It’s all about being in right place at right time

Catching good numbers of barra in Bynoe and Darwin harbour during the Dry is all about targeting areas where barra are actively feeding.

Mario Faggio with a typical dry season Barra. For Stewie Martin fishing column

Catching good numbers of barra in Bynoe and Darwin harbour during the Dry is all about targeting areas where barra are actively feeding.

This means hitting areas like flats, drains and rock bars that are often only covered in water for several hours at certain stages of the tide.

Fish move on to these dynamic areas during certain tide windows in order to feed, as opposed to deep, permanent pockets of water. When the outgoing tide has exited the dense mangrove swamp, but is still draining off the flats, it’s an ideal time to target these areas.

Use your electric motor to quietly mooch along, or if you don’t have one, anchor on the edge of a productive looking flat or drain and wait for the fish to come to you. Fire long, searching casts around the boat, hopping your small soft plastic back towards you in with rod tip held at 45 degrees.

Once all the water has drained out it’s time to hit the rock bars for the turn of the incoming tide, before again hitting the flats as that tide pushes warm water back over them. Building tides on a waxing moon are best, with the lead-up to the spring tides producing the best results.

Catch ya on the water.