September is a great time of the year in Townsville waters. Anglers get into a huge array of fish, and the barra come onto the bite well and truly.

It is the time of year when most people heading to the local estuaries take a baitcaster set up and a box of lures and chase a few quality barramundi. If you haven’t tried barra fishing it is surely something you must try, because catching your first barramundi is one thing you will never forget.

This Aussie icon can be caught in a number of different ways and they can turn up in some areas where you probably thought you wouldn’t catch one. I’ve heard of barra getting caught off the coast in areas that mackerel are caught and on the same rig with big diving lures on wire traces – that would be a great bonus! If you are to target a few barra in the creeks and rivers though I do recommend using a line class of 30lb and around a 50lb fluorocarbon leader.

If you are fishing the rivers and creeks in September you can still get into some decent mangrove jacks – most of the time they are caught when fishing for barra. Mangrove jacks love structure so focus your efforts around some snags with either lures or live baits. A good rule of thumb when targeting mangrove jacks is to go slightly smaller in what you are showing them, so smaller live mullet and bibbed lures or soft plastics around the 70mm size.

Townsville is a wonderful place with many rivers close by that you can walk along and catch fish. This is an excellent form of fishing in September as most of the rivers are running clear, the water levels aren’t too high and there is plenty of active fish around.

Fish like sooty grunter, mangrove jacks, barramundi, tarpon and jungle perch are all worthy targets when walking a few rivers in the Townsville district. All of these species respond well to lures and having a good selection will see you catching more fish rather that pondering on what lure to put on when you can’t catch them.

Small bibbed lures in the 50-70mm size are dynamite on sooties and barra when fishing the sweet water. One favourite on many trips has been the Koolabung X-Ray Prawn Blade in a green colour. These lures have a great vibe and you can cast them a mile – best of all fish love eating them!

If you drop into Tackle World Townsville they can help you out with all the info you need to walk the many rivers around Townsville.

September is a month with many great options on the cards no matter what the weather throws at you. It is also a great time to try something new, so grab your gear and give it a red hot crack!