Top End Fishing Supplies' Steve Compain caught this monster golden snapper at South Gutter Matt
Flynn's Northern Territory Fishing was superb last week, with monster reef fish biting in the harbour and beyond, and barramundi feeding aggressively in the estuaries and inland. This week's building tides should see another round of superb fishing. Top End Fishing Supplies Steve Compain went on a three-day trip from Darwin to Bateman Shoal off Fog Bay and worked the 30m contour line. "We caught too many fish,'' he said. "We bagged out on monster golden snapper early and had to keep moving to get away from them. "We caught mack tuna for bait - they were everywhere - we saw sailfish free jumping around the tuna schools. "There were mackerel around and we were catching small spaniards and spotted macks on the bottom. "We caught red emperor to 5kg, including double-headers. "There were also squid like I've never seen them before - torpedo squid to 30cm long - there were millions of them - you just had to drop the jig in and as quick as you could pull it in there was a squid there. "We were putting these foot-long squid on for bait and they were being hammered - there were fish everywhere catching the squid - barracuda, sharks and others - the fish would shoot through them, it was amazing. "There were heaps of big tricky snapper which we put back - we also caught four chinaman fish to about 5kg. "We got back at 3am Thursday - the weather was good with only one small storm. "But the fishing happened all the way along the route - it was fantastic." Got One's Kane Dysart said the Adelaide River fished well above Goat Island on the last neap tides so it should be worth a shot now. "Trolling the rockbars etc seemed to work really well on the last neap tides,'' he said. "In Darwin Harbour fishing guides have been doing really well casting fizzers at the Hudson Creek mouth in the shallow water where you can't get a minnow lure to swim. "Channel Island rocks have been producing barra to 85cm for landbased anglers "There have been loads of queenfish around Larrakeyah and the East Arm rock walls with small soft plastics and chrome lures working well. "Dundee has been producing mackerel averaging 8kg with at least one of 20kg caught, and there are huge schools of longtail and mack tuna being reported. "This weekend might bring a chance of sailfish at Fog Bay in clearer water. "Hardies Lagoon has been producing some barra on Little Lucifers and soft plastics. "The Vernon Islands and The Narrows should be worth a shot in the deep water on these neap tides - there were good snapper at the Vernons on the last set of neap tides. "Shoal Bay will also be well worth a look around The Rock on the building tides this week." Fishing and Outdoor World's George Voukolos said his staff caught barra and jacks in West Arm last week. "It is now a really good time to fish the Vernon Islands in the deep channel between the mainland and first Vernon Island,'' he said. "The deep water of North Gutter and South Gutter should also be worth a look on the small tides. "There's been some good barra caught at Yellow Waters and the other Kakadu billabongs. "The billabongs will be firing until the heavy rains start - the Four Mile Hole has been best with Hardies and Corroboree producing some fish - but I don't think the Mary River catchment got enough rain last year - certainly not what the Daly River region got. "Hopefully we will get a big wet season for the Mary River this year." King Kontis Fishing Tours' Tom Kontis said fishing has been excellent within the harbour all week for golden snapper and jewfish. "We've got six jewfish to 5kg today (Friday) and six snapper to 2kg,'' he said. "The fishing has been good with some really good jewfish to 15kg off the deep reefs between the Six Mile Buoy and Mandorah last week. "But the neap tides this weekend will make it hard. "The idea on the dead neaps is to go to the very deepest holes on the turn of the tide ... the Town Hall Hole in Middle Arm or the hole out the front of West Arm could be worth a try. "It's been windy during the week. "But the clients from Melbourne today are catching the biggest fish of their lives instead of the five-inch flathead they usually catch in Victoria." Leaders Creek Fishing Base's Deneise Edwards said golden snapper had been biting in the deep water between the mainland and Vernon Islands. "They have been a really good size too - lovely big snapper,'' she said. "One customer caught some big mud crabs on Friday - the crabs have been quiet otherwise. "There were good salmon caught on Thursday and a big jewfish was also caught on Thursday in the creek. "There has been only one big barra caught that I know of but there have been some lost and a few smaller ones landed. "Mangrove jacks have been biting too - there has been a few over the past week, more than usual, and they have been a decent size. "The grader is on the road again too because apparently there was a problem with the grading last time, so the road should be really good this week." Shoal Bay Boat Hire's Locky said the barra were now biting consistently in Shoal Bay. "They have been mostly down the near the croc trap at low tide,'' he said. "Bob Edwards caught five barra to 83cm at Spot 6 and also caught 22 crabs - there are a few more buck crabs showing up now and some really big jennies. "The bottom of the Little Howard River at low tide has also been good for barra. "Cliff Watkins' clients caught a 1.1m queenfish at The Rock on a live mullet last week. "There have been quite a few barra caught at The Rock on the low tides. "They are all around the 80cm mark with the biggest at 93cm but no metre fish yet reported." Katherine Rod and Rifle's Warren de With went to the Roper River freshwater on Wednesday and tagged 26 fish for the day. "The biggest was 83cm and the fish were in very good condition,'' he said. "All our visitors from south caught three or four fish each - we could only catch them by trolling Halco Crazy Deeps which get down to 8m where the fish are holding. "There was a rise about 18 feet down and the lures had to get right down to them. "The lime green colour worked best. "However the Roper road is rough and the government needs to repair it - a lot of people have been complaining. "The Victoria River had 35mm of rain at Timber Creek which should get the fish biting on these neap tides." Tackle Up's Joan Miller said land-based customers had been doing well at Buffalo Creek on barramundi and salmon. "Basically there have been fish caught on ganged hook rigs using pilchards for bait, fishing just near the boat ramp,'' she said. "The mouth of Rapid Creek is also producing a few small barra on the incoming tide. "One of our clients went to Hardies Lagoon last weekend and caught 11 barra from 8am to 11am - there were eight keepers - they had double hook-ups all the time and they were catching them on Just Unders - he said it was excellent fishing out there. "Other clients have caught barra at Corroboree Billabong but the fish are much muddier." |
