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Mick Davis and his 13-year-old son Korrey caught some great fish off Darwin recently, including spotted and spanish mackerel and a whopper tuna of 120cm that weighed almost 20kg. Mick writes: "All the mackerel were trolled up around 2km off the Nightcliff beaches and the tuna took a pilchard floated about 1m under the surface off Lee Point. We also had a bust off with another tuna of about the same size."

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

Also available in the Darwin Sunday
newspaper, Sunday Territorian

Mackerel remain the centre of attention whenever the wind dies down enough to go offshore.

And some big longtail tuna have also been landed.

Barra have slowed but still worth chasing.

The foreshores are producing loads of bream and whiting, and you don't have to worry about the wind when catching them from the beach.

Lure One Fishing Charter's Chris Hurt said he lost the biggest mackerel he had seen off Lee Point last week.

"We got one fish of 21kg and the other that we lost would easily have been 30kg,'' he said.

"We thought it was a small tiger shark at first when it came up but then we saw it was actually a mackerel.

"It was at the inshore reef close to Lee Point, and it took a ganged double pilchard.

"We went out again on Thursday and it was windy and there were no fish."

Got One's Kane Dysart said Bynoe Harbour had fished well last weekend with Cameron Briscoe catching salmon and barramundi on the flats.

"There have also been a lot of queenfish and trevally around the Bynoe Harbour islands,'' he said.

"There have been mackerel everywhere out at Roche Reefs being caught using different methods.

"In Darwin Harbour northern bluefin tuna are schooling towards Mandorah and Talc Head, with the occasional Volkswagen-sized giant trevally mixed in.

"Channel Point at the Peron Islands is producing red emperor in good numbers and jewfish to 20kg, as well as swags of mixed reef fish.

"There are still loads of bream and whiting being caught around the harbour.

"The billabongs have been a bit quiet."

Top End Fishing Supplies' Dylan Jenkins said there were tuna and mackerel around East Point, Lee Point and the Six Mile Buoy.

"There are still heaps of crabs around,'' he said.

"It has been really rough some days though, making it hard to get out wide."

Fishing and Outdoor World's Mark Ost said mackerel and tuna were now fairly consistent at both Lee Point and the nearby Bottlewasher Artficial Reef.


Leaders Creek Fishing Base's Chis Edwards said last weekend was good with some big fish caught around the Vernon Islands.

"There were jewfish and snapper out wide and some people got into the mackerel around Knight Reef,'' he said.

"The North West Vernon Island seems to be a good place to get mackerel on the Melville Island side.

"There was a good jewish caught in the creek last Friday week about 14kg, and some salmon on the weekend - one bloke caught 20 blue salmon.

"A couple of blokes went to Melville and caught a monstrous 1.5m threadfin.

"Cape Hotham has been producing snapper and the odd jewfish.

"Crabs are still running in the creek but not as plentiful as before but you can still get a feed.

"I found a barra in the creek last week that had been chomped by a crocodile - it would have been a 90cm fish with its tail.

"It's the second half-a-barra I have found; a while ago I found a barra that had been bitten in half by a shark and the front end alone weighed 12kg, so there are big barra in Leaders Creek, but only the sharks and crocs seem to know where."

Reidys Lures Jeff Reid went to the Daly River with a two fishing guides and for the day got 35 barra.

"The majority were caught before 10am just casting to snags,'' he said.

"The intention was to troll the S-bends with Big Bosses but we did not get a strike.

"Coming back we trolled the rockbar and we got a 92cm and an 88cm, and they were magnificent silver fish.

"Otherwise I have had customers say the Four-Mile Hole on the Wildman River is still fishing well."

Tackle Up's Joan Miller confirmed Lee Point was producing big mackerel.

"There are still plenty of whiting and flathead being caught by families fishing at Rapid Creek,'' she said.

"Cullen Bay rocks have been producing pikey bream.

"And about 20km above the Daly River Crossing one customer reports heaps of big barra and cherabin at their favourite place they go every year - they say the fishing is better than usual."

Other tackle shops did not have much to report last week, saying strong winds had kept a lot of people at home.

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