Fighting and landing barra: from the strike to the net

There are plenty of different lines of thought on fighting barra, particularly big barra. Keep the line tight. Throw the tip down when they jump. Keep the rod low. Let them play right out. Get them in the boat before they jump. It all gets confusing, especially when you are starting out.

To be honest, if it is your first barra on the line, you will not be thinking about any of that. You and your mates will be going off with excitement, and the only way you will remember what happened is to watch the video back. That is fine. Landing a barra is one of life's most intense moments — the hit, the jumps, the fight of a worthy adversary — and it is why we all keep going back. But a few simple habits will put a lot more of those fish in the boat.

Strike hard

You need to strike hard when fishing for barra almost all the time. We use big, thick, strong hooks, and it takes real force to push the hook point home. Hit them hard and hit them fast, because they will spit a lure out in a flash if you do not get in first.

A guide we know used to say it simply: strike hard, strike often. Watch the tournament anglers in Queensland and you will see them striking big barra three or four times to set the hook. That is where a fast-actioned rod and properly set drags earn their keep.

Keep it tight

Unless it is a very large fish — 80 centimetres plus — it is great to take your time and enjoy the jumps and turns of speed that barra put on. Use the rod. Lift up strong but steady, then wind down, keeping the line tight at all times. In our experience a little bit of slack is all a fish needs to throw the hook.

There are old-school anglers who swear by throwing the rod tip towards a jumping fish. We tried it for about six months and noticed no difference in fish landed — if anything, perhaps a few less. We keep the line tight.

The most common mistake we see is overzealous fighting. People rip the rod up as fast as they can, then throw it down to wind, and create slack every time. Steady pressure beats big heaves. If you are fishing 30 lb leader, remember too that every jump is another chance for the fish to chew through it.

Big fish: low rod, follow them

The big fish jump too — not as often, but with more force. For anything you really want to land, a fish you want a photo or a measurement of, we fight what we call tournament style:

• Rod low and to the side, line firm, so you are not encouraging the fish to jump
• Follow the fish. Anticipate where it is going and lead it around, rather than pulling against it from the opposite angle
• Take bigger fish away from cover and into open or shallow water if you can, and slow things down. The last thing you want is to let it get back into the snags and bust you off
• Watch how it is hooked and control those few minutes carefully

Barra have such a turn of speed that you are far better off following them around. They wear themselves out quickly, and even the biggest barra in open water will take you less than five minutes to land. It is a different story if you get wrapped around snags.

Softer gear makes all of this easier. Barra come to the net on fly far more calmly than on short, stiff conventional rods, because there is so much give in the system. A medium-action rod in open water gives a gentler fight with fewer frantic jumps at the boat.

Bringing it to the net

Once the fish is coming towards the net, slide its head towards the net without trying to lift it out of the water. Lifting only encourages more jumping. Sweep the rod sideways towards the net man — do not try to hoist five kilos of barra on a short line with no give in the system.

The net meets the fish's nose and is slid under it. Then release the tension: press the button on a baitcaster, open the bail on a spin reel, or pull some line off a fly reel. A wet towel goes on the deck, the fish goes on the towel, and you can celebrate.

How to net a barra

Netting is a very important job, and it is where a lot of fish get lost. This is how we do it:

• Hold the handle in your strongest hand and grab the bottom of the net bag with your other hand
• Keep the net only halfway in the water, so you can still move it quickly if the fish surges or jumps
• Come in square on to the fish, slide the net under its head, and let go of the bottom of the bag as you scoop
• With a long telescopic handle, reach forward and grab the handle near the front before lifting. Lift a heavy fish from the far end and you will kink or fold the handle

The classic mistake is forgetting to let go of the bag. We have filmed it: a perfectly set-up net shot, the netter too slow, the fish jumping into the side of the boat and bouncing back into a net that is still being held shut. It took four yells of "let the net go" before he did. Those videos are part of the memory — but it is easier on everyone if you let go first time.

We do not always make people net their own fish. If it is a metre fish, the guide will usually net it. But when the crew can do it and want to, it becomes part of the story they take home.

Choosing and looking after a net

We have used rubber nets, silicone nets, string nets and just about everything else. The best compromise we have found is:

• A big, deep net with a square face, so you can slide it in square on the water and under the fish. A deep bag stops a fish jumping straight back out while the net is still in the water
• Knotless, plastic- or rubber-coated mesh — kinder on the fish than knotted string, and still easy to move through the water, unlike the bucket-style nets
• A hexagonal telescopic handle, so the handle cannot spin and the net is always locked in the right position

Round nets are a shocker. So little of the net is in the water that a fish only has to turn its head to get out, and the treble hooks tend to snag the mesh as it does.

Get rid of the press-stud button. Fumbling for a spinning press stud halfway through a fight is how nets fail. Put a tek screw, rivet or bolt through it instead, so you just grab the handle, pull it out and go.

Finally, check your net. Nets left out in the sun get knocked around by UV, and silicone ones can go mouldy and weaken. At the start of each season, or whenever it looks tired, grab the mesh and give it a good rip and pull. It only takes one weak spot for a barra to get its nose through, and they will power straight out — usually leaving your lure behind in the net.