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Anthony Simpson caught this saratoga at Shady Camp. Picture courtesy GOT ONE

Matt Flynn's Northern Territory
fishing report: March 13, 2005

Also available in the Darwin Sunday
newspaper, Sunday Territorian


It's been a great week for fishing with mostly good weather and lots of fish, even if it has been a little hot during the day for some boaters.

The barramundi scene has been average, but other species have more than taken up the slack - jewfish, mud crabs, snapper and big trevally have been abundant in the harbour and Shoal Bay.

Even spanish mackerel are being reported close to the city.

All the above may change if Cyclone Ingrid comes toward Darwin.   Got
One's Craig Grosvenor said the East Alligator River produced 30 fish for one crew fishing just down from the crossing when Magela Creek went low enough for vehicles to get through.

"The fish were almost all over 80cm and the biggest was 125cm,'' he said.

"The fishermen were using 6-inch soft plastics.

"Jewfish reports have been excellent during the last set of neap tides with most harbour wrecks and reefs producing fish to 14kg - and you could also not go wrong on the jewies at the mouth of Shady Camp.

"There have been numerous reports of large numbers of threadfin salmon at the mouth of Sampan Creek but they have been hard to catch.

"The Rock at Shoal Bay has been producing large quantities of GTs and queenfish - one crew landed four GTs about 90cm long.

"The latest spring tides have produced barra at Shoal Bay, with large numbers of big buck crabs also being caught.

"Shady Camp barrage has produced the occasional good report - one customer went there with two soft plastic lures in his tackle box and both only lasted one cast each after being chomped by big barra.

"The upper Adelaide River produced barra on the spring tides with the latest big fish reported being an 86cm from Beatrice Creek, caught on a Little Lucifer - the rockbar at the mouth of Manton Creek has also produced a handful of legal fish."  

King Kontis Fishing Tours' Tom Kontis said jewfish were biting consistently, but a big trevally was the most memorable catch in the harbour last week.

"It swam around the boat several times and took the customer a long time to get in,'' he said.

"It's good to see there are still so many big fish in the harbour - it really is a healthy system.

"I also saw big mackerel at the Six Mile Buoy last week, which I thought was unusual for March."  

Charlie Chambers at www.happymicks.com.au said the scene at the top of the South Alligator floodplains had improved with recent storms.

"The storms have lifted levels again, and things are looking quite good for the Kakadu Klash," he said.

"I was out there with Peter Wilson ... we got three fish, biggest about 85cm, which Pete hooked and I failed to net. Sorry Pete!

"One fish caught on the South recently went 107cm. Another group went for the weekend and caught 25 fish from 30cm to 85 cm.

"With the unusually dry conditions, I decided to break with tradition and go to King Ash Bay at Borroloola for a week.

"At this time of the year that river system is normally flooded and washed out. It was certainly dry, but the water was dirty and muddy.

"We averaged about 10 to 20 fish a day with the biggest being 90cm, but it was well below expectations.

"The Daly River is fishing quite well. The water level is at a good height -  one customer dropped three fish over a metre and landed six fish from 65cm to 95cm.

"Elizabeth Creek is fishing well at night using poppers, fizzers and just unders. No Fish Creek is also working well at times.

"Shady Camp has plenty of fish at the barrage up to 80cm. Some bigger fish are being hooked at night up the top of the freshwater section.

"Harbour fishing has produced plenty of jewies around the 12kg mark. Some good pan sized snapper have been caught out the front of West Arm.

"Some big GTs and queenies are about too."   Top End Fishing Supplies' Chris Rainbird said the lower Daly River had fished well earlier in the week.

"At Shady Camp now the big tides should be good for trolling down near the old boat,'' he said.

"There have been a few barra caught in Darwin Harbour - I caught some last week on soft plastic prawns fished in the gutters - the barra were only taking prawns - when I tried other lures I caught none.

"There are a lot of big tarpon hanging around the harbour at the moment.

"There have been jewies on harbour wrecks but a lot of big ones are being lost."  

Leaders Creek Fishing Base's Chris Edwards said snapper were going crazy at Melville Island for one crew who reported none-stop action during a recent trip.

"And last weekend the creek fired up with three barra and a jewie landed in one boat, two good barra in another boat, and a big jewie in another on the Saturday,'' Chris said.

"There have been plenty of salmon and a few snapper out the front.

"One bloke on Sunday night caught a 6kg snapper and a big cod.

"Another crew said they found several big mackerel in a hole on the North West Vernon Island - apparently the hole was full of fish - queenfish, mackerel and trevally - but the big mackerel they hooked and lost really impressed them.

"There have been some really good crabs caught.

"On Tuesday three boats went from here to Ruby Island and they got stuck into jewfish.

"It's all happening - except I went out on Monday and and I couldn't even buy a fish - and I fished all my secret spots too."  

Fishing and Outdoor World's Ronald Voukolos said there were quite a few mackerel around Point Blaze at Fog Bay.

"The jewies have gone well in the harbour and Shoal Bay - on the smaller tides The Rock fished very well.

"The harbour wrecks are worth a fish now - I like the big tides for jewfish because you know they are going to bite right on the turn of the tide.

"A mate of mine caught a mackerel that measured 1.4m at Channel Island while fishing the deep bottom for jewfish.

"There has been some big trevally caught off the Darwin foreshore around 8kg 9kg.

"Inland the South Alligator River has been producing some fish - it has had a bit of rain.

"Those who have been fishing the East Alligator report there has been quite a few fish.

"The Daly River should go better this weekend.

"There have been quite a few prawns being taken out at Shoal Bay.

"Equinox Fishing Charters has been getting plenty of goldies out at Bass Reef."

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