There are two quite different things under this heading. River mouths are the big systems, where the key is water clarity and bait, generally on the neap tides, right through the year. Creek mouths — and we mean coastal creeks backed by floodplains, not harbour drains — are where you get some of the most intense barra action you will ever see, particularly in the runoff.
Wind and water clarity
You need to keep a close eye on the wind strength and direction in relation to the mouth you want to fish.
- If it has been blowing hard into the mouth in the lead-up, the water will be dirtier and your chances lower.
- If it is blowing out of or across the mouth — or better yet, not at all — your chances go up.
- Overnight storms can spoil the plan. If it has been blowing its head off in the night, you can arrive to find the mouth filthy. Check the radar before you go to sleep, and again when you get up.
Fishing the river mouths
Trolling bigger shallow-diving hard bodies and big soft plastics works well, as does sounding up fish on the channel edges or on feeding bait and then casting at them. On a spring low tide, when no one else is there, casting and jigging at active fish you have found on the sounder is a really fun way to fish.
Shallow divers — diving to around two metres or less — tend to out-fish deep ones at the mouths, even over deeper water. The fish that are up and keen for a feed sit higher in the water column, and a shallow lure represents the mullet they are actually eating. On the top and bottom of the tide, as a bit of sediment settles out, a barra can look up and see the silhouette of a lure against the sky. Lures with a big broadside — the look of a big mullet without the weight of a house brick — are worth having.
Always have a timber lure in the spread on the first runs of the day. There are days fish will not eat anything with a rattle in it. Run a mix of lures and depths until you get a bite, then change the spread to match what they want.
Big soft plastics troll well too, but because they carry fewer hooks you can get bites without hooking up. A stinger hook swinging off the tail helps. Big vibes are a good middle ground: plenty of weight, chunky hooks, and you can troll them fast or slow, or let them hit the mud and rip them back up.
How far back to run the lures
As a rule, as far back as is practical — away from the motor noise, the sounder and whatever else is going on in the boat. But practical is the key word. In a narrow, snaggy coastal creek you want a short line so you can get control of a fish before it buries you in the timber. Out in the open, a good distance works well. Marking your braid with a permanent marker at the distance you want takes the guesswork out of it for everyone on board.
With or against the tide
We tend to overthink this one. When the fish are on, they are on, whichever way you are going. Where it does matter, it comes down to practical things:
- Trolling into the current lets you run a shorter line and gets the lure down a little deeper, which can matter near snags or over a rock bar where the fish are sitting down deep.
- When you hook a fish trolling into the current, you can knock the boat into neutral and back down onto it before it reaches the timber.
- Trolling with a fast run-out in a narrow creek puts little pressure on the lure, and a hooked fish only has to go a few metres to bury you.
Fishing the creek mouths
Runoff creek mouths are best fished on an outgoing spring tide, when they can explode with bait and the big barra chasing them. You will not be alone at most of them on the right tides, and you will soon learn the standard technique: tie up to a tree on the side of the creek, cast across, and bring it back.
When a school of mullet comes down the middle of the creek looking like it is about to be eaten, it most likely is. You will often hear the boofs coming from further up the creek as the big fish follow the schools out. Throw your lure right into the middle of them, and as they scatter your lure is the last snack left. Be ready on the first couple of twitches.
At some creeks the best fishing is out on the mud flat in front, where fish come out hot and start looking around for a feed. At others it is up inside the creek. Get to know your spots. And it is often worth hanging around after everyone else has left — the very last of the run-out, with less banging and clanging in the water, can produce the biggest fish of the day.
On a bigger, quieter mouth, consider the anchor rather than the troll. A couple of boats trolling back and forth over fish they can see on the sounder can shut a small system down, while anchoring up and casting can get the bites.
Picking a new creek
Google Earth is your number one tool when you are heading somewhere new. Look for:
- The size of the floodplain behind the creek. The bigger it is, the more water it holds after rain, and the longer it takes to drain. Watch where the rain has fallen and how much, and you can be there when it starts to run.
- Rocks or structure out the front of the mouth.
- A dirty water line or colour change pulling out of the mouth — but check whether the image was taken in the dry season, when a mud line is just a mud line.
Then use your eyes on the ground. Some of the best little creeks are hidden behind trees across the mouth, and you would drive straight past them. A creek fed by a smaller floodplain will run off and empty its bait sooner after a break in the weather; a bigger one will fish later in the season.
Moon and timing
Coastal creeks are often described as building-tide water. The catch is that on a building tide the best of the run-out has already happened before you arrive from town unless you are camped out there. On the back of the moon the tides are bigger, more big fish push up for an easy feed on the floodplains, and you have more time to get there. Sometimes it comes down to practicality.
When the dolphins turn up
Everyone loves to see dolphins, but they eat barra, and when they move into a mouth the bite generally stops. The small fish tucked hard into collapsed banks where dolphins cannot get them may still bite. Otherwise, push further up the river and look for active fish away from them.
Common questions
What conditions make a river mouth fish well for barra?
Clean water and bait, generally on the neap tides. Watch the wind in the lead-up: if it has been blowing hard into the mouth the water will be dirty, while wind blowing out of or across the mouth, or none at all, gives you a much better chance.
What lures work best for trolling river mouths?
Bigger shallow-diving hard bodies that run around two metres or less tend to work best, along with big soft plastics and big vibes. Always include a timber lure without rattles in the early spread, because some days the fish will not touch anything noisy.
How do you fish a creek mouth during the runoff?
Fish an outgoing spring tide. Tie up to a tree beside the creek, cast across and bring it back. When a school of mullet comes down the middle looking nervous, throw right into it and be ready on the first couple of twitches.
Do dolphins affect barra fishing at river mouths?
Yes. Dolphins eat barra, and when they move into a mouth the bite usually shuts down. Push further up the river and look for active fish away from them.
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