IF LAST year's Rocky Barra Bounty is any indication, you'd better get your 2003 registration form completed and returned very soon, as the event is limited to the first 60 teams nominating and the books were closed early last time around.

The Rocky Barra Bounty has established itself as the state’s premier barramundi tag and release event, with competitors coming from all over Queensland and even New South Wales. One thing that makes the Bounty so challenging is the fact that it is fished in an open system – the Fitzroy River. That brings the uncertainty of tides and fish movement within the system into the equation.

Winning the Rocky Barra Bounty is all about the prestige and reputation rather than the prize, which is quite low-key in comparison to other major competitions where you can win cars and boats. The winning two-person team is ultimately the one that can find the barra consistently across the two days of the event and total up the most metres of fish tagged and released.

The event is fished in two categories – lure and bait. Most competitors choose to concentrate on lure fishing and that strategy has resulted in the most and certainly the biggest fish caught during the history of the event. Over time the bait category will probably be phased out, but for now the live bait exponents have a place in the Bounty.

The social side of the Barra Bounty is very important, with a grand presentation night concluding the event where competitors all get together and relive the past couple of days. The event is already building up quite a body of regulars who fish the Bounty every year and that just adds to the friendly atmosphere of the competition.

This year's Rocky Barra Bounty will be fished across Friday and Saturday October 17-18. This is only a couple of weeks before the closed season starts, so the water should be nice and warm and the fish are expected to be active. Information and registration forms are available on the official website at www.info-fish.net or by phoning (07) 4922 2855. - Kim Martin