Pushing light tackle to the limit

First cast. Got him. 3D's coming out towards me. All 3 just arrived.

promising. Go. That is so much fun. These are just a few highlights from my earlier episode about site fishing barra on the Top End tidal flats, using the same ultra light bait caster gear, I choose back home for brim, flatties, and bass.

Check that one out. Anyway, after a pleasant night in our budget accommodation at nearby sand palms, Watty and I are headed back to Bynoe Harbour for another session with the light gear. Because of the later tides today. We really don't need an especially early start, but we're still on the water just after sunup.

And it's another classic Top End dry season morning, with the mercury already in the 20s and headed for the 30s. It's a smooth run to our 1st likely creek, but we know that the high tide will make it challenging to find fish. Many of them will still be well back in the vegetation, beyond our reach. With this in mind, I've opted for a weedless rigged squidgy soft plastic this morning, strung on one of my son Tom's 3D printed resin head wide gape setups with its adjustable keel weight. And of course, I doubt this offering with some S factor to increase its appeal. Hopefully it'll make the fish hold on a bit longer.

Note that little loop knot in my £50 shock tip at too. Now, all we need to do is find a fish. I think I've forgotten how to cast overnight. That's better.

went through there. It's hard to get a good shot at them with the water so high. But the tide's dropping fast now, and what he's spotted another barrow. Oh, yeah, yeah.

Go on. Oh, nice. This is close quarter stuff. Do you eat it?

Missed him. Hilarious. You press the other way. Watch closely.

You ate it again. Hello, buddy. Try again. You get it.

Literally under the rod tip. Oh, he's gonna have another go. No, he's wised up. That's alright, they'll be more.

It's just a matter of peering intently in under the mangroves to spot them. And what he's done exactly that. Was he cruising? Here he comes again.

Watch right under what his rod tip. Exactly. Look again, James. Look at that.

Show him something different. He's still fixated on what is plastic. How keen is he? That is so good.

I deliberately didn't say. That was sick. We continue up the creek as the tide begins to drop out of the mangrove forest. Opportunities will increase as the water level falls.

We're coming into that magic part of the tide now. It's just a matter of finding a few more fish and getting our lures in front of them. But how are the sights and sounds up here? What a truly magical place.

Oops, one of what his cast has gone Australia and ended up over a branch. What in his face? Yes. Arrogantry.

You said they don't go crazy. That was so good. Just sit in the water there, buddy. Uh, we got a couple up here. Yeah, there was two.

bit of competition doesn't hurt. Whoa. Yeah, he's still on. We'll have to go in and get that one out of the forest.

Whatever it takes. Funny stuff. Never a dull moment with Roddy. I might pass you the rod and I'll wrangle him by hand.

He's got a big, angry stripe on his forehead. Come on, buddy. There we go. All right, this one.

It'll be different. Yep. Hey, hey, hey. Come on.

Just open up here, look me up there. There's a voice, too little guy. He's thinking, what the hell was that all about? I had a prawn?

I ended up up a tree. As the tide continues to drop, we follow it back out of the creek and onto the adjacent shallow flats. The whole time scanning those edges for any signs of life. Once out on the flats, things are looking prime.

You bar on the left corner, the drain team, nose, dungeon's tail, and the stick. You ready? Right up. the left nut right at the mouth.

Oh, yeah. Oh, yes, you will see that. Okay. Okay. Again, you're still there.

You see, you can't see him, can you? No. On the very mouth, on the left side of the brain. Oh, right up hard against the... with his nose in or... Okay. No, I'll have to do better than that.

Crank it in and try again. Scared one to the, right? one seat was made it to the left of my rule. That's gonna be spice. Oh, you stopped?

Yeah, we got this one coming from the rock. Oh, yeah, that is coming. That's a mullet. Yeah, that's it.

No, no, no. You think I might do that? Oh, look at this one here. That's that one I just missed, I reckon.

You're going straight towards the other one. be white, man. It's a target rich environment here on the flats now, but seeing them and catching them are 2 very different things. Oh, becomes one.

Coming up. Must be coming out of that drain. Surely I can get one of these cruising fish to bite. It's just a matter of getting the presentation right.

Oh, got him. Oh, a catfish snatched it off his nose. I can't believe it. The structure that we're working here is what's known as snake drains, narrow, twisting gutters carved into the mud by the tides, generally only 30 to 50 centimetres deeper than the surrounding flats.

These dark snake drains are highways, hidey holes, and ambush points for predators, where they can lurk in weight unseen. The best spots in any snake drain tend to be the sharp corners and bends. Barra and other fish will lie in these bends waiting to pounce, and they're almost impossible to see. But if I were to pick the absolute prime lie here, it'd be this deeper bend, hard up against the mangroves.

Be constantly alert for fish cruising the flats between the drains too. As well as for those holed up or parked in the shadows of points adjacent to them, all happy hunting grounds. And they only tend to get better and better as the ebbing tide continues to drop, concentrating the action. Oh, yeah.

We're seeing plenty of fish and getting lots of shots. I've snagged my plastic on one of the mangrove aerial root spikes poking out of the flat, but it's often possible to twang a snag lure off by repeatedly stretching and suddenly releasing tension on the line. It worked. What he switched back to a hard body and he spotted some threadfin.

Can you see them? Yep, that's them. Look at that. That's gonna be the perfect.

Oh yes. Yes. That was so good. Try again, that one. So close.

Maybe this cast. Yeah, that's good. That was the same one that you hooked. Hmm.

Nail biting stuff. Yeah, yeah. Chances of success diminish with each presentation. That's the right angle.

Exciting stuff, but ultimately frustrating. Typical bloody threadfin. And there's more where they came from. I want to hear where it dips in, and another one on the other side where it gips. What's the big thing over there?

The wrong way. It's important to get your lure into just the right spot, and then to manipulate it to trigger the fish. But there's no guarantees in this game. Oh, yeah, yeah, yep, yep.

Oh, too close. Too close is even worse than too far away. Hmm, that's a good fish. Come on, eat it.

That's it. It's ready. Ooh, that nice bag, I see what him, too. There's a mix of both red fin and barra on this flat, but neither of them are playing the game. Freddie ate it.

Even when they do hit, it's tentative. Check out how close to the boat we're casting at them. hell. Watch this.

They're doing everything, but I eat it properly. Oh, oh, oh, look at this. Another one, stop, stop, stop, stop. Wow. Oh.

It's ridiculous. They're not just between us and the shore, either. What he shoots a speculative cast, out in the other direction, and watch what happens. So frustrating.

How do I ever get a feed? So half hearted. They're not all barren and threadies either. I could go on that queen.

Nothing for it but to keep cruising along the flat, looking for more willing customers, but even when we find them. There's still no certainties. That's the one we want. Oh, what?

That was a nice view. He got it on the 2nd wolf. Oh, pulled the hooks. It was a big one.

Dropped another one. was cool. Oh yeah. Oh, he's a nice fish too.

And another. Maybe this one will stay on. Oh, there's a shark. Look at that.

Get out of it, shark. Shark is chasing my fish. Go away. Right, come on, little guy.

We don't wanna upset your mate too much. Finally, one in the boat. We want a keeper for dinner, but this one isn't quite big enough to feed us both. Beautiful.

You good brothers? No, this one might be if Watty can stay connected. They go hard at any size. That looks like a keeper. He's spatty at his breakfast.

Come on, buddy. He's pretty strong for a little guy. There we go. Actually, a little bit bigger than I thought he was.

Yeah, he's at dinner. Nice. These silvery salty. are pretty tasty.

Maybe a swap of hats will change my fortunes. It'll certainly give me more protection from the increasing UVs, but the mixed fortunes of our day continue as I decide to put what he's drone up for some more aerial footage with catastrophic results. Oh No way.

What he's jumped in after it. Did you get it? Did you get it or not? Oh, shit.

Let's go back and see. Sorry. That's why I don't like finding anyone else's drone. Oh, what a catastrophe.

There's nothing for it but to try and put this disaster behind us and fish this rock bar that I've been hoping to video from the drone. It looks like a prime spot with the tide now pushing back in. There'll be a barrel or 2 lurking here for sure. They love rock bars.

Surely I'm due for a bit of luck after my drone mishap. Oh, that's a better one. This is definitely a better class of barra and it's giving me some on the BFS gear. Nice fish.

Barrow of the trip, I think. That's what I thought I'd cycle. Oh, I shouldn't have said that. Oh, look at that. I've got a scale.

Oh, geez, I would have made some friends with that one. I can't take a trick, seriously. Luckily, what he's faring a bit better. Oh, nice. Nice fish.

Oh, yeah, similar size. Yeah. Right off that point. Whoa.

Here you go. Come on, back this way. Nearly. Sorry, I should be helping you, but I'm filming. Oh, I jump right over it.

There we go. Not quite as big as the one I lost. Okay, Might as well keep him, eh?

Another keeper, one for Watty, to take home and feed his family with. Lovely. With the tide now pushing in hard, we opt to ride its front edge up into one of the bigger creeks in the system. We're fast running out of prime opportunities, and we'll soon call it a day, but maybe we can pull one more fish by blindcasting to snags and junctions with our hard bodied lures.

You never know what might turn up when you're doing this. Oh, that's a blue salmon, I reckon. Good, good, good, good. Whatever it is, it's taken off downstream at a rate of knots.

I might be in strife here with just 50 metres of line on my BFS reel. Uh, let's go after running out of strength. Whew. Yeah.

Might be a thread. It's got me guessing. But gee, it's strong. What is it? It's a queenfish, and not a bad one.

No wonder it's scorched off. I'll be damned. Yeah. Made the drag click, anyway.

It's not done yet, either. Now, that's putting a bend in the brimweight bait caster rod. That was what was busting up along the air. It's probably my biggest fish on the BFS.

Nearly didn't have enough string. It's important to maintain steady, smooth pressure and not to panic. Yeah. Wow, that's a tough fish.

Nice. Well, that's definitely my biggest fish to date on the BFS gear. I don't nearly run out of line. Woo, that's quite a nice cleaning.

That made the drag click. Oh, good, Bucky. Not a bad way to finish up a memorable and eventful trip. Well, that was certainly an interesting exercise, chasing barrow and threadfinned salmon in shallow water on that BFS gear.

It lets you throw really light lures, and it's a lot of fun. I don't know how you'd go if you hooked a 80 or 90 centimetre one, you might run out of line pretty quickly. But yeah, I enjoyed that. We only spent half a day out there.

Fantastic. Spending some time with Watty. He's a great guide and good company to fish with as well. Anyway, until next time, this is Starlow wishing you tight lines. Check out what is business, too.

Barefoot Fishing Safaris.