When it came to the barra fishing it was all
about the tide and the correct areas to fish with
the correct lures. When we were fishing snag
piles that were deep (3m out from the bank to
20m out), the Flat Shad in 3” and 4.5” were the
ultimate for this type of fishery. We would cast
way back in the snags and just let them sink and
slow roll them out. The snagless design meant
that you could keep the correct speed through
the snags and not worry about snagging up.
This speed was what enticed the fish to come
out and bite.
Some people are apprehensive about weedless/
snagless designs but we really found day after
day that the folding design of the Flat Shad had
great hook-up rates on the fish. The biggest
surprise was that the 3” and 4.5” versions were
the most successful and that a 3” Flat Shad is
easily castable on 6kg Venom baitcasting gear.
To me this was the highlight of the trip, casting
way up the back of snags where you wouldn’t
ordinarily dare too and get the bite and worry
about getting the fish out after that. Most of
them did come out with some deliberate aerial
work and a fair old heave on the rod. The
Venom Crank Bait PE 2-4 rod was the best for
this situation as the added length at 6’3” both
helped cast the light lure and guide the fish
through and over the timber.
The next barra situation was deeper edges and
corners with smaller more individual snags
and for this situation, especially when the
tide was half way out, the new 69 and 89mm
Tango Shads worked a treat. If there was a
snag we would use the floating and if there
was a pressure point with swirling water we
would use the suspending version. With the
floating version the key was to cast as close to
Barra X Pro
Crank Bait PE 2-4
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