Barramundi
- the Predators of Freshwater
Barramundi is a highly sought after freshwater game-fish amongst sport anglers. Although a native species of Australia it’s widely distributed around the world. Among the countries are U.S. of America, southern Japan, in southern China, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, India and even some European countries. Other Names Other names for this fish are giant perch, silver perch, ‘barra’ by the Australians, siakap by Malays, Asian sea bass, sea bass and many others depending on the countries and languages. Characteristics The body is elongated, long concave forehead, big mouth with beautiful pinkish-color eyes which glow in the dark. The tail is round and a lateral line running horizontally across the body. They’ve 2 sets of dorsal fins setting close to each other. The gill flaps are razor-sharp easily slicing through fishing line and nets, so take good precaution when handling. They’re greenish-gray on the back; the sides are silvery and a rather whitish stomach. They’ve 2 genders in their lifespan. They start living their lives as males and become females around 3-5 years old, when they weighs about 6 - 8 kilos. So most large specimens are females. Catch Record They can grow to more than 120 lbs or about 60 kg and 5 ft in length. The average catch with fishing tackle is smaller around 5-10 kg. The all-tackle world record is 63 lbs 2 ounces. Habitat They can be found in estuaries, near mangroves and coastal waters usually close to the shore. They live between fresh and saltwater preferring warmer brackish waters. Sometimes they can be found moving upstream into freshwater streams and rivers, especially the young of about 6-8 months. Spawn Research has it that barramundi do not spawn in freshwater though it’s considered as a freshwater species. Only fish that have access to the sea can initially spawn. Each female can produce more than half a million eggs. Diet They feed on live mullets, prawns and some other small live fishes. Fishing Methods and Tackle Fishing for this popular sport-fish is not by all means easy. They can be very elusive at time. They like hiding near submerged logs waiting to ambush their preys under cover. It’s quite a challenge for anglers to fish them in these snags as there are strong fighters too. These hard-fighting predators when hooked will go airborne, shaking wildly to throw off the hook. There are various methods that can be applied for barramundi fishing. Casting, trolling and drifting with live bait are some of the best methods. Both spinning and baitcasting tackle can be used. The reels should be spooled with 12-20 lbs. test line which is more than sufficient. The main line can be either monofilament or braided, added with a monofilament leader of 30-50 lbs. test to avoid cutting-off by its razor-sharp gill plates. Try to avoid the use of wire trace as it restricts the natural action of the live bait, resulting in fewer bites. They accept almost all kinds of artificial lures. Soft plastic lures from Berkley with scent and luminous are very effective as well as noisy poppers, particularly fishing in the dark. Fly fishers using streamer flies are excellent too. Barramundi are not only good game-fish they are also good eating fish, a favorite table fare enjoyed by many worldwide. The meat is white, firm, sweet-favor and with only few big bones. Those weighing below 20 lbs or even less are better preferred for eating. back to top of page:
Barramundi the Predators of Freshwater
Freshwater Fishing
Pier Fishing
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