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Steve Starling looks happy with this Chambers Bay barra that fishing guide Mick Mannix helped him catch

Matt Flynn's Northern Territory
fishing report: March 21, 2004

Also available in the Darwin Sunday
newspaper, Sunday Territorian

Great things were expected on the Chambers Bay run-offs last week, but the fishing was relatively poor compared with the sessions of just a week before.

Three or four consecutive days of monsoonal storms and little sunshine has apparently cooled the water down enough to slow the barramundi.

Also, many fish would have simply moved back onto the floodplains with the rising levels.

I fished the mouth of the South Alligator River on Thursday in Chad Clancy's Barra Beast and the fishing was disappointing. Both Brook Creek and the Oyster Rocks produced only a few fish in the colour changes and the rain fell hard most of the day.

Yet when we stopped at the South Alligator culvert on the highway after dark on the way home, barramundi of all sizes were boofing in the clear water.

The good news is that this slow barra fishing won't last ... and even if it does big jewfish are abundant offshore.

There have also been big numbers of cherabin in the flooded rivers, which will no doubt help bring the saltwater barramundi up the rivers over the next few weeks.

Overall, as soon as the weather calms again and the sun shines, the fishing all round will be superb.

Happy Micks' Charlie Chambers said fishing guides were enjoying briliant fishing in the creek mouths east of Sampan Creek until recently.

"There were stories of several metre-plus fish the week before, one measuring 128cm,'' he said.

"One group caught 30 fish in a session and the smallest was 76cm.

"There was a report of four fish over a metre caught at Shady Camp, one weighing over 20kg.

"The harbour arms are still fishing well, particularly West Arm, which is producing regular big fish in the gutters.

"The amount of people who I have talked to who tell me how well they have done over the recent weeks is amazing.

"One fisherman has been getting stuck into several nice jewfish all around the 10kg to 15kg mark from the Town Hall in Middle Arm at night.

"There have been several nice harbour-size jewies caught on dark at Town Hall on smaller tides.

"The best bait them at the moment is prawns. A customer said snapper were crawling all over the prawns and not touching squid.

"The snapper are all around 35cm to 45cm with the occasional larger fish.

"With the next neap tides the Town Hall will be worth a look just on dark.

"The barramundi in West Arm have put their hand up this week. Matthew Baker said he hooked more than 20 barramundi for the day landing eight, and the best was an 86cm barramundi in prime condition. It was chrome like a brand-new bullbar.

"Mud crabs should be on the move so don't forget a crab pot."

For more info see www.happymicks.com.au

Fishing and Outdoor World's Mark Ost said there was too much water around.

"Most people are heading out Shady Camp way,'' he said.

Katherine Rod and Rifle's Warren de With said the Victoria River had been fishing well, but other rivers were rising again.

"They are catching good fish at the Victoria River at the boat ramp creek and downstream,'' he said.

"People have been getting 10 and 15 barra at the creeks at a time and any colour change at all is working.

"Football Creek has been working well but the creek, opposite Green Island on the left bank downstream, sees a lot of boats.

"The Vic has been rising again but I think it will drop as quickly as it came up.

"The Roper River is still cut off.

"The Katherine River was over 7m and rising after a lot of rain on Thursday.

"But it is still looking very good overall for the weeks ahead."

Top End Fishing Supplies' Steve Compain said offshore fishing was superb early in the week before it became too rough.

"Our charter boat went out in fairly rough weather early last week and I can't believe the amount of jewfish that were around,'' he said.

"The jewfish were from Charles Point to Lorna Shoal and they weighed from 6kg to 13kg.

"I have never seen so many. On another day recently we caught only huge fish all around 15kg.

"We have been getting jewfish bag limits by 9am on some trips.

"One day the sharks came in and big fish were being taken behind the gills ... we had 5kg goldies taken in one bite so they were big sharks.

"One day there were no sharks and the next day they were everywhere.

"Last week there were a few fish caught in the Adelaide River.

"The top of the South Alligator River is very flooded.

"Darwin River has been fishing well near the bridge for both barramundi and big cherabin.

"Denis Walsh caught a 1.3m catfish at Tommycut, it was a big yellow thing that took him an hour to land with big long runs and head shakes ... he thought he had hooked his monster barra at last.

"There are a few crabs being caught in Shoal Bay in King and Meckit Creek."

Got One Darwin's Craig Grosvenor said there had been fish caught in the Adelaide River downstream of the highway bridge.

"One boat got six good fish,'' he said.

"On Tuesday at Brook Creek a 1.04m barra was caught on the 160 Classic in the mullet gold dazzler colour.

"Tommycut Creek was mostly quiet last week but one boat reported that on the first hour of an outgoing tide at the mouth they had casting mayhem for an hour with fish up to 90cm with the fish taking any type of lures.

"The mouth of the Finniss and little Finniss Rivers fished well last Sunday, also at high tide casting across the creek mouths. My informant said they caught ridiculous numbers of blue salmon and barramundi to 90cm.

"They were all taken on the chartreuse 16a Bomber lure just by casting across the mouth of the little Finniss and big Finniss Rivers.

"Unfortunately the netters moved in at the Finniss area just afterwards.

"Jewfish have been biting at the Ellengowan wreck. This is a good little wreck that can be fished even when there is some movement in the tide.

"The mouth of the Daly River below Clear Creek has been fishing well for boats who make the long trip downstream in the flooded conditions."

Reidys Lures' Jeff Reid said a customer went to the Adelaide River and fished the first creek on the right up from the bridge.

"That creek was pumping black water and they got three and got broken off,'' he said.

"One US customer caught a 1.12m barra and dropped a bigger one and landed an 80cm at fish at Brook Creek with guide John Dagan last Wednesday."

Shoal Bay Boat Hire's Bob Morris said customer Chris Booth caught a 107cm barra at the Little Howard River last Saturday on live bait about two hours after high tide.

"That was before all the rain started. The floodplain is now chockers and I think the water has cooled down,'' he said.

"We have since had the monsoon and the barometer has been crashing and the fish have not been biting the past four days but as soon as the weather warms they will be going mad.

"One crew got four jewfish at The Rock early in the week. The jewies seem to like the rough weather in the hole next to the rough."

Leaders Creek Fishing Base's Wayne Duffy said it had been quiet at the base the past few days, probably because of the rough weather.

"The road in is not too bad, a bit wet in patches, but there were not many people out this week,'' he said.

"Last weekend there were a couple of jewfish and snapper caught in the channel out the front.

"The barra have been quiet. About a week ago some good crabs were caught."

Tackle Up's Shane Flannigan said one crew went to Shady Camp last weekend and found the fish on the bite for one busy hour.

"On Monday and Tuesday another boat caught some jewfish on the reefs out the front,'' he said.

"But it has been too wet and windy for most people."

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