www.fishfindermaps.com

A jewfish caught with King Kontis Fishing Tours

Matt Flynn's Northern Territory
fishing report: June 6, 2004

Also available in the Darwin Sunday
newspaper, Sunday Territorian

Barramundi fishing was good last week despite the cold, windy weather.

Big barra moved into the S-bend area on the Daly River late last week and several boats caught metre-plus fish.

Many crews reported non-stop small barra biting on any decent snag despite the cold weather.

Offshore, jewfish are still on the bite when it is calm enough to get out.

Reports of mackerel have been few and far between, with the best coming from Bass Reef out of Bynoe Harbour.

Mud crabs are about but still patchy.

Katherine Rod and Rifle's Warren de With said the Victoria River rose at Dashwood Crossing last week after the unseasonal rain.

"The water was discoloured at the Vic near the Wayside Inn,'' he said.

"We got 25 fish on Tuesday at the Daly River at the top of the tide and the bottom of the tide.

"That's when the fish were most active.

"The cold might have slowed it a little but it is a lot better than the same time last year.

"I think the Daly will fish right through the year.

"It was still 300mm over the crossing last week so the volume of water coming down the river is still high and it is still good for trolling.

"The bigger fish are definitely on the S-Bend down to Elizabeth Creek on the big tides, and the incoming tide is good when it hits the S-Bend.

"The Vic River is still quiet.

"The South Alligator River has been running some extra fresh water and with fish on the rockbars.

"All this rain has to be good for growth of small fish and bait."

Fishing and Outdoor World's Matt West said a lot of people went fishing last weekend offshore and found it pretty rough and windy.

"Some even planned to head off Dundee for billfish but found it too rough when they got out there,'' he said.

"We caught about 30 fish at the Daly River, with most small to the high 70cm mark.

"It should good this weekend on the bigger tides.

"We had reports from the Roper River of good numbers of small to medium fish quite close to the boat ramp.

"The South Alligator is still happening with some fresh water coming down and the rockbars have been producing fish in the 80cm range.

"I went to Shady Camp on Wednesday night and caught a lot of fish on the fresh side of the barrage to 72cm.

"We were getting rat barra almost every cast.

"I counted 23 crocs from the barrage too.

"The Finniss River is still working well for barra.

"Equinox Fishing Charters says jewfish are still biting well.

"Lee Point and East Point have been producing some small mackerel."

Happy Micks' Charlie Chambers said jewies were biting in Bynoe Harbour off Simms Reef last week.

"There have been mackerel at Bass Reef caught on trolled Rapala CD18s,'' he said.

"The macks caught were not much over 10kg.

"The same crew also caught a cobia of 8kg trolling an orange CD18, which is my favourite colour for cobia.

"I have not heard a lot from Dundee - they have been hooking small mackerel and tuna at Sail City.

"The Daly River is still fishing well.

"There fish being caught casting at Elizabeth River snags with lures that go deep fast.

"Crabs are also showing up in Elizabeth River, but most caught have been big jennies."

Got One's Kane Dysart said Middle Arm had been fishing well near the prawn farm waste water outflow with barra, salmon, snapper and bream feeding on the first incoming tide.

"The outlet is only 100m or so upstream from the boat ramp,'' he said.

"The Daly River is fishing well with two customers reporting the odd run-off below Elizabeth Creek running after the recent rain, with 30 fish caught in the area.

"But most fish are being caught trolling using 4m-deep lures ... lure colour does not seem to matter.

"One crew caught 20 fish between 70cm and 90cm on Tuesday.

"There have been lots of saratoga and tarpon at Corroboree Billabong on Little Lucifers and small Classics.

"On the rockbars at the top of the Finniss River a 1.2m barra was caught on Thurdsday on a brown 6-inch Nilsmaster."

Reidys Lures' Jeff Reid said he went up the Adelaide River last week with visitors from Queensland.

"They had a ball trolling the rockbars ... there were no huge fish with the biggest 70cm but it was fun,'' he said.

"We then went to Corroboree and caught some big catfish.

"We then went to the Daly River and had a blinder with an 83cm barra and two bigger ones lost.

"I guess we would have caught 50 fish on the Daly - everywhere we stopped and trolled we caught fish.

"Any snagged we trolled we caught fish - they seemed to be everywhere - that was on the Monday.

"One boat landed two over a metre and dropped others on Thursday and others boats were catching them too.

"We caught a strange fish up the Adelaide River, something I had not seen before, and I emailed a photo to recreational fishing officer Phil Hall and he identified it as a nursery fish.

"It was about 30cm long and took a lure.

"We took a photo and returned it.

"Corroboree was the only disappoinment last week - but we did catch two small barra there."

Top End Fishing Supplies' Dylan Jenkins said the shop charter boat had been out a couple of times and was getting jewies and some snapper.

"But the place to be is the Daly - there are still good fish biting and I don't think it has been that cold anyway - it is still quite humid,'' he said.

"I don't know of anyone who has chasing mackerel - the charter boat has not been getting many of them.

"There are some good mud crabs moving in Shoal Bay.

"There has been a big croc at Shady Camp barrage tormenting fishermen - fishermen should be careful.''

Dundee Blue Water Charters Des Puddey said it had been rough but we have been getting a lot of goldies.

"All the fish have been big quality fish,'' he said.

"We did not venture out wide because of the rough weather.

"We fished around Point Jenny.

"They have been catching jewfish out the front, with Tuesday night producing quite a few.

"The jewfish have been quiet at Dundee some time and I was a bit worried but they appear to be coming back again.

"There were any amount of red emperor, cobia and coral trout before the rough weather.

"We were getting four cobia trip.

"Macks have been quiet - there have been plenty of spotties but very few big spanish."

Home