FISHING

With Alex Julius

Thankfully, as predicted, a monsoonal trough has moved back over the Top End and delivered some serious rain.
The Daly River has certainly had its share, and the river is now rising with barra being caught from the causeway at Bamboo Creek.
The Daly more than anywhere else has received heaps of rain so far this wet season.
It’s been like that for a few years now and it can only mean some fabulous fishing in this beautiful river, both during the Run-off and then during the cooler dry season months.
On the other side of Darwin, more than 120mm has fallen around Jabiru over the last few days.
The three Nourlangie Creek bridges on the Kakadu Highway are all less than a metre from going under, so that’s a wonderful sign for the South Alligator River.
Nourlangie Creek is a major tributary of the South Alligator, so all that water will be flowing down and into the South.
Meanwhile, the upper reaches should also flood; until these latest rains, the river at the top was a couple of metres below the banks.
I also understand that the Adelaide is awash; apparently the three Wiltshire Creeks down near the mouth are almost touching with water on the floodplains.
Yes, it all augurs well when good wet season rains come tumbling down. Let’s just hope it continues.
In the meantime, particularly for those of you who are new to the Territory and have never fished during the Run-off before, following is some advice on the tackle you will need to maximise your results.
Fishing Outfit
Go for a minimum of two rod and reel combos: a baitcasting outfit and a threadline outfit. The baitcasting reel should hold 100-150m of 20-30lb braid. Match it to a rod that has a fast action with a tip that can throw the full range of lure weights. The threadline outfit should be about a 4000-sized spinning reel with a suitable rod of around 2m. You would use this primarily for making long casts and working soft plastics.
Line & Leader
For run-off fishing, stick to 20-30lb braid. If you are fishing over jagged rock-bars or hard currents against snags, go for 30lb.
Use monofilament leader around 50lb breaking strain when using hard-body minnows, but go a bit heavier (up to 80lb) if you’re feeding plastics to quality barra as these tend to get swallowed and leader abrasion may cost you a good fish.
Lures
What can I tell you here? There are so many barra lures to choose from.
In hard bodies, you’ll need some deep-divers, medium divers and shallow divers, and in different lengths and colours for each.
You’ll also need a couple of noisy surface lures. And carry a selection of strong spare trebles and split rings.
In soft plastics, well, you’ll need a range of soft plastics! Also, don’t forget those worm hooks for weedless rigging.
Essential Accessories
•         You’ll definitely need a good Plano tackle box with plenty of lure storage and compartments.
•         A fish grip of sorts is mandatory.
•         A pair of long-nose pliers makes life easy.
•         Without sharp braid scissors, you’ll go bonkers.
•         A pair of split ring pliers (small ones) keep you in the game longer.
•         A small pair of bolt cutters are a good idea as you can change trebles much more quickly by cutting the old ones off. They are also great for cutting off barbed points that have penetrated human flesh.
•         An Environet will land your fish without scale or fin damage.
•         A sharp knife and a millsaw file for honing hooks go without saying.
•         A Strikeback lure retriever will save you bucks and get back that deadly lure.
•         A brag mat to measure fish and a pair of scales to weigh fish in the net will make your day when Big Momma comes along.
•         For sun and insects, you’ll need a hat, polarised sunnies, sunscreen and insect repellent. Fingerless gloves are also a good idea.
•         Locktight or Superglue for knots is great insurance.
•         And don’t forget your torch and first-aid kit.



PHOTO caption:

Your local tackle shop will love you if you go in and buy this lot in preparation for the Run-off.