NT Fishing Report

With Alex Julius          14 April 2011

At last we can confidently predict that the wet season is over.

According to the Bureau of Metreology, it is definitely petering out, with the monsoon trough slipping away to the north.

For the next short while, any rain will be from late afternoon storm activity, and the bureau gives the chance of another low forming over the Top End at less than 5%.

In fact, next week we can not only expect dry season weather but the prediction is for an average dry season this year rather than a moist and hot one like last year’s Dry.

Meanwhile, river heights are still extreme and need to fall considerably for the best fishing to come.

The best report I had was from Steve Compain of Top End Tackle World. Steve fished with son Shane and regular southern visitor, Riley Tolmay, down the Mary at the Sampan Creek mouth earlier this week.

Best fish was Riley’s 99cm but the group also had great success fishing up on the flats at high tide, casting white soft plastics to muddy edges and landing plenty of nice silver barra around 75cm in length.

Moving from the neaps slowly to the springs this weekend, there should still be excellent water clarity at the mouth of Sampan; and with more movement, expect the odd Godzilla to move in.

What’s baffled me so far this season is how unproductive the mouth of Tommycutt Creek has been.

I haven’t been there, but I’m told that the water clarity has been poor. Perhaps that will change with diminishing rains.

According to Phil Newton from Fishing and Outdoor World, barra have also been on the bite up the top of the South Alligator River. The river is still super high and over the floodplains up the top, but fish to 85cm have been reported in numbers.

Peter Wilson from Kakadu Lodge told me that big threadfin salmon have been on the chew down the mouth of the South.

For land-based anglers, the Three Bridges on the Kakadu Highway have yielded barra to 75cm.

Be careful at the South Alligator culvert though; apparently a 4m croc has taken up residence there.

This weekend could also be when the first vehicles will drive through to the East Alligator. The Magela Creek is dropping fast now – down from 1.8m on Sunday to 1.4m on Wednesday.

The Adelaide River is still very high, and good reports have been practically non-existent; that is, at least from above the bridge. The only way to get to the mouth of the Adelaide is by boat as the Gunn Point Road is still closed.

However, heading to the east from Darwin, there’ve been some tantalising reports of quality fish from the Finniss River.

And not only from the Finniss, but also further along Fog Bay at the Little Finniss. Both big barra and some rip snorter jewfish have been pouncing on lures at Little Finniss.

Meanwhile, even further away, the Daly River continues to be out of bounds, with the road still closed and more than 13m continuing to flow over the crossing.

Good job the Barra Nationals was postponed to late May; otherwise competitors would have been swimming around the Banyan Farm.

Based on the weather bureau’s confident forecast that the wet season is over, and with more than a week until the Easter break, it’s possible that the Daly will be accessible with accommodation venues operating, and the river dropping nicely for some bumper fishing.

I have no doubt that the rivers along the Arnhem Highway will be fishing fine through Easter, just as the weather will be fine and dry too.

A detailed report released today has recommended a national campaign to challenge the many threats facing Australia’s most popular recreational pursuit.

Titled “Keep Australia Fishing”, the independent report was commissioned by the Boating and Fishing Council of Australia (BFCA) and prepared by former UK politician and Sydney resident Martin Salter.

Mr Salter, who served as Parliamentary Spokesman for Angling under the governments of both Tony Blair and Gordon Brown, said the 54-page report drew on “best practice” from other countries around the world where recreational fishing was properly respected and valued as a significant economic contributor.

“Australia’s recreational fishing industry has been under threat for many years, from fish kills on major rivers, habitat degradation, urban pollution and unjustified marine park lock-outs,” Mr Salter said.

“While Australia still boasts some of the best recreational fishing in the world, pressure is mounting from poor land-use practices and extreme Green movements that regard anglers as part of the problem rather than the solution.

“Responsible recreational anglers are the true guardians of the aquatic environment and sensible conservationists should be working with them to protect and enhance our fisheries.”

Some of the report’s key recommendations include:

• The Keep Australia Fishing Campaign – an independent body led by the tackle and boating industries to lobby on behalf of recreational fishing, to promote the sport among young people and to effectively challenge actions and practices that are harmful to fishing and fisheries;

• A new mass membership national peak body – recreational fishing licence (RFL) holders to be members of a new peak advocacy body with full voting rights as in Holland and New Zealand;

• Independent Recreational Fishery Trust Funds – funded through state RFL revenues and controlled by anglers, free from political patronage;

• Tougher rules on pollution and habitat degradation – a complete overhaul of allowable chemical discharges into watercourses and possible civil action against polluters;

• Ending unwarranted lock-outs of recreational anglers from marine parks – building community support for proper science-based conservation measures;

• Regular surveys on economic benefit – there is an estimated three million recreational anglers in Australia and potential economic benefit of up to $10 billion annually, although accurate figures are needed;

• Policy development through an Australian Charter for Angling – the emergence of minority parties representing anglers only highlights the failure of too many politicians to take anglers’ concerns seriously.

Tom Roberts’ 82cm barra came from wide of the Daly River mouth.

Estimated at 100kg, Rob Higgins black marlin was caught off the Tiwi Islands fishing with Arafura Bluewater Charters out of its new game boat Nawana.