Big tides mean Big Barra at Shady Camp, so thought I would
give it a go.
Got there around 9.00pm after stopping at Point Stuart Lodge
for a couple of coldies ($5.80 a can these days) set up my swag in the
information shelter then bedded down for the night.
First three guide boats arrived at 5.00am and launched, I
got to the ramp at 5.45am to find the first three guide boats within 50 metres
unable to progress downstream through lack of water! They managed to get
underway just after I got there!
Yep lack of water. Although there is some coming over the
barrage it is not even touching the cleaning table on the barrage so unless we
get rain soon all launch and retrieve are tide dependent. Had to take the
trailer all the way out to the flat rocks to launch, although there is about 4
inches of thick black mud it is firm underneath so no problems there. Parked
the car and counted 7 boats before me.
Water coming over the barrage is black and stinks like
rotting cow crap (I know that may be subjective and some may consider it to be
freshly mown grass!). Not enough water to hang around at the barrage to have a
flick so progressed to the second barrages. All changed. Have been rebuilt
during the dry and could find only one new barrage with water coming over. The
big gap seems to have been repaired and has a big grass island in front of it.
Found a small channel with a flow and followed it and found myself on the fresh
side going through a new gap a boat width wide blown out further along the
barrage from the old breakout. Did not hang around as definitely get stuck
territory.
Progressed to the third set of barrages and could only make
it about 50 metres up the channel where it was totally overgrown across
preventing access. Depth of channel still 4 metres but needs a good clean up
with a chain saw or dynamite.
Took a trip to the mouth but did not hang around too long as
there was a good swell straight on making it too hard for an oldie like me.
Came back around the corner and found Barra boofing deep in the undergrowth but
could not entice any so worked my way back upstream with the tide.
Back at the top (now high tide) the water looked much more
inviting, one other boat fishing and two people flicking off the barrage. Water
still black and still smelt like rotting cow crap. Gave it an hour then pulled
the boat out with no problems. No fish of any sort, did not even see a Tarpon,
not even on the fresh side of the barrage. Spoke to a local who was just
launching and he said that things have been dismal. A large fish kill 7-10 days
ago and hardly any fish being caught at the barrage. The only luck he had had
was to troll straight down the guts to the first bend on high tide.
Today is not the Shady that I know but feel sure that with
water it will return. If anyone has plans to go there, unless you are going to
fish Chambers Bay creek mouths, think about it before you go. But there again
“if you never never go, you’ll never never know”.
One thing that never changes at Shady is the Mossies are
still at their blood sucking best.
Jim
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