We’ve had an encouraging start to 2016 with plenty of anglers enjoying the feel of a big barra on the end of their line. As a Lake Monduran guide and the holiday park manager I get to interact with almost every angler and holiday-maker who visit this awesome lake. The benefit is that I receive firsthand information and customer feedback from their fishing experiences.

There is no doubt that anglers who have many years of experience at the impoundment have had successful fishing results. Then there are those anglers that are not familiar with this impoundment, who still have success on the lake through booking a charter and researching as much as possible. There are equally as many that miss out on boating or even hooking a barra through lack of research prior to their arrival. I would like to touch base on the reasons behind this and possible solutions.

Obtain as much info as you can in preparation for your fishing trip to Lake Monduran. There are many social media avenues, local tackle stores, fishing articles and guides that can all offer credible info.

There is a huge range of barra lures available in just about every tackle store throughout Australia. The question is which lures do you need for Monduran? One big problem I see on a frequent basis is anglers that come to Monduran with a big bag of barra lures that they have just purchased, of which very little or none of them have any relevance or proven success here. There is no doubt that every impoundment, estuary and river system throughout the country will have a range of lures that will perform better than others at any given point in time. Lake Monduran is no different. If you are going to purchase lures prior to your arrival they might as well be the ones that have had proven success here. Don’t be afraid to ask around – you can get credible info through social media, local tackle stores and local guides.

Not everyone can be ‘Johnny on the spot,’ and when planning a barra trip around the weather you can improve your chances by gaining an understanding of the weather and how barra react to it. Barra can be fickle creatures at the best of times. If the wind and weather conditions are not favourable, for example, variable winds, fluctuating water levels, monsoonal troughs and a total change in wind direction after a constant wind, it can make for very difficult fishing. Optimum weather conditions usually consist of stable water levels and constant wind from the one direction for a long period of time. These sorts of conditions normally activate barra into feeding mode no matter what time of the month it is.

There is no doubt that side imaging sounders are an essential piece of equipment for barra fishing these days. They allow you to scan past likely points and bays at a speed of about 6 knots or so, giving you the advantage of finding them in a relatively short amount of time. Once found it’s just a matter of tying up or hitting spot lock on your electric motor and casting to the area where they are thickest. These sounders also give the angler a really good understanding on how barra operate, by tracking their movements through river arms, creek beds, bays and points. Use this technology effectively, and you will be able to pinpoint likely bite times.

• For any further info please contact us at Lake Monduran Holiday Park or visit my Facebook page, Lake Monduran Guidelines Fishing Charters.