Sampan goes off as Nate reels in a beauty

Proof positive that a timely start to the wet season can make the barra world go round was evident big time last Sunday at Shady Camp.

Tiffany Parsell’s 101cm barra made it three metreys for Grant Edwards’ boat last Sunday

Proof positive that a timely start to the wet season can make the barra world go round was evident big time last Sunday at Shady Camp.

I was at my sister’s place at Bondi when I received the first of several calls that the mouth of the Mary River at Sampan Creek had exploded with metre barra.

Apparently, there were about 15 boats trolling up and down the mouth and, during the run-in tide, big barra were getting hooked and jumping all over the place.

I spoke to Grant Edwards – who was there with Tiffany Parsell, Leanne Scott Toms and Kevin Tandogac – and his group landed barra measuring 104cm, 103cm, 101cm, 97cm, 94cm, 92cm and some smaller fish.

“We had word that Sampan fished well on Friday, with one boat catching six barra to 98cm, including a few metreys getting hooked too; but I couldn’t go on Saturday so Sunday was it,” Grant told me.

“Actually, I wasn’t all that hyped up because, normally when you hear of barra biting one day, they’re gone the next.

“The girls cleaned up the big ones on my boat: Tiffany caught the 101 and Leanne, who’d never fished for barra before, caught a 104, a 103 and a 94, all in the space of 30 minutes!

Tiffany Parsell (left) and Grant Edwards help Leanne Scott Toms with her 104cm barra, one of two metreys she caught at the mouth of Sampan Creek – the first time she went barra fishing.

“There was actually quite a bit of tidal movement, and there was different-coloured water going all over the place.

“Nothing happened until the tide turned to come in, and then the fish were way out wide; but they were moving all over the place and you had to keep finding them.

“As the water got higher, the barra moved closer to the mouth until eventually you were trolling round the bend into the main river itself.”

Grant reckoned the big barra were feeding at about 2-3 metres depth.

“We caught all our fish on either the Classic 120 3+ or the Reidy’s Big Ass B52,” he said.

Without doubt, the catch of the day was Nate Saunders’ 106cm barra. I understand that Nate is only three and a half years old, yet he managed to catch barra measuring 53cm, 62cm, 77cm, 85cm and 106cm.

According to his proud father Doug: “It was a day for PBs for him as every fish he caught for the day got bigger and bigger.

“It was a pretty special moment when he caught the big one, with quite an audience cheering him on as he pumped and wound the big girl in.

“Nate’s fish was one of a double hook-up on metre barra; I got mine to the boat and pulled the hooks hanging on to the leader so I didn’t have the net all tangled for Nate’s fish.

“I had to put the boat in reverse so the line would go slack so he could grab the rod out of the holder because the fish was pulling it so hard and I had my rod with a metrey already on,” Doug said.

Doug wanted to thank everybody who was there that day for giving his boat plenty of room while little Nate fought the big fish. “Everyone was cheering him on throughout the fight and, when we finally landed the fish, the 10 or so boats around us all let out a big cheer and Nate turned around with the biggest smile on his face,” Doug said.

“It made the whole trip worthwhile to see how pumped up he was.

“The whole atmosphere out there that day was good with people all catching fish and everyone having enough room to move without being on top of each other.”

In this day and age, it goes without saying that everyone released the bigger barra they caught.

Mind you, not to be outdone, word has it that the Daly River also fired up over the last week, including the capture of a few metreys on that great river too.