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Chris Highland of Arafura Blue Water Charters sent in this photos from an extended trip to Dundee with five people from Hong Kong. Chris wrote: "They usually come over every year. This year they chartered the Ocean Fox to stay off Dundee Beach and they hired a house. We picked them up every morning and did day trips. It was great fishing only 15 miles off the beach. This is Margaret with a nice goldie."

Matt Flynn's Northern Territory
fishing report: July 24, 2005

Also available in the Darwin Sunday
newspaper, Sunday Territorian


A strong high pressure system settled over Australia last week, creating almost unfishable windy conditions offshore.

The Weather Bureau says winds are likely to start dropping this weekend as the high finally weakens.

Nonetheless good barramundi were caught over the past seven days, including two metre-long fish in Darwin Harbour by Spring Tide Safaris and a 17kg fish at Corroboree Billabong by George Voukolos Jr.

Mackerel are still about, with two accounts of people being spooled while fishing in the harbour channel, and a hooked 6kg mackerel being cut in half by another mackerel out at Lorna Shoal.

Fishing and Outdoor World's Matt West said the barramundi scene had been reasonable despite cold weather.

"There have been good reports out of Corroboree Billabong with five or six fish landed per boat each day,'' he said.

"Fishing guide Mark West caught one of 8kg while trolling.

"The Four-Mile Hole on the Wildman River has been pretty good - some of the billabongs in Kakadu have been producing 30 fish in a session.

"Fishing guide Preston Higgins has been catching good barra on bait in the Daly River.

"In the harbour Spring Tide Safaris landed two barra a metre long while trolling over near Woods Inlet.

"Mackerel have been really good - we went out wide of Lorna Shoal with Equinox Fishing Charters last Sunday with ET and caught mackerel, golden trevally and tricky snapper.

"The fishermen on the other boat travelling with us that day caught eight jewfish and we didn't get any.

"Deep water jigs were working really well on the golden trevally, which were to 6kg.

"The Vernon Islands was producing some big mackerel before the wind set in."

Top End Fishing Supplies' Steve Compain said the strong winds caused him to cancel a chrter last week.

"The strong offshore winds usually drop off a little in the afternoon, so that's when we go,'' he said.

"We hooked a sailfish on a floating pilchard and had it on for half a minute while out at Lorna Shoal.

"There are mackerel everywhere.

"We had a mackerel of 7kg at the back of the boat near Lorna Shoal and a really big mack came through and sliced it in half.

"I have been out there twice last week and there have been heaps of fish.

"I went to Corroboree Billabong on Monday and caught a 70cm barra and a couple of undersize fish just trolling shallow lures over weedbeds - there were a few other people catching fish and as usual the Scum Frogs worked well on saratoga.

"I went out for a night in Elizabeth River last week and we caught three mud crabs.

"My son has been catching mangrove jacks to 1.5kg at the top of the Elizabeth River at high tide."

Katherine Rod and Rifle's Warren de With said there were a few quality barra caught at the Victoria River last weekend.

"The biggest I heard of was 94cm - but tides this weekend are too big for the Vic - it was surprisingly good last week,'' he said.

"There was a 1.2m barra caught in the Roper River freshwater which is now being kept alive in a big tank on a station.

"Everyone coming from the Towns, Limmen and McArthur Rivers are saying that it the fishing has been quiet, probably because of the cool weather."

Shoal Bay Boat Hire's Bob Morris said it had been quiet last week with the combination of cold weather and neap tides.

"There have been tuna seen out at The Rock and there was a 90cm barra caught at Spot 5 last Saturday,'' he said.

"Another bloke caught a 98cm barra at King Creek.

"Crabs have been patchy - one hire boat crew on Wednesday caught 12 while two other boats caught none.

"I reckon the big tides this weekend will get the crabs going again.

"There are a fair few salmon around and a lot of bream too."

Leaders Creek Fishing Base's Chris Edwards said the wind had stirred up smoke and dust, but the fish were biting.

"A bloke fishing on Wednesday caught snapper and jewfish in the channel but he said it was very rough,'' he said.

"The creek itself produced jewfish and salmon last week - on Wednesday several boats landed salmon, snapper and crabs.

"Cape Hotham was fishing well before the wind set in.

Chris Errity was catching mackerel out the front last weekend and tagging them but it has since been too windy."

Got One's Kane Dysart said barramundi had been biting well on the harbour flats in warmer water, including West Arm and Sadgroves Creek flats on dropping tides.

"Tuna have been abundant in the harbour over the past week of neap tides and seem to be congregating in the area between the Six Mile Buoy and Mandorah - Maribou jigs and chrome slices are working well, but surface poppers also work and are fun,'' he said.

"Spanish mackerel have been about in the harbour - a customer landed two big ones in the Town Hall Hole - Lee Point has also been producing.

"Bare Sand Island at the mouth of Bynoe Harbour has been fishing well for large queenfish and mackerel with the occasional cobia - one customer hooked a cobia so big he could hardly pull it into the boat.

"The Daly River has been fishing well with a lot of tourists saying they reached their bag limit."

     

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