Uhunt Mag Information

• Posted By : BRISTLE UP
• Posted On : Jan 12, 2020
• Views : 2544
• Category : FISHING » ARTICLES, TIPS & HOW TO GUIDES
• Description : “One of our favorite freshwater species found here in CQ, the mighty Southern Saratoga.”

Overview

• By Wade Smith
  
  The sun lazily made its descent toward the horizon in the distance, and the shadows cast by the looming gums on the bank grew increasingly menacing as their ghost-like fingers reached across to the far bank. One shadow appeared to trick the eyes and seemed to be moving, creeping, toward the last remaining patch of sunlight, suddenly, it wasn’t a shadow, but a large Saratoga. Focusing on the shadow, you readied the rod and picked your point, only to have your focus shattered in a single moment as a plus size boar does its best Olympic dive through the brush and right into the water beside your target. We couldn’t think of a worse way to end a fishing session unless you enjoy catching pigs as much as you enjoy catching fish, and it just so happens that you brought the dogs along for the afternoon’s fish.
  
  
  
  For anyone who is into hunting and fishing, this basically sums up life in Central Queensland. For the avid angler, CQ has it all, with the pristine Great Barrier Reef out one window and the endless kilometers of fish infused freshwater rivers out the other. Not to mention the famous net free zoned Fitzroy river which is fast becoming the Barramundi capital of Australia, and also the biggest mud crabs you can sink your claws into calling Central Queensland home. But if it’s big boars you are into, well we have that too, and sometimes they even throw themselves at you from across the river while your fishing! But enough about the pig hunting, for now, we’ll finish that story soon. This article we want to tell everyone a little bit about one of our favorite freshwater species found here in CQ, the mighty Southern Saratoga.
  
  
  
  We spend many a weekend on the banks of a river targeting Saratoga, usually after a night hunting while the dogs are recouping and getting a well-earned rest. Boat access is usually very limited, so the main method for Saratoga fishing is a walk and stalk along a usually steep and overgrown bank. Stalk being the optimal word as often that’s what is required seeing as though some fish can be very flighty and will often spook at loud noises, fast movements, breaking branches, unnaturally bright clothing and unwarranted splashes such as a 100kilo boar jumping into the river without warning. Finding the fish is usually quite easy if the water is reasonably clean, however through certain periods of the day they can blend into the shadows very well and make it hard for an untrained eye to spot them. Looking around water bound snags and logs as well as under overhanging trees and limbs is usually a good spot to pick out an unsuspecting Saratoga to cast at. 
  
  So how to catch them you ask? Well, the togas will eat just about anything from bait, lures, spinners, fly to many types of soft plastics. When they are hungry, there’s not much they will turn down. For anyone not really into casting lures all day, they can be easily fooled with a bit of bait under a float. However, for the sports fisherman like ourselves sight casting small surface lures to Saratoga on the top is definitely going to get the adrenaline pumping. They aren’t exactly speed demons however they do put on a cool aerial jumping show when hooked, similar to that of a Barramundi. Two of our favorite go-to surface lures for Toga are the Berkley Scum Dog and the Berkley Bullet Pop. 
  
  
  
  These little gems are dynamite on the Toga and won’t break the budget at the tackle shop. Match these lures up with a crisp 2 to 4kilo rod and reel outfit and you my friend are set for a Toga session! Now the method! What we like to do, once a fish is sighted is send a cast approximately one meter in front of it. An accurate cast is needed; if the lure lands too close to the unsuspecting fish, it will spook and clear out. On the other hand, if the lure lands too far away from it you won’t attract its attention. Once the Saratoga has noticed your lure it will start swimming towards it, then its just a matter of combining a slow wind with a couple of subtle pauses to entice the bite. Setting the hooks is a whole different story, the Saratoga has an extremely boney mouth which can make hookups difficult at times, but this all just adds to the excitement and challenge of Saratoga fishing.
  
  
  
  Right, now back to the story of the big boar that spooked the toga that we were about to cast at. It was a fault-free afternoon, and it seemed as though we couldn’t do anything wrong. We had landed 12 Togas, six each, but as you would expect Luke wanted one more fish to see the day out and be announced today’s winner. We were on strict orders to be home for dinner by 6 pm or there would be hell to pay! So with dinner plans in mind and only 20min left to get home Luke needed to make the cast a good one, but that all went out the window as the Big boar crashed into the water and spooked the fish. Watching Luke drop his rod and attempt a relatively fast dash up the steep muddy bank to get to the Ute to let the dogs out, could only be described as nothing less than something similar to a one-legged cat trying to bury its turd in a frozen lake!
  
  
  
  He eventually made it to the Ute to find the dogs sound asleep still resting from the previous hunt. Throwing the gates open 4 stiff sleepy dogs exited the crate expecting a pat and a leisurely stretch however they soon picked up on the excitement and realized it was game on! By the time the dogs had clued into the old boar he had made it across to our side of the river and started climbing the bank, you little ripper, no swimming! As the first bailer hit the pig, he decided that the other side of the river was actually more appealing. Bugger! We’re swimming now!
  
  So in a strange Congo line, we all hit the water. Pig first followed by 3 bailing dogs and 1 holding dog then finally two rather gravity affected humans who have more of a tendency to sink than float. Slowly but surely we made it across with a graceful style of swimming stroke that would have definitely made Ian Thorpe cringe. It was a wild combination of freestyle doggy paddle and lot of just plain old splashing in an attempt to gain any bit of forwarding momentum. Once we hit the other bank the dogs and pig couldn’t be seen, but they could definitely be heard, there was a lot of barking and a couple of real solid grunts. Tired and weary the dogs had done there job again, and it was game over for this big CQ river boar. After Quickly dispatching him we were left with the problem of wanting to weigh the big bugger and get a few photos as at first guess he would be surely pushing 100kg!
  
  
  
  With it being well and truly dark now and our camera and scales on the other side of the river the only option we had was to swim the boar back over. Lucky for us the pig still floated and made the swim rather easier. Lifting the big river boar on the scales we were quite pleased to see him come in at bang on 110kg, time to get a few photos! What an afternoon 12 Saratoga and a cracker of a boar. CQ living doesn’t get much better than that until you check your phone and see 5 missed call from the missus and realize it’s now 8 pm and we were meant to be home for dinner plans at 6. Oh well, hopefully the dogs don’t snore too loud because we’ll be spending the next few days in the dog house! Moral of the story? Well, I don’t think there is one, so just get out and enjoy the life outdoors, like we do here in Central Queensland, before the Greenys take it all away from us!
  
  The Bastard Smith Brothers.
  
  TOGA FACTS
  The Saratoga, or Toga for short, as it is commonly referred to can be found right through most freshwater stretches of rivers in CQ, as well as in many impoundments. They are a slow growing fish and can reach a maximum length of up to 90cm; however to find fish over 80cm is exceptionally rare. They reach sexual maturity at around 45cm to 50cm at which they are around 5 years old. The average sized toga caught by anglers is between 45cm to 70cm, with a trophy-sized fish being anything over 75cm. The Saratoga is a predominately surface dwelling fish and usually stick to themselves with the exception of the breeding season which can see pods of double figures congregating under overhanging trees or around snags. They are one of the true native Australian fish with their presence dating back hundreds of years to be found in Aboriginal paintings around Central Queensland.