Very large tides again this weekend really restricts Barramundi fishing! High tides in excess of 3.6m create huge amounts of run and very dirty water in the creeks. The only option I could see was to go looking for some fish among the mangroves and rocks lining the inside of the Cape. So this morning forum member 'Snake' (Jake) and I put in at Cocoa creek and went for a quick run out the front.
We fished an area I anticipated a good bite from, but after working hard the only fish raised was a 65cm model. A good fish that took my Yo-Zuri and engulfed it! It initially hit the lure hard and then just hung stationary in the water. But once the pressure was applied the fish took off past the front of the boat and wide of the mangroves. An easy fight on the 30lb PowerPro. But it was nice to have my first keeper of the season in the eski for dinner.
We then worked a small creek for a succession of miniature Barra in the 30-40cm range. These small frantic fish were keen, but only a few stayed connected. The tide soon fell and we needed to move on before becoming stuck.
The next area we took a look at was some rocky outcrops closer back to Cocoa. But as the tide fell the water dirtied and shallowed pretty quickly. We didn't even see a fish in this area.
Final spot was the mouth of a creek. Water was now belting out as the 3.6m tide fell. Water was dirty but bait was plentiful. We soon found an area where the Barra were consistently crashing the bait. They seemed to be hanging on the edge of a dirty water line and launching into the bait. This is the closest to a 'boil' of Barra I have ever seen! The bite didn't last long, maybe 20mins. But we landed numerous fish and missed many more! I was using prongs on the light rod and Jake had moved to a surface lure. The action was fast, but unfortunately didn't last long. The fish were all about the 50-55cm size range. Nice fish for a bit of fun.
We then pulled the boat out a bit before 11am. Still plenty of tide to ensure easy retrieval at the 'ramp'. If you are down Cocoa way at the moment, just be careful of the high tide. It is coming up a fair way and will reach a car poorly parked in lower lying areas.
