P16 - FISH & BOAT, April 2019 Lure Fishing Ode to the Ghost By Dan Kaggelis During these early years’ impound- Every barramundi fishermanment fishing was nowhere near as has a special connection to a popular as it is today, and it was un- lure. This connection is usu- common to see more than 3 boats ally deeply rooted in the fact that it on the dam on the full moon over has produced plenty of fish in the the warmer months, which today is The Grey Ghost once again notching up past when others just haven’t been pretty much unheard of. It was quick another trophy barra for the start of 2019. able to seal the deal. It’s not hard learning, and we soon figured out to spot this connection as you only the bigger fish wanted the biggest have to have a peak in someone’s lures with the most aggressive ac- tackle box to see those one or two tions, especially on the troll, and the lures which seem to outnumber eve- grey ghost leads the way. The grey rything else. ghost still holds the mantle for my When it comes to pinning down apersonal best impoundment barra big barramundi, there are plenty of which was as fat as it was long, and ‘go to lures’ both hardbody and soft I doubt I will ever find one bigger or plastic, but this feature is dedicated heavier for the rest of my life. to one lure which has a special place I’ve had plenty of conversations in the world of catching big barra- with other anglers who also share mundi- The Barra Classic. my admi- There is a reason the Barra Clas- ration and sic is Australia’s number 1 barra lure, belief in and that’s because they have the runs the ‘ghost’, on the board when it comes to land- and there ing big chrome slabs. I still remem- are plenty ber the first time I looped on a Barra of reasons Classic as a kid working the snags as to why and banks for barramundi and man- it has such a grove jacks. That big body roll action famed reputation. The always brought a sense of confidence first is the fact that it has to your fishing, not to mention the such a strong presence and profile fact they pinned so many fish. in the water. It’s one of the main Out of the almost endless choice reasons why many dedicated barra of colour patterns and designs which fishermen believe hard body lures when it comes to big barramundi for minbird Mega also provided plenty inspired bucket grin. The triple set the Classic range is well known for, still have the edge over soft plastics the following reasons. Firstly, the of confidence with fish showing in of extra heavy-duty trebles as always there has always been one that has in the world of trophy barramundi large eyes, pale head with the hint good numbers out in the clearerdid their thing, providing plenty of stood out when it comes to targeting fishing, they simply make moreof red moving down to a scaled greyopen water. The rain and fresh hadpurchase on the fish, allowing plenty trophy barramundi in both the salt noise and attraction. It’s no secret body creates just enough contrast in pushed the fish a ...for more than a decade this of jumps and and fresh water -the ‘Grey Ghost’. barra have large lateral lines which the water to resemble a wounded or little wider off the little 120mm grey swimmercarry on which is Whenever I find myself in the right are super sensitive to vibration and injured baitfish. Some anglers swear headlandsinto the has pro what we all love time and place, and the sounder is honed to detect bait fish especially by the red and white Qantas colours channelsand con- ven time and time best with barra showing those big ...there wasno surprise toin dirty water. Thefor this very reason, but too muchtoured dipsand againthat it has the qualitiesfishing. It was a girls dancing below, feel the braidrip tight, andunmistakable ag-contrast can sometimes overdo theledges which was to pthe biteroduceon big wisecracking way to thereis little more e of heavy-set chromegressive action ofimitation, especially when you aregood news as the fishwhen nothing else seemskick off the sea- Ihave on my mind a metr the ‘Classic’ design targeting old and wise fish. The sec- headland points son and notched to seal the deal than launch from the water withseems to have theond is that the ‘grey ghost’ resembles werelittered withto be working. another trophy ‘ghost’. The reason thatBarra Classic inspiredability to really at-perfectly what big barramundi loveboats and keen barra anglers pep-barra for the grey ghost legend. The for this is for more bucketgrin. tract these bigger to eat the most- mullet and whiting. pering the whitewash and rockyClassic grey ghost is one of those than a decade this trophy fish and get Talk to any live bait fishermen, and bombies. The grey ghost was primed traditions of barra fishing and whilst little 120mm grey swimmer hasthem to bite. Especially on the trollthey will tell you that the best baiton the NS Black Hole Amped spinmany may argue its old school the proven time and time again that it where these lures have the uncanny for targeting trophy barra are big rod, and after a few sneaky passes reality is that once you find a way has the qualities to produce the bite ability to draw fish in and turn them grey mullet, or even better, whiting. on the fish there was no surprise to past the hype of the latest and great- on big wise fish when nothing else on the chew after a couple of passes. The grey ghost pattern just match- feel the braid rip tight, and a metre est designs, you soon realise that this seems to be working. Whether I am Whilst the design is perfectlyes the hatch perfectly to these fishof heavy-set chrome launch fromlure has what it takes to make your fishing the waters of a Gulf of Car- matched to the feeding sensors ofand is simple yet effective enoughthe water with that Barra Classicbig barra aspirations come true. pentaria creek, flicking big laydowns big barramundi, the colour and pat- to convince even the wisest fish to in a dam, or targeting coastal head- tern of the grey ghost is anotherhave a go. This was never more evi- It takes a perfect imitation lands, when this lure gets a swim its matter altogether. There are plenty dent than during the first few weeks to catch those elusive big for the single reason to catch a big of anglers who disregard colour and of the barramundi open season this barramundi. trophy barramundi. My big barrapattern when it comes to lure selec-year. Whilst the ever-present mon- connection with this lure surprising- tion but twice as many will tell you soonal rain had seen the creeks run- ly came from my early years chasing that on the day it can make a bigning filthy, the coastal headlands impoundment barramundi in Peterdifference. As for me, the simpleand river beds still offered enough Faust Dam. grey ghost baitfish pattern is a killer clarity to lure up a fish. The Hum- My PB barra from Faust on the grey ghost. One of my better barras for 2018 taken on, you guessed it, the grey ghost.