FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions)

• What should I bring with me

What should I bring with me

Rods & Reels

Estuary / Light Palagic
For Barra and other estuary and river fishing, single and double-handed baitcasting gear is the most popular option. It pays to have two or three outfits in case of tackle failure somewhere along the way. Having two outfits in the boat also allows you to rig a surface lure on one and a mid depth or deep running lure on the other so you can prospect an area thoroughly without having to constantly change lures.

Another effective option is to have both threadline and baitcasting gear on hand for short and long casting.
Whatever gear you decide to bring, make sure you do plenty of casting practice before your holiday. It really pays off to have your casting working before you arrive.

Ultra light tackle is not recommended, as most fish will be found around snags and rock bars. Mono from 6-10kg does the job, and don’t forget trace material from 24-30 kg, also braided line around the 30lb range is recommended.
Threadline fisherman will benefit using a bottom load of mono line with a top shot of gel spun braided line, this will increase casting.

Bluewater / Gamefishing
For Gamefish such as Black Marlin, Sailfish and Mackeral we recommend both an overhead and a spinning outfit. Much of our Billfishing in the latter part of the year involves ‘switch baiting’ whereby we encourage the billfish to rise to teasers close to the boat, then quickly substitute a carefully cast bait for the teaser. This has to be done quickly and accurately with an unweighted bait, so a quality spinning outfit is well suited to the task. Outfits should be in the 10/15 kg range and able to have a line capacity in the 300 to 500 metre ranges. Rods should have a medium tip action and plenty of grunt in the butt section.

Please remember however that we have ample ‘replace if lost’ supplies of all the tackle you might need to catch billfish. We do not supply fly fishing tackle.

Lures

If you have tried and proven, favourite barra lures bring them, even if they’re not on this list. The following is a guide only, based on lures and colours that constantly produce results for us.

Whatever lures you bring make sure they have 3X strong trebles fitted, and you don’t need chemically sharpened hooks for this kind of fishing. In fact, they can be a bit dangerous.

The dominant colour is gold, with silver, pearl and hot pink all good colours. Some anglers consider a red throat to be important    

The undisputed shallow runner is the Gold Bomber, and that one is essential.  For mid water work, balsa Rapala Fat Raps, Manns Stretch 10, gold Downunder Vipers, Mad Mullet, Nils Master deep divers, Leeds 4” deep diver and Tilsen barra.

Deep divers are Manns Boof Baits, Stretch 20 the RMG scorpions in the 3.5m to ultra deep range and now the White Fox Barra Magnum 12’ plus.

Lures around 10cm long are a good general size, although in some patterns, such as the Rapala Fat Rap, the lure will be shorter, fat bodied pattern.

General Tackle

Your guide will have de-hookers, pliers and knives in the boat, but you might find it handy to have a pair of split ring pliers, a nail cutter and your own set of de-hooker pliers on hand.

If you want to bring a lot of backup tackle, that’s fine by us, but be sure to bring a small tackle box or container to take in the boat each day. Jumbo sized tackle boxes tend to get in the way.
 Iron Lady carries a full range of tackle including rods and reels lures, line and trace materials. If you choose to use the ship’s tackle rather than your own, you will be charged for items that need to be replaced, such as lost lures, broken rods and so on.

Clothing

We normally fish in a morning and an afternoon session with a lunch break in between, but you will still be in the tropical sun most of the day. Many fishermen prefer to wear cotton long-sleeved shirts, and old business shirts with a stiff collar are handy as you can turn the collar up to protect your neck. Facilities for washing on the boat are limited, so work on the basis of a change of shirts for each day of the trip.

If you are sensitive to the sun, bring some old trousers to fish in. A broad brimmed hat is a very useful thing to have.

Sometimes an early morning start will be called for, and even in this part of the world it can get chilly. We also have passing rain from time to time, so a decent spray jacket is essential.

You have plenty of time after the day’s fishing for a hot shower before the evening meal, so you need a few changes of casual (very casual) clothes for the evenings. Add one sweater or tracksuit to your bag.

Odd Bits

Sunscreen with the biggest protection factor is absolutely essential. Bring plenty of it.

The areas we fish are not entirely bug free, so it would be wise to have a good repellent with you.

Sunglasses are important to most people, and polarised lenses certainly help thru-water vision

You will want to have a camera and plenty of film, or your digital and lots of megabytes. 

There is generally plenty of reading matter around the boat, but if you are a reader it won’t hurt to bring a couple of books to put you off to sleep in the evenings.

Don’t forget to bring any prescription medication you may need.

During your time on the boat you will be far removed from the more maddening aspects of civilization, but you will also be far removed from the corner shop and the chemist. Think carefully about the personal things you may need and be sure to pack them.