Fishing In Sri Lanka 🇱🇰 Bolgoda river
Channel: Fishing Vibes Srilanka
Date: 2021-08-01

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River trolling for barramundi and mangrove jackS
barramundi are born male, many then travel upstream to the freshwater reaches of rivers or seasonally landlocked waterways. Some travel back and forward between the salt and fresh over their lifespan, while others remain in the tidal reaches. Usually once a fish has reached a breeding size it will continue to reside in the saltwater for the remainder of its life cycle. Later in their lives, all fish then turn female and carry on spawning until they meet their end. Generally any fish over 95cm will be a big breeding female, although they are known to change sex at a smaller size.
Large female barra inhabit a wide range of coastal habitats, such as deep and shallow reefs, tidal flats, rock bars, snag piles, drop offs, current breaks, creek mouths and deep estuarine holes. By nature these fish tend to feed briefly over a period of ideal conditions, although this is not always the case. These conditions are determined by a range of factors including season, tidal flow, water clarity, moon position, barometric pressure and light. Time on the water is the only method of ascertaining the ideal conditions for each location, along with keeping a diary of results and recording these environmental factors to cross reference with fishing success or failure.

Shallow Trolling 0-3m
When trolling, the shallow areas to target range from shallow tidal flats to drop offs, shallow snags and current breaks. In these locations, selecting a lure which will run roughly ½ to ¾ of the water depth is usually ideal. The size of the lure should be selected after paying attention to any present baitfish which are visible. If this is not possible, a shallow diving hardbody lure or comparable soft plastic between 100mm and 200mm will usually be somewhere around the ideal size. Boat speed and action may vary from 12km per hour down to slow trolling with the vessel in and out of gear. The behaviour of any present bait should give an indication to the most successful troll speed. 

Deep Trolling

Deep trolling is a situation where your depth sounder is your eyes and ears; it is where side imaging and high end electronics really excel. When targeting deeper structure, such as rock bars, drop offs, bottom corrugations and deep snags. The proximity of you lure to the given structure is paramount. Fish in these areas are not only feeding, but sheltering from the current, therefore a lure must be presented as near as possible or even bumping into and along said structure. This is the world of deep divers and heavily-rigged, weedless soft plastics. Opt for a diving lure which will run right at the depth of your chosen snag pile, rock bar or bottom contour. In this situation, the larger the bib for a lure’s given trolling depth, the more snag resistant it will be. Simply troll into the current as slowly as possible, working your motor in and out of gear seems to be the most effective method. In the case of both hard and soft lures, continue to release more line until you can feel the lure periodically making contact with the structure. Once running depth has been established, jig the rod violently as much as possible, this is the action with both entices strikes and reduces the number of times the lure grabs the snags or rocks.
 
Tackle
When trolling for barra the most effective tool for both controlling your lure and fish is a casting reel, spooled with braid and a hard mono or fluorocarbon leader. This is then matched to a comparable graphite casting rod. Rod strength is determined by the line weight chosen, Line weights are dictated by the given location in which you are targeting fish. Wide open locations with no line-shredding obstacles are best fished with 20 or 30lb main line and 50 to 60lb leader. Lighter drags (just enough to drive the hooks home) can be fished in these areas and result in less fish lost to leader chafe or pulled hooked. If targeting areas abounding in rocks and snags it is best to opt for 30 to 50lb mainline ,Drags in these locations should be amped up in order to have the leverage to turn a fish’s head away from structure.
Lures and Colours

In clear water, a natural colour – ideally matching the local bait population – is preferred. A selection of lures incorporating silver, gold, olive, brown, black or white sees an angler covering most scenarios. I personally prefer a bright belly and red gills on all my lures, both in clear and dirty water. In more turbid waters, greens, pinks, yellows, red heads, blacks or a combination of these colours are effective.