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General Category => Fishing Reports => Topic started by: Kappa on February 01, 2014, 08:45:20 PM

Title: Kinchant Dam Solo Mission
Post by: Kappa on February 01, 2014, 08:45:20 PM
Travelled out to Kinchant Dam (Lake Kinchant) again for a solo mission this morning in the hope of getting some post cyclone Dylan Barramundi.  First day of open season and here I am chasing impoundment Barra, who’d have thought!  Strangely, the weather is absolutely amazing here today, no wind with just the right amount of cloud cover… 

I started the morning working a Rapala XR-12 around an inlet where there was a few other boats and half a dozen or so land based anglers, no one was getting anything so I moved spots and found some shallow rocks with patches of weed nearby so I started working along the bank.  It was a bit shallow for the XR-12 so I switched to an XR-10 in hot steel and nearly straight away caught a small Sooty Grunter near an exposed rock. 

I continued working the same bank and it wasn’t long before I saw a boil behind my lure, I put another cast in nearby and I was on - this one wasn’t a Sooty Grunter!  It was a short battle but this fish had plenty of fight for a small model, once boated it was a healthy 75cm.  After releasing the fish I checked my leader and it was fairly scuffed so I tied a new one on for good measure and continued on my merry way casting down the bank.  After 15 minutes or so I felt a good whack and saw a decent boil but had no hook up, or so I thought!  Moments after all of this commotion a Barra started free jumping right in front of me trying to dislodge my lure from its mouth!  Once I realised what was happening I wound up my slack line and starting fighting the fish, it kept swimming towards me and I thought I had lost it a couple of times, thank goodness for nice and sharp hooks ;D  This one was fighting a bit harder than the last and it went 84cm on the brag mat. 

Content with the morning’s effort I went and checked in on a couple of mates who were fishing the dam as well and made my way home! 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C5pPDqc8K0E#ws (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C5pPDqc8K0E#ws)

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(http://www.sweetwaterfishing.com.au/Forum/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=6480.0;attach=15598;image)

Hope you enjoyed, until next time!

Kappa
Title: Re: Kinchant Dam Solo Mission
Post by: Sweetwater on February 01, 2014, 09:58:31 PM
A great report Kappa, thanks for sharing.  :thumb Very good rod work in the video, would make Jack Erskine proud to see the use of opposing rod angles for leverage as opposed to high sticking....

Nice sticker on the console mate, happy that you would put our sticker on your beloved rig. (congrats on the prize pack BTW)

How's the ski boat traffic there at the moment & do they affect the fishing?
Title: Re: Kinchant Dam Solo Mission
Post by: Kappa on February 02, 2014, 06:00:00 PM
A great report Kappa, thanks for sharing.  :thumb Very good rod work in the video, would make Jack Erskine proud to see the use of opposing rod angles for leverage as opposed to high sticking....

Nice sticker on the console mate, happy that you would put our sticker on your beloved rig. (congrats on the prize pack BTW)

How's the ski boat traffic there at the moment & do they affect the fishing?


Yer it's amazing the difference a bit of angle can make!  Not a drama for the sticker, I think it looks right at home :D

Now that the school holidays are over there is minimal ski traffic, particularly on this day due to the cyclone that just passed...  I think they definitely affect the fishing but couldn't say for sure because I generally just avoid the areas that get heavily used for skiing etc...  The last few times I've been there I have been fishing the really shallow stuff so no trouble from skiers in those parts.
Title: Re: Kinchant Dam Solo Mission
Post by: UBK on February 02, 2014, 08:22:37 PM
Awesome video, thanks for sharing. Love the reaction when you thought you dropped the second barra lol
What is the rod you are using, looks like it has a great action?
Title: Re: Kinchant Dam Solo Mission
Post by: Kappa on February 02, 2014, 08:40:02 PM
Awesome video, thanks for sharing. Love the reaction when you thought you dropped the second barra lol
What is the rod you are using, looks like it has a great action?

My pleasure mate!  Haha yer the sneaky bugger was swimming right towards me...

I do love that rod, it's a St Croix Premier, 6' and 10-17 pounds.  I've had to replace most of the guides on it though over the last couple of years but I wouldn't let that put you off if you're ever looking at one. 
Title: Re: Re: Kinchant Dam Solo Mission
Post by: UBK on February 02, 2014, 10:28:25 PM


I do love that rod, it's a St Croix Premier, 6' and 10-17 pounds.  I've had to replace most of the guides on it though over the last couple of years but I wouldn't let that put you off if you're ever looking at one.
Was that because they are too small or just general failures with them ?
I have found a few nice rods from time to time, looking in tackle stores, but the guides are just tiny!
Title: Re: Kinchant Dam Solo Mission
Post by: Kappa on February 03, 2014, 11:55:12 AM
I wouldn't say they were smaller than any other baitcasters I've had/used, but they weren't Fuji (not sure what brand they are) and the inserts just kept falling out of them...  And yes the size of guides on what are otherwise nice rods is sometimes quite annoying!  Particularly for spin rods...
Title: Re: Kinchant Dam Solo Mission
Post by: UBK on February 04, 2014, 06:21:32 AM
Ok cool thanks!
Title: Re: Kinchant Dam Solo Mission
Post by: BR65 on February 16, 2014, 09:47:15 AM
Great vid, loved the slow mo as that first barra danced across the bow!
How good is Kinchant, wicked place to fish
Title: Re: Kinchant Dam Solo Mission
Post by: Kappa on February 17, 2014, 01:26:45 PM
Great vid, loved the slow mo as that first barra danced across the bow!
How good is Kinchant, wicked place to fish

Thanks mate!  I didn't realise I had captured that until I looked at the footage at home, turned out alright!  I'm thinking of mounting the GoPro on something so it's higher though, might give a better perspective...

I've only just started seriously fishing Kinchant but it certainly is convenient to have a place stocked with huge Barra only half an hour away! 
Title: Re: Kinchant Dam Solo Mission
Post by: BR65 on February 17, 2014, 08:50:22 PM
I'd be divorced if I lived up there, missus would kill me for fishing to much:)