Barra on fly in the dry

Barra in July!

Barramundi last set of neaps

It started 2 weeks ago, on our first set of neap tides here at Barred Creek.  Johnno hooked and landed his first Barramundi for this trip (we left Derby 3 months ago, where we used to catch a lot of Barra). The next day he went back and landed two more, loosing the 3rd one.

Then nothing, we couldn't find the Barra; well we knew they were up the creek, but couldn't find them coming out.  The large tides with faster water movement must have had the Barra rushing out of the creeks and back in.

As the neaps rolled around again Johnno was ready.  First day that he found the Barra again he hooked 6 in one afternoon: lost the first one while trying to turn on his GoPro.  2nd, unfilmed, busted off his 20lb leader; 3rd he landed and kept (1st barra in movie clip below); 4th also busted him off as you see in the clip, this was when he changed to a heavier leader.  Not getting as many bites, but able to stay connected to the barra he hooked.  Barra number 5 and 6 were landed, photographed then safely released, even though our fish loving dogs were trying to get in the way, as seen in this clip:

Returning the next day Johnno landed another barra.  

Barra from this set of neaps

The wind picked up over the last week, making it very hard to fish these nice neap tides, but he was still down there trying, and was rewarded for his efforts with a lot of other lovely fish.  Check out the Windy Fly Fishing blog posted earlier.

Yesterday Johnno hooked 3 barra, as seen in the movie clip at the top of this blog.  He lands the first two, but is busted off on the 3rd.

Tide is on it's way out now, so we are off to try our luck again....finger crossed I might even get one!!

Windy fly fishing

Johnno's been catching heaps of fish every day, even though it's been windy as hell!  I'm so behind in with the movie making and blog keeping.  Tonights mission = make Fly Fishing Barra movie!!!

Here's a look at some of the other fish he has been catching in the last couple of days:

Quick look at one of his many barra!

One of his many Golden Trevalley

Diamonds were once a species he was chasing; not any more!

Fish ON with Pup.

Tarpon!! Bonus!!!

Fish ON

Again.

Me photo bombing our mates Diamond 

For more fishing and camping photos, check us out on FaceBook: PositiveFishing

If we won 50 million dollars

Where would you rather be?

The resent temporarily unclaimed lotto ticket started the conversation that lead to some deep thinking…

What would we do if we won $50m?  Our initial reaction was nothing would change, we would continue to camp on the beach, fishing our way around Australia.  John talked of upgrades the 4x4 and fishing tackle.  I would get a new hard floor camper trailer, easier to put up and pack down.

But when you think about it, winning/having a large sum of money changes everything!!  Even if we are just sitting on the beach fishing our days away.  I’m happy doing this, very content!  I want to continue doing this…

 I was sitting on the beach writing this by hand, with a small piece of bite out in front of me.  At this stage my writing thoughts were interrupted by a very big shark circling my very little bait!   This is what unfolded, please excuse my swearing, I forget to mind my manners when I’m overly excited!

This is how I like to spend my days!

What I was going to get at, is the fact that without that big lump of money behind you, there is always the knowing that this has to end one day, we will have to go back to work at some stage…if we want to keep drinking beer anyway ;)  I try not to think about it too much, dwell on the negatives like.  I’d rather focus on the Positive ;) let the Law Of Attraction do it’s work as I tell the Universe daily how much I love doing this, love this life, my life!   Than I get on with enjoying each day, living in the moment, because this moment will never be here again, so I want to make the most of it!
See ya, I’m off fishing.

Johnno caught hooked 3 barra today, fishing blog to follow shortly.  I'm getting so behind with movie making, I can't keep up with all his GoPro footage, he has caught so many fish lately!!!

Fish for breakfast

You know the fish are back when your dogs pull their own tuna from the waves!

Charlie dragging Tuna from the waves!

Seriously!!!  Puppy grabbed it first, but it was too big he didn't know what to do with it, so Charlie went in for all she had, not going to let it escape!! 

...Lucky for them it was already dead, so not able to swim off.

Yes this dead tuna washed up on our beach yesterday.  No hook or bait marks on it, no scars, just dead.

We took it as a sign, that after a week of windy weather and bugger all fish, that things were going to change!  A message from the fish gods that the fish would be coming our way!!

Johnno caught two Queenfish that afternoon, a good start.

Up early this morning, too keen for breakfast even, we were off fishing the last of the outgoing, start of the incoming tide.

We had a fun morning with plenty of wildlife all around us.  I finally caught a fish again...it's been a week!!!!!  Johnno cleaned up on fly, catching Salmon, Queenfish and Golden Trevalley.

Check out the YouTube clip for some of the fun stuff we saw today:

We have just finished our dinner: Salmon curry!

Dog tired after big day fishing!

Come on fish take my bait!

Feeling thankful for this moment in time: Tonights beautiful sunset in front of our camp at Barred Creek

Meditation, I've never done it.  But I used to run, and now I fish, both of which I think might be close to it.  Running clears your head more, due to the rhythmical pattern of your breathing (once you are in the zone), you don't have to think of anything apart from where you are putting your feet, depending on terrain you might not even need to think about that.  Fishing you are more alert, ever hopeful of the 'take'.

Bait fishing off the beach today at Barred Creek

3 months of fishing every day, gives ya plenty of time to clear your head as you walk beautiful beaches.  Lately, due to the lack of fish action, I've taken to bait fishing on the beach, something I haven't done much of since I started fishing.  Crystal clear calm water with miles of visibility, shows me there are no fish around, but I'm still ever hopeful that one will sneak up while I'm writing instead of watching, take my little slice of silver Queenfish tail from the sandy bottom, sending my loosely set drag into a spin.
Such are the things I meditate on while listening to the gentle continuous rhythm of the slow slapping waves.  I look down the beach, there are nine other bait fisherman all meditating on the same thing: Come on fish, take my bait!  Dogs running a muck, making me always aware of where my two not so well behaved ones are, never fully able to blank the mind.  Kids are swimming, mums sunbathing, cars and tents scattered everywhere amongst the dunes, and of course one fly fisherman wading the shallows ;)
It's wonderful to see so many families and friends enjoying this special place, as it is such a special place.  We are lucky to be able to freely enjoy this not so remote but still very untouched beach, and for free.

Younger Karen, fishing Fiordland New-Zealand

I've started in the last few years to realise how much I take for granted and have become truly grateful for the beautiful place's left on earth.  Growing up in the country side of Southland New-Zealand I didn't realise what an amazing place it was.  I craved to be a city girl, go to flash parties, drink at funky cocktail or blues bars.  Now I am thankful for every day that I get to sit on the beach or river side, waiting, contemplating.

So even if I don't catch a fish this afternoon, just like I didn't yesterday, this is still a wonderful day!  A day that I am thankful for,and even though I don't believe in luck (we get what we choose in life), I am still feeling very lucky!

Now come on fish, take my bait!!!!

Later:

...Beats working!

A bad days fishing beats a good day at work!

Um, so I've had few days of bad fishing lately...still beats working!!

First clip is of our first day here at Barred Creek.  That was over two weeks ago, but things haven't changed much for me since then. Thankfully Johnno caught several Mackerel and a couple of Barra before the wind got too strong, but even he hasn't caught much the last couple of days...oh except for the dozen or so tiny Queenies he caught yesterday, one of which I was using for bait in second clip.

Due to lack of great fishing we went looking for a Mud Crab yesterday.

Back of Barred Creek

Mud Crab for lunch!

It was very windy today, we didn't do much at all in the morning.  Finally having to get out of the tent, I put a bait under a balloon and used the ** wind for some fun.  It didn't take long for the first shark to swim past, at which stage the Whiting fisherman, seen at start of clip, packed up their stuff and left, I must remember this little trick ;)

For some very strange reason that shark didn't take the bait, so Johnno went walking off with his fly rod down the beach.  I was moving my rod holder (rod leaning against my chair), when I seen the Bigger shark circling my bait.  I run back to my rod, whistled (or tried to, cause I can't whistle) to Johnno, and well, the my friends the rest is YouTubed.

Eagles, dogs & technology

Learning as I go!

After loosing the photos off all my past Blogs, and spending days replacing them all, I started doing some reading about online storage etc, boring but I didn't want it to happen again!

Then the wind picked up, it's been windy for over a week now, with another week forecast!  As if being a cold wind isn't bad enough, I hate being cold!  There is a reason I live in the Kimberley!!!  But it blows the sand off the dunes straight at our tent, everything is closed up anyway because of the cold, but we are slowly getting buried.   When you go outside you get sand blasted by the usually beautiful fine white sand.

Our neighbours, who have camped next to us all week but we still haven't talked to, fish on the beach in front of their camp every day.  They are rugged up with long pants and hoodies, sitting in a  little ball with the sand slowly covering their backs.  I'm sure if we had seen them catch something, anything at all, we would have been down there in front of our camp as well, lucky for us they haven't caught anything all week!  So we get to sit in the shelter of our tent, drinking warm coffee, pretending we are fishing by watching them.

I've used my time 'inside' sorting my millions of photos.  I've finally caught up.  Now it's time to sort the GoPro footage, I haven't made a YouTube clip since we got to Barred Creek.  Oh, I did make this little ditty (clip at top of blog) yesterday while sorting photos.

We don't see many Sea Eagles here, I've been missing them, they used to visit several times a day at our last stop (Flat Rock).  So when they do come I stalk them, but didn't need to this time, they landed right in front of camp, fighting over a fish head we had thrown into the waves.  Luckily I got a couple of shots off, because my dogs do love to chase birds...especially big ones!

Sea Eagle at Barred Creek WA

Charlie reminding the Eagle's who's beach this is!

Wildlife Bonanza!

The fish are back!

Another Barred Barra on Fly!

After a week of overcast skies and 3 days of wind, we were both starting to go a little crazy today!  We needed to get out of the tent!  Well more than that actually, because we have been out on the water trying our luck, just haven't been so lucky.  So I should say, today there was a need to CATCH SOME FISH!!!
Whales were breaching in the distance, Johnno had spotted a sail fish jumping in close...close enough to see it from shore, not close enough to cast at!  Things were looking good, perhaps 'the change' had happened and the fish were back?  Then the big Mackerel in the shallows was spotted.  Alrighty this is the day we start to catch fish again, surely?
YES YES YES!!  Well yes Johnno does, luckily I am happy when he catches fish and I get a good photo for our blog and fresh dinner, because I didn't catch anything again today...might be time to set up the fly rod.

Bait fishing on beach

 It seems like forever ago that we caught fish to eat, but in fact it was only Friday night we had Barra for dinner for the first time in 3 months...perhaps the bottle of Port drunk after it made Friday seem so long ago?  So after only 2 days of no eating fish (Johnno & Steve still managed to catch a few goldies on fly during the weekend), Johnno broke out the bait hooks and a sinker.  Sunset drinks on the beach were lovely and peaceful, very relaxing, as in we didn't have get up for bites or re-baiting!

Sunset Okuma

It was mid out going tide, just after our big mince and mashed spuds for lunch, that we headed over towards the creek.  The fish weren't jumping around like crazy as we had wished for, but being early in the tide we were still hopeful.  Turned out it wasn't that long until Johnno was whistling to let me know he had a fish on!  Barra number one for the day, as pictured at top of the blog, was tactfully played around excited dogs trying to grab it; it's been a few days since they have seen a fish caught (they have to stay with me, who hasn't caught much lately).  Dinner was bleed and buried in the sand to keep cool, we weren't ready to go home just yet!
Very shortly after this Johnno shouted out that he could 'see' a Barra!   By the time I turned to look at him, he was ON!  By the time I'd turned my GoPro on, he was OFF!!   Um, lucky we already had dinner on the beach.
As the tide drained out of the creek we headed home for filleting and coffee.  The coffee never happened, there was too much going on.  Birds of prey were hanging around.  Dolphins were cruising the shallows.  Fish were busting up!  Johnno was off down the beach again!

Sea Eagle circling the Barra bones.

It's only the second time we have had Sea Eagles on the beach, in the two weeks we have been here.  I've missed my birdie interaction, and it seems the dogs have too!

Charlie reminding the Eagles who's beach this is!

All this revived wild life activity was more than a good sign, the Fish Were Back Too!!
Johnno caught Trevally for the dogs dinner, which Pup was so thankful for, he was getting worried we were giving his dinner away to the birds!  But then....Johnno lost a second big fish for the day!!  'WOULD have been the biggest Salmon I've ever caught' was what he meant to say, as if that doesn't sound fishy enough, what he actually said was 'It was the biggest salmon I've ever caught'  haha, NO it wasn't hun. xx

Johnno catching Tervally in front of camp

Pup making sure the birds don't get his breakfast!

Friends & Sailfish

Friends & Sailfish .... Sailfish & Friends

I have to admit; I thought for some time about the word order in the heading.  Friends won in words, they are pretty special and deserve to be in front.  But Sailfish wins first photo!  

Johnno with his Sailfish caught May 2015

Ok, so I know I have stated that this Blog is about land based fishing, but if ya mate phones and ask's if you want to go Sail-fishing for two days, who is not going to go??

We have amazing friends!  Every few weeks we have had visitors, and they all bring heaps of food and presents (for the poor hard done by beach bums).  This weekend Steve popped down from Derby for a little camp and fish on the beach.  Actually he the first of our visitors to want to fish, the rest seem happy sitting back with a coldie watching the world go by.  So it's a shame that the wind picked up so much, the strongest of our trip so far, up to 26-28 knots!!   Making it very hard to fly fish, but of course they still did.  I'm glad you were able to get a fish Steve, specially since you made us beautiful fresh salad wraps for lunch, and spaghetti bog for dinner.  Thanks so much Steve, very tasty!! 

Steve's Goldie on Fly at Barred Creek

Remember a month or so ago, when we were still at Willie Creek and Johnno went 'camping' without me.  He'd met up with Steve on the other side of Willie Creek, they had a few days out on the tinny catching Tervally, Mackerel and SAILFISH!  Here are the long awaited photos from that trip...

Johnno onto a Sail!

Sailfish making Johnno work for it!

Sail fish in a tinny!

Steve with a Trevally on Fly

Johnno with his Tervally

 It seems word on the street (after my KISS fish curry blog), is that we have gone feral, living off canned food...and not washing?  hahaha, I just added that because it's been too cold for a swim while Steve has stayed with us, he must think I don't wash!   We do love it when our friends bring out tasty fresh food, keep it coming gang!  Company with good food while fishing, what more could you want!   But just for the record, we eat REALLY well!!  Too well, and I haven't done any real exercise in the 3 months we have been away; it's starting to show.  But in this stress free, anything goes, nothing matters world that we are living in at the moment, none of that matters.  So we continue to eat chocolate and cheese every day, and drink beer every night; we will just have to work it all off next year, or when ever we eventually have to go back to work to pay for all our fun times ;)

Ohhh, With all this cold windy weather, I've been reading a lot, latest topic; creating a blog. Yes I already have one, so wasn't much help, but after loosing all my photos I thought I'd better find out why, so it doesn't happen again.  It didn't tell me!!  But I did learn a new trick, lets see if it works....

Video ON my Blog, instead of just a link to take you to the page??
Did it work??

Fly Fishing in the Wind

 Barramundi on Fly off the beach!

Barramundi on Fly off the beach!

We have had 3 days of over cast skies, so I've been saving power by not using computer or charging phone.   If you remember at the start of our trip we had a week of overcast and our solar power system couldn't keep up, we had to run the generator all day to keep the fridge working.  The fridge has been running well this week, we have been having cold beers every night...maybe a few too many last night when our mate turned up!

1st over cast sunset wasn't so bad.

Next day the sun didn't come out at all!

Then to top it off, the wind started picking up.  Johnno reckons he has up set the weather gods at some stage in his life, because every time he even talks about Fly Fishing the wind picks up.  He has learnt to deal with it, and now just fishes in the wind anyway.  I made the mistake of mentioning I might set up my Fly rod, finally after 3 months of living on the beach...the wind hasn't stopped blowing since!!  Maybe I need to make a sacrifice to the weather gods also?

Yesterday when I'd had enough of being cold and wet, and struggling with dogs on leads (lots of other people fishing around us), Johnno kept fishing while I watched from the comfort of our tent.  He was rewarded for his efforts, it seems to fishing gods do still approve of him!  While no one else caught anything, Johnno got the 64cm Barra pictured at top of this blog.  We ate that for dinner last night with potatoes cooked on the coals, and ginger chilli stir-fried veggies from our visitor!  Perfect!!!

Whiting for dogs breakfast; we are all eating well here!

Thankfully the sun has come out today, clear skies all around.  Everything is charging and drying.  However the wind has picked up terribly!  20-26 knots for the next 3-5 days!!  We are getting sand blasted...but the boys are still down fly fishing!  Not wanting to miss out, and hopeful of my own Barra, I'm going to log off now, and go join them.

One good thing about the rain and wind of the last few days, it has scared off most the campers who were here.  Only 3 other camp sites left around us, so dogs are off their leads again, and there is plenty of room on the beach to fish!

Over cast skies yesterday afternoon.

No Fish Today; the fish have gone away!

Our camp at Barred Creek, above Broome WA

Many lines in the water does not mean many fish being caught!

View to left of our camp

View to right of our camp

This is the busiest we have ever seen Barred Creek.  In past years we have camped here for months on end and only seen a few day-trip 4 wheel drivers, and occasional weekend camper.  Now there is a continual line of tourist sight-seeing, driving in taking photos, some having a quick fish or swim before heading off again.  There are 8 other camps set up here, someone leaves, another 4x4 pulls into there spot.  Our dogs have to stay in there leads most of the time, due to the amount of people on the beach.  Our last neighbour was a friendly pregnant lady who was missing her dogs, so she liked visits from our dogs.  When we first got here a couple came to visit us JUST to see the dogs!  They brought Steak, for the DOGS!!!  Spoilt or what!!  But most people get scared by big dogs running up to them, wanting to 'rescue' them if they are swimming, kiss them if they are sunbathing, or worse, steal their fish if they ever caught one!

Pup watching people get picked up.

Charlie not looking; too much temptation to bark!

However all these fisherman aren’t catching many fish between them.  Yesterday we got NO FISH ALL DAY!!!  When we first got here we were catching enough Queenfish and Trevally for the dogs breakfast, and a few days in a row we got Mackerel for our lunch.  But all fish and bird action  seems to have stopped suddenly over the last few days.  Talking to other fisherman, there are the usual reasoning's: Full moon, Big Tides, The water is too clear, Too much sand moved in front of the rocks, and the latest ‘the deep ocean water has been washed in, pushing all the usual water, and fish, further out’.

Johnno 'practising' his fly casting

Fly's tied while waiting for the fish to come back

It’s not that big a deal for us, who plan to stay here for a month, a couple of days slack fishing we just do other stuff…sort tackle, clean tackle, order more tackle, or just go fishing anyway (Johnno just looked up from his book and said it looks like fishing time).  The holiday makers who are on more of a time schedule, are still fishing all day.  I sit on my double seater in the sun, reading FlyLife, watching them get excited when one person catches one Whiting or Long Tom.

Tommy; our cutest visitor so far!

I usual keep myself busy with photo sorting, movie making or Blog writing (fixing my blog took two days!).  Weekend visitors kept us entertained, and well fed.  I'm sure they hoped to catch fish as well, but hay, that's fishing :( sorry guys.

High tide at our Barred Creek camp site

Low tide at Barred Creek

Freezing cold mornings (as low as 10 degrees!) have kept us from get up early to fish the big low tides. Winds have been strong, but not enough to stop Johnno from fly fishing, all good practice he tells me…I’m still being too lazy to start again.  But I did say after a couple of beers the other night, ‘get my fly rod out, I’m ready to start’, but that still hasn’t happened.  Then this morning was over cast and hard to see into the water.

Now however, the wind is low, the sky is clearing, and it’s not to cold, or too hot;  I count 15 people on the beach fishing, so I think I might go join them!