ROAD TRIP

Early start and 40min drive to Lenthalls dam chasing Barramundi and maybe a few bass. We weren't sure how well the dam would fish after the recent dam spilled following Cyclone Debbie. We were surprised to have the dam to ourselves on a calm morning and started off targeting weed beds facing the gentle breeze. Within 30 mins of launching we landed our first bass, a solid 40cm unit. Next stop was what we call Barra Bay, but there were no Barra to be found. Water temperature was only 23.7C, so we headed for shallower and warmed water in our search for Barra. After a few casts on a nice looking point, Dad was losing line to either a small Barra or a big bass. It turned out to be a 48cm bass, a family PB. We kept searching but could only manage a couple more Bass by lunchtime. We paddled the 5km back to our launch site and quickly loaded the kayaks as the fishing trip was only half done. Next stop was a bit over an hours drive, part of the days 300km road trip we had planned.

We arrived at our chosen spot to be surprised by the flow of the river, it was pumping as a result of Cyclone Debbie. Launching here would be extreme kayaking and fun, but with all the fishing gear it would be too difficult. So plan B was another 30min drive, but on arrival we again see too much flow to launch. The other side of the river had a small area for launching but the water was too high to cross. So a 10min detour to cross the river and we had settled on a launch site. It was a fair way from the ute, so a lot of gear had to be carried in. After finally launching at ~4pm, we hoped to be rewarded for our effort. There were promising signs with bass working bait on the surface around us but we concentrated on barramundi given we had already caught some bass in the morning. Having gone fishless through to dusk, we fished into the pitch black night but unfortunately, the spot failed to fire and we went unrewarded. Despite this it was a great trip, learning lots, catching a few bass and getting in a good paddle.