Alex's Column 2 April 2026
- Apr 3
- 4 min read
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.
“The upside was that there were plenty of drains and mud lines to fish, but the downside was tropical cyclone Narelle forming to the south.
“TEBS protocol meant the cyclone’s track was monitored closely, and forecasts suggested Saturday would remain safe, with wind strengthening late Sunday, so the call was made to fish Saturday and reassess Sunday.
“Many competitors woke to the sound of torrential rain and, although barely visible on radar, the storm cell dumped 120mm over Darwin and East Arm in just two hours—causing minor flooding throughout the region, including Bynoe.
“At Sand Palms ramp, 12-plus vehicles were queued waiting for the water to drop enough to reveal the top of the ramp, which didn’t happen until 8:30am.
“In true TEBS spirit, banter flowed freely while competitors waited, sharing stories of flat tyres, heavy rain, and questionable vehicle‑parking decisions,” Clayton reported.
It transpired that one keen angler launched at high tide and ended up with saltwater around the car door sills, while another had parked his vehicle close to the ramp and the big tide had pushed salt water halfway up the tyres.
“With a 6m tide drop over six hours, the water ran hard and dirty, but winds stayed light, and conditions were far more comfortable than the previous Shady round, despite patches of rain,” Clayton said.
“Whether it was caused by the 80mm of rain overnight, the fast‑falling tide or the barometer shifting as Cyclone Narrelle approached, the barra were shut down.
“The results said it all: there were approximately 60 plus competitors, but only four anglers managed a full bag of five fish with 25 anglers recording a scoring fish and 32 anglers scoring the dreaded donut.
“Despite this, TEBS encourages anglers to record donuts as it helps organisers refine dates, tides and locations for future years,” Clayton explained.
Jacob Rawlings turned a tough Bynoe session into a standout result, exploring new water with his dad until they found fish holding in a junction on the dropping tide.
“They weren’t in big numbers, but they were coming through regularly on the scope,” he said, with a few picked off on prawn plastics.
The highlight came at dead low when Jacob spotted a solid fish and targeted it.
“I saw it on the scope and got it to bite a prawn plastic.”
The 93cm barra fought hard — made even more intense by a crocodile shadowing it boatside — but Jacob held his nerve.
A 93 in Bynoe is always a quality fish, and in tough conditions it’s a great effort.
Craig Latimore showed his class, finishing second in the open class and winning the old-school section.
He adjusted quickly when dirty water shut down his usual sight-casting-ladder approach.
After five empty spots, he found fish in snake drains on the outgoing, working 3-inch plastics to good effect.
His best, an 84cm barra, came on the turn of the tide.
He landed around a dozen fish but only four over 50cm, falling short of a full bag.
Plenty of tiny barra — around 12cm — suggested a strong recent spawn.
Tore Rudders again out-fished Dad Aaron, finishing top 10 Open and 3rd Old School.
Exploring new ground, Tore found a draining creek with bait and surface activity and quickly converted, landing a 60cm barra on a 4-inch plastic, which was released.
He backed it up with a 55cm fish for the esky and bragging rights.
On the way home, they watched Joe Martin land a nice barra near a rock patch, while Dad dropped one trolling.
“It was a great family day and we beat the storms home,” Tore said.
Due to the deteriorating weather, for most the competition finished around 10.30 am.
Then there’s the story of Reggie, our resident photographer, who didn’t even make it to the round after getting stuck on Baggot Road after the 100 plus mil downpour early Saturday morning. The water was 50 cm deep over the road, and he couldn’t get past it to get to Mark's place to jump in the car, so he missed the whole round.
Results
Open Category top 5:
1st – Jacob Rawlings 64, 59, 60, 93, 65
2nd – Craig Latimore (Old School Fisho) 51, 75, 58, 84
3rd – Ashley Quigg 57, 59, 59, 60, 71
4th – Tristian Christie 59, 56, 57, 66, 56
5th – Tian Nichols 56, 59, 77
Old School Category top 5:
1st – Craig Latimore 51, 75, 58, 84
2nd – Joe Martin 70
3rd – Tore Rudduck 60, 55
4th – Mick Loughman 62
5th – Clayton Archbold 53, 54
