NT Fishing Report
With Alex Julius July 14
Who would argue that one of the greatest thrills in sportfishing is to see a fish take you lure right on the surface?
In barra fishing, that surface explosion – known in angling vernacular as “the boof” – will immediately turn a slow-and-boring session into a full-on adrenalin pumper.
When it happens right at the boat, when a thumper of a barra appears from nowhere and your popper or fizzer denonates before your very eyes, and when a couple of litres of water are blasted across your face and body, then you know you are alive.
But that’s not the Holy Grail of a surface strike from a barra; it can actually get better than the above. Let me give you an example.
Back in the days of 3.6m tinnies, my mate Geoff Bird and I were camped on the Daly River above the banks of Diesel Creek.
Our aluminium punt was secured via a loop of rope around some trees against the steep bank just at the entrance to the creek mouth.
This loop allowed the boat to rise and fall with the tide, which was pretty nifty.
It was run-off time and we fished by day downriver at the usual haunts.
However, in the evening, after a bush shower, a camp-fire meal and a couple of pannekins of rum, we would walk down to the punt, climb in and start working our surface lures.
Although what skin we had exposed was soaked with Kokoda (the then “in” mosquito repellant), our night-time fishing sessions were as much a diversion from the mossie plagues as they were for the sake of fishing itself.
One night in particular was a stand-out – barra boofed our lures every second or third cast.
Often, when the hooks missed, there’d be at least another boof before the lure made it out of the water.
Under the canopy of towering, overhanging Daly River paperbarks, and with no moon, when the torch wasn’t on to check for crocs, it was pitch black and actually quite eerie.
So, imagine steadily “plopping” your lure to the boat…you hear its every little duck and weave, yet you can’t see it.
You sense it nearing the lowered rod tip and, as you are about to lift it from the water…KAPOW!
The explosion below your popping eyeballs is deafening and scares the shit out of you, and you are instantly doused with a bucket of water?
But you forget about all that because your rod is buckled over and an angry barra is crashing across the water as it tears line from your reel.
Now that’s the Holy Grail of surface strikes!
Speaking of the Daly River, the latest set of neap tides turned on some wonderful barra fishing.
They weren’t as thick as the previous neaps but, according to Fishing and Outdoor World’s Ron Voukolos, it was definitely worth being on the river.
“We were there last Monday and caught 20-odd fish trolling down below Elizabeth Creek,” Ron said.
“The best lures were Killalure Flatz Rats 15+ and small Halco Poltergeists.
“Everyone was catching fish, but there were no monsters,” Ron reported.
However, there were a couple of great fish caught – 111cm and 107cm respectively – on the bigger spring tides last week.
On the other side of Darwin, barra are still being caught up Magela Creek on the East Alligator River.
Only last week there was still a trickle of water over the Oenpelli Road on the Magela floodplain, which explains why barra were still feeding in the lower tidal sections.
Shady Camp Billabong is also producing plenty of barra, but only on the small side.
At Corroboree, most barra are being caught trolling, but fly-casting will yield plenty of saratoga.
Closer to Darwin, it seems the bream are on in earnest around Larrakeyah in the harbour.
Big muddies are also running in all the creeks and arms of the harbour. Clear evidence of this is that Darwin tackle shops are selling out of crab pots.
News from NT Fisheries, Department of Resources, is that work is due to commence on the Saltwater Arm boat ramp and car-park next Monday.
The access road will be closed at the turn-off on Leaders Creek road. The road will remain closed for the upgrades for up to four weeks.
On 18-22 July, the Milne Inlet boat ramp will also be closed for an upgrade.
More news is that NT Fisheries will be running a series of talks on fisheries research at the NT Museum and Art Gallery Theatrette (Conacher Street, Fannie Bay) from 7:00 pm to 9:00 pm on Monday 18 July.
Presenters include visiting scientist Prof Carl Walters (School of Fisheries, University of British Columbia, Canada), Bill Sawynok (Infofish Services, QLD) and several current and former NT Fisheries scientists.
The talks will cover global fisheries trends, the King Ash Bay barramundi tagging program and recent local research on mud crabs, barramundi, sharks, jewfish and others. 
Champion Queensland tournament angler, Jason Wilhelm, with one of many Middle Creek barra he caught on a recent visit to the Top End.
Huey Smith hosted his visiting daughter and son-in-law, Nikki and Tim Alexander, on a Dundee fishing trip and caught this tasty red emperor.