Last weekend was yet another one of intense competition on the water with two separate events taking place: round two of the Top End Barra Series down the Daly River and Girls Gone Fishin’ at the Finniss River.
According to TEBS co-ordinator Ross Abraham, the Daly is stacked to the brim with juvenile barra and it would be safe to say that there were literally hundreds of sub-50cm fish caught and released.
“No matter where you fished, it was a constant ‘rat’ attack but there were better fish once you got clear of the juveniles,” Ross reported
“Fishing the snags, either casting vibes or soft plastics, produced fish, as did trolling the edges.
“Popular hard body lures were Classic 120s and Reidys B52s in various sizes.
“Overall there were 179 barra over 50cm captured for the two days, with the biggest rounding an 89cm fish caught by Mathew Bochow,” Ross said.
“There were 37 fish in the 50s, 98 in the 60s, 36 in the 70s and 8 in the 80s.
“The fish were thick, healthy and feisty no matter what size.
“Regular river users have probably spotted the pig migration that occurs occasionally at Alligator Head after the wet season.
“A large mob of pigs were spotted doing just that: crossing from one side to the other.
“Kel Payne managed to grab a young boar and lifted it into the boat, claiming he had caught a 50 pounder on the Daly.
“The weather over the weekend was kind to competitors and camping in the boats was comfortable for everyone who chose to stay downstream and fish through the night,” Ross said.
“However, there were a couple of large crocs around Clear Creek that were not too worried about boat traffic and were happy to steal a few fish,” Ross warned.
Champion Angler for round two was Mathew Bochow (910 points), followed by Leonie Cooper on 705 points, and Daniel Hulbert on 700 points.
Champion Junior was Charli Syme.
The next TEBS round will be inland on 10-11 June.
According to event organiser, Sammie Wigg, the Girls Gone Fishin event was the most successful by far.
“We had 43 teams competing with 143 female anglers,” Sammie said.
“On the first day of competition, the girls boated an amazing 244 barramundi, with the biggest, 95cm, caught by Kaylee Festing from team Anchor Management.
“The second day saw 176 fish boated, including a 104cm which was landed by Kristy Kelly of Reel Exposure.
“All up, there were 420 barra caught and released over just two days,” an excited Sammie reported.
In this terrific all-women competition, teams can have non-fishing male skipper/drivers which lets the girls get on with the job of fishing.
The Champion Team was Wasted Talent (Trish Wright, Lenna Lehmann and Trudy Hallas – skippered by Leigh Wright).
Runner-up Champion Team was Size Matters (Emily Melville and Melita McKinnon - skippered by Daryl Melville).
Emily Melville was Champion Angler and Tracy Saliba of Cupla Qwyties & A Chill was Runner-up Champion Angler.
The photos for Girls Gone Fishin’ were all taken by Lisa McTiernan.
Lisa’s company, Lisa McTiernan Photography, is getting right into our Top End fishing competitions and doing a great job.
They were Lisa’s images from the Barra Classic in last week’s column.
If you’d like to contact Lisa for not just a fishing-related assignment but for all manner of projects, check out www.lisamctiernanphotography.com.
PHOTOS:
Caitie Wilson, Mandy Konieczny, Lizzie Wigg and Natalie Harrison (on fish) celebrate a great hook-up for Team Reels n Heels in the Girls Gone Fishin’ competition. (Lisa McTiernan image)
Wasted Talent is a winner in the Girls Gone Fishin’ comp and Trudy Hallas, Trish Wright, skipper Leigh Wright and Lenna Lehmann couldn’t be happier. (Lisa McTiernan image)
Ben Judd with a quality barra from last week’s Top End Barra Series round three on the Daly River.
Daniel Hulbert came third in the TEBS round on the Daly.
Natalie Harrison’s 81cm barra was one of the quality fish in the Girls Gone Fishin competition on the Finniss River. (Lisa McTiernan image)