Imagine barra fishing at it’s best, brought to life by A-grade angling, serious competitiveness and the urge to apply working barra knowledge. Add some friendly fire banter, a pretty short time clock and then sharing the findings amongst competitors to improve everyone’s overall information base; this was the reason for the development of the “Last Man Standing” fishing competition.
The closed circuit competition was met with open arms by a small number of keen anglers, 8 local fisherman who were invited to join in on the fishing, learning and social event. Don’t be immediately fooled or put off by the small number of anglers, I’m pretty sure the results will astound many of you, especially how the competition was kept to saltwater environments chasing wild stocks of saltwater barramundi only, not fishing regions where freshwater barramundi were on tap. The average fish size and statistics of this competition is enough to rival any barra competition in Australia. This competition didn’t require a half day or a marathon number of hours like we see in other competitions, this one was based on finnesse, knowing when to be where, and what to do when you are there. Read on for an in depth look at how the competition panned out, and what level of barramundi knowledge was required to hook 102 saltwater barramundi, averaging almost 100cm, in just 14 hours, with only two fisherman competing at any one time.
Avoiding the concentrations of freshwater barra, the competition focused solely on true wild stocks of barramundi.
Rules were penned, not too many, but enough to create some kind of fairness among anglers. In simple, two anglers fished against each other in a short two hour session, guided by a neutral skipper/guide who was only allowed to man the vessel and the landing net( first time we’ve used a landing net in over a decade). Points were scored per barra as 1 point, rather than having to measure every fish. Double points were available for fish over 110cm. Time wasn’t wasted with a ruler, except for larger fish.
Advantages were reduced as both competitors fished the same water at the same time, on the same boat, and were always put on fresh ground by a tuned in skipper. It was up to the angler to outwit the fish and the bloke beside him in a short fishing window. If you lost a round, you were out, the process eventually leaving “The Last Man Standing”.
Rock, scissors and paper decided who cast first for the day or night session, and after any fish was landed, the other competitor always had the next cast, just to keep the cycle fair, especially if fish were held up close to a snag or a pinpointable zone such as a tidal eddie, density buffer or tide break. Two rods maximum per angler, most chose 20 lb tackle.The skipper kept a time clock and all was official and recorded.
To give some statistics, the maximum number of barra ( salties) hooked in one, two hour session, by two anglers was 25 fish, metre average- astounding when you think about it.
Putting one's knowledge on the table and applying learnt skill brought reward in a big way.
The most hooked by one angler in one round was 15 fish with the most landed in just two hours by one angler being 10 barra averaging approximately 100cm. To put it in perspective, over the whole 7 rounds, which was made up of 4 first rounds, 2 semi-finals and a grand final, it worked out at over 7, metre long barra hooked during every hour of competition- and we’re only talking two anglers per round, the others were either at home or at work eagerly awaiting results. During one round of the event, the statistics showed that every 5 minutes a large fish was hooked and every 7 and a half minutes a chunky 90-109cm barra was scooped up in a net. Fishing results like that are A grade and are rarely matched statistically during barra fishing competitions Australia wide. One may jump to conclusions here and think the fishing was simple and the fish must be easy to find, like sitting ducks to every angler, but that would be far from the truth- this kind of result isn’t matched by any other local in our district. Wild adult barramundi aren’t best understood by the multitudes and the results shown in this competiton are based on over 20 yrs of my accumulated knowledge on the fish and the catch techniques required to tempt them, matched with the honed angler skill level and the correct mental attitudes of competitors and boat drivers to bring it all together. Much of the required information had been shared with the competitors and all had plenty of wild cards to draw during each session, unless you bombed out that is. Some anglers lasted one round, others two, and only one came out a victor after three rounds.
Time and time again, catch results re-inforce personal findings. Once it becomes set in stone, knowledge becomes a very powerful tool. Recognise the lure? Home made- rigid and supple where it counts, also slightly torn from multiple large fish.
The fishing was a mixed affair with anglers using everything at their disposal; hard bodies and soft plastic lures. We fished areas of river systems, shallow flats and mid tide pressure points prior to fish dispersing with the tidal push as well as targetting falling tides where nomadic fish returned from their free water-taxi ride. Shallow water tactics were employed for fish hunting in less than a foot of water while deep divers were used to probe deeper water columns and soft plastic jigs were used to bounce the bottom, or just above when fish went into a quiet mode. Fine tuned tactics and lure adjustments based on the constant weather changes endured during the two hour window at the specific geographical locations allowed the score card to rise; my own tactics developed over a decade or more with lake barramundi and proven time and time again by Cy and Kerrin Taylor’s 5 year blitz within lake fishing competitions. Each of our 8 anglers worked with similar ideas, but varied their lure selections based on their experience. All of these anglers were keen, listened and mostly absorbed the required info from our friendly personal trips over the years. The competition was going to be hard to win considering we all shared the same information and fished side by side- throw in luck, good and bad fortune and it was anyone’s ballgame.
Anglers fished when available and each competition round was run regardless of rain, hail or shine. We fished 30 knots of wind as well as total hot balmy glassout days and overcast rainy conditions. There was no excuse, barra can be caught in all conditions; number unknown, until you put your heart and brain to the test. ‘Consistency’ is a word that stands proud in barra competitions- if you stay consistent you can triumph, if you bomb out just once, especially in this event, you’re a gonna. I did exactly that in a semi, I bombed out. The conditions were difficult and after about 90 minutes neither of us had landed a fish. My opponent then plucked two fish in two casts by down sizing lure size, to beat me two nil in the hardest round of the event. This and one other round affected our statistics immensely, but hey, that is fishing, it comes with highs and lows. The first round I caught ten barra, the next I caught none. The winner stayed consistent to beat his three opponents- that’s all he had to do to win.
We monitored strikes, lure types and sizes, hookups, and conversion rates throughout and overall it hung around a 60 odd % landing ratio from fish hooked. Most fish that escaped did so by the hooks pulling free, with the odd ones throwing a lure back at the angler. Mental state or attitude was also monitored along with casting accuracy and technique. Considering I guided most of the rounds I was able to keep a close eye on every angler. As a neutral umpire I wasn’t allowed to coach or help, so each angler was really on their own when it came to applying knowledge and skill.
To watch the game faces everyone was wearing was exciting and not once did an angler lose the plot. The best comeback victory went to an angler who was losing, down 4 fish to 1 with 25 minutes to go, and ended up winning 6 fish to 4. Landing 5, metre fish in 25 minutes in a true wild barra fishery in the midst of Central Queensland is pretty impressive; the funniest part fishing common, yet semi-isolate waters where the travel time all round equalled that of about the time length of the competition. Deciding to boat it or drive by car was decided via the tide and weather on the day/night. Other species were hooked such as blue salmon, steelback, queenfish, fingermark and trevally, but they were classified as interference and were not point scorers.
Some lures got one cast before being changed. The best result I saw was 3 timed casts with 3 different lures to catch 3 fish. The trick was........which lure to cast first, which second and which last. Finesse fishing, way more than lucky dip. Recognise the brand?
Amongst the most popular lure choice was the 6 inch tsunami in any colour, rapala sxr 12- any colour, nilsmaster- any colour, reidy’s judge- any colour, storm 5 inch swim shad in any colour, and a mixture of home made, modified and imported soft plastics that work exceptionally well- again- in any colour. Why do I mention time and time again ‘in any colour’- because the way each lure’s swim charteristics are brought to life, tuned, cast and retrieved is way more important than any designer’s colour and etching pattern. If I hear another angler rave about lure colour for barra being a standout fundamental they’ve missed pages and pages of technique or are yet to step into the realm of pulse, size, depth, working angle, bouyancy, harmonics, sound wave, water displacement and resistance, speed and bla bla bla. When waters fished can resemble pea soup, lure colour fades into insignificance along with colour falling short of a stand out lure type and attached technique in waters on the verge of clean. Fish by night or blind fold an angler and hand them a rod with their favourite lure and they’ll fish it with confidence, the backbone being ‘how’ it is fished rather than knowing what colour has or hadn’t been tied on for them.
This was one of the strenghts of ‘TLMS’ barra competition, anglers fished confidently knowing their methods worked, which allowed every good cast to count. Casts that were off the mark often proved fruitless, and the consistenlty good casters, ( there’s that ‘consistent’ word again) more often outfished their opponent by also being able to crack patterns faster and adapt on the day to the scenario at play in the waters in front of them. Of note here is that some of the most marketed barra lures were not used because anglers chose better options, and some of the best barra lures available are either no longer made or are getting harder to find, seperating ‘reality of the barra world’ from ‘ modern marketing regimes, some way off the mark’. After 20 odd years of successful barra fishing I have my top ten barra lures- more than half of them are no longer in production and/or are not talked about, nor heavily promoted. Strange, I think so. Where is lure fishing going, and what is driving it- have a think about it? Are we rapidly advancing, or in too much of a rush and forgetting to smell the roses?
Statistically during the competition, soft plastics were the common choice by 60 to 40% over hard bodies although water time varied considerably depending on the fish mood, at times the hard outfishing the soft, like can always be the case. Succesful fishing comes from a mixture of ideas and approaches and anglers will realise their pitfall when being blitzed by another fisherman using a lure they chose to ignore.
To put a stand alone fact right here and right now, the winner’s choice of hard body lure is not commonly found in barra tackle stores in these modern times……………………………………………. instead smothered by walls and walls of more modern lures of which the winner has fished many of them yet still noted and chose the dynamics and characteristics of a lure that carries less public conversation. How many golden eggs do we want to walk past? Smart anglers don’t, catch rates climb!
Now anglers without the backing of a couple of decades experience won’t be able to call on information they learnt from yesteryear. If a newcomer to the sport steps in tomorrow, they lose out on historical wonder lures and may never ever fill that gap unless shown or they chose to seek and test everything known to man ( rare). What gets missed is some vitals. It’d be like learning about the human body and no one ever talking about the heart or kidneys, instead always referring to a few simple body parts, over and over, forgetting how everything is intertwined as one running machine. Without our hard earnt knowledge from the last generation’s hard work our barra score card in this competition would probably be halved. It’s worth going back in time to seek some some special info on barra.
Mental attitudes. It was interesting to watch competitors during the event, focused, intent on winning. Some forgot the basics and made simple errors, costing them the match. Some chose leader material too light blaming shut shops or a stock shortage and took risks which went pear shaped. Others lost sight of the value of two rigged rods and never re-rigged their second outfit after a broken line resulting in their game plan falling apart. Trying to crack patterns with one rod- a hard task. Others fished extremely well catching amazing fish, only to be outdone on the night by another angler in good form- only nitpicking would break down their well honed skill sets. Sixteen landed in two hours by two anglers; that’s hard to make negative comment on. In another round one angler did get a little flustered with fifteen minutes to go, forgetting that two fish could be landed in no time, enough to tie the match. After the completion of that round and that angler falling short by two fish, it was time for home, but I insisted the angler hold onto his rod as I moved to another section of the estuary that was ripening with every inch of water rise. The result, 2 fish hooked in 3 casts, showing what can happen and that a positive mindset can have you in the victory seat- “It’s never over, ’til it’s over”.
I paid the ultimate sacrifice by not downsizing lure, a method that often brings reward. Considering we only had two hours to crack a pattern, I wonder to this day why I didn’t do this very effective alteration. I bombed out whilst trying a multitude of other ideas to tempt a bite on a seemingly dead night. I rate it high on the priority list, yet the two hour clock seemed to be over in no time. We all made bad decisions during the competition, along with some fantastic decisions resulting in some staggering fishing sessions with wild barramundi and we shared the valuable findings in a manner that allowed us all to improve- hard lessons are good lessons.
Terrin Sharpe, the winner of the competition- not just a skinny stick, an angler with diverse fishing background and a brain to understand what really happens in the real world of fishing. At home with a floppy hat and thongs, and a keen eye with observation.
Terrin Sharpe was the first recipient of ‘The Last Man Standing’ trophy, something that we shall remove from his grasp with future competitions, some fishing related, some physical and some mental.
Until, then, thanks for reading.
Johnny Mitchell
