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George Voukolos Jr with a Corroboree monster

Matt Flynn's Northern Territory
fishing report: August 7, 2005

Also available in the Darwin Sunday
newspaper, Sunday Territorian


The man who has probably landed more metre-long barramundi in the Territory than anyone else - George Voukolos Jr - bagged a 17kg fish at Corroboree Billabong last weekend.
George was fishing at 2am when the monster struck.
It took him around the anchor rope twice before it was finally landed.
"I was using a 4" Nils Master Invincible in colour 015 - the fish had been coming on and off the bite all night and we had hooked about 20 since the afternoon,'' he said.
"We caught three or fish in the last hour of daylight and then it was on again between 8pm and 9pm.
"The big fish struck just as the moon was going down about 2am and it was getting really dark.
"We caught some other good fish on the night but lost them in the snags.
"I have found that sometimes the fish come on the bite in billabongs at night just as clouds obscure the moon.
"The other secret is to keep changing lures - I find the fish will often respond to a new colour or different design, and a lot of the old favourites are usually good lures."

****
There was superb fishing across the board last week, although it was a little quiet offshore on the dead neap tides.

Tuna were working Darwin Harbour most days, and there were some big mackerel about in the shallows and out wide.

The Kakadu and Mary River billabongs produced yet more barra last week - billabongs have fished far better than expected this year after the relatively poor wet season.

All eyes will soon be on Manton Dam which is likely to produce monster barra at night as the weather warms this year.

Happy Micks' Jason Deigan said Shoal Bay had picked up over the past week with the warmer weather producing fish mainly in the low tide holes with fish to 75cm.

"Big mackerel have been caught off Lee Point to a whopping 28kg - the same crew caught a 6kg and 8kg mackerel as well,'' he said.

"The Vernon Islands were very good for huge GTs and mackerel on the neap tides last week with one GT of about 20kg caught.

"Other than that I have not heard too much although there appears to be plenty of mud crabs about still - they haven't dropped off at all this year."

Got One's Kane Dysart said tuna were prolific in Darwin Harbour last week with anglers catching them as far upstream as Elizabeth River bridge.

"The first of the outgoing tide was best for tuna and Maribou jigs and small poppers worked well,'' he said.

"East Point wide has been the hotspot for spanish mackerel last week using live gars and floating pilchard.

"Lee Point has been fairly quiet with a lot of bait present but few big mackerel caught.

"The Vernon Islands fished well over the neap tides with big snapper and jewies caught on the drop-offs.

"Inland the Kakadu billabongs have been fishing well thanks to the warmer than usual weather, and Corroboree Billabong and Hardies Lagoons have produced well too, even if inconsistently."

Fishing and Outdoor World's Matt West has just come back from Broome where he caught a sailfish.

"I have caught a few sails over the years all around the same size,'' he said.

"We raised a marlin and lost another sail but it was fairly quiet out there.

"We did some deep water jigging and caught big GTs and cobia - it was a good couple of days.

"We lost one GT that would have been 15kg or more - you would hook GT and bring the rest of the school up with it.

"Around Darwin there have been mackerel in close around Talc Head and Mandorah.

"The billabongs have been producing the usual six barra a day for most fishing guides."

Fishing and Outdoor World's Ronald Voukolos said Corroboree Billabong was fishing well despite loads of boats visiting the popular waterhole.

"George Voukolos went there during the week and they hooked five and landed one - one fish was about 90cm.

"I have had a few other reports from customers who have caught up to a dozen fish in a session at Corroboree Billabong with the biggest fish of 83cm.

"Barramundi Fishing Charters' fishing guide Rob Marchant has also been doing well on the fish.

"Micky Quaiser from Spring Tide Safaris has also been getting amongst them.

"The fish seem to be on open weedbeds in shallow water, with shallow lures like Bombers working well.

"I thought it would be a horror year for Corroboree Billabong but it has been good. The billabongs have been great - it defies logic after the bad wet season.

"Barra to 80cm have been taken in the freshwater at Shady Camp and 4-Mile Hole on the Wildman River produced 50 barra for one couple.

"There have been jewies offshore, especially around Charles Point, and they all seem to be 10kg to 14kg in size.

"Squid have been good over the neap tides as a lot of people are buying squid jigs, and mud crabs have been good in the harbour arms."

Top End Fishing Supplies' Chris Rainbird said Fog Bay had been fishing well for mackerel.

"There are also some good trout out there. I have not heard of too many red emperor being caught,'' he said.

"The shop's charter boats are getting a lot of medium goldies and some jewies - there have been mackerel off Lorna Shoals.

"The boys had a marlin come up and grab a mackerel while out on charter.

"Corroboree Billabong has been fishing well thanks to the warm spell - Little Lucifers and Spearheads have been the popular lures.

"Steve Compain went up the Elizabeth River and caught two big buck crabs and some undersized ones and a 45cm barra and a couple of cod."

Katherine Rod and Rifle's Warren de With said the inland fishing had been improving.

"The Victoria River fished well on the long weekend with barra to 89cm and group caught 22 fish out there,'' he said.

"Roper River locals say the upper river is starting to come alive.

"I was down there a fortnight ago and we were fishing there in the freshwater and we tagged and released 32 barra in a day and a half but we were fishing in water that does not see a lot of fishermen.

"Having said that other visitors say other parts of the Roper have been slowly improving.

"The bottom section of the Roper however does not seem to be fishing so well - it might be commercial netting pressure - we need a good wet season to judge how it is really performing."

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