have voted.

Cheers,

fitzy..

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Re: Barra leaders ?
« Reply #41 on: November 23, 2010, 02:28:47 PM »
Some very interesting views published here.
I am not an expert as I only visit the dams ( Mondy or Awoonga) for a week once a year and I only troll the main basins due to age and physical ability. ( No way can I stand up and cast particually on a windswept shore)
I use a home made twisted leader made up of 4 strands of 14 lb line that Matt Frazer demoed one night at Fishhead and never have had a leader failure.
I have had one instance of one strand of the 4 breaking but luckily no fish lost.( Fish went under boat and rubbed leader on keel}
Another question what length leader does everyone use. Mine are around 4 feet long.
At another seminar at fishead Eric Grell advocated only using a leader around 1 foot long as that is all you need to clear the gill rakers.
I do believe that if you intend to release a fish to fight another day you should be using heavier tackle so the fish can be boated and released fairly quickly.
Last week at Mondy we watched someone battle a metery for around half an hour on 20lb braid and then spent a fruitless hour trying to get the fish to swim away.
Cheers
Ray

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Re: Barra leaders ?
« Reply #42 on: November 23, 2010, 05:45:44 PM »
Hi Ray

Leader length ....... good question & you should get some interesting answers.
I'm certainly with Eric on the short leader  - enough to get past the gill rakers.  :youbeauty
Short leaders also allow minimal interference with a lures action when heavy ones are used.   I also like that you can keep the leader knot outside the tip eliminating that annoying rattling through the guides (specially when the rod is fitted with small guides) - 
The down side of a 12-18 inch leader is that you only get a couple of lure changes & handling a big fish when on your own is more difficult.

Chris

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Re: Barra leaders ?
« Reply #43 on: November 25, 2010, 02:14:41 PM »
This going to sound like a dumb question but I want to know what killed wire leaders? Assume answers include:

  • wire is too visible /spooks fish particularly in heavy fished waters
    wire limits freedom of lure action
    wire is too difficult to attach as a wind on leader to braid lines 

I used to always use black plastic coated 'weld wire' or such can't recall  its exact name and we (dad and I ) came up with some pretty deadly knots that were finalised using a lighter to fuse the plastic together - used such leaders for 20 years of Gulf barra fishing and never had one fail catching 1000's of barra including big mumas though occasionaly they'd get shredded during a fight and you'd replace them afterwards.  When I got back from a couple year stint of working in PNG - braid lines were starting to come in and I followed suit in changing to mono leaders cause I got looked at like a dumb bum for continuing to use wire - beside the peer pressure factor I was attracted to the wind on smoothness of mono as I used to always join my wire to a small swivel.
Earlier this year while fishing with Harro my daughter loss a 1m+ barra after it bit through the 60lb mono leader - and it was suggested I should of been using at least 80lb monoi for the class of fish in Awonga - but it got me too thinking - It would have never bit through on my old wire leaders.. and I suppose I dont really belive the suggestion that black wire leaders spook fish or seriously affect lure action - so why dont I use them again?  can you tie nots like albrights or universals straight to wire leaders to make them wind on? - gonna try next time - any advice? ta - Jim

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Re: Barra leaders ?
« Reply #44 on: November 25, 2010, 02:57:36 PM »
Before I went to PNG this year, Riccard told me he'd been bitten off by some really big Bass in the Kulu river using 80lb Flouro.  I went and got some 120lb piano wire and made a dozen 8" leaders.  I tried them on a couple of occaisions, and others in the boat were catching fish and I got zip.  Changed back to flouro and I got fish.  We went bottom bouncing one night and I used the same bait as the other six on board.  They used mono and I used wire.  They got bit off a couple of times when some barracuda moved in, but I didn't get a bite all night.  I know some of the guides at Awoonga went through a phase of using wire, but they don't seem to now.  I wonder if they noticed the same thing?

 

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