I picked up Brian & John from their hotel in Colombo early in the morning. They are from UK and had come to Sri Lanka for a couple of days to support their sons who were playing rugby in a friendly match with a local team.
An hour later we reached the Villa and after a coffee we headed out on the lake. We started fishing at our Mangrove Jack spots. It was really windy and the conditions were not ideal so after casting for a while we moved to the Barramundi spots. There were lots of small bait jumping and we saw a big swirl. The guys cast in the area but unfortunately nothing come to bite theirs lures. Around 11 am, I decide to try our Featherback spots. The fish are there – rolling on surface. Brian & John are so excited to see some fish. I change their lures for models that the Featherback find more attractive and after few cast Brian has a bite. The fish takes some line but the hook comes off. The Featherback appear active. Two casts later Brian has another bite and this time the fish is well hooked. The fish makes a couple of jumps and finishes in the landing net. Quick picture and we release the fish.
I show John where to cast and give him some tips on how to retrieve his lure. On the third cast, he is on with a Featherback and he lands it. John is so happy.
Later, Brian has another bite but the fish comes off. After that John has a bite and the fish makes a strong and long rush. That’s not a Featherback !!! We see a large Barramundi shaking his head on the surface. The fish fight is strong on light tackle and it takes a lot of line, but John follows my advice and we finally put the fish in the landing net. There’s an explosion of joy on board. John cannot believe the size of the fish. I take the measurement tape and it’s a beautiful 88cm Barramundi that John has caught. I estimated it’s weight at 7 kg. What a fish !! We take a couple of pictures and release the fish, who is gone quickly.
After that we head back to the Villa for a nice lunch.
I have lot of hope for the afternoon session, but strangely the fishing is tough. I spot some fish chasing around baits but nothing comes of it. John and Brian enjoyed their day fishing & the wildlife at Bolgoda. Like they said: "this lake is a natural pearl at only one hour from the noisy Colombo and it’s priceless !"
Good luck for your son’s rugby match and I hope you enjoy your trip in Sri Lanka, like you enjoyed your fishing day with us at Bolgoda Lake.
Nico - Head Fishing Guide