www.fishfindermaps.com

Equinox Fishing Charters John Jordan with a fine jewfish ... this year black jewfish have been abundant

Matt Flynn's Northern Territory
fishing report: March 14, 2004

Also available in the Darwin Sunday
newspaper, Sunday Territorian

Last week several crews enjoyed multiple metre-plus barramundi in sessions in Chambers Bay, that body of water into which the Mary River floodplains drain.

The fish were caught everywhere from the mouth of Tommycut Creek right around to the Wildman River, and on the small run-offs in between.

Anyone who found a run-off during the tides building up to the spring tides, particularly on Monday and Tuesday, did well.

As the tides peaked and started falling off, the fishing tapered off.

I took an exploratory trip from Shady Camp to the Wildman River with Chad Clancy on Thursday and found clear fresh water pouring out of Swim, Carmour and Love Creeks, as well as the more popular Tommycut and Sampan Creeks.

There were quite a few barra around, and threadfin salmon.

Other good news is that the Adelaide River has started to fire with catches reported of several fish up to 80cm, however the fish seem to be restricted to a couple of spots above and below the Arnhem Hwy bridge.

The South Alligator River is producing consistently, especially in Nourlangie Creek.

The Roper River is cut off but should be accessible in a few days and is looking like the next hotspot.

The Daly River is still very high and is unlikely to be fishable for a fortnight.

Closer to Darwin, Shoal Bay has been fishing well, as have Darwin and Bynoe Harbour arms.

With the recent calm weather offshore fishing has been superb with jewfish and golden snapper about.

Fishing and Outdoor World's Ron Voukolos confirmed the Shady Camp outlets into Chambers Bay were still the place for big barramundi.

"It has really fired up with heaps of bait moving,'' he said.

"On Monday and Tuesday some boats were getting up to 40 and 50 fish, mostly small, but with some big ones.

"I think this weekend's tides will be good for big barra at the mouth of Tommycut.

"Two days after the dead neap is usually best there.

"There are jewfish and snapper around Charles Point, and at Bass Reef and Lorna Shoal.

"There are loads of reef fish being caught at the Peron Islands, and I remind people there are strict bag limits for our reef fish.

"There are queenfish off Larrakeyah being caught casting chrome lures.

"There have been barramundi caught up in the harbour arms too so it seems the fish are everywhere."

Top End Fishing Supplies' Mulga said most customers were heading down to Shady Camp.

"Tommycut is still the most productive place, you just have to take your place and get in line with all the boats,'' he said.

"The blue water is absolutely superb and is fishing well with plenty of snapper and jewfish around.

"The fishing starts at Charles Point and goes right through to Lorna Shoal.

"The Daly River looks like it will be unfishable for at least another two weeks.

"The water is still very high on the Daly, but when it drops it will be absolutely awesome.

"The Adelaide River has been quiet as you can spend a day looking, but you might be lucky and find the fish all bunched together in one creek.

"People have been into the East Alligator and it is not yet fishing well, but that's because it is too early."


Katherine Rod and Rifle's Warren de With said the Roper River was still cut off at Hells Gate, with 9m at Roper Bar.

"But it may be open by the middle of next week,'' he said.

"The Katherine River is down to 4m.

"The Daly River was at 13.7m on Thursday and was flowing through everything.

"There will be bank caved in left right and centre when the water drops back.

"I went to the Victoria River last Saturday and Sunday and we caught 12 barra to only 73cm.

"But it will be better this week and there were some big fish caught off Big Horse Creek with live bait.

"The Katherine River has plenty of barra in it now - they have been catching them at the creek junctions and soon will be at the crossings - it has dropped quickly from 11m to 4m."

Tackle Up's Joan Miller said a customer went to the Adelaide River and caught 33 barra downstream and to 80cm and then caught 10 more smaller fish upstream at Marrakai Creek.

"It was on the incoming low tide that they caught most of the fish,'' she said.

"Another crew said they got 40 in the boat so it seems the Adelaide is firing.

"They told me there was plenty of places with no fish - you just have to move around until you find the barra."

Shoal Bay Boat Hire's Bob Morris said the fish were biting hard in the bay on the big tides last week.

"There were barra up on the floodplain and plenty of jewfish at The Rock using pilchards for bait.

"The jewfish have been 13kg to 22kg.

"The hour before the top of the tide is best in the deep hole.

"On the barra, the fish went off on Thursday.

"People are getting them on lures and baits up the little Howard River.

"I got five on lures on Thursday walking and casting the flats edges.

"The fish are mostly smaller but there have been big ones.

"I would be fishing towards the mouth of the creeks during the neap tides.

"Another customer got 15kg of prawns but said they were a bit small and would be better when they grew a bit bigger."

Leaders Creek Fishing Base's Chris Edwards said the grader and roller had been going over the chopped up road.

"It will be as good as the highway when they're finished,'' he said.

"I went out on Tuesday and caught two jewfish, six snapper and 10 redfish and some stripies.

"I caught them around the Vernon Islands.

"The fish were biting at the top and bottom of the tide, but there are plenty of eddies you can fish at the top of the tides to get out of the run.

"There were two good barra caught in the creek, on Monday and Wednesday, and some threadfin salmon.

"Hopefully it will fire up again on these neap tides."

Got One Darwin's Craig Grosvenor said one crew was casting the mouth of Love Creek with fizzers in dark colours and big Bomber lures and caught a 127cm barra on the turn of the high tide.

"It was the same at Swim Creek, where the guys have been using the big Bombers and catching big barra,'' he said.

"There have been jewfish at the front on the reef out from Sampan Creek and one bloke caught two crayfish there on squid, which is unusual.

"Corroboree Rock Hole has been producing a lot of fish but they are small, to 65cm.

"GTs are biting in the harbour and fish in East Arm have been big ... we had one weighed in here at 15kg, which was caught at the Berrimah boat ramp on live mullet.

"The South Alligator 's Nourlangie Creek has been producing fish to 80cm on soft plastics.

"The last set of spring tides have seen barra in the flats in East and West Arms.

"There appear to be plenty of mud crabs about already."



Equinox Fishing Charters' John Jordan said offshore fishing had been good.

"The guys have been pulling up good jewfish and snapper, with a coral trout now and then,'' he said.

"We are also catching the occasional mackerel to 18kg.

"Golden snapper have been to 6kg, with jewfish of 12kg to 15kg quite common.

"Our skipper Troy said it is great to see interstate customers' eyes nearly pop out when the see the size of our jewfish.

"Some of them have never seen fish that big. Hopefully it will keep them coming back."

*This week's hot tip. Try livebait for jewfish, especially if you are getting only half hearted nibbles on frozen bait.

Small blue salmon, bream and mullet are all ideal jew livebaits and will produce fish when nothing is taking packet bait.

Home