Match the lure to the tide

THIS week we have building spring tides coming off a long neap tide phase

A nice barra hooked on the flats taken on a B52 lure.

THIS week we have building spring tides coming off a long neap tide phase.

When targeting barra on these tides you need to fish different areas — focusing on the drains, gutters and flats around Shoal Bay, Darwin Harbour and Bynoe Harbour.

When fishing these areas, the best time to start is usually about two hours before the low tide, as the flats start to become exposed and baitfish are flushed out through snake drains and gutters leading into the main channels.

Try to spot the fish feeding on the flats and in the drains before deciding which lures to use. Small shallow diving lures, such as B52s and bombers, work well when working the flats and drains. Look for nervous baitfish as well as this will often signal the presence of predatory fish like barra and threadfin salmon.

The Build-Up is a great time to fish these areas, as the water temperature rises and the fish become more active.

Soft plastics and vibes also work extremely well when fishing these areas. Small vibes around 95mm have worked best for me, particularly when working drains and gutters towards the low tide.

The Zerek Fish Trap and Infish Vibes have produced plenty of good fish for me, particularly in Bynoe Harbour. Small soft plastics such as the Zerek Flat Shad also work well in these situations. The flat shad has a great action and can be worked extremely slowly and still give off an impressive action.

Fish these areas right through to the low and then continue fishing as the tide starts to come in again. This is often one of the best times to fish as the baitfish start to move back onto the flats on the rising tide.

Once again, the best fishing occurs for around about two hours on the rising tide after the low up to when the tide becomes too high and the baitfish move back into the mangroves making it more difficult to target the predatory fish.