Alex's Column 15 January 2026

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, mainly at creek mouths, swirling eddies and above rock-bars.

There are also a few bigger creeks that you can boat up inside and fish for barra.

After launching at the concrete boat ramp just below the South Alligator River Bridge, you can head upstream until you encounter water clear enough for the fish to see your lures.

Normally upstream, you wouldn’t start fishing until you reached Nourlangie Creek which is a major tributary of the South.

You can then concentrate your efforts at the mouth of Nourlangie, either trolling or casting, and you might even catch a trophy barra.

It’s certainly an ideal location to float around looking for barra with forward-facing sonar.

I had a couple of great days doing just that last Runoff.

The falling tide is best, especially if you troll up inside Nourlangie about 800m to where there is a submerged rock-bar that at times can really go off.

Apart from that bottom section, the best fishing is way up Nourlangie where you’ll find nice colour changes in Runoff conditions.

Up the top, you’re best off working around the top half of the tide, before and just after, and getting out before the tide gets too low and the current too fast and dangerous.

Bypassing Nourlangie Creek, and heading upstream on the South, the goal is to find tannin-coloured water, either at flowing feeder creek mouths or seeping off the floodplains.

If there’s a rock-bar there too, all the better.

From the boat ramp to the wide mouth of the South Alligator is about 80km, but plenty of anglers think nothing of belting down there to fish places like Six-pack Creek, One-tree Creek, Rookery Creek and Brooke Creek.

You can fish the mouths of these creeks or head up inside if there is enough water.

Care must be taken for the first half of the run down as there are “sneaky” mudbars, and it’s easy to run aground on a falling tide and be stuck for hours until the tide comes back in.

If this happens to you, pull your sun sock up over your face because plenty of people will be photographing you for later posting on social media.

Effective hard-body lures for the tidal stretch of the South Alligator include Classic Barra in 10 and 15-plus, Killalure River Rat, green Bombers and Reidy’s B52 and Big B52, while Zerek Flat Shad and Live Shrimp, Zman Diezel MinnowZ and Reidy’s Fish Snakz soft vibes are useful softies.

If you’re using forward-facing sonar like Lowrance Active Target, you’ll more than likely be casting to barra not too far below the surface, and even in dirty water.

There are several suspending hard-body minnows which work well in this situation.

The beauty of a suspending lure is that you can see a fish swimming and stop retrieving your suspending lure until your target reaches it, and then try and work it on the spot.

If the fish is in the mood, it’ll more than likely have a go at it.

Never far from the big girls, Shaun Stringer (left) with his 101cm barra and Sam Chambers with his 114cm stonker share some double hook-up madness.