Tim Kempton | Tuesday, 20 April 2021
Saratoga are a prehistoric, non-edible sportfish found in the tropical Northern rivers of Australia. There are two species Scleropages leichardti found mainly in the southern rivers and Scleropages jardinii found mainly in the Northern rivers. They are found in inland rivers, billabongs and flood runners. A billabong is an Australian term for an oxbow lake, or an isolated pond left behind after a river changes course. A flood runner is a small anabranch which flows only during periods of high flow in the stream it branches from, ie during floods.
Saratoga are a freshwater, bony fish and belong to a primitive group of fish called the arowanas. They are mouth brooders, and have hard, bony, movable jawbones. They can protrude their bottom jaw outwards from the mouth which allows them to easily grab prey. They are a topwater fish, with highly developed sensory organs and well defined “beats”. You can sit and watch a fish patrol its beat, and willingly defend its territory. They have plenty of battle scars!
Saratoga feed on a variety of prey including insects, frogs, and small mammals. Where Saratoga have been introduced into impoundments, they feed on baitfish such as bony bream.
Fly fishing for Saratoga in the wild Queensland Rivers can be either land based or from a boat or canoe. Land based fishing is problematic. Casting a fly line in heavily timbered country is challenging. This is only a minor inconvenience compared to mixing it with some of the nasties including crocodiles and snakes to mention a few. Fishing from a boat is more rewarding as you can access the rivers, billabongs and flood runners. You might need a chainsaw on board to cut through the fallen trees, but it is worth the effort.
We use 4-6 wt rods, with WF-F lines and 15lb leader. We use small leech and hopper patterns. Black and purple are go to colours. If there is leaf litter on the surface, you will often see the saratoga patrolling the edges. This is all sight fishing, and so you place the fly in front of the fish, strip slowly and strip strike. There is a lot of talk about how hard Saratoga are to hook because of their bony mouth. In my experience the trick is to keep stripping and feed the fly into the fishes mouth. Once hooked they are acrobatic.
This is great sight fishing, but obviously weather dependent. Cloudy, windy days are hard work. If there has been heavy rain in the catchments the rivers will turn chocolate, and take months for the sediment to clear. It's best to find something else to do. There is lots of wildlife for those who are interested. The Australian bush is always alive with birds, and there is plenty of noise at dawn when they are planning their day. You are camping in swags beside the rivers in remote areas, and sitting around campfires at night. The silence and stars are inspiring.
The embedded video is from a recent trip.