Without doubt, Seven Spirit Bay is the most-remote and luxurious fishing lodge in northern Australia. Located on the Cobourg Peninsula inside Garig Gunak Barlu National Park, overlooking Coral Bay near Port Essington, it sits in one of Australia’s most isolated and biologically-rich coastal wilderness areas. There is no road access so the only way you can get there is by air or sea. The Lodge was built in 1990, primarily as a high-end, eco-adventure retreat where guests coul

I went for a fish with friends down the Adelaide River last week. My intention was to try a couple of spots not far up from the river mouth. Normally, you access the bottom end of the Adelaide by launching at Saltwater Arm and heading down and out from there and then scooting across a couple of kilometres of less-sheltered water and entering the river mouth. As you enter the Adelaide, the first spot you fish is The Narrows which is aptly named. There are submerged rock-bars o

There’ve been some notable catches over the last week. First up, long-time fishing guide Peter Burcher was fishing Darwin Harbour with his family. They were bottom bouncing and one rod had an old rig on it with a feather and a bit of bait. They fished all afternoon and nothing had been happening. Suddenly, Angie Burcher’s rod buckled over as what appeared to be a big fish screamed off, taking heaps of line. It was too much for Angie to handle and Peter fought the fish for ag

The damage caused by the major flooding of the Daly River has been a nightmare for the tourist parks along the river. Every one of them has been left with the legacy of mega tonnes of mud across their properties that has required a massive clean-up. Accommodations have been destroyed and the cost of repairs must place an enormous burden on what are mainly family businesses. Of course, the lost revenue from cancelled bookings would add to the nightmare. The Daly River Tourist

Going on some terrific reports I’ve been getting, we are now well and truly into the Runoff. In terms of locations, leading the charge are Shady Camp and the lower South Alligator River. During the recent big tides we experienced, there’s been some epic barra fishing at Shady Camp, primarily down at the mouth of the Mary River and at the various coastal creeks either side. Not surprisingly, fishing tour operators have enjoyed the most success, putting their clients onto lots

With the Daly in mega flood, it was no surprise that the venue for the second round of the Top End Barra Series was changed from Daly River to Bynoe Harbour. The round also coincided with Cyclone Narelle moving across the Top End. According to TEBS co-ordinator, Clayton Archbold, Bynoe Harbour rounds usually coincide with neap tides for optimal sight‑casting. “This time, competitors faced powerful king tides of 7m in the morning, dropping to 1.3 m by lunch,” Clayton reported.

I think my head is getting as flooded as the Top End is at the moment. If you’ve been keeping an eye on river conditions lately, you’ll know that this isn’t just another Wet season pulse; it’s a full-blown system-wide flood event which is leading up to what could be one of the most widespread Runoffs in recent memory. The Daly River has taken centre stage, pushing into record=breaking territory and spilling across floodplains on a scale we don’t see even every decade. When a

Million Dollar Fish Season 11 winds up this month, and it does so with a bang thanks to the Reel Of Fortune spin landing on “Size Matters”. “Size Matters” means the fisho who catches the biggest Season 11 Sportsbet‑tagged $10k barra in March will win $100,000. However, if two or more Season 11 fish are the same size, the prize money will be shared equally among the winners. As well, Million Dollar Fish partner Sportsbet has confirmed a $10,000 donation to Surf Life Saving NT,

It’s Tuesday as I write my column this week, and old mate Andy Ralph has just sent me a text: “Hi AJ, FYI they’re evacuating Cooinda Lodge and Jim Jim bridges are about to go under. “We’ve had 4 or 5 really good monsoon bursts this wet season… along with a really good start with Cyclone Fina. “If this isn’t going to be a fantastic Runoff barra season, then I don’t know what else it’s going to take,” Andy commented. That pretty well sums up what all Darwin anglers are thinking

I never thought I’d write this, but I think we’ve had enough rain this wet season. It really has been phenomenal, and every major river system in the Top End has been belted with torrential downpours for weeks on end. The anticipation of the Runoff ahead is at fever pitch amongst the Top End angling community. Mind you, plenty of anglers are already getting out… and getting wet to boot of course. In that vein, the first round of this year’s Top End Barra Series was held last

Round One of the Top End Barra Series kicks off this weekend at Shady Camp. According to Clayton Archbold from TEBS, it is anticipated that more than 120 anglers will descend upon the iconic Mary River for the two days of competition. There will be a lot of boats so non-competing anglers might prefer to try elsewhere this weekend. There will also be a lot of water flowing down the Mary from Shady Camp, so launching won’t be a problem. What could have been a problem – and stil

It seems plenty of anglers are biting at the bit in anticipation of hitting the big rivers and getting into some solid runoff fishing. Many are already getting out there and some good catches have been reported. A mate of mine fished downriver on the South Alligator last weekend and reckoned there was a massive amount of water coming down the system and flowing from the creeks. He’s a top fisho and worked hard to catch two barra around 70cm each. To get the full lowdown on th

The iconic Daly River reached major flood levels this week, an event that seems to happen at least once every 10 years. Of even more significance to the vast fraternity of Top End barra anglers will be the aftermath of the wet season as it begins to wind down and the rivers start to fall. It’s interesting to reflect on past wet seasons that brought the Daly up to similar flood levels, and the fishing that resulted afterwards. Showing my age, as I’m prone to do, in the early ‘

It’s serious flood time now. Right across the Top End, every river is experiencing significant flooding, and perhaps no more so than our iconic Daly River. The Bureau of Metreology issued the following lower Daly River flood warning on Tuesday: “Major flooding is possible at Daly River Police Station. Significant river level rises have been recorded in the last few days with elevated river levels at Mount Nancar, Beeboom Crossing and Dorisvale Crossing. The Daly River at Daly

Most Darwin anglers would be pleased with all the rain we’ve had this last few weeks. Everything is pointing to a great wet season and subsequent Runoff. Notwithstanding, there might be a window of fishing opportunity this weekend. By my reading, the heavy monsoonal rain is forecast to be over by then, and there won’t be as much wind about. The tides will be moving into the springs, so both Darwin and Bynoe Harbours will be worth investigating for a feed of saltwater barra. S

All this rain we’ve been getting certainly has the Top End angling scene buzzing with excitement. First there was the earliest cyclone Darwin has ever experienced when Fina passed by just a whisker from our door in early December. It blew a few trees down but its primary legacy was to dump a huge volume of water across the western Top End. That really stirred the possum and had anglers prophesising just how good the coming Runoff fishing season would be, and when it would sta

There’s now been plenty of rain out Kakadu way, although not as much as closer to Darwin. Kakadu, of course, is home to one of the Top End’s most-iconic tidal rivers – the South Alligator – and is sure to turn on some good barra fishing in the near future. The South, as it is colloquially referred to, is an easy-access waterway via the sealed Arnhem Highway, and is well suited to day trips. During breaks in the wet season and the Runoff, it can fish well for its whole length,

With all the rain over the past week, it’s no surprise that at least a few of the Top End’s big tidal rivers are rising and the floodplains are holding good water. Take the Adelaide River, for example. Upstream from Goat Island last weekend, some feeder creeks were running inland and not into the river. Surprisingly, that hasn’t stopped the barra from biting at the creek mouths. Against all popular theory, some terrific barra were caught at these creeks when normally they don