Doc’s Ultimate Guide To Barramundi Lures And Techniques With 20 Killer Pro Tips

It’s worth having some noisy, rattling hard body styles in your collection. It’s also worth some that don’t have internal rattles.

Noisy lures come into their own when the fish are aggressive and especially when the water is dirty or the light is low. Barra can easily locate lures even without noisy rattles, but a bit of noise can make their job that bit easier.

Hard bodied barra lures that don’t contain rattles make a little less noise but they’re still not silent. Hooks and rings create some clatter, thought it’s more subtle that rattles. These lures come into play when the water is clearer and the fish are spooky.

Of course, barra write their own rules, so if quiet lures aren’t working in clear water then try a rattling one – and vice versa. Mixing it up is the key to success.

Regular ALF podcast listeners know that I’m not too fussed about lure colours. More often than not the fish can’t see much colour anyway. You can find out more about that here in Episode 55 and Episode 56.

But that’s not to say there aren’t times when colour is important. Many ALF guests have notched up a lot more barra than me and swear by certain colours.

So, when I analyse what’s been shared on the show over the years it boils down to this……. Chrome gold, chartreuse, tiger lily, guns n roses and a selection of natural colours seem to be the most popular with the top barra fishers. Brighter colours for dirty water and low light, natural colours for other times.

Very buoyant lures are great in snaggy waters, especially when you’re trolling. Just give the lure a bit of slack line the instant you feel it contact structure, more often than not it will rise up and go straight over the snag.

The only problem with high floating lures is that barra often respond very aggressively to pauses in the retrieve. If you pause a floating lure  it floats away from the fish, looking very unnatural as it does so.

That’s where suspending lures are fantastic because they can be kept stationary in the fishes face for quite a few seconds, which can be deadly. But suspending barra lures are more prone to snagging, too. It’s always a tradeoff!

The barramundi is a fish that can be incredibly tough on lures, hooks and rings. Their jaw is so strong that it exerts enourmous pressure when a treble hook pins both the top and bottom jaw at the same time. Weak hooks can be easily straightened or snapped simply by the barra forcibly opening its mouth

Unfortunately, many “barra lures” come with treble hooks and rings that are way too lightweight. Back in Episode 266 I talked at length about choosing the best hooks for your needs (whatever species you’re targeting). To summarise the info as it relates to barramundi lures….. I like some of the fine wire but super strong hooks on the market. I prefer wide gape, round bend, straight pointed hooks. These have the greatest chance of finding a place to get struck in a barramundi’s cavernous mouth.

Other people prefer wide gape, curved point trebles for barra because they tend to stay in the fish better. It’s a personal choice, but with barra I feel it’s harder to get hooked than to stay hooked. They’re lightning fast at inhaling and rejecting a lure, so I want everything in my favour for the hookup. And I’ll worry about staying connected afterwards.

Balancing barramundi lures

Hook set rates aside, the other important consideration is the balance of your barra lures. Upgrading your hooks and rings is something of a science and randomly switching them out can ruin lure action. Top barra anglers will go to the extent of using a digital scale to weigh hooks and rings. To preserve lure action they want replacement terminals to weight the same as the originals.

More advanced strategies include deliberately using different terminals to tweak lure performance. Sometimes there are advantages to using thicker, heavier hooks instead of fine wire versions. A lot of barramundi lures are improved by weighting them a little so they don’t float too high in the water. Or even making floating lures suspend. This can be done with heavier hooks or sticky weights, or a combination of both.

And whilst you’re upgrading hooks it’s not a bad idea to make sure your split rings are up to the task also. If you’re not 100% certain about the strength of the rings on your barra lures, change them to good quality, super strong ones. It’s not worth risking the fish of a lifetime over two cents worth of split rings.

Barra are wonderfully adapted for hunting in low light and dirty water conditions. In fact, they actively seek out situations that give them the opportunity to use those adaptations to their advantage. The best barra fishing rarely happens when the entire water mass is clear, nor where the entire water mass is dirty. Colour change is often the key.

In rivers and estuaries, the places where dark, tannin coloured water from wetlands drains into a clear or turbid estuary. Just as exciting are places where wind and tides have created a line of muddy water along a shoreline. Or where clear oceanic water pushes up on the tide and mixes with dirty fresh or estuarine water.

In lakes I’d be casting my barra lures anywhere the wind has created a mudline that extends out from the waters edge. It doesn’t have to extend far, even just a foot or two.

Along the coastline I’d be putting my barra lures in places where wind and currents push dirty water across a headland or along a beach. Often there’s a patch of cleaner water on the lee side.

Barra love to hunt in all of these areas where colour changes happen. Their highly attuned senses allow them to ambush baitfish and prawns that don’t see them coming.

It’s a common barra fishing strategy to put a boat in the water and simply hop from snag to snag. Each snag gets peppered with a dozen barra lures until either a fish gets caught or the angler moves on! If that’s you’re approach, you’ll definitely catch the odd barra.

The problem is, it’s not always successful and lots of anglers don’t know any other way to fish for barra.

Barramundi use every bit of their habitat. So, if snag bashing is your only strategy you’re missing a lot of opportunities. It’s kind of like being a cricket batsman who only really has one or two shots. He has to watch a lot of hitable balls go by just waiting for the one he knows how to play. The more shots he can play, the more balls he can hit.

Likewise, the more ways you learn how to catch a barramundi the more success you’ll enjoy.

Pro Tip For Finding Barra

Like most fish, barramundi don’t feed 24/7. I’ve seen scenarios where they’re actively feeding on a mudflat before resting up in snags to digest their meal. So the snag bashers are casting to resting fish with a belly full of food! Smart anglers might instead have targeted them on the flats when they were actively feeding.

Remember that whether in an estuary, river, lake or inshore habitat, barra make it their business to know where to get a feed with minimal effort. They’ll sit out of the current and out of sight, but within easy reach of baitfish or prawns swept along by the current. Sometimes that will be a snag, other times it will be a weedbed, undercut, thermocline, rockbar, eddy, pressure edge, colour change, shadow line or other feature.

As a barra angler, your job is to figure out which features to fish on a given day, so it’s important not to become too obsessed with the snags.

For many years barramundi fishing was considered to be a summer time only pursuit. They love warm water, after all, they’re a northern species!

But it’s a big mistake to think that the hotter water, the better. Certainly not in the summer months.

Barra thrive when water temperatures are between 20-30 C. In aquaculture their growth rates have been noted to fall when the temperature falls below 25C or gets above 30C. Barra get heat-stressed, just like any other animal – and their only means of cooling off it moving into cooler water.

When the water is too warm for comfort barra take refuge by finding patches of cooler water. Shady areas, deeper holes or places where cool seawater comes in on the tide are all worth fishing. Barra can also get very active at night when surface water temps dip a little.

During winter, barramundi seek out patches of warmer water. In estuaries the sun can warm the dry sand at low tide, which in turn warms the water as the tide comes in. In lakes the shallow, windblown bays can receive an influx of slightly warmer water and are worth exploring.

Late afternoon is often the best time for winter barramundi fishing as the water has more opportunity to warm up throughout the day.

And remember, it only takes one or two degrees of temperature difference to have a dramatic effect.

Weedless rigged soft plastics are among the best barramundi lures for working snags and weedbeds. They can be cast deep into the heaviest structure, and usually the lure can be retrieved without getting hung up. Getting into the heavy timber, rock or weed can mean more bites if that’s where the fish are feeding.

But the problem with weedless rigged barramundi lures is hookup rates. 

It’s not such an issue when you’re fishing for some other species, such as mangrove jack.  Jacks bite down hard on a baitfish to cripple and disable it. So when they hit a weedless soft plastic the point and barb get exposed.

But barra feed by implosion. They open their cavernous mouth super quickly and everything nearby gets sucked in with the huge rush of water. With no bite pressure there’s nothing to expose the hook. The lure is inside that big bucket mouth with a protected point.

Compare that with hard bodied barramundi lures. They will have six to nine exposed hook points inside the barra’s mouth and there’s a good chance one of them will pin the fish.

So as a rule of thumb, avoid rigging weedless lures for barramundi unless it’s necessary to do so. Consider fishing with an exposed barb any time you can get away with it, Just carry a lure retriever and be prepared to get snagged a little more often. The reward could well be more fish hooked.

It’s cliché, I know. But the old saying “no run, no fun” is right on the money for barramundi fishing. Not just in saltwater systems, but flowing freshwater systems too.

Barra are powerful swimmers and not as lazy as people will tell you. But chasing down food takes a lot of energy and the more energy they use, the more food they need. So like all predators, conserving energy is one of the keys to survival.

Flowing water, whether if be tidal or freshwater runoff makes it easy for barra to know where food will be. When there’s no current the bait can move freely and will often disperse. A lot of energy can be expended just finding food. But as the current strengthens the bait seeks refuge in eddies and current breaks, conveniently concentrating them into schools.

Barra make it their business to find these little pockets of bait – and you should, too!

How to use tides to your advantage

Whilst at least some flow is important, really big tides can make for tough fishing. Strong currents can make lure placement difficult…… plus it can stir sediment and create very dirty water. Too dirty even for barra!

During really big tides the tide changes happen quickly and the periods of slower current are quite short. You need to be ready on the spot to get as many casts in as possible before the flow ramps up again. It’s not all bad though, often the bite can be frantic for that short time!

With a few exceptions, most tides are fishable in most locations, but you need to plan your trip accordingly. For example, if the last half of the runout tide is fishing well then start your day upstream and follow the tide down. This will extend the fishing window and allow you to be fishing  the last half of the runout for hours.

Ok, before we go any further, let me qualify that statement……. As long as the conditions are safe for you and your boat it’s never too windy for barramundi fishing.

Most anglers hate the wind, but many fish species love it. So, if your aim is to enjoy a pleasant day on the water then choose a calm day. But if catching barra is your priority you’ll quickly learn to look forward to the windy days. Windy conditions bring the fish out to play and send the weekend anglers packing.

A bit of wind can be helpful when you’re throwing barramundi lures around estuaries and coastal areas. But does its best work in making impoundment fish easier to catch. Without wind lakes would have minimal water circulation (except around places where creeks flow in). A lack of current makes the fish are more scattered and less predictable.

The other other advantage of windy weather is stealth. With less boating traffic there’s less likelihood of some gumby spooking your fish! Often the weekend warriors who do stick around go looking for the sheltered areas. They might be lucky and find the odd barra, but it’s the opposite of where the fish will be most catchable. So you get the prime spots to yourself.

And when it’s windy the slap of waves on the shoreline and chop on the surface can mask noise that might spook fish. It’s still critical that you’re as quiet as possible, but you’ll get away with the odd mistake.

How to use wind in barramundi fishing

Few anglers realise how much water movement wind causes in lakes – or how important it is for barramundi fishing. Consistent wind coming from one direction for a few days creates persistent currents. And just like tidal currents and runoff in rivers, these currents help you to know where to cast your barra lures for the best chance they’ll get eaten.

Take a look at a map and think about what currents might have been created by the wind over the past few days. Look for areas where the wind strikes a bank, causing muddying of the water, accumulating food and oxygenating the shallows. On still days,check to see which way the wind was blowing in the days or weeks prior. The currents they create can continue for a day or two after the wind dies down. 

Many species of fish feed a little more actively around dawn and dusk when the light is low. And through the hours of darkness, for that matter.

Barramundi even more so than most. They’re superbly adapted to low light, low visibility hunting and they love murky water. Ask any fisheries scientist that knows barra and they’ll share adaptations that cause them perfectly suited to low light.

If you’ve never done it, fishing for barramundi at night can be exhilarating. On a good night the chorus of loud “boofs” of feeding fish can heard all around. It’s not for everyone, and it has to be done with great care. It’s hard to see where you’re casting your barra lures, not to mention where navigational hazards might be. And if you’re fishing rivers or estuaries at night then crocs require even more respect.

Land based barramundi anglers often enjoy success where artificial lights on jetties, wharves and landings create “light pools”. Often there can be a distinct sharp edge separating the dark water from the illuminated areas. Barramundi can be found on the darker edges of the light pool, especially if there’s a pressure edge or current break too. They’ll also be found in the darkness under the wharf, jetty or pier you’re standing on.

Spotting The Opportunities

Barramundi love areas where their low light vision gives them the upper hand when ambushing their prey. But using low light to your advantage isn’t just about fishing at night.

Unlike humans, fish don’t have eyelids and their pupils don’t constrict. And barra have evolved with eyes that work in very low light. In fact, bright light causes them serious eye pain and their only relief is to move somewhere darker. That’s why on sunny days you’ll often find barra lurking anywhere there is a shadow. It might be around sunken timber, undercut banks, foam covered water, weed islands, under lillies and so on. They love areas where the light changes abruptly so they have that ambush opportunity.

Also be aware that on cloudy days you’ll often experience a flurry of activity just after the sun disappears behind a cloud. It can end just as abruptly when the sun breaks out again, though. Brodie Quaas explained this well in his interview about Lake Tinaroo Barra, as did Jase Wilhelm when we talked about Lake Monduran Barramundi. So respond quickly to take advantage of the opportunity.

It’s interesting watching people turn up at a lake or estuary for their annual fishing holiday. Often they head straight for the exact snag where they caught a barra last year. It’s as if “X” marks the spot.

But barramundi aren’t territorial and don’t live on one snag for their whole life. In fact, you know from reading this article that they don’t necessarily hang out on snags at all. So there must have been a reason that fish was there last year. Maybe it was the wind, tide, water temperature, thermocline, time of day, water level and baitfish. Maybe one or more of those is diffent this year.

The “X” marks the spot approach is a lazy one and relies on pure, dumb luck. It’s human to gravitate back to somewhere you’ve had success and there’s no harm side-scanning the area or casting a few barramundi lures at it. Just don’t get fixated on that spot.

Moving past “X marks the spot”

Consistency in fishing comes from understanding that the fish always position themselves according to the conditions. Barra move to follow bait species. They move to find comfortable water temperatures. Sometimes they’ll move to get out of bright sun, or to find cleaner/dirtier water. They’ll respond to conditions and shift to different parts of the system on different tides. They don’t stay in one place for long.

Like many predatory fish, barra also have places that they feed and places where they rest. They can be caught at either one, but you’ll need to adjust both the lures you cast and the techniques you use.

Anglers who take the time to understand the fish and respond to conditions often find barra movements quite predictable. So spend some time looking at maps, tide charts and wind before you get to your fishing spot. Once there, don’t be in a big hurry to start fishing. Doing some exploring and finding where the fish are and what they’re doing is a valuable use of your time. Think about where the fish may be, and why.

The barramundi has an enormous, cavernous mouth and can easily swallow very large food items. Anyone who’s spent a lot of time on northern estuaries will tell stories of 40cm diamond scale mullet getting “boofed” at times.

So, you might expect that barramundi lures would be large too. After all, even a small barra can easily inhale a 20cm hard bodied lure – and they do, at times.

Well, there are places where big barra lures are very successful. For example, really big hard bodies tend to work well in some Northern Territory systems, like the Mary River. And big, jointed swimbaits can be effective in some impoundments.

But based on ALF interviews, these seem to be the exception rather than the rule. Despite the fish’s ability to eat really big food items the most effective barramundi lures tend to be more modest in size, even for metre plus fish.

When it comes to hard bodies, soft plastics, topwater and stickbaits the most successful barra lures seem to be in the 80-130mm size range. Blades and soft vibes for barra fishing are usually around the 90-100mm size. That’s not to say you won’t catch fish on bigger lures, but certainly the consensus among my ALF interviewees has indicated a strong preference for smaller lures.

My Barra Tackle Cheat Sheet is a free download and summarises all the lures that my ALF podcast guests use for various situations. I’d definitely recommend checking it out!

These days everyone seems to be fixated on casting lures for barramundi. For some reason, trolling seems to be looked down upon as a lazy fishing technique.

Sure, some fishers might just sling a barra lure out behind their boat and motor along hoping for a fish or two. But serious trolling that results in consistent catches is an art-form. It requires thought, skill and strategy, especially in tidal waters. Trolling in big systems can be a great way to cover water and find fish, even if you plan to stop and cast your lures once fish are found.

Tips for trolling barra

An important tip for those trolling estuaries is to work with the tidal currents. A barra lure trolled with the current can dive deeper and creates less drag on the rod. Plus, the boat will cover ground faster, so keep your eyes on the sidescan sonar until you find fish!

Most importantly though, trolling with the current presents your lures to the fish more naturally. Fish usually position themselves facing into the current to see food as it comes down. So your barra lure comes from in front of them, not behind. That’s also the direction that baitfish tend to travel, so your lures will look more natural.

Planning your fishing trip so that you run with the current one direction and then run back after the turn of the tide is smart. If you troll past a pod of fish or a likely piece of structure, simply cross the river and motor back upstream on the opposite side. Then make a second pass trolling with the current.

The downside of trolling with the current is that you’ll usually get snagged more often. You can’t simply drop your rod tip back and give your lure a little slack line to allow it to float over the snag. So have a good tackle retriever handy! And take solace from knowing that getting snagged means your barramundi lure is where it needs to be to catch fish.

Those just learning how to catch a barramundi often try to land their lure exactly where they expect a fish will be waiting. It may be a snag, a weedbed, a rockbar, pylon or simply a school of fish they’ve spotted on sidescan.

Putting your lure on the fish’s head can sometimes work if you’re using a topwater lure or shallow diver. But even then it’s not the best strategy. A much better approach is usually to cast well beyond the fish whenever you can. Then work the lure back past it. This avoids spooking fish as the lure splashes down too close.

Just as importantly, most barramundi lures don’t start working the instant you commence reeling. Casting past the fish enables the lure to get down to the required depth and be swimming properly when it reaches the barra. This is especially the case with deep diving lures.

Of course, there are times where you simply can’t cast beyond the fish. For example, when you’re fishing a snag tight against a deep bank. All you can do in this situation is choose lures that get to the required depth fast and try to land them on the water as lightly as you can.

I remember when sidescan sonar first came to Australia and I rushed to get in line for one. These days most casual anglers have sidescan and few serious barra anglers would be without it.

To state the obvious it’s not enough to have sidescan fitted on your boat, you actually have to understand how to use it. It’s surprising how many people own the toys but have no idea how to use them. You need to know what your screen is telling you.

Also, keep in mind that sonar is just a tool that makes it easier to find fish, nothing more. Well, ok. The latest live sonar can tell you something of their movements and behaviours too. But it’s still just a tool.

I love sounder technology. And I’m blown away by how much we’ve learned about fish behaviour since the arrival of live sonar. But so much emphasis is put on electronics that a lot of anglers forget that nature is also giving tons of valuable clues. 

Real magic happens when you know how to use your sonar AND combine that knowledge with a deep understanding of the fish and its environment.

Lots of barra anglers don’t get this, they think that sonar is everything. But I’ve noticed that every barra fishing gun that I’ve ever interviewed recognises this. Their powers of observation, their knowledge of barra and interpretation of the subtle hints that nature gives them are razor sharp. And that makes their sonar the more valuable.

You could be forgiven if the idea of fishing with timber barra lures seems a little quaint.

Don’t be fooled.  There are very good reasons why no serious barra angler should be without at least a few timber hard bodies in their kit. There are plenty of theories about why barra might sometimes prefer a timber lure over a plastic one.

I’m not sure anyone knows 100% why. But I can tell you that a lot of top gun barra dudes swear that on their day a timber hard body will leave a plastic one in it’s dust.

For what it’s worth, I believe that timber barramundi lures tend to have a slower action than plastic ones. Timber has natural inconsistencies, so the swimming action tends to be more erratic. And they make a different sound than plastic lures, too. Timber barra lures with internal rattles create a low pitch sound that travels further through water and is more natural to fish.

Whatever the reasons, timber lures definitely tend to get taken when the fishing is tough and slow. They are especially valuable in hard fished waters where the popular barramundi lures are familiar to the fish.

If you’re looking for some quality timber barramundi lures you might like to try Old Dog Lures, BTD Generals or Tilsan Barra’s

Sound travels further and faster through water than it does through air. Which means barra usually hear your lure before they see it!

It also means that any unnatural sounds can spook them from a long way off. Dropped boat hatches, tackle, anchors and so on can all alert a barra to your presence. Once alerted they instantly become more cautious. I’d rather be casting at fish that have no clue I’m there, wouldn’t you?

Many ALF barramundi guests have talked about measures they take to reduce the noise they make. These include:

• Minimising electric motor use and keeping it to the slowest speed possible
• Anchoring or tying up, rather than spot locking
• Carpeting boat floors and taking care not to drop hatch covers
• Making long casts with the wind to get the lure as far away as possible
• Avoiding playing music and finding fish away from the boats and anglers
• Picking quiet times when there are less boats on the water. Even if it means missing the prime fishing times

Hard bodied barramundi lures have an awesome presence in the water. They create plenty of vibration, noise and commotion.

But sometimes you need them to float a little lower in the water. Sometimes you want them to suspend so when you stop working them for a moment they stay in the fish’s face. Or perhaps you even need them to sink.

I’ve already talked about using terminal tackle to acheive this, switching to a larger hook or a heavier wire for more weight. But the sticky weights you can buy in tackle shops can be even better. You can stick them onto the underside of your barra lures, and can later peel them  off to be reused.

They’re quick to put on and take off, and they give you lots of options about how much weight you use, and where. If you don’t have any in your tackle box it might be time to grab a pack or two!

We’ve covered a cross section of the barramundi lures suggested by ALF guests. But there are plenty more barra lures out there we haven’t discussed. Tons of them!

And have you noticed that each lure can often be fished in multiple ways, depending on conditions?

Well, here’s food for thought. Some techniques and actions will take barra on some days. And others on other days. You just need to figure out which. And once you figure it out, rinsing and repeating is often all you need to do.

A difference I see between my ALF guests and average angler is that my guests always have a method. They’ll have 3 rods rigged with different barramundi lures. They’ll pick on up and make 5 casts using a particular retrieve. Then five with a different retrieve. And maybe another five with a different retrieve again. Then they’ll switch rods and start over.

Approaching fishing methodically is a great way to eliminate what’s not working. Making random casts without much thought makes the process a lot more hit and miss. The faster you can get to what’s working, the sooner you’re onto fish!

Ever wonder why fishing is often referred to as angling? Apparently, it comes down to an old English term where a hook was referred to as an angle. So, an angler is someone who catches fish on a hook. As opposed to a fisherman, who could also use a net, traps or other technique.

There ends the history lesson.

But I like the term “angler” for another reason. So much of what we do is about presenting our lures at the correct angle. A lure presented at the wrong angle might not get seen by a fish. Or worse, it could spook the fish.

Angles are as important in barra fishing as they were to the old English fly fisher. A lure that comes from behind a barramundi runs a high risk of spooking it. Either taking the fish by surprise or the line touching the fish’s back.

So before every single cast that you make, ask yourself which way the fish will be facing. And angle your lure appropriately whenever you can. That may require repositioning your boat, letting out a little extra anchor rope and so on.

Ideally, for best results, your lure should cross over in front of the fish. Or at least be swimming towards the barra’s face.

In situations where your barra lures are being worked slowly it doesn’t hurt to add a little attractant. Any time a lure is being worked gently the fish have ample time to inspect it. Time to inspect = time to reject! In other words, the fish has time to be put off if the lure seems unnatural.

Adding some attractant can help to make the lure seem more natural.  

Of course, if you’re going for a reaction bite then attractant won’t help much. In that case the lure will be moving much faster, and the fish will lash out from instinct. But a slow-moving lure gives the attractant the opportunity to waft around near the lure.

It’s one of those small things that top anglers seem to do, but everyday anglers overlook.

It might be the final tip on this list, but that doesn’t mean it’s not one of the most important! Something that definitely sets my ALF guests apart from the average fishing punter is mindset.

Having confidence in yourself, your tackle and your technique is incredibly important. Watch the internal talk. “Tide’s not the best”. “I should’ve bought that other lure”. “Probably take me all day to get my casting dialed in”. “I never have much luck”.

Getting the best results means being on your game. That’s hard to do if you start the day by making excuses about why you’re going to fail.

Much better if you can focus on getting answers. “What’s the opportunity here?” “How will the fish respond to <xyz>?” “What haven’t I tried yet?” “What clues are the fish giving me?” “Why wouldn’t that lure get eaten?”

A professional sportsman would allow themselves to set foot on a field filled with doubt. They know that bad mindset can undermine even the best skills. Fishing can be the same.

Will mindset ever replace skills and experience? Nope. But low confidence will definitely result in poorer results, no matter what your starting skill level.