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The band Powderfinger caught this barra on a trip into Darwin Harbour with Tour Tub Harbour Fishing Charters

Matt Flynn's Northern Territory
fishing report: January 25, 2004

Also available in the Darwin Sunday
newspaper, Sunday Territorian

Fishing has improved thanks to the monsoonal wind dropping off, allowing boats to fish out wide.

On the rivers, water levels are high on the Daly and the Victoria rivers.

The Adelaide River has produced the odd fish, and the South Alligator has been most consistent, although not a lot of big fish have been caught there.

The harbour has been producing good barramundi, and loads of queenfish.

Queenfish are unusually abundant in most places right now.

Top End Fishing Supplies' Dylan Jenkins said the shop's charter boat found some big golden snapper last Sunday, and 10 jewfish on Saturday.

"On the Sunday I caught goldies to about 75cm, and three big coral trout,'' he said.

"We have not been out since then.

"There are some good fish coming out of the harbour, including one 12kg barra that was hooked and dropped.

"I have not heard of any more huge fish from the South Alligator River.

"There have been some good mangrove jacks caught on Bynoe Harbour rockbars."

Katherine Rod and Rifle's Brad Whittaker said few local people fished last weekend, but everyone was going fishing this weekend.

"The Katherine River is at 3m so it will fish really well this weekend,'' he said.

"The Roper River is accessible. The Victoria River at Timber Creek is still dirty but is starting to clean up so by the weekend it should be good.

"The Daly River is still at 12m and quiet at the moment."

Fishing and Outdoor World's Ronald Voukolos said there had been big queenfish around Quail Island, out from Bynoe Harbour.

"A lot of people have been trolling gold Bombers and casting chromies and catching queenfish to 7kg in the spots around Quail," he said.

"One of our customers ducked around to Cape Hotham and Ruby Island and got six big golden snapper, some really big spanish flag, and a jewfish.

"A couple of the Darwin charter boats were doing well on golden snapper last week.

"There are big blue salmon being caught off East Point, including one fish of 5kg.

"The blue salmon are taking fresh squid and pilchards.

"There are queenfish to 4kg around the Iron Ore Wharf on the outgoing tide.

"There was an 89cm barra caught at Nourlangie Creek on the South Alligator last week."

Joan Miller at Tackle Up said golden snapper were available in the harbour arms.

"Some people have been catching a few barra at the top of the Adelaide River,'' she said.

"They have been catching them on the small black Terrorisers and DOA soft plastics and the small black double-tails.

"There have been a few barra caught in the Dinah Beach area and we had a report of blue salmon at Buffalo Creek hearding bait into the shallows."

Borroloola Boat and Fishing Club's Bernie Redfern said there had been few people fishing last week.

"There have been some barra caught out around the islands,'' he said.

"One boat was catching and releasing barra after they caught more fish than they could legally keep.

"The red emperor have been on and are mixed together with some coral trout, mainly off Centre Island.

"But there is probably only about 50 people here at the moment, so not many people are fishing.

"The river rose up to the top of the boat ramp during the December monsoon but it's back about the normal level now."

Leaders Creek Fishing Base's Chris Edwards fished the Vernon Islands on Wednesday and caught several golden snapper about 3kg, some redfish and a jewfish while fishing in the channel at the mouth of the Blue Holes.

"We had three good bites when I caught the jewfish but we only landed one.

"We fished the bottom of the big tides which gives you more fishing time.

"There is a fair bit of fresh coming out of the Adelaide River which is pushing out and making it hard to find the fish.

"But it has been flat calm.

"Earlier in the week some small barra were caught and a big bluebone was caught at the creek mouth.

"It has been quiet as we did not get many customers here on the big tides. But the weather has been kind.

"At the moment the road in is in very good condition."

Reidys Lures' Cheryl Reid said one customer claimed to have caught 80 barra on the freshwater side of Shady Camp.

"Another angler reported huge threadfin at the mouth of the South Alligator but few barramundi.

"Usually there are some big barra showing there at this time."

Crab Claw Island Fishermen's Village's Aaron Neal said trevally and queenfish were on the move around Knife Island.

"We got a couple of trevally about 40cm.

"Queenfish have been about too and we got one of 82cm.

"We also caught four sweetlip and a big cod.

"There seems to be queenfish everywhere - we released eight queenfish and six trevally last week."

Tom Kontis of King Kontis Fishing Tours said he had fished the harbour twice last week.

"We had some mixed fishing with barra and bottom bouncing - we caught some smaller barra,'' he said.

"We got seven in two half-day trips on the bottom of the tide but four were undersize.

"Then we tried for blue salmon on the incoming tide and caught some nice ones, and some small golden snapper on the rockbars.

"I found the Six Mile Buoy grounds very slow.

"I think the fish are gorging on prawns at the moment - they spit them out when they come aboard, as well as small whitebait-like fish.

"I think that is why the fishing was hard.

"My hint is you will get some golden snapper if you fish the rockbars.

"The harbour was very green and clear last week - I was surprised we caught any fish on one day because the water was so clear."



Stan Traczynski at Woolianna on the Daly said the river was still at 12m late last week and steady.

"The river has not fallen here,'' he said.

"But it is falling further upriver.

"We have been getting strong afternoon storms.

"It's still a bit tricky driving in because of all the water.

"There are few people fishing at the moment."

Mark Ward at Shoal Bay Boat Hire said there had been some barra caught last week but nothing spectacular.

"We only had one fish over a metre last week,'' he said.

"On Wednesday we went to the boat ramp and we could see about 15 barra swimming up with the tide.

"They leave quite a big wake.

"There have been heaps of mud crabs getting caught but many are empty.

"Congratulations to Cliff and Bob who caught the biggest barra of the week at the Howard River rockbar.

"There is still heaps of fresh water up on the swamp."

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