Alex's Column 13 November 2025
- NAFA
- 5 days ago
- 3 min read
If you only fished the Top End Barra Series this year, you still managed to
experience some of the most iconic barra locations in the Territory.
From Shady and the Daly to Bynoe and Darwin Harbours, to billabongs and the
Adelaide River, TEBS once again delivered six rounds of pure Top End flavour
across wildly different waters.
The final round of the 2025 TEBS was held on the first weekend of November
at Saltwater Arm and the Adelaide River mouth, a venue famous for producing
both heartbreaks and heroes.
As TEBS stalwart Regis Martin wrote, this round “usually makes or breaks the
champions” and once again it did exactly that.
The fishing was tough for many, red-hot for a few, and full of the quirky chaos
that TEBS anglers have turned into an art form.
A highlight of the weekend was not one but two juniors landing their first-ever
meteries: young gun Michael Bates nailed a thick 102cm fish, while Ryan Hoult
connected with a cracking 109cm model that looked as heavy as the young
angler holding it.
“To be honest, I would have loved to catch my first metery while still being a
junior, last century,” Regis admitted with a grin.
Those boys are already making the old guard jealous.
According to Regis, Saturday afternoon saw tough fishing for many boats,
prompting an impromptu TEBS raft-up: one of those unofficial traditions where
camaraderie becomes the secret weapon.
More than a handful of boats tied up for shade, yarns and morale boosting,
proving once again that, when the barra won’t bite, the social side of TEBS
kicks in big time.
Then came the story of the disappearing landing net, a tale Regis swears is
true.
An unnamed, long-time committee member hooked a lively 85cm barra, only
for the fish to bolt, dragging the entire net into the drink.
It eventually escaped the mesh, but didn’t spit the lure, and was later landed
for a brag-mat photo.
Moments later, the same angler hooked a 98cm model… which he landed by
hand, earning himself a hook in the finger.
“Madness has no limits when it comes to fishing,” Regis observed.
Another memorable incident featured an angler Regis referred to only as “S”,
fishing with her dad.
After snagging and busting off, S grabbed her second rod, flicked at the same
snag and – bang – she was on. Then another cast – bang again.
Meanwhile, dad was frantically trying to tie her a new leader when the fish
literally flew out of S’s hands and landed on him. What he said next, Regis
joked, “cannot be put into print”.
Despite the heat, the hard tide and the stories of chaos, some anglers turned in
outstanding bags in Round 6.
Open Category – Round 6
1. Kai Hale – 83, 84, 85, 97, 114cm
2. Tristan Christie – 101, 88, 90, 92, 88cm
3. Lachlan Markey – 86, 91, 86, 81, 81cm
Hale’s whopping 114cm fish was one of the standout captures of the round.
Tristan and Lachlan kept things tight, rounding out an impressive final-round
leaderboard.
Old School Category – Round 6
1. Tim Bolch – 85, 85, 98cm
2. Jeffery Dawson – 62, 59, 63, 55, 56cm
3. Aaron Rudduck – 54, 55, 55, 56, 55cm
Tim’s 98 was a beauty and sealed him top honours in a tough round for the
non-sonar brigade.
With Saltwater Arm deciding the season, here are the Top 10 anglers in each
category.
Open Category Final 2025 Placings:
1. Tristan Christie
2. Peter Cooper
3. Lachlan Markey
4. Kai Hale
5. Gavin Hoult
6. Ashley Quigg
7. Blake Adcock
8. Mitchell Northey
9. Jack Hamilton
10. Josie Hausler
Old School Category Final 2025 Placings:
1. Craig Latimore
2. Jeffery Dawson
3. Clayton Archbold
4. Mark Grosser
5. John Keirs
6. Leigh Jefferies
7. Morris Pizzutto
8. Regis Martin
9. Tim Bolch
10. Rory Laidlaw-Hall
A big congratulations to all TEBS competitors this year. As Regis put it, TEBS
remains great because the people make it so: “a friendly and social
competition” where the laughs are as important as the fish.
The TEBS AGM and big end-of-year presentation will be held on 15 November
at Fred’s Pass Reserve Lakeside Hall.
