However, the build-up to the Wet is surprisingly slow this year.

Drier than normal conditions at the moment are working against those dramatic late-afternoon tropical storms that do wonders for our fishing, particularly estuary fishing for barramundi.

Apparently, there’s a good chance that will change by the end of this month and then, fingers crossed, an early bout of monsoonal activity will come our way.

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It may be a slow start to the build-up this year, but it seems no-one has bothered to tell the fish.

Saltwater barra fishing traditionally goes off once the build-up commences, and this year the barra are biting nicely in anticipation.

Top of the list of reports is the Shoal Bay Rock – a heap of barra in the 90 cm range has been caught there over the past few days.

Not only barra, but jewfish too have been taking the odd lure, even at night.

This weekend’s tides could not be better for the Rock because the low tide falls towards the middle of the day so there will be no need to travel under the cover of darkness.

Darwin Harbour continued to fish exceedingly well for barra.

Fishing and Outdoor World’s Matt and Mark West caught some hefty 75 cm models up inside Middle Arm.

Dennis Walsh of Top End Fishing Supplies told me Pioneer Creek, which is also in the Middle Arm, fished well for golden snapper around the rock-bars, and he caught them on lures at that.

The inland lagoon scene continues to be productive for anglers chasing a billabong barra, and that won’t change until some heavy rains come our way.

Last weekend’s Humminbird Corroboree Park Challenge was a pointer to just how well Corroboree itself is fishing.

Most of the more than 100 competitors fished and caught barra at Corroboree.

However, the winning fish, a 92 cm, 9 kg barra, came from the East Alligator, and giving its captor, Tony Bailey an easy ride to the Champion Angler trophy and some great prizes.

Champion Male Angler was Chris Powick with a 6.4 kg barra, closely followed by John Cooper with a 5.75 kg fish.

Melanie Hooley’s 3.75 kg barra was enough to take out the Champion Female section, followed by Sharon Wilson with her 2.85 kg fish.

At 6 kg neat, Hayley McGaffin’s barra was the third biggest of the competition, allowing her to win the junior section ahead of Joshua Nolan with his 5.2 kg barra.

Plenty has been happening on the offshore scene.

Excellent sea conditions have allowed anglers to travel and fish freely offshore, but I doubt anyone has capitalised on that more than Phil Hall.

On the last set of neap tides, Phil spent a morning fly-rodding longtail and mackerel tuna which were busting out inside Fenton Patches.

Phil then trolled a garfish over the low tide change at Fenton Wide grounds and raised a 15 kg sailfish within half an hour.

Alone in his 4.3 m Top Ender, Phil landed the sailfish, photographed it and released…something he’s done several times before.

Phil said two big humpback whales cavorting on Fenton Wide were the highlight.

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Major amendments to the Amateur Fishermen’s Association NT (AFANT) constitution will be moved at the February 2006 Annual General Meeting.
A draft of the proposed new constitution is available for comment on the
AFANT website www.afant.com.au or by phoning AFANT on 08
8945 6455 to obtain a copy.