The picture on our cover is of Outings Co-ordinator Don with a barramundi caught on his trip to Hinchinbrook Passage. Why this blast from the past? Simples Eeeech! Two of our lucky members, Rodney Adams and Ken Holley are no doubt threshing the warm waters of the Passage into foam as I write this, hoping to fool a barra and other tropical species to accept their flies.

I have to thank those members for inspiring me to dedicate this month’s “know your fish” to the mighty barramundi. Having spent the greatest part of my life in “Barra Country” I can honestly claim that I have probably caught more barramundi than any other species. In the Northern Territory of yore there was a favourite saying, “There are two kinds of fish – barra and bait.” Unfortunately I did not fly fish in my younger years and the only barra released were undersized fish or those caught in billabongs and obviously not seen saltwater for some time (easily established by their colour).

Like the Mangrove Jack and New Guinea Bass, Barramundi reside in bad neighbourhoods, what we called “tiger country”. They love sunken trees and snags that have been brought down in previous wet seasons. They have some attachment to their home and try to return there after eating your lure or fly. Unless stopped they will quickly make a cat’s cradle of your line; not a great tragedy when lure fishing but very expensive if using a fly line.

Various members have travelled overseas in the last few years and hopefully will continue to do so in the years to come. If any of those members have tales and tips for us all please write them down and forward them to the editor for the information and/or amusement of everyone.

Ron has supplied us with another poem, thought provoking instead of amusing this time. A part of that poem also reminded me of earlier times and, sad to say, that some of the predictions therein have already come to pass. I can remember when the Stations around Katherine used to bring in their Aboriginal ringers into town on show day, take them to Dalgety’s Stock and Station Agents and outfit them from top to toe in RM Williams to see them through to the following year and make them readily identifiable as stockmen. The name of RM Williams is now a yuppie clothing supplier and high prices ensure it is no longer “the stockman’s brand”, the ringers are now far fewer due to helicopter mustering and those remaining wear clothing and boots made in Asia. Another part of the old Australia lost forever.

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