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Amy Lewis barra with a 25kg, 120cm East Alligator barra caught on a soft plastic lure. Amy entered the Got One Operation Photofish Competition in Darwin for a chance to win a $100 gift voucher

Matt Flynn's Northern Territory
fishing report: May 1, 2005

Also available in the Darwin Sunday
newspaper, Sunday Territorian


Spanish mackerel are already running well off Lee Point, so perhaps it will be a good year ahead for pelagic fishing off Darwin.

Offshore, golden snapper have been the main catch, with jewfish schooling at inshore haunts.

The Rock in Shoal Bay is fishing particularly well for jewfish.

There are barramundi being caught in average numbers across the Top End, but there have not been any outstanding reports.

The Barra Nationals should provide some sort of barometer on current barramundi stocks in the Daly.

The Victoria River is tipped to fish well on the next neap tides, as clean water is making its way down the river.

Fishing and Outdoor world's Ronald Voukolos said there had been good reports from the rockbars on the upper Adelaide River.

"The East Alligator River has been fishing fairly well - Matt West and I went there on Sunday - we fished the 'Second Magela Creek' junction and caught 25 fish right at the top of the tide when the water cleared," he said.

"Once the tide turned the water became dirty. The biggest fish we caught was 80cm long and we lost one about 90cm and another about 1m.

"The South Alligator River fished well last week when some mullet made their way upstream - Nourlangie Creek fished well while some anglers simply followed the tide up the river.

"There have been some good fish caught in Manton Dam, with a lot of them around 75cm.

"Talking to John Jordan at Equinox Fishing Charters, he said there have been lots of goldies but only a few jewfish - but he said there are already mackerel starting to show up off Darwin.

"Shoal Bay has been producing loads of big mud crabs.

"There are a few barra working in Middle Arm.

"Corroboree Billabong is pretty well choked up with lilies so you have to use weed tactics - there is a new weedless lure hook called a Mustard Ultrapoint which has a little weddless tag and a weight on the front - the hook sits up and point is recessed into the lure body making it a handy for fishing right in among the weeds."

Top End Fishing Supplies' Chris Rainbird said the Daly River had been mixed with some fishermen doing well and some getting none.

"We did alright on the Daly on Tuesday with a 94cm, 84cm and a few around 70cm,'' he said.

"We fished a creek mouth with a bit of a colour change.

"There are still golden snapper out wide for the charter boats - last time our boat went to South Gutter at night and customers were catching squid out the back of the boat and dropping them down as livebait for big golden snapper.

"Some people are getting big fish at the East Alligator River, but not many of them.

"There are good mud crabs in the harbour.

"One customer said they caught a dozen spanish mackerel at Angler Reef off Lee Point - the biggest was 12kg."

Katherine Rod and Rifle's Warren de With said the Victoria River was expected to start fishing well on these neap tides as clear water was finally moving down the river.

"I went there last week and my wife Debbie caught a 1.05m barra so there are some good fish there,'' he said.

"We caught about 12 barra for the day. I expect it will improve.

"I have not heard much from the Roper River."

Shoal Bay Boat Hire's Locky said jewfish were still biting hard at The Rock.

"One kid caught a jewfish around the 14kg mark,'' he said.

"The best jewie bait seems to be pilchards, as well as squid.

"They are biting at all stages of the tide.

"There are a few barra around - Bob Morris and Dixie Kaissis caught an 89cm fish at Spot 6 last week.

"There are plenty of crabs - all the creeks seem to be crabbing well.

"A lot of people have been catching barra in Hope Inlet, fishing the edges by walking the sandbanks at low tide and casting into the holes.

"However there have been several crocs caught in the traps so people need to be careful."

Got One's Craig Grosvenor said Corroboree Billabong has been fishing well for saratoga on Scum Frogs and weedless soft plastic lures.

"Early morning has been most productive with healthy barra to 83cm also caught, mostly on Little Lucifers in 008 and G1X colours,'' he said.

"The Rock Hole and above Catfish Island have been the preferred spots at Corroboree Billabong.

"Shady Camp barrage has also fired with pearl white colours working well in the 5-inch Storm Swim Shads, with barra to 92cm caught at dusk.

"Dundee's Fog Bay seems to be the place for tuna and macks with chrome twisties and mariboiu jigs doing the job.

"The rockbars up the Adelaide River have fired well with the new Got One bleeding roses lure producing a great session on the rockbars above Goat Island with fish to 81cm caught trolling.

"I am still getting reasonable mackerel and GT reports from the Bottlewasher and Angler Reef grounds with most anglers floating pilchards in burley trails.

"The Daly River reports are mixed but overall it seems a bit quiet - hopefully that will change for the Barra Nationals."

Leaders Creek Fishing Base's Deneise Edwards said it wasn't startling last weekend with an 89cm barra caught last weekend and some mangrove jack and salmon.

"Chris Edwards went out yesterday and caught two nice golden snapper, a big parrot fish and spanish flag,'' she said.

"There are still crabs about.

"Not a lot of people have been doing the trip across to Melville Island.

"One of our customers caught a really big trevally around the Vernon Islands last week - they threw it back.

"The road in is good at the moment with just one small corrugated section."

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