STUDYING SALTWATER & FRESHWATER BARRAMUNDI;
THE BACKBONE TO JOHNNY'S GUIDING SUCCESS



Johnny Mitchell is Lake Awoonga's highly requested barramundi fishing guide. Born and bred in Gladstone, the mothering town of Lake Awoonga, Johnny is highly dedicated to studying barramundi behaviour, and is a very successful angler in many fields of fishing, the envy of many in his local district. He has completed many chapters in the barramundi world which includes 22 yrs of saltwater barramundi fishing from the Northern Territory to Gladstone, as well as having almost 13 years of impoundment barramundi fishing experience, documented and recorded. Having interacted every year with Lake Awoonga's barramundi and closely micro scoping the fishery's lifelong progression is a distinct and obvious advantage that quietly sets Johnny years ahead of any would be competitor. To look back, without a word of want, it's satisfying to watch newcomers now marvel in his foot prints, the same thing Johnny did when taking the ball from history’s past greats.

Capturing and providing many of the wild saltwater barramundi and mangrove jack brood stock for the local Gladstone fish hatchery to use, to help stock Lake Awoonga over a decade ago is just part of a low key style that he adopts. Johnny is an impoundment barramundi specialist and an extremist when it comes to saltwater barramundi fishing with annual barramundi captures between 29 and 38 kilograms over the last 16 years in local salt waters. He quietly avoids all barramundi competitions, instead spending further time in the field learning, or guiding clients. An experienced and versatile angler, yet not one to usually talk it up, but a short, intense annual effort in Australia's largest recreational saltwater fishing competition has seen Johnny's skills set records with the two largest fish to ever hit the scales in over ten years of the competition's history. Forming a team with close friends, the competition's two record spanish mackerel captures and record black spot tusk fish still rest as unsurpassed, down played achievements.

Adding personal finesse to lure fishing techniques is where Johnny has gained the uncanny ability to fool barramundi on a wide selection of lure types on a 365 day playing field, salt and fresh water. A big box of tricks to tempt barramundi exaggerates the reason why there is no individual gun technique. Every luring technique is crafted to suit a specific situation, season, or client.

Johnny's fishing, hunting and bush experiences in his 33 years of living see him as being highly tuned to the environment, whether it is above or below the water's surface.

He has spent over 9 yrs filming the activities of wildlife species like birds, wild pigs, dingoes, wild cattle and foxes, on a coastal island off Gladstone, as well as expanding to underwater footage, filming many ocean going creatures including tiger sharks, dog tooth tuna, mud crabs, whales, dugongs, spanish mackerel, fingermark, and of course fishing adventures surrounding saltwater and impoundment barramundi. Putting the fishing rod aside and spending time filming and just watching wildlife opens many new doors to learning and understanding animal behaviour. Sacrificing personal fishing time to sit and watch is extremely important, and to be a successful guide this trait stands well clear on its own as a professional operator takes second place on charter and promotes a keen angler to step forward to grow.

His observant manner and enthusiasm to nature and Australia's inhabitants helps formulate an impressive collection of barramundi knowledge that sees his business thrive.

He has a strong focus, clear thought processes, and a precise memory bank that helps him piece together patterns and behaviours that all assist him to monitor the movements and mannerisms of many animal species, including Lake Awoonga's healthy and ever-growing barramundi population. It is a specialist field.

He spent 6 yrs as a deckhand, working on many offshore reef charter fishing operations, also on scuba, spear fishing and free-diving vessels. Spear fishing a dogtooth tuna at over 100 pounds was an interesting spectacle. He also loves free diving with nature's specialties; an encounter with whale sharks was an amazing life opportunity. Running the deck on a game fishing boat on wild Coral Sea reefs was a highlight, and incredibly valuable experience. He also has gained knowledge in the tackle trade as a tackle store salesman, and familiarity with marine bulk ships and marine ship pilot transfer, as well as another 4 years commercially fishing alone by himself, living on a remote section of a remarkably wild island. Starting an informative book and DVD series based on Australian adventure is Johnny's next move, highlighted in the back pages of this website.

These fishing and life experiences, matched with his bush sense, along with his truly genuine and friendly nature has seen Johnny acquire the fundamentals required to succeed and to offer a proficient barramundi fishing charter service to Australian and worldwide visitors. His approach, patience, knowledge and specialized ability will be very useful for anyone who chooses to fish with him.