Episode #104
Ep104 - Winter Barramundi in Impoundments with Nate Archer
Nate Archer is back on the podcast, and this time we're deep into winter barramundi in the impoundments – genuinely one of Nate's favourite times of year to chase them, even though most anglers write the season off as too cold and push it to the bottom of their list. We go right through how the fish behave once the water cools down. Nate breaks down how to read wind direction and water temperature to find the warm pockets barra push into on a sunny bluebird day, why keeping your lure high in the water column and your retrieve dead slow matters so much more in winter, and how to fish weed-choked bays (or “broccoli towers”, as Nate calls them) without spooking easily-stressed fish. We also get into the difference between chasing them without live sonar – casting the edges and staying stealthy – and using it to find bigger fish holding out in deeper, more stable water on a miserable overcast day. There's a great analogy in here too: why a small, shallow bay swings in temperature all day like a cup of water left in the sun, while a big, deep bay stays stable like a swimming pool – and why that's the key to finding winter barra. Nate also shares the story of a client's barra from his very first week guiding, a 120cm fish so solid it pushed 42kg on the scales. We finish up talking about the massive change in Nate's own life since we last spoke. After eighteen years as a carpenter, he's hung up the nail bag for good and gone full-time as a fishing guide, chasing barra and Murray cod across southern Queensland and northern New South Wales. He talks us through the moment he decided to make the jump, where he guides now, and the numbers from his most recent trip. If you've been putting winter barra fishing in the too-hard basket, this one will change your mind. In this episode: 0:35 – Nate Archer Returns to Talk Winter Barra and His New Guiding Career 3:50 – Why Winter Is Nate's Favourite Time to Chase Impoundment Barra 6:40 – Reading Wind and Water Temperature to Find Warm Winter Bays 12:30 – Lure Choice and Retrieve Speed for Shallow Bay Casting 14:30 – The Exception to the Rule: Fishing Faster in a Clear-Water System 17:25 – Approaching a Bay Stealthily and Casting to One Spot as Fish Move Through 22:30 – Reducing Splash to Avoid Spooking Winter Barra 25:00 – Fishing Weed Structure and “Broccoli Towers” in the Bays 37:50 – Live Sonar on an Overcast Day: Fishing Deep and High in the Water Column 40:25 – The Cup v Swimming Pool Analogy for Water Temperature Stability 43:10 – The 120cm, 42kg Barra From Nate's First Week Guiding 46:30 – Presentation Choices on Live Sonar: Subtle by Day, Bigger Baits After Dark 51:10 – Planning a Full Day's Session Around a Sunny Bluebird Day 56:40 – From Eighteen Years as a Carpenter to Full-Time Fishing Guide 1:03:10 – Where Nate Guides and How to Book a Trip 1:06:30 – Nate's Latest Trip Numbers: 38 Fish in Ten Days and 68 Cod at Glenlyon and Leslie
