BARRAMUNDI
Scientific Name: Lates Calcarifer
Also Known As: Barra; Giant Perch; Palmer Perch; BARRAMUNDI
Salt / Fresh: Salt,Fresh
Where found: Barramundi is Found right around the top of Australia from the mid QLD coast in the east around to the top of WA and throughout much of south east Asia (Philippines, Papua New Guinea, South China and parts of India). They are found in both fresh and salt water. They can be offshore around heads, right up to the top reaches of rivers and creeks. Most angling takes place around the mouths of big tidal rivers during the run off season. Now stocked also in many dams throughout Queensland
Description:
The Barramundi is one of Australia's most prized and well known sportfish. Great to catch and great to eat.
How To Identify:
The Barramundi can vary from quite brown or green looking in freshwater to a beautiful silver in the salt. However most commonly a bluish-grey on the upper body and silver below with yellow on the caudal fin. Has a large mouth and typical perch look about it. They can grow up towards 50kgs however specimens over 20kg are worth boasting about. In the last few years impoundment barramundi are reaching enormous sizes.
How To Catch:
Barramundi are caught by a variety of means including, hard bodied lures (typically of a minnow style), soft plastics, fly fishing, live and dead baits. Live bait can be very effective, including live prawns, mullet or other small baitfish. Plenty or fishing articles and entire books have been about how to catch this outstanding sportfish. I have fished for almost entirely with lures and from my experiences. 1. Hard bodies - Larger Saltwater fish tend to be around the mouths of large rivers, trolling or casting large hard bodies can prove very productive, including Barra Classics, Large Nils masters, RMG Scorpions. These large lures match the large mullet they are most likely chasing. Best on spring tides where there is plenty of water movement. Fishing during the famous run off (Around March - May) is the best for this. 2. Soft plastics - great fishing these from anywhere near the mouth to as far up stream as you can get during the run off. Very productive fishing this over mud banks the drop away into deeper water where the barramundi are waiting. Always fish the eddies created on the side of the river bank, especially up towards the fresh water. When fishing soft plastics they can certainly be hitting a certain colour and changing until you find the right one has worked many times for us. 3. Billabong Fishing - great fun, fish are generally smaller and the lures used are usually smaller as well as the Barramundi are chasing smaller fish and frogs etc in the Billabongs.
Where Found:
Barramundi is Found right around the top of Australia from the mid QLD coast in the east around to the top of WA and throughout much of south east Asia (Philippines, Papua New Guinea, South China and parts of India). They are found in both fresh and salt water. They can be offshore around heads, right up to the top reaches of rivers and creeks. Most angling takes place around the mouths of big tidal rivers during the run off season. Now stocked also in many dams throughout Queensland
People who have caught this fish
