Fished below Aplins Weir Friday afternoon after picking the kids up from school. Tarpon, Bony Bream and Milkfish were easy to find in the pools below the weir wall and a couple of throws with the cast net had the live bait bucket full. We were fishing the run in tide that was due to peak at 2.61m at 6.22pm, so expected to find a few barra feeding along the rocky barrier with the rising tide. The water had almost stopped running over the weir, so we searched for the only place where a small stream of water was still trickling through the rocks into the river below.
Live tarpon around 25cm long were sent to work along the edge of the current line. I had one tarpon under a float (4ft) and the other on a running sinker allowed to run the length of the leader (6ft). I also use a 2 hook live bait rig when using big baits - two 5/0 wide gaps joined to the leader using a Snell knot that continues through to a second hook. The first hook is placed in front of the dorsal fin of the Tarpon
and the second just before the tail. I find that Tarpon are far more active when hooked through the shoulder than through the nose. Things were pretty quiet until the Tarpon on the running sinker rig got taken by a barra at around 4.30pm – was just under size and was released after a couple of pics. It always amazes me how small fish will still go for big baits. I would have loved to stay on for the change of tide at sunset, but unfortunately it was time to go.
Fished below Aplins Weir Friday afternoon after picking the kids up from school. Tarpon, Bony Bream and Milkfish were easy to find in the pools below the weir wall and a couple of throws with the cast net had the live bait bucket full. We were fishing the run in tide that was due to peak at 2.61m at 6.22pm, so expected to find a few barra feeding along the rocky barrier with the rising tide. The water had almost stopped running over the weir, so we searched for the only place where a small stream of water was still trickling through the rocks into the river below.
Live tarpon around 25cm long were sent to work along the edge of the current line. I had one tarpon under a float (4ft) and the other on a running sinker allowed to run the length of the leader (6ft). I also use a 2 hook live bait rig when using big baits - two 5/0 wide gaps joined to the leader using a Snell knot that continues through to a second hook. The first hook is placed in front of the dorsal fin of the Tarpon
and the second just before the tail. I find that Tarpon are far more active when hooked through the shoulder than through the nose. Things were pretty quiet until the Tarpon on the running sinker rig got taken by a barra at around 4.30pm – was just under size and was released after a couple of pics. It always amazes me how small fish will still go for big baits. I would have loved to stay on for the change of tide at sunset, but unfortunately it was time to go.
