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There
is some congecture as to the where & why of lake barra in winter.
The following is a view that night help take some of the guess work
out of fishing for barramundi in winter.
Many
anglers say "Fish the shallow bays" while others
claim "get out in the deep water & troll or jig for
barra". Both can be correct ways to find a big barra in
winter. Here's why...
Shallow water can & often does heat up quicker in the mornings,
however it cools off faster in windy conditions and at night. Looking
for pockets of warmer water, even half a degree can make a difference
at times, particularly in winter. It may not mean that there is
more barra in a bay that is warmer, but it can mean that the barra
that are in the warmer areas are more active & thus more catchable.
As can the opposite happen in summer when the water gets too hot
& doesnt hold O2 as well. In this situation fish will become
stressed and will either sulk or simply move to somewhere that is
more to their liking.
Some
lakes can become stratified. Have you ever seen a thermocline
on a fish finder or swum down in a farm dam & felt the water
temp change at a certain point?
The water below a thermocline can be either warmer OR cooler
than the water above. Generally in windy conditions, particularly
in winter, the surface water cools down considerably & can
stay that way for some time until either the lake "turns
over" aka "rolls over" or the weather changes
things back to normal.
When a lake rolls or turns over, the warmer water below will
come to the surface & the cooler surface water will roll
to the deeper water. A roll over often spells disaster for some
fish species & generally put all fish under stress. A hard
time for anglers as well!! |
Barra
are catchable in winter |
When
barra, bass, sooties and many other Australia predator fish hold
in deep water it can mean they are looking for a comfort zone or
simply chasing food. A thermocline often holds its own small food
web of algae & microscopic organisms which attracts bait fish,
thus being a great place for predatory fish to go for a feed. If
they are there to be in their comfort zone, they can be simply going
into passive mode, sulking, looking for suitable disolved O2 levels
or looking for a prefered water temp.
The hard part is working out which of these reasons is the one (or
combination of) that is making the fish sit in the thermals at any
given time.
Both
fishing in shallow bays and working the deep water can produce fish
on any given day in winter. Clever anglers will be the ones who
keep aware of the consitions and are willing to try different things
from week to week.
Now
all you have to do is tempt those fish to strike your lure or bait.....
good luck.
Garry
Fitzgerald
Related
Topics:
Gearing
up for Big Lake Barra - Jason Bird
Lake
Awoonga - Information Page
Callide
Dam -
Information Page
Dawson
River
- Information Page
Lake
Maraboon (Fairbairn Dam)
- Information Page
Theresa
Creek Dam -
Information Page
Burdekin
Falls Dam / Lake Dalyrmple - Information Page
Eungella
Dam - Information Page
Kinchant
Dam - Information Page
Koombooloomba
Dam - Information Page
Teemburra
Dam - Information Page
Lake
Proserpine (Peter Faust Dam) - Information Page
Ross
River - Information Page
Lake
Tinaroo
-
Information Page
Lake
Belmore - Information Page
Chinaman
Creek Dam - Information Page
Corella
Dam -
Information Page
East
Leichardt Dam / Lake Mary Kathleen - Information Page
Lake
Fred Tritton - Information Page
Lake
Julius - Information Page
Moondarra
Dam -
Information Page
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