KAYAK BARRA

With the recent acquisition of a fishing kayak, Dad had a plan to put it through its paces while chasing some Barra and Bass. An early start and a rough drive into the lake to be greeted by calm water and an overcast morning. The plan was to paddle ~3km from the ramp to test a few spots, Barra were the priority but Bass would be a welcome catch. Once in the desired area, Dad worked a variety of techniques without luck. Snags are a part of fishing for Barra and having retrieved a couple of lures, Dad was snapped off, requiring a new leader. Unfortunately, he forgot to loosen the drag and shortly after hooked a big Barra, only to loose the fish when the braid snapped. The fish then jumped out of the water as it was getting rid of the lure from its mouth. Devastating.

Having found a Barra at one of the designated spots, he decided to push on and test other areas and come back to the Barra spot on the way back. With only a 25cm Bass from the next hours fishing, it was time to head back to the area he lost the Barra. Working suspending lures very slowly, he hooked up to a solid Barra that was towing the kayak. After a great fight, a ~60cm Barra was laying on the kayak. Repeating the same approach, he was on again within 5 minutes, this time a slightly smaller model, ~55cm. With the sessions deadline approaching, a few more casts failed to find a 3rd Barra, so it was a dash back to the boat ramp for the trip home. 2 Barra and a Bass, not a bad debut for the kayak.