Australia Visit - Day 5-BarraPaulLooza 1

October 23rd. - After getting up pretty early Paul and I checked the yabby pots at Escott crossing and scored 7 cherabin.None of the pots looked as though they'd been raided or tampered with by crocs, so that was a good thing. An air of excitement was upon us. We flicked lures around for a short while and the old man managed a small barra but was too embarrassed to have his reputation tarnished by having his picture taken with it. It was a pretty little fish.

Paul checking one of the yabby pots.

One of the cherabin (trust me, they're delicious!)

After a breakfast of bacon and eggs we headed down to the boat ramp out on the salt flats and launched. Before heading out we stopped at the servo, filled up, grabbed some ice and a plain pie. Driving out from the caravan park we quickly left the sparse scrubby country and found ourselves amidst the heat haze of a treeless, vast saltpan. The sun was beating down with all the vigor it could muster and the wind howled in from towards the river mouth. After checking to ensure the outboard would start, mum and dad took the rig back to the van park.

The rig all ready to go at the Albert River boat-ramp.

We headed upstream and got a heap of big, fat, juicy mullet in no time on a shallow sand-flat. After that we ran quite a ways downstream to almost where the creek arm runs into the main Albert River to a set of snags that Paul had caught barra at before. We set up in the blazing sun and a very blustery wind. After we set up the umbrella things were much improved. The river is a huge, meandering river serpentining it’s shallow-bowled way across the sprawling flats and saltpans of the Gulf of Carpentaria. The banks are lined with only mangroves amidst the browny-yellow mud.

The run down to Paul's barra snag.

Only the best - Abu Ambassadeur 6500s and 7000s all around

We sat without interest for probably two hours before the largest of the mullet screamed off. Despite our enthusiasm and a long fight all that came to hand was a large (around 20 pounds) catfish. That was quite a letdown. A bit later another reel screamed off with the same result. Despite one strong run back towards a snag that didn’t hook up, we scored nothing but catfish and we were well ready to return to boat-ramp when the afternoon was done.

After a dinner of possibly the best steak I’ve ever eaten, Paul and I headed out to Escott crossing to check the pots and flick lures for a while. I could only see three sets of croc eyes as I shone the torch and we didn’t stay too long but again caught nothing. Our only conciliation was finding a brand new reidy’s lure stuck along the causeway.