It seems the ongoing strong dry season winds we have been experiencing have taken their toll on the recent Top End Barra Series Bynoe Harbour round.
According to TEBS co-ordinator, Regis Martin, this third round for 2022 was the coldest one in all of TEBS history.
“Someone jokingly said before the weekend that it would be the Ice Fishing Round,” Regis said.
“In fact, having fished in TEBS since the inaugural event in 2011, this was the very first time that I spent the full weekend wearing socks.
“When it is that cold, the barra fishing becomes tough.
“Even Tim Bolch, who is a keen Bynoe Harbour aficionado, said that it was the hardest fishing that he had ever encountered there.
“People who had launched on the Friday, hoping for a reconnaissance pre-fish, were met with strong winds and cold water around 21 degrees, and with no barramundi in sight.
“Over the weekend, the water temperatures shifted between 20 to 25 degrees, which was not really enough to get our friend Lates calcarifer excited, hungry and in the mood for a party.
“On Saturday, it was hard to find any places sheltered from the cold winds, and fishing was difficult for most,” Regis reported.
“Numerous competitors said that they not only found it hard to find the fish but, when they did find them, it was hard to make them bite.
It seems Saturday night was a cold one for those competitors sleeping aboard their boats.
Some even slept with beanies on.
The gusting winds continued through Sunday and getting a barra to bite was even tougher.
Regis said: “Only 16 competitors managed to catch one or more point-scorers, and that only amounted to 20 barra caught over the weekend.
“The first two anglers of the round managed to get there with a pair of fish each, and the third with one.
“Anthony Dent came third with his single 70cm fish which he spotted busting bait at the edge of a small creek and flicked a small 4” Z-Man at it.
“In second place was Tennille Lockwood who caught two fish at 50cm and 66cm casting Molix swim baits around Indian Island.
“Simon Bochow won the round with two fish measuring 58cm and 72cm.
“Interestingly, he caught both of his fish in consecutive casts on Sunday, having launched after 10:00 am,” Regis reported.
Next month’s TEBS round is at the Adelaide River mouth.
Tennille Lockwood with one of the two barra which helped her come second in the tough TEBS Bynoe Harbour round.
Craig “Lats” Latimore peers from above with Ugg boots and beanies.
Daniel Hanna and Joe Martin could well be exclaiming “Who knows” in the wind-blown Bynoe Harbour event.
