www.fishfindermaps.com

Brian Craig with a Manton Dam barramundi

Matt Flynn's Northern Territory
fishing report: March 6, 2005

Also available in the Darwin Sunday
newspaper, Sunday Territorian


Much of the floodplain run-off has already dried up along the rivers, but there were still several exciting fishing reports last week nonetheless.

Big barra are being caught by trolling snags and rockbars in the green water - fishermen don't usually start trolling rivers in earnest until late March/April.

A 135cm Roper River monster was landed last week, and some big barra were taken immediately below Shady Camp.

The South Alligator, Adelaide and Daly Rivers have also been producing.

Shoal Bay has had an outstanding run of jewfish and big buck mud crabs, and there were also swags of jewfish on harbour wrecks last week.

There's even been mackerel reported off Darwin Harbour's Six Mile Buoy.

Got One's Craig Grosvenor said the end of the spring tide cycle this week brought on some bottom bouncing action with jewfish on almost every popular harbour reef or wreck.

"Also The Narrows on the Adelaide River, the Shoal Bay Rock and Town Hall Hole returned numerous jewfish to 14kg,'' he said.

"Pilchards and local squid baits worked best, particularly when loaded onto Black Magic bait jigs.

"Some good reports came from the upper Adelaide River region with barra to 85cm caught on the Marrakai Road culvert on Squidgie Fish 100 in drop bear colour and Snapback baits rigged on TT Jigheads in pearl colour, using a very slow retrieve.

"Shady Camp barrage has again provided entertainment on Storm four-inch and Snapback five-inch soft plastics - Cameron Briscoe got into a few barra earlier in the week biggest 83cm.

"Larrakeyah rock wall has been fishing well for coral trout and barra at night, plus the usual queenfish for land-based fanatics.

"Surprisingly mud crab reports have remained strong this week with Woods Inlet and Shoal Bay being the best spot and the crabs have been full."

Charlie Chambers of www.happymicks.com.au said the South Alligator fished well last week.

"It culminated in the capture of a 121cm barra up Nourlangie Creek by Ron Bottrell- this was Ron's first barra ever!'' Charlie said.

"Ron was guided by Ted Petersen, who is maintenance manager at Aurora Kakadu, and Ted has 17 metre-plus to his name, 17 in fact.

"Ted said the 117cm was the second biggest he has seen  at South Alligator.

"There has been a huge amount of rain over the catchment area the past few days from storms with things building nicely for the Kakadu Klash in a couple of weeks time.

"Fishing in Shoal Bay has seen jewies still firing at the Rock with pilchards and mullet producing plenty of fish.

"Crabs are out the front on the flats. One boat got 29 crabs out the front of spot 5 early in the week. Jewfish seem to have been caught on neap tides, right on the high. These large fish seem to be all biting before the turn of the tide and then stopping as the tide turns out."  

Katherine Rod and Rifle's Warren de With said he went to the Roper River on Thursday and it was hard going.

"None of the creeks below the bar had any floodwater at all and there was not bait and the water temp was 33 degrees which is fairly warm.
I have a photo of 135cm barra caught on the Roper River last Sunday - he caught it at a tiny gutter right down the bottom - they were casting and getting nothing and decided to troll and got it first troll,'' he said.

"It looks like 60 pound in the photo - the biggest barra I have seen was 142cm - that was a monster.

"When it's like this - look for the clearer water. I caught seven fish at the bar to 80cm plus - the fish are there you just have to find them - they are not sitting and the creek mouths.

"They are hopefully hunting around Roper Bar -you can see bait coming up over the bar and going into the stiller water.

"I think it will be trolling time soon with fish sitting on the snags and rockbars - they are not in the creeks."

Fishing and Outdoor World's Matt West said the best barra reports had been from the Daly River with some boats getting 10 to 15 fish a trip.
"Shady Camp has been a bit slow with the guides a bit gloomy around the dinner table at Point Stuart,'' he said.

"The Shady Camp barrage was fairly quiet even on the big tides.

"The bluewater has been best with big snapper and jewfish.

"Equinox Fishing Charters caught a 17kg jewfish last week.

"Most of the harbour wrecks have been producing jewfish.

"There are a lot of threadfin salmon about in the harbour, and a few barra."  

Top End Fishing Supplies' Steve Compain said offshore fishing had been good.

"Our boat Tere Tiki went to the Fish Reef area during the week and they caught too many jewfish - they had all they wanted and were about to move on when about five were hooked all at once.

"The fish were all between 8kg and 14kg - we are keeping the carcasses for NT Fisheries who are doing research on them.

"The Ocean Fox went out to Lorna Shoal last week and caught a swag of golden snapper of 3kg to 4kg, a cobia and some other quality mixed fish.

"We did a night charter at Charles Point but that was unproductive.

"There are plenty of good mud crabs about - everyone seems to be getting them out in Shoal Bay and Elizabeth River.

"DNA Barra Fishing caught eight barra to 72cm in the harbour during the week.

"Shady Camp is on and off with some people doing alright using large soft plastics lures."  

Darwin Harbour Fishing Charters Rob Marchant said he had put clients onto some big barramundi at Shady Camp trolling deep lures between the barrage and the S-bends.

"We have been catching lots of small jewfish in the harbour on the deep reefs and hooking some larger jewfish on the wrecks, some of which our customers have not been able to land.

"There have also been some good coral trout jigged off Larrakeyah.

"There have been big mackerel around the Six Mile Buoy which is unusual.

"The Adelaide River has also been fishing well and I think today's tide is ideal for that river."   

Shoal Bay Boat Hire's Bob Morris said there were zillions of jewfish off The Rock at Shoal Bay.

"It's all happening at the western end of The Rock in the hole usually on the last of run-out and first run-in but lately they have been getting them at all tides,'' he said.

"They are all over the place on the sounder and there are a lot of people getting into them - normally we don't get many people launching during the week but this week we have had a lot of people going after them.

"We just use pilchards for bait - there are fish of all sizes and often you get busted off by the bigger ones.

"I have been watching people and they are doing the right thing - no one keeps coming back and filling up with jewies.

"There have been a few barra around with a metre fish caught at the Howard River rockbar on Tuesday night, caught on a popper.

"Another crew caught five fish at Hope Inlet at low tide last weekend.

"I did a tour last Tuesday and caught two barra around the 65cm to 70cm mark at Spot 6.

"Crabs are brilliant: nice big ones - one customer caught 20 big bucks up the creeks."  

Leaders Creek Fishing Base's Deneise Edwards said the Gunn Point road was in good condition because of the lack of rain.

"There were big tides last week so not many fishermen went out from here but quite a few crabs were caught by those who did,'' she said.

"With the neap tides now, if its anything like that last set of tides it should be very good."    

Home