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Barramundi |
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Common : Barramundi |
Family : Latidae |
Species: Lates
Calcarifer |
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Chinese: Kim Bak Lor |
Malay: Siakap |
Other: Shek Kap |
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Size: |
20-36 inches |
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Bait: |
Prawn, Mullet, Squid,Tamban and occasionally
artificial Lure. |
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Method: |
Casting, Botton, Drifting Live Bait and Trolling. |
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Habitat: |
Mangrove, Estuaries, Coastal, Kelong |
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About the fish:
The Barramundi is a wonderful
game fish for lure anglers. It will attack a lure present correctly to it,
not just out of hunger, but also out of aggression. There is always a suction
effect associated with the way the Barra feeds. This is due to the fact
that the Barra inhales the prey instead of biting it.
They have a reversed reproduction
cycle compared to the salmon. The female Barras will move out to the coastal
areas to spawn. The fry will then travel up river systems
and mature there. So always release barra weight less than 800gms. It is adviseable to practice catch and release
for the future of sport fishing.
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When to fish for them:
Barras are encountered
all year round in Singapore. For us the most productive times for Barra
fishing have been in the early hours or after dark. Although we do get
some in daytime.
I have personally found
them to be most active during the receding neap tides. During this time,
they would move in towards longkang (drain) outlet and feed for short periods but
always stopping for a while. I guess maybe for the baitfish to settle their
nerves.
I prefers the fishing at spring
tides because I feels that as the Barra is a lazy fish, it will cruise
in together with the tide to have its dinner.
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Where to fish for them:
As Barras are estuary
fish, they never stray far away from the river systems. They can always
be found along the coastline and/or some bigger longkang (drain) outlet
especially kranji drain the one beside the temple.
Our theory about their
route of passage is; During the monsoon seasons, they will inhabit creeks
or move up river to feed. When the raining slows down, they will move out
to the coast and start spawning. We are currently trying to prove this
theory with tools such as tagging. Barramundi can be caught by using artifical
lures like the rapala
The best baits are live
prawns, live bait fishes, fish slices and prawns. The best way to fish for
them is by using a running sinker, using floats or just the bait alone. So
if your hands are itching to fight these fish, go down to your nearest
commercial pond as they stock up their ponds with a large percentage of
them.
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Fighting tactics:
The fight of the Barra
is fun and exciting. Exhibiting great gymnastics as well as "ecstasy" syndromes.
Upon hookup a Barra tend to smash through the water and do its traditional
headshakes and rattles its gill plates attempting to cut the line.
The Barra is not necessarily
a dirty fighter, although it will make use of snags to free itself. When
fighting a Barra always be on the lookout whether it is going to jump.
You can observe this by looking at your line. If the entry point of the
line into the water is moving away from you at a fast speed, the Barra
is most likely going to jump. Be very careful when the barra enters the
air, make sure your line is taut as not to let the Barra wrap it around
its gill plates.
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