NT Fishing Report
With Alex Julius 8 December 2011
Well, it’s that time of year when my mouse finger can’t help but click on the Bureau of Metreology website (www.bom.gov.au) and I feel compelled to pick up the phone and call the bureau’s Climatologist, Todd Smith.
First thing you’ll notice if you go to the BOM home page and click on the “Satellite” map is that there is an impressive band of cloud cover streaming to the near north of the Top End. Just looking at that would get you thinking that we’re in for an early wet season.
My call to Todd Smith revealed that an early wet has actually been on the cards for quite some time. It all began about mid-October when there was a real switch in climate conditions and lots of rain began to fall.
Like me, you might recall some bouts of rain through November that had all the intensity of a monsoon. An early monsoon hasn’t arrived yet but, according to Todd, the first signs are there with a weak monsoon trough to our north. There are good reasons for the early activity.
We’ve all heard of El Niño, meaning the boy, which is famous for its potentially catastrophic impact on Australia’s weather patterns, usually resulting in poor wet seasons in the tropics and drought conditions down south similar to what we experienced earlier this decade.
The nearly-double rainfall figures we’ve had over the last couple of months are the result of yet another of those Spanish-named, ocean-and-atmospheric phenomena, in this case La Niña, meaning, you guessed it, the girl.
It works like this: easterly trade winds across the equatorial Pacific are stronger in La Niña years, and they encourage oceanic upwelling which pushes cooler water to the surface.
The displaced warm water is consequently pushed our way and pumps moisture into the air which forms clouds and down comes the rain.
Here in the Top End, the domino effect has created a situation where right now feels more like the end of December rather than the beginning.
“This event is not as strong as last year,” Todd told me, “but we’re definitely looking at the possibility of another above-average wet season.”
Todd reckoned the conditions we’re currently experiencing should extend through the weekend, but it could get a whole lot wetter next week.
“If a low spins down over the Top End, we’ll get bucketloads,” he said.
That’s good news to seasoned Top End barra fishermen who live for the run-off.
A long Wet means a bumper Wet, and a bumper Wet means a great run-off. I reckon the barra can smell it too.
Just look what’s happened this year after this last boomer wet season.
The quality of barra fishing has been outstanding at so many places right through the dry season. At this stage, it doesn’t look like slowing down either.
According to Mark West from Fishing and Outdoor World, good reports have continued from Shoal Bay and especially the mouth of King Creek.
“There’ve been plenty of barra in the 90s and a threadie that went 122cm,” Mark said.
The rocks down Dundee way have also continued to fish well.
Craig Grosvenor from Tackle Warehouse in Berrimah reckons coastal saltwater barra fishing has been consistently good all year.
Craig also reported a 117cm barra from the top of the Adelaide above the Manton Creek exit.
This weekend’s tides are perfect for Darwin Harbour. Do yourself a favour and have a little gander up the West Arm.
Barra fishing continues to sizzle in our coastal creeks: Bob Stanton, Steve Harris and Chris Beuth with one of many triple hook-ups from a memorable session.
Australia’s foremost fly fisherman, Peter Morse, with an 80cm fly-caught barra from his most-recent foray to the Top End.