The warm weather is here and the season ahead is set to be a cracker. With the barra season well and truly under way due to an unseasonal warm winter the fishing over the previous couple of months has been promising to say the least and will only improve in the coming months.

Barra from 40-80cm have been caught consistently in bays and on points from J to I on the Kolan River system and also in the north arm of B from Pig Trap Bay to Barra Alley. As for lure selection I am still finding it hard to beat the smaller sized hardbody lures like the Jackall squirrels, Jackall smash minnows, RMG scorpion 90s, Tilsan Barras, Halco Hammas and the 52 junior. The Bays and points with lily pads and plenty of structure have been producing the best.

Recently I have upgraded my hummingbird 798 side imaging sounder to the much bigger 1198 side imaging sounder and the results from this have amazed me. I have been scanning points and bays only to have barra of all sizes move through in big numbers and in high definition. I know these sounders have been around for a few years now and we have all heard how good they are but they really do add another dimension to finding barra, you don't realize how valuable they are until you have had the opportunity to use one.

The Monduran Anglers and Stocking Association are holding their annual family fishing classic on 19 and 20 of October and as usual there are plenty of great prizes on offer. First prize for the biggest barra is $1000. First prize for the biggest bass is $500. First prize for the biggest catfish is also worth $500 and just for buying a lucky draw ticket you could win a tinnie worth 12k. The stocking group have been running this event for a number of years now and they really do put on a great weekend for the whole family so come and join us for some fishing fun.

Finally some great offshore fishing opportunities have come our way. After being hounded for weeks by two of my regular fishing partners to get outside amongst the reefies, the weather gods had blessed us with a nothing over 10 knot forecast for 4 days. I made a quick call to the guys to get their bums up here from Brissy and for them to meet me at the 1770 boat ramp. After an anxious wait at the ramp we launched the boat and were on our way to Fitzroy and it’s surrounding reefs. Arriving at the outer side of Fitzroy early in the morning we were keen to get lines in the water and after a few drops I had boated a nice red emperor that weighed 10kg and the boys boated a few thumper trout, not a bad way to start the next four days. The next 3 days fished at a steady pace with assorted reefies adding to the icebox. Every offshore fisherman knows that’s it is not the easiest thing to get consecutive days of good weather given that not everyone can go at the drop of a hat. But this was one of those trips where the wind dropped out and water turned to glass for 3 days.

After 3 days of bottom donging we always spend the last half a day chasing pelagics in a favourite spot down south of Fitzroy and it surely didn’t disappoint. Wahoo were hitting our Halco Laser pro’s in a feeding frenzy and after boating a few and then releasing a few others we decided to call it a day and head into Lady Musgrave for a few cold beers, rib fillet steak for dinner and a well deserved camp.

That’s all for this month and for any further enquiries on how Lake Monduran is fishing don’t hesitate to contact us here at the holiday park.