It been a bit wild and woolly out there lately but the good news is it’s brought some heavy scud missile rains with it! Not as monsoonal as perhaps we would like but beggars can’t be choosers so we will take what we can get LOL! Our local culverts have began to fire, with a 95cm Barra coming from a Berry Springs location yesterday. Quite a few fish in the 60cm range have fallen for 65-80mm Squidgies and Reidys Rubbers in natural colours during the early morning and late arvo bite windows. The small 3.5″ Egret Wedgetail in colour ‘Chicken On A Chain’ still reigns supreme on the 3/0 flashy swimmer rig and has had it’s fair share of fish already amongst the local drains from Leanyer, to Howard Springs, Darwin River and beyond. It always pays to carry a few DOA TerrorEyz if you are looking roadside, these little favourites may not look much but don’t they produce the goods! Speaking DOA, Always a favourite on The Daly where the lower reaches have just re-opened from seasonal closure. There will be plenty of fish caught in the next few weeks. DOA Terroreyz, Squidgy 100mm Tru Blue, DOA Baitbusters and those 6inch Hard Bodies of course.

Bring on more rain…COME ON!!!

Here we go, full steam ahead out on the big blue. The Tuna are already busting up the harbour off West Point and the bigger Spaniards are just showing up now around the popular Lee Point reefs. Drifting pilchard or fresh garfish baits mid water below a healthy burley trail is always an easy option. Further afield, Sailfish and Marlin seem to becoming more and more common off Dundee’s wide grounds with plenty of fish raised already this season. Jewfish just never seem to stop coming from the inshore and offshore reefs right across the Top End during the neaper tides. On the Barra Scene, Bynoe Harbour has been good for legal sized fish. That little OPSD Rapala Flat Rap and Aussie Bling 15A Bomber are still my favourite, as is the 3inch ZMan Minnow plastics.

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Hopefully I haven’t jinxed it, but this is bloody bewdiful!! The rain just keeps on falling, and it’s falling in good places with Kakadu copping heaps of water inland and all rivers are in great shape for a ripper run-off. The roadside culverts are booming to the point where a few are impassable and producing fish to boot!

A little earlier, The South Alligator was producing good fish to 104cm upstream however the rising water has since shut the fish down for a bit. Once the rain slows up and the rivers begin to drop inside the banks it will be GAME ON like we haven’t seen for a few years….YEEEEEEEW!!!!

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Although November returned less rain than expected, predictions are looking up for the next two months….and we are praying!

Nice sized Golden Snapper have been caught at night time from the deeper waters off Emery Point in Darwin Harbour during the incoming neaps. Likewise, the Six Mile Grounds have produced nice fish with metre-long Jew completing the reef fish ‘mixed bag’ nicely. On the pelagic scene, East Arm rockwall is proving home to big Queenfish and Trevally with white Gulp Jerkshads bangin’ fish to 93cm on the cast. The Barra scene has been a little quieter between the storms but some nice fish are still coming from Leaders Creek and Bynoe Harbour flats. The little 8cm Rapala Flat Rap in colour OPSD was the gun lure for one crew sight casting the neap low tide gutters up the Bynoe Arms. Classic Barra120 10ft Bananafish was the Leaders Creek trolling lure of choice recently. Keep an eye on those storms this month and next!!

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It’s time……Tuna Time! The Longtails have arrived with the cooler weather and are already in the harbour. Those little 25gm Gillies Silver Baitfish slugs are the go as per usual. Already we are hearing of decent Spaniards at Lee Point Reefs. Most are being taken on drifted pilchard on the first of the spring movements and averaging the 10-12kg mark.

Do the Jewies ever stop? They just keep on coming from our inshore reefs, mainly at night on fresh squid baits and Gulp 6.5″ Nemesis in colour Pink Shine.

Barras? A little quieter given the water temps are down but you will still find em up on the harbour flats in the warmth of the shallows. Rapala Flat Raps, Classic Just Unders, Reidys Hellraisers and 14a Bombers will do the trick. I always carry a Gulp 4″ Swimming Mullet to be sure I cover all bases!

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Well we have been screaming for it so someone must’ve heard! Finally some rain is falling across the Top End thanks to a Tropical Low and rumour has it there is more to come shortly. Fisho’s are already jumping toward the odd culvert around the place and I hear of planned trips to the big river haunts as the rivers rise and fall quickly. Small 65mm Black Gold Squidgys, DOA Terroreyz and 3″ Zman Minnows are among the hot items on the shopping list this time of year so here we go. Prior to this deluge, Shoal Bay was ‘goin off’ in the low tide holes with barras to 85cm in good numbers. Darwin Harbour was also producing some nice Golden Snapper in the deep holes around Channel Island and Emery Point. Many fisho’s were shocked to see big schools of Longtail Tuna still about despite the warmer waters. Fish to 9kg were caught on the small Gillies Baitfish slugs off West Point. Lets keep our fingers crossed this rain keeps on coming!!!

Well, following a poor wet season requires a ‘chin up’ attitude! There are still PLENTY OF FISH out there to be caught and the harbour flats are a superb barra haunt throughout the dry. Aim for the shallower waters where the water temps are a little higher. I love the neap outgoing lows….the Reidys Junior B52 in ‘Wasabi’ and Rapala 8cm Flat Rap are perfect for the job. Both Darwin and Bynoe can knock your socks off on a good day!

Out on the big blue, Jewfish, Trout, Golden Snapper and Emporer have all been on the chew from Dundee Wide. ProLates 130mm Vibes, Storm Rocker Jigs and Samaki Live Shrimps jigged around the 50mtr mark returned some cracking sessions recently.

Mudcrabs….Holy Mudcrab…they have been ON like Donkey Kong EVERYWHERE lately!!!

Build-up Barra Fishing is in full swing as we wait for a decent monsoon to arrive. In between the windy squalls, there have been bouts of blistering barra fishing in Shoal Bay and Darwin Harbour. The new Pro Lates Enticer Vibes donged barra to 92cm and some healthy Mangrove Jacks to 52cm recently. Land based fishing around Howard River Rock Bar has been productive particularly at night, with the new ChaseBait Drunken Mullets and Bills Bug fizzers doing the trick on legal size fish. The back side of East Point produced barra to 84cm on the trusty Killalure Barrabait in Red Bling.

On the reefs, Jewies are on the chew at Bynoe Mouth and some nice Snapper within the harbour. Amongst the reefies were Trout and Trickies for a nice mixed bag.

As we continue to pray for rain, we will keep taking advantage of ‘build up’ weather and try using it to our advantage!!

Harbour sessions are GO👍👍 Heaps of fish around to 72cm this morning….Rapala Flat Rap10’s and Reidy’s Junior B52’s ‘Wasabi’ the cream of the crop! Get up on the flats during the neap tides with shallow minnows and sight cast your life away…YeeeeHaaaaa!!

Regardless of the first initial rains, the Barra around Darwin and Bynoe Harbours are still on the chew big time……Zerek 87mm Live Shrimps have been the go-to lure this month with healthy fish in the 80cm range coming from the flats and rockbars. Repeated reports from Buffalo Creek have been ringing in our ears from the landbased boys and girls and the occassional Metery has been included!

How can you beat that??

In other news, decent reports have come from far and wide including a monster Marlin from Flat Top, Jew in numbers from Fenton, Charles Point and around to RedCliffs. Jigging vibes has been an ever increasing habit for offshore fisho’s and the results speak for themselves with big fat Black Jew to 128cm.

First rains have been received in the Katherine region already, so here we go folks…The Daly is in it’s priming stage. Incidentally, so is The East so all in all, a good start to the season!

Can’t wait !!!