This past Sunday, I managed to take half a day to the nearest spot -- Aling Nene's pond. My primary goal was to try out my new Palms/Angler's Republic ELUA Molla Jig and Worm rod -- try casting the rod with a few jerkbaits and topwater lures and if I get lucky, maybe land a barramundi with it.
Unfortunately, no barras were interested on hard jerk and topwater baits. Nonetheless, the rod blew me away with its castability and sensitivity. It has the backbone for frog fishing and the fast tip for the best action on jerkbaits and topwater.
Giving up on casting hard baits, I switched to my trusted ultralight rod and reel combo -- a Certate Custom Red 2506 and a Skyroad Aji rod. I rigged a 1.5g aji jighead and tipped it with a 2inch soft Java Stick in purple. I was aiming for the Jaguar cichlids and Ox-eye tarpon but instead of a Jaquar or a tarpon, a barra took a liking of the bait. It was an absolute blast fighting a huge fish using a very light tackle. The rod and reel did not break a sweat. The drag was stellar and the rod gave the fish a hard time. In the end, i was able to land the 2.9kg beast using this PE0.6 combo.
The catch also gave me a hint that the barramundis on the pond are no longer interested in the traditional jerkbaits that most anglers use. I guess they are very familiar with these baits and have associated them with bad experiences. This is why they are going for very small baits like the one I used.
Top catch Alex
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