Matt Highland and Steve Compain of Arafura Bluewater Charters with snapper and coral trout Matt Flynn's
Northern Territory Reports continue of big barramundi at the mouth of the South Alligator River. Top End Fishing Supplies' boss Steve Compain said some monster barramundi were landed and lost at the mouth of the South Alligator last week. Top End staffer Dylan Jenkins landed a mighty 1.2m fish in the area last week, as well as a 1.1m barra last month. Steve said this was after he took a trip to the South with DNA Barra Fishing's Duane Trouchet the week before. "It was fantastic fishing - we were getting big spanish flag and these big queenfish, barracuda and trevally were trying to eat them at the boat,'' Steve said. "The first day we got jewies to 15kg and then we went exploring and caught goldies to 7kg and we threw back heaps of small goldies. "The biggest barramundi I caught was 95cm, with most around 80cm, but we got blown away quite a few times. "Duane fished the Elizabeth River near Palmerston last week and hooked 14 barra and landed eight on an incoming tide. "I crabbed the Elizabeth last week and caught none but there have been some big crabs from Shoal Bay. "Last week the shop's charter boat clients landed some big goldies at Lorna but we were working hard for them. "This past month the neap tides have been producing better fishing offshore, which is unusual." Fishing and Outdoor World's Mark Ost said there have been barramundi caught in the harbour during the neap tides last week. "There have been good barra and small snapper in the creeks in Middle Arm,'' he said. "There have been barra caught along the Dundee foreshore and down toward Red Cliffs near the Daly mouth,'' he said. "Blue and threadfin salmon are in big numbers in the but they are feeding on jelly prawns." Fishing and Outdoor's George Voukolos Sr reports seeing two threadfin salmon in Middle Arm that would have been about 15kg, but the fish were not biting. Mark said the Howard River rockbar had been fishing well with people still driving in. "Equinox Fishing Charters told us the jewies have started to come back on out wide after being a bit quiet for a while,'' Mark said. Crab Claw Island Fishermen 's Village Bill Briscoe said barramundi were working the Bynoe Harbour gutters and flats. "Everyone is getting them, even the average angler in our hire boats has been catching them around Knife Island,'' he said. "The biggest barra to come out recently was 1.2m from Hugg Inlet last Monday, and they lost a couple of others about the same size. "They were fishing with lures. "There are jewfish out on the jetty artificial reef but the reef is way out in front as the bigger fish just snag people up. "But the reef has been fishing well right across the neap tides last week. "We had one boat of southern visitors who lost all there tackle because they could not hold the fish. "The biggest ones on the wreck are definitely over 20kg. "Elsewhere, in the deep water between Quail Island and Middle Reef there have been some 7kg goldies coming out in the past week. "Crabs however are a waste of time." Chris Edwards at Leaders Creek Fishing Base reports big jewfish in the creek itself, with anglers catching them on both lures and bait. Chris landed a jewfish of 14kg last week while bait fishing a drain about 1km from the creek mouth. Two barra of more than 80cm were also caught on the troll in the creek. Off Leaders at the Vernon Island and Gunn Point blue holes, small queenfish and trevally have been providing fly fishermen with non-stop action on the neap tides. Insight Fly Fishing's Graeme Williams reports seeing two comparatively rare diamond trevally in a blue hole that were about 5kg apiece, as well as giant herring and golden trevally. He said ravenous queenfish were taking a fly almost every cast on good days. |
