www.fishfindermaps.com

One of the crab's from the inaugural XXXX Gold Crab Classic Darwin Harbour crabbing competition

Matt Flynn's Northern Territory
fishing report: June 13, 2004

Also available in the Darwin Sunday
newspaper, Sunday Territorian

It's been another great week for Top End fishermen.

Saturday saw more than 2000 crab pots in Darwin Harbour with the inaugural XXXX Gold Crab Classic, organised by Darwin radio station Mix 104.9.

A competition organiser told me on Friday that they had been overwhelmed by the response to the event, with more than 200 early registrations.

The Daly River continues to provide brilliant fishing, with even inexperienced southern tourists catching the fish of the lifetime simply by trolling deep lures over snags.

Jewfish are now biting well on harbour wrecks, with the simple secret to catching a big one is to anchor just before the turn of the tide with fresh or live bait, using strong hooks and a handline of at least 40kg breaking strain.

In other news, both fishermen and environmentalists have express fury over plans to clear mangroves and reclaim land at pristine Glyde Point for another NT gas plant.

The Glyde Point/Gunn Point region is one of the few coastal areas outside of Darwin that is easily accessible to average Territorians, as it is neither Aboriginal, pastoral or defence land, and there is considerable anger now it looks like becoming a centre for heavy industry.

Top End Fishing Supplies' Steve Compain said the Daly River was ''going crazy'' with plenty of metre fish.

"I've never heard of so many fish being caught at this time of year - there's 25 boats at a time at the S Bend and there has been some nasty moments and abuse with cut lines and the like.

"But the fish seem to congregate at the bottleneck at the S Bends.

"The 8m-depth Crazy Deeps seem to be the lures that get down and get the fish, but you have to work them carefully or you get snagged.

"The green colour Crazy Deep and the Classic 15+ in guns and roses colours have been very popular.

"Corroboree Billabong has been producing loads of big saratoga and people have been coming in and buying five Scum Frogs (weedless surface lures) at a time.

"You can lob the Scum Frogs right into the lilies and not get snagged. The trick for getting hook-ups with Scum Frogs is to wait a half second on the strike to get the hook in ... people usually strike too soon and miss the fish.

"In the harbour there have been some nice crabs caught by fishermen getting in early before the crab competition.

"Offshore there are still good jewfish and snapper - we had some Singaporeans on the shop charter boat catching jewies on barra gear.

"We could go out and fill up with mackerel - there is one spot we can get them at every time called Bass Mack - but the mackerel there have not been big, although there are some big mackerel being reported from the Vernon Islands.

"Shady Camp barrage has also been fishing well for barra."

Fishing and Outdoor World's Matt West said he was at the Daly River on Wednesday and caught 20 fish to 102cm.

"You had to get in the trolling queue and the fish were biting near the top of the tide and on the turn," he said.

"We got them at the S Bends but you can troll the whole river and find a deep snag and catch fish.

"You just have to be bumping the timber with your lure.

"Downstream about two bends from Elizabeth Creek is a spot called the Paddock which is another good place to troll and we got double hookups there with fish of about 7kg.

"I found six lures that we snagged while trolling. I recommend taking a tackle-back but it is tough trying to stop in the troll line when it is busy.

"There are a lot of barra being caught on the top side of Shady Camp barrage.

"The Roper River has been fishing well close to Roper Bar, and down at the second ramp downstream from the bar.

"Corroboree Billabong is producing mainly rat-sized barra.

"The Mary River Bridge lagoon has been producing larger barra trolling soft plastics over snags.

"We got a dozen small barra at Hardies Lagoon on Saturday and on Sunday my brother Mark caught a 4kg and 5kg on fly.

"There have been barra caught at Dundee by trolling the shallow reefs, with fish landed to 90cm.

"My brother also has been catching milkfish off Larrakeyah, they landed one of 11kg."

Katherine Rod and Rifle's Warren de With said many people were going to the Daly River and some have caught the fish of a lifetime.

"One tourist caught a 1.12m and his wife got a 1.05m and several other fish in the 90s and all were caught in the S Bends,'' he said.

"But the timing is critical - another lot were there when it was overcast and caught nothing.

"The top of the tide is best, and on the bigger tides.

"On neap tides the bigger fish show up further down the river on snags.

"The Crazy Deeps have been really good lures to use in the S Bends.

"This is the best Daly River year I remember - the best thing is that so many tourists have caught their fish of a lifetime.

"You don't have to be an expert either - you just have to be there at the top of the tide.

"With this wind up it does quieten down though because the waves dirty the water - it actually whitecaps in the river at times and the waves make the mud wash in.

"They are still catching heaps of fish in the Katherine River too - the biggest was 78cm caught by a tourist.

"Tourists are cutting their teeth on their first barra in the Katherine River and they are then getting hooked on the sport - people who try for the first time and fail like most did last year do not come back again.

"Catching a fish gives people confidence and a reason to try again.

"The Limmen Bight River has been producing salmon, barra, jacks and muddies."

Warren said that as president of the Amateur Fishermen's Association NT he was concerned about the proposed Glyde Point gas plant plan.

"We are looking closely at the proposal,'' he said.

Leaders Creek Fishing Base's Chris Edwards said it had been quiet with the big tides last week but was expecting fishing to pick up on the weekend, depending on the wind.

"I caught some crabs in the creek the other day, and they quite big,'' he said.

"Apart from that there has only been a couple of blokes fishing.

"But big mackerel have been chewing up snapper hooked in the channel, with fishermen only catching a half a snapper."

Got One's Craig Grosvenor confirmed the Daly River was the place to be.

"But there have been good reports from the Four Mile Hole on the Wildman River with one crew catching 80 barra to 75cm, and saratoga to 60cm.

"The old model Little Lucifers in colours CJ and G1X were the best on the day,'' he said.

"Reports from the Daly River have been nothing short of awesome.

"Local guide Rex Berry landed nine barra on Tuesday at the S Bends from 88cm to 114cm in one hot session on the top of the tide.

"Rex reports that the Big Boss and Judge proved to be the best lures of the day in colours M2 and GO, as well as Classic +10s.

"Closer to home Shoal Bay has been good for mud crabs and will probably be the best place to go after the crabbing competition in Darwin Harbour this weekend, with 2000 pots expected.

"Offshore North Gutter has been producing big golden snapper fishing at night on the change of the tide.

"The harbour wrecks should be worth fishing for jewfish using live baits or fresh squid and pilchard."

Home