Alex's Column 12 March 2026
- 2 days ago
- 3 min read
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 at the moment.
In that vein, it was no surprise that the Top End Barra Series got off to a wet start with the first round of the year held from Shady Camp.
According to Nicholas Hall from TEBS, in the days leading up to the event, much of the talk centred on two familiar concerns: road access and the looming weather.
“Heavy rainfall earlier in the week had left long stretches of track under deep water, in some cases high enough to reach a vehicle’s bonnet,” Nicholas reported.
“Fortunately, repair crews moved fast, and works were carried out in the final days before the event with crews using rock and fill to reinforce the worst‑affected areas.
“By the time boats began heading out, the road was officially open but still coated in enough mud to keep drivers firmly on their toes.
“Reports did come through of a couple of people getting bogged to the point of requiring assistance, but we suspect there would have been more if not for the recent roadworks.
“The forecast of 15–25 km/h westerlies and moderate rainfall had competitors planning appropriately for the conditions,” Nicholas reported.
It seems they were right as conditions were more wet than dry.
Most competitors stayed inside Sampan Creek, with a few bravely crossing to Tommycut Creek 7km away in Chambers Bay.
As with every TEBS round, some competitors had their share of bad luck: starter motor issues, complete engine failure, collisions with submerged logs and water in the fuel system.
Nicholas reported that the most visible moment of the weekend unfolded at the mouth of Tommycut Creek, where a team found itself stranded with a dead engine and no solution.
“With no hesitation, a fellow competitor and absolute legend named Mitch stepped in, sacrificing his entire fishing day to tow the boat all the way back to the ramp.
“The slow procession past nearly every other competitor drew sympathetic banter, waves and shouts of encouragement, a perfect display of the Territory camaraderie that TEBS is known for.
“The barra themselves proved as stubborn as the weather: catch numbers were well down on previous years, and teams found themselves grinding for every opportunity.
“Sampan Creek, normally a reliable producer, was unusually quiet; many anglers noted that the fish were hard to spot and perhaps holding deeper in the unsettled conditions.
“Tommycut Creek showed plenty of fish on sounders, but the bite windows were fleeting and inconsistent.
“Trolling teams focused on slower water, structure and back‑eddies, while those using forward-facing sonar covered ground tracking fish as they shifted with the tides,” Nicholas reported.
“Adding to the challenge, bull sharks were especially active in the murky water, with several barra lost to sharks mid-fight.
“Some sharks even launched metres out of the water in attempts to break the line, giving onlookers a spectacle,” Nicholas said.
Results:
Open Category Top Three
Kai Hale: 84, 92, 87, 91 and 92, for a total of 1470 points
Jack Hamilton: 95, 91, 82, 78 and 73, for a total of 1220 points
Ashley Quigg: 66, 76, 76, 90 and 100, for a total of 1175 points
Old School Category Top Three
Craig Latimore: 61, 63, 66, 106 and 89, for a total of 1095 points
Nicholas Hall: 89, 67 and 81, for a total of 610 points
Lee Laker: 77, 59, 62, 58 and 65, for a total of 500 points
The 89 anglers competing caught a total of 172 scoring fish, including three barra over a metre.
Craig Latimore caught the biggest barra of 106cm on a Reidy’s Big Ass B52.
TEBS Round 2 on 21-22 March has been moved from the flooded Daly River to Bynoe Harbour.
