THE ULTIMATE ANGLING BUCKET LIST

These eventually turned out to be from alligator garfish, which with their long thin crocodilian looking
mouths can be notoriously difficult to hook. But in the end, with the right strike timing, I managed a
few, the best of which would have been well up into double figures.
Around lunch time the fishing generally seemed to noticeably slow down. This was an every day
occurrence, or so I was told. The fish seemed to get their heads down and sulk in the midday heat, and
boy was it humid and hot. It was at this point that we started to wander around the margins looking for
any activity and throwing live-baits at it.
An interesting period in many respects, as it brought in quite a wide range of other smaller but no less
fascinating species, the most unusual of which was a giant featherback. Pacu, which are giant fruit
eating piranhas, a species I was already familiar with from the Amazon, and giant snakeheads which I'd
caught before in Malaysia were also in the mix
One of the lure fisherman eventually hooked up and landed a nice arapaima, by which time the red
tailed cats had switched back on for another couple of hours of arm wrenching shoulder aching fun
towards late afternoon.
The next day was in theory going to be a little less physically demanding. Least ways it should have
been, but not by any great margin. I'd decided to try Boon Mar Ponds, which isn't a commercial fishery
at all. It’s actually a high turn-over fish farm churning out quality barramundi for the table. A large
complex with dozens of square ponds starting with small fish at one end progressing through to larger
specimens at the other, as fish are graded and moved on to produce what is required.
Another blisteringly hot and very humid day too. Obviously, not all the ponds are available to fish in.
The one we were directed to held fish in the sixteen to eighteen pound bracket, the bulk of which, if not
all of them, had never seen a lure before. So you can imagine the carnage.
Keen to get a couple of early fish
under my belt, I started off casting
soft plastics on a small lead head.
Then once that tick was on my list, it
was over to the fly rod, which was the
main objective of the day.
Two rods, two Amazonian Red Tailed Cats first throw out
Casting big heavy flies tied on strong
heavy hooks is never easy. Leastways
I never find it so. I'd had quite a
large selection of different gaudy
concoctions tied up, but for whatever
reason, picked out quite a lightly
dressed scruffy looking tarpon fly I'd
brought back from the US years
some ago, though in all honesty, any
pattern would probably have done.
I didn't need to use anything else all day. Eventually the barramundi had all but destroyed it, yet still
they kept coming back for more. It was merciless, both for them and for me.
I had taken along a fladen nine foot vantage travel rod paired up with a maxximus lever drag fly reel
loaded with a weight ten floating line and plenty of backing, the bulk of which I saw pretty much every
time I hooked a fish.
The speed at which these things can go is particularly impressive. So too are their aerial abilities. A fly
fishing paradise, with lots of power packed good double figure barramundi hungry and ready to feed.
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