Alex's Column 20 November 2025
- NAFA
- 3 days ago
- 4 min read
If you fished the NT Barra Classic or the Barra Nationals in the 1990s and early 2000s, chances are you crossed paths with John “JP” Mondora.
His recent passing marks the loss of a genuine giant of Australian recreational fishing — a man whose honesty, humour and straight-shooting words helped shape the sport nationwide.
JP had a long love affair with the Northern Territory.
He competed in the Barra Classic and later the Barra Nationals many times, not only as an angler but as a writer whose reports gave these events priceless national exposure.
His early Classic yarns captured the Territory perfectly — wild, unpredictable and brutally honest. He loved telling the story of his first Daly River Classic in the early ’90s when, paired with Laurie Woodbridge, he insisted on casting at every snag in sight.
“In Queensland, we always cast for barra,” he told me. “But here you blokes just troll, troll, troll!”
Days of casting for zero strikes soon turned him into a convert, and eventually an accomplished troller of the Daly.
Ironically, the weedless-plastic revolution years later brought casting back into vogue, a twist he would have relished.
His wit was legendary. Addressing the Barra Nationals one evening, JP declared: “There are three great lies in this world: a boat will never cost you money, the cheque is in the mail, and I wish you all good luck fishing tomorrow!” Classic Mondora: sharp, funny and true.
But John’s influence extended far beyond the Top End.
With his wife Jennifer, he was instrumental in pioneering Queensland’s freshwater barra-stocking movement, beginning at Lake Tinaroo in 1994 alongside fisheries scientist Alf Hogan.
Their grassroots work helped turn Tinaroo into a trophy-barra powerhouse and inspired similar programs across Queensland.
He also played a pivotal role in promoting the Cairns giant black marlin fishery during its boom years.
Working alongside the likes of George Bransford, Jack Erskine, Laurie Woodbridge and Malcolm Florence, JP helped document and champion a fishery that became world-famous.
From the 1970s to mid-2000s, JP was one of Australia’s most prolific and respected fishing writers.
His work in NAFA, Barra Bass & Bream and many other magazines was raw, vivid, funny and fiercely honest, the sort of storytelling anglers trusted.
John and Jenny were inducted into the NAFA Hall of Fame shortly before his passing, a fitting recognition of their lifelong contribution to the sport they loved.
The fishing world has lost a true original. Our thoughts are with Jennifer and the Mondora family.
The Top End, and Australia, farewells a fishing legend.
When the Top End turns into a pressure cooker — the steamy Build-up from October to December, followed by the sweat-soaked Runoff in March–April — your fishing shirt matters almost as much as your tackle.
Darwin’s own Fishing & Outdoor World has answered the call by securing exclusive national sales rights to HUK’s new Breakwater Collection, making the Top End the home base for what is arguably the most advanced tropical fishing apparel ever released.
Store owner and manager, Ronald Voukolos, is rapt to have the new Breakwater Collection instore.
“At the heart of Breakwater is something called Filium which transforms natural fabrics into lightweight, breathable, odour-resistant, water-shedding workhorses,” Ronald explained.
“There are no harsh chemicals or that plastic-coated feel, so it’s tailor-made for NT humidity: shirts that stay cool, dry fast, resist stink, and don’t cling to you even when the barra are firing and the weather is boiling.
“Breakwater garments repel water, sweat, stains and bacteria, and I understand they keep performing for more than 40 washes.
“Better yet, most of the time you don’t need to wash them at all.
“On a multi-day mission to Shady, the Daly or Bynoe, you can simply wear, fish and repeat,” Ronald explained.
In the USA, where HUK comes from, the company put the Breakwater Collection through a brutal trial: an ice hockey team wore the shirts for more than 20 full training sessions without a single wash.
Unbelievably, there was no odour or breakdown.
Designed for modern fishos, the range offers serious advantages in tropical conditions: thermoregulation to keep you cool when the heat index goes feral; low maintenance for extended trips and barra missions; and lightweight comfort made for casting, trolling, hiking and long days on the water.
“This isn’t just another fishing shirt; it’s a genuine step forward in tropical angler comfort,” Ronald said.
“It’s the perfect fit for the NT’s tough seasonal conditions,” he explained.
You can see it first at Fishing & Outdoor World, Darwin — the national home of HUK Breakwater.
