Funny how things happen….all of a sudden, the barramundi reports are coming again. Unlikely we can put it down to any increase in water temps so perhaps it’s just a good set of tides and the building moon. The southern side of Melville has been one of the productive haunts, and it’s been those damn Gulps at it again. This time, the 5 Inch Jerkshads and 3 Inch Green Prawn Shrimps were doing the damage, the trick is to work them ridiculously slow along the mangrove line. 88cm was the biggest but there were plenty in the 70cm range.

The Daly….remember that place? Well, I think it’s now worth the trip again particularly on the spring tides with some beaut fish coming aboard via the ‘straight up the guts, gumby style’ trolling at speed tactic. It’s been quiet at The Daly for some time, but hopefully the fish have now decided that they are in fact hungry!

Here’s a ripper….visiting from Salamander Bay, David Henry was happily casting his 4 inch Tsunami Pearl/Black Spot coloured plastic upstream at The East Alligator’s Cahill’s Crossing when he got nailed by a monster fish. Following a long fight (all evidenced on Ben ‘WeldIt’ Wright’s GoPro camera) it was captured, photographed and released to fight another day. This fish was a cracker, at 110cm!

We’ve been bombarded with Jewfish reports this week too. Again, Melville took the limelight but you certainly don’t need to travel that far. The mouth of Leaders Creek and Saltwater Arm, Shoal Bay Rock, the Town Hall Hole off Channel Island and on a good day Charles Point are all much closer options that have been producing fish. One crew nabbed two 130cm plus Jewfish in an overnighter just off Dundee early in the week, the South Easterly winds providing calm waters for the inshore reefs.

Darwin and Bynoe Harbour neap tide Barra Fishing is still strong also. One crew managed 9 fish, although many smaller than legal size. Another bagged 4 fish, biggest 76cm on the newest of our custom Reidys range of Junior B52’s. The two standout colours were Pump98 and Methanol, both due back in shortly.

If it’s Mudcrabs you’re after, relax. You should be able to catch ‘em blind at the moment. All you need is a bit of tidal run, the incoming preferably, leave them for ‘about two beers’ then collect your catch. Tides this weekend will be perfect!

Regards

Craig

Well for those that just love a big Mack, this should get you salivating profusely. Fresh from the man himself Blake Gilmore, now known as Happy Gilmore, these images are enough to send the blue-water boys into panic. Blake quoted, ‘I have never had fishing like it in my life. It was the most insane day out there…Everywhere we looked there were birds diving, mackies jumping and manta rays going nuts. Got a 5kg Mack Tuna on the Stradic 1000 with 10lb braid…Best fun ever’. And…’Smashed the mackies on Sunday, threw a ton back and got more tuna than I have ever seen’.

Need I say more? The Pelagic activity is now there for the taking. Keep an eye on the wind and plan your trip to suit the quiet times. So many options, so little time! Lee Point’s Mack Attack, Bottlewasher, Angler’s Reef and Rick Mills….Dundee’s Long Lost, Loee Patches, Roche Reef all the way to Sail City and beyond you are bound to find surface activity of some sort.

While I’m on a roll, you might’ve thought the barramundi were dead and buried for the dry but alas, a few are now poking up for the taking. Glenn Dinwoodie from Top End Barra Series has broken the drought on a number of fish to 85cm from The Daly, Shoal Bay and Darwin Harbour and it appears by his purchases that at least some credit must again be given to those damn Berkley 5” Gulps.

Crabs, crabs, crabs…..everyone should be getting Crabs. No offense but they seem to be everywhere, big too!

Regards

Craig

Well, seeing as the barramundi are on strike to some degree it’s even more reason to tackle the Bluewater Pelagics. The Long-tail Tuna are now showing up close to home with good sightings and casting sessions taking place just off Emery Point at Larrakeyah. One crew hit ‘em with the new Halco Outcast red-headed slugs and 1/2oz Maribou Jigs in a session that lasted for 10 minutes before the fish went deep. The sneaky sneaky approach is pretty important for these things as they can be very flighty if you get a little keen and power into them. Often the better approach is to sight the school and head up-wind, kill the motor and drift into them. Amongst these powerhouses can be even bigger powerhouses in the form of Mackies, so be prepared to lose some line upon hook-up. High Speed Spin gear really is the preferred outfit for this as a chromie will go out of sight without a bird’s nest, and accuracy amongst a quarter acre school isn’t that important! Our new Avgas Roosta Poppers also burnt a few Mackeral off Dundee last week, the fish around the 10kg mark. That’s not bad!

Of course, if these things are in the harbour then they are certainly outside the harbour in even bigger numbers. The Lee Point Reef Systems often hold good schools but possibly the Dundee Wide and Peron locations take the cake for the big footy oval sized schools. Spotting these schools is easy if the birds are working, and obviously flat conditions make it easier again.

Wherever your Bluewater assault might take you, make sure you are ready and loaded as it is often a short window of opportunity.

In other offshore news, there has been some flat calm reports albeit a little inconsistent. Keep an eye on the weather chart….it’s still South-easterly by the look so our harbours and inshore reef systems would be more likely to strike calm waters. Having said that, The Vernons haven’t been too bad either.

Get into it folks, any way you can!

Regards

Craig

With a bit of luck, this weekend will be a winner out on the Bluewater. The south-easterly’s don’t look too bad with the afternoon breeze back to 10-15knots. Certainly the inshore reefs off Dundee would be a good choice for some bottom bouncing action and as we come back off the big springs and the big moon gone, I’d predict some tasty results. Grab some of the Gulp Squid Viscious plastic baits, rig them on a 3/4oz jig head and try them alongside your usual fresh baits and see what happens…. many people are pleasantly surprised.

While talking Dundee, the Tuna and Mackeral have been out in force so be prepared with some chrome slices and fast troll minnows for these powerhouses. If you’re real keen, it would also pay to rig a few skipping gar for a chance at a Sailfish out a little wider. To the north, Loee Patches is a quick trip for Goldies and there’s a heap of rubbly reef adjacent to Dunimmirie Island that’s always worth a drop for reef species.

Closer to home, these tides look manic for Spaniards at Lee Point. Anglers Reef rarely fails if you get the good oil slick and berley happening with a drifted Pilly or Sandmar rigged on gang hooks. Sometimes there’s no need for a float or sinker, just let it spin it’s thing mid-depth and make sure your drag is set for an initial hook-up because you can be sure the strike will happen while the rod’s in your rod-holder.

Within our harbour (and Bynoe for that matter) the Blue Salmon have been active almost anywhere you find some shallow reef. Pilchard baits work well for these and it often pays to use a running sinker rig on a sandy bottom nearby as I find the Salmon love scrapping it up off the bottom.

On the barra scene, what should I say….The Daly is anybody’s guess. It occasionally fires for two days on the big tides and then goes into shut down mode until it feels randy again. This year there really is no pattern to it. It’s more a matter of ‘having a crack’ and see what happens.

Inland, mixed reports from the Billabongs. Hardy’s has been kind to some, including me but it’s taken some sneaky plastics like the Zerek Prawn to entice them. Corroboree a little hit and miss although some crews are coming home quite satisfied.

Whatever you decide to do, it’s gotta be better than working!

Good luck!

Craig

I think the Bluewater Season is set to be a cracker. The reports so far have echoed Sailfish in large numbers, the odd Marlin including a monster landed off Dundee last week, Red Emporer, Goldies, Trout and Jewfish to name a few. The Jewfish have been big buggers too….up to 18kg I am told! If we could gather any positive from a poor wet season, it might be that the reef species have come in a lot closer than previous….that being that really good sized Golden Snapper, Jew and even Coral Trout have shown up in Darwin Harbour and in around the inshore reefs about Dundee and Bynoe.  As a general rule, previously you had to do the miles to find the big ones but I’m being told time and time again that it isn’t the case this year.

Talking Jewfish, Saltwater Arm has been a ripper with fish coming on shallow reef sections as a bi-catch while trolling for barra and Channel Island’s Town Hall Hole has played host to busting 100lb handlines on big Jew and the occasional heavy shark.

Keep an eye on the weather reports. I’ve noticed the early morning quite calm and the early afternoon starting to get ugly so may be best to go early and keep it short and sweet.

Crabs….game on really. Shoal Bay, West Arm, Middle Arm and Saltwater Arm is all go on the bigger tides.

Barra-wise, the inland billabongs are holding up water temps well and some nice fish are being caught particularly during the new moon period. Last night I shot to Hardy’s Billabong for a few hours…..84cm was the biggest, taken on a 15A Green Bling Bomber cast around the Pandanus.

The Daly River has proven to be a big tide affair only of late. Wait for the saltwater push and hit the fast trolling straight up the guts for your chance at a metrey.

Bring on the dry season…..I’m yet to feel it arrive!

Regards

Craig

Well it’s another one done and dusted, in fact my 10^th Barra Nationals, and what a week it was. To say it was tough would be an understatement but I can honestly say it will go down in my record book as perhaps the most enjoyable one ever. Some fellow competitors would find that hard to believe…weather-wise it was the hottest one ever, so much so you couldn’t stand barefoot on the carpet floor! Which brings me to my point….should it be DOOM and GLOOM just because the fish aren’t on the bite? I think not. It was time to have some fun so that’s exactly what we set out to do…out came AC/DC, Van Halen and Dire Straits, a hint of Beer and Wild Turkey and things couldn’t have been better.

Congrats to Team Cunning Stunts for their line honours. A well-deserved win resulting from stunning persistence, patience, a ‘match the hatch’ mindset and a boat load of skill to boot.

I’m already prepared for next year!

In other news, I just love to see kids getting into the world of fishing. Check out young Nathan Tait, all of two years old…. about to unload a monster 17A Bomber from his outfit. Now isn’t that a breath of fresh air from the usual ‘Metrey’ photo…..now I think of it…I think Nathan is a metre tall!

See you instore folks!

Regards

Craig

Wow! Feel that dry season air in the mornings….how good is that! Straight away I am reminded of those freezing cold early mornings shooting down The Daly with jumpers on, and here it comes again…the Barra Nationals is approaching fast, if a little too fast as the river still sits proud at 13 metres. Luckily, all locations behind it are beginning to fall, so I’d blame the big spring tides for holding it back. Come next week you would think it will drop fast….but what will be will be.

With destinations a little limited of late, It’s no surprise that Shady Camp copped a good touch up with up to 60 boats working the mouth of Sampan at any one time. Assuming at least two lures are in the water from each boat crew, that’s a minimum of 120 lures swimming at the mouth. As you would expect, fish were caught with many over the metre mark and as big as 121cm reported!

On the South, I’ve heard of numbers of small fish coming from Nourlangie Creek forks and floodplain edges but yet to hear of any rockbar activity.

The most common question of late….”Where can I go fishing and get away from the crowds?”. Well, where there is run-off there is normally a decent crowd so if fishing by yourself is important, think tidal water or travel afar. While many chase The Daly and Shady, our own Shoal Bay would be a good choice. With so many options up around the Little Howard and the like it can be bonza fishing there as reports of late have shown. How ‘bout Bynoe Harbour? Take a close look at Matt Flynn’s latest NT Fishfinder Magazine….zone in on the likes of Phoenix Inlet and you will find the world is your oyster. A huge harbour not far from home, neap tide flats fishing at its best…Bynoe is full of opportunities for both Barra and Bluewater fishing, rocky headlands around Indian Island holding big coastal barra, queenies and trevally and the outer reefs are prime for reef species, Tuna and Macks.

You don’t have to follow the crowds…… Be different, think different and you might just discover a new angle of approach for the time we call ‘run-off’.

By the way, the Big 17A Green Bling Bombers are here……come and get ‘em!

Craig

Take a look at this! Has anybody seen this man before? Yes, of course…it’s the one and only, and very happy Tony Hare, the same one you might have seen spread all over glossy covered magazines of late, with either a Barra, Peacock Bass or Giant Tarpon slung over his shoulder. No matter how hard he tries to tangle with the rest of the world’s exotic fish species, his heart can’t be moved from our very own Barramundi and on this occasion it was done in true territory style! They say you can’t teach an old dog new tricks, but this myth has been BUSTED. With his second home being The Daly River, it’s no wonder he has it sussed. Try 110cm on the fly….sludging around in mud up to his knees at Bamboo Creek he smashed the magic cast just on dusk….an epic catch for this man who has now all but forgotten about a Baitcaster. It was no fluke, he’s now tallied a number of these big fish……I think it’s time I confessed….Tony, YOU ARE THE MAN! Everybody bow.

In other news, maybe the prayers paid off. The Daly is now up around 12 metres and looks set to sit for a little while. Better Late Than Never as they say!

Word is out that we are in for one ballistic Bluewater season, with Sailfish, Tuna and Macks already showing up wide of Dundee and The Perons. The Goldies have been in close too, no doubt as a consequence of a poor start to the wet season, so all in all, things are looking up…no-where near as bad as it might have seemed! Yipppeeeeee!!!!!

Craig

Well, I’ve never claimed to be a great weather-man so I won’t pretend to try….but I will say that the Easter period is looking at more than a ‘fair chance of rain’. I’m sure that’s thrown a proverbial spanner in the works of many Easter plans so what about a back-up?

I’d say Dundee Beach will be getting a fair touch-up given the facilities, the Pub on tap, and the barra and offshore fishing opportunities but even that one could come with some stress and/or excitement depending on the flood levels of The Charlotte river crossing. This one is up and down like a bride’s nightie depending on Litchfield region rainfall, so care must be taken to evaluate it’s severity on approach.

Those choosing to run day trips from home might be the smartest…. Shady Camp…Sampan mouth should be good for big threadies at the very least, if not the occasional big barramundi. It’s really only just come to life recently so aim for the top of the tide down there and don’t leave it too late to get back to the ramp for retrieval.

Around town, the big spring tides should open up some options from the back-side of East Point, the Deck Chair Cinema and Channel Island rocks land-based positions. In fact, the rocks around Cullen Bay and Mindil Beach have been holding fish in the high 90cm range, live bait the killer but I’m sure lure choice would prove deadly if you’re a thinker. Incidently, I’m blown away by the outcome of the newest to our Exclusive ‘Bling’ lure range, this time in the form of a Green Bling 15A Bomber, perfect for these land-based assaults. Watch this space for the arrival of the 17A monster!

Shoal Bay Rock will keep the locals entertained with again the top of tide being my preference for a big fish and whatever you do, don’t discount Buffalo Creek for a fish towards the bottom of the tide change. Load up on the Zerek 127mm Prawn Plastics in colour #03 or #08….work ‘em slow slow slow and let the barra suck it down before striking.

Oh…and TAKE YOUR RAINCOAT!

Happy Easter Folks!

Craig

Dunno about you, but it would seem that Middle School is out. Has anybody seen a 70cm Barra lately? All reports of late echo ‘metreys or nothin’. Yesterday on the neaps, I wasn’t one of the lucky ones….literally flogged The Daly to foam…a 20 minute session with the trusty Tango Dancers just on the first of the incoming was all the day had in store. The spring tides however have produced plenty….and I mean plenty. Look for the incoming push with bait up the middle, throw on a Big Ass B52, Bomber or Classic 160 and move quicker than the tide.

Casting sessions have also done the trick, fish to 117cm taken on both monster sized and small plastics. Speaking of small plastics, the new Shads Soft Ons are hitting fish hard. Fished best ‘on the drop’ and jigged around the snags and ledge edges you rarely miss on hook-up rate given the two trebles on such a small lure.

Shady Camp must’ve cleaned up a little now, as reports begin to flow with some consistency from both Sampan and Tommy Cut creek mouths.

On the Snapper circuit, Charles Point is back on the cards with some rippers to 4kg caught using Black Magic Snapper Snatcher jig rigs. These things have been around for years and add a bit of spice to the presentation of your paternosta rigs. Next time you are going, do what I did….whack one on without telling your mate and watch him try to work out why you’re doing better than he….

This weekend is the ending to the neaps….might well be the best excuse you have to tell the wife…..?

All the best folks

Craig