According to Julia: “We trained hard over the last 12 months and we were thrilled to be able to get out there by ourselves; it was very empowering!”

The team caught eight fish over the two days on Corroboree: three saratoga and five barra ranging from 53 cm to a magnificent 86 cm fish.
”That was the most thrilling moment,” Julia said. “Alex was nodding off while trolling in the afternoon and she was suddenly woken by an 86cm barra jumping on the end of her line.”

The team caught most of their fish casting into the lilies and weeds with weedless lures.
Apparently the All-R-Luring team also had a “near death experience”.

“A croc came for the boat with murderous intent in his eyes as Alex was reeling in a fish…you've never seen a line reeled in so quickly or a boat move off so fast,” Julia told me.
The girls believe their dual Champion Team and Independent Team win was helped by the support, advice, training trips and knot-tying lessons they received from Fishing and Outdoor World’s George Voukolos and Matt and Mark West, and from their own families.

Next year, they’re hitting the big time, and entering their all-girl team in the prestigious NT Barra Classic.

Tiina Urvett, Joanne Byers, Angie Moyle and Tanya Urvett in Team Humminbirds were the runner-up champions.

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There’s not much time left to register a team in the Darwin Trailer Boat Club’s Blue Water Classic, to be held from 13 to 15 October.

The boundaries for this event are Vernon Islands in the east, the South Peron Island in the west and Cape Fourcroy to the north.

The event is the first blue water fishing tournament in the Darwin region for 11 years. The last fishing competition of this magnitude was the 1994 Billfish Shoot-out.

Held over three days, the competition will be a release and weigh-in event, with weigh in stations at Bynoe Harbour , Bathurst Island and the Darwin Trailer Boat Club.

A briefing will be held at the Darwin Trailer Boat Club at 6 pm on 12 October and prizes will be presented on Sunday, 16 October.

Only eligible game fish species can be entered, and competitors are limited to two species per day.

Entry fees are $330 for Darwin Trailer Boat Club members and $385 for non-members.

Junior fees are $165 per person for members and $193 for non-members. Competition fees cover entry to the competition, meals, a ‘show bag’ and lucky door draws.

For more information, email dtbc@octa4.net.au or call the club on 8981 6749.

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For the family fisherman, don’t miss t he Palmerston Game Fishing Club’s Humminbird Corroboree Park Challenge, scheduled for 8-9 October.

The barra fishing has been excellent along the Mary River system, and it will definitely be even better next month as we move further into the build-up.

For further information, contact Mick Housley on 0418 898765

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With a 1.5 m low tide on Saturday and a 2.2 m low on Sunday, both fairly late in the afternoon, you could do worse than plan an afternoon barra session in one of our estuaries.

Darwin Harbour is an obvious choice for both days, especially the Middle or West Arms.

Shoal Bay and the Howard River would be best fished on Saturday so there is still enough time to get home in daylight on the rising tide in the evening.

I dare say there’ll angler activity on the famous Rock in Shoal Bay .

Leeders Creek is worth a shot both days, but you’ll have to cast for your barra as the water might not be clear enough for trolling.

For land-based anglers, Buffalo Creek on the incoming tide just before dark could easily yield a metre-plus barra, and the kids can always have fun catching whiting on prawn baits.