NT Fishing Report
With Alex Julius 6 October 2011
One of the Top End’s oldest family fishing events takes place this weekend: Palmerston Game Fishing Club’s Corroboree Park Challenge.
I’m not sure how old the Challenge is, but I reckon I fished it a couple of times back in the ‘80s.
This wonderful weekend competition commences at 6.00pm Friday 7 October when registrations open at the Corroboree Park Tavern, but you can register any time until 6.00pm Saturday.
So you can fish Friday night, all day and night Saturday, and Sunday, allowing yourself enough time to get to the tavern by 3.30pm on Sunday with your photographs.
That’s right, the Corroboree Park Challenge has gone the way of other conservation-based fishing comps and is no longer a catch-kill-and-weigh event.
By all means, you can take up to your bag limit of three barra, but you don’t have to if you don’t want too…and who wants to eat a freshwater barra anyway?
Instead, competitors must photograph their biggest barra on a proper measuring device with the entry card that they will have been given clearly shown with the fish in the photograph. If you don’t have a measuring device, the club will loan you one at the registration.
The Corroboree Park Challenge embraces a vast competition area: from the entire Mary River system (which includes Corroboree Billabong, Hardies, Shady Camp fresh and salt, and Mary River Bridge Lagoon) all the way east into the rivers and lagoons of Kakadu National Park.
So you can head for places like Four Mile Hole, Alligator Billabong, Red Lily Billabong, Bucket Billabong and Yellow Water Lagoon.
More serious anglers might launch at the South Alligator River in Kakadu and venture right down to the mouth where there should be fair water clarity on the neap tides.
With the winner in each category being determined by the longest fish measured, a big tidal saltwater barra would probably clean up.
However, there have been plenty of barra in the 90s caught in the freshwater lagoons so far this year.
Also, if you’re heading for Kakadu and plan to fuel up at the Aurora Kakadu Resort, you’ll be using the new and improved Opal Fuel which has replaced normal unleaded fuels.
Don’t be concerned for a moment about this as the new formula works a treat with all outboard engines with no side effects whatsoever.
The reason for the introduction of this new and improved low aromatic fuel was to reduce any opportunity for young Aboriginal children to sniff petrol.
Petrol sniffing is a form of substance misuse. The fumes of the petrol are deliberately inhaled to get a 'hit' or a 'high'.
It is dangerous and can cause permanent brain damage or death. If you have ever been to a remote community and seen youth affected by substance abuse, you would understand just how important it is to help prevent this practice.
A great deal of R& D went into the development of the new Opal formula, and it was tested at Arnhemland Barramundi Nature Lodge where it is used exclusively with no detriment whatsoever in both performance and operation of outboards.
The new and improved formulation contains an advanced fuel technology which helps break down the sooty deposits which ordinary fuels can leave behind.
Testing showed that spark plugs no longer fouled up and looked the same as plugs out of engines operated with ULP91 which is standard unleaded petrol.
There’s a huge prize pool for the Corroboree Park Challenge, and entry fees are $20.00 for adults, $5.00 for juniors to 16 years and $45.00 for a family.
Corroboree Park Tavern is providing free camping for all participants, with live entertainment on Saturday night.
I think it’s great to see the increasing number of female-only fishing competitions. The latest, the Broads Barra Bash, was held recently at Four Mile Hole.
The Rotary Club of Litchfield/Palmerston organised this latest event, with funds raised going to “Rotarians Against Malaria” to provide mosquito nets to a village in Timor Leste.
According to competition co-ordinator, Gay Lavery: “These nets have been impregnated with long-lasting insecticide. Through this program we can provide nets for a large village to provide every person in the village the opportunity to sleep under a Life Saving Treated Bed Net each night.”
41 ladies in 14 teams competed, catching 261 fish, including 211 barra.
The Getabout Girls team of Sue Fisher, Jenny Washington and Judy Purcher won the event by catching an impressive 30 barra for 762 points.
Sue Fisher was Champion Angler with 368 points, and Natasha Lowe caught the biggest barra at 75cm.
More than $4000 was raised thanks to competitors and sponsors.
Kate Carew (left), Heidi Loy and Suzy Bee competed as team Wildcats in the Broads Barra Bash at Four Mile Hole.
Susie Fisher from the Getabout Girls team was the Champion Angler of the inaugural Broads Barra Bash.