Over 30 years on charter, I’ve learned a few tricky barra tactics for rough weather when the fish go off the chew.
This very thing happened during a recent trip to Port Clinton.
It was blowing the sauce off your sausage!
Barra tactics in rough weather
In general, barra goes off the chew in unstable weather conditions.
The unstable barometer tends to drive them deeper.
So you might catch them one day in the shallows and go back the next and wonder why they are all gone.
We cover this in depth in our Barra Basics course.
Sometimes they even head outside the creek or river onto headlands or nearshore areas.
Check out our new post, Barramundi Fishing 101: Everything You Need to Know!
Live bait vs. lures
Typically, if the weather is crap, I make sure I’ve got some livies on hand.
When the fish are finicky, live bait will often entice a bite.
But even then, you’ve got to be prepared to sit it out.
Mullet and herring are the best options.
But even then, sometimes they will just spit it out.
Regarding lures, see Best Barramundi Lures for Northern Australia.
Difficulties fishing in the wind
Wind can create a belly in the line.
Plus, you can’t hear the rod bounce in the holder.
So, you really have to be watching to see the initial bite.
Barra can swim forward on you, so be prepared to wind the rod before you even lift it out of the holder.
Exploring Port Clinton
We are going to put my barra tactics for rough weather to the test during this session at Port Clinton.
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TROLLING: BEST WAY TO CATCH THEM ON LURES IN THESE WEATHER CONDITIONS
One of the best barramundi tactics for rough weather is to utilise trolling when the run backs off.
Deep divers such as the Halco Scorpion 150 are one of my favourites.
I have a full list of my favourite lures for Barra on our gear and tackle cheat sheet.
BYCATCH
Other foraging species that frequent the estuary are often unaffected as they have smaller swim bladders.
So even if the barra are not playing the game, you can often pick up bycatch using the same techniques.
Real-time Weather Checks
Regular weather checks before and during the fishing trip are essential for staying informed. Leverage advanced weather forecasting tools to track changes in real-time. These are my top 3 tools, that I use to track those changes:
Persistence is Key
The best advice re barramundi tactics in rough weather is to just persist.
The bites will come but they will small and not aggressive so stay on the ball.
Gear and tackle cheat sheet
My favourite gear, tackle, electronics and lures for barra can be found > here.
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