FISHING
NEWS FROM NORTH AUSTRALIA
With Alex Julius - 24 November 2005
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As usual, there were plenty of anglers on the water last week and there were some good catches among them.
Ron from Fishing and Outdoor World said Point Blaze turned-on some good pelagic fishing for a couple of anglers who got stuck into mackerel and tuna. The fish ate just about everything thrown at them.
With the smaller tides this weekend, the numerous reefs and rocky sections around this area will also be worth a look for jewfish and golden snapper. While most anglers target these fish with bait, tying on a soft plastic and jigging the structure will also take fish. Give it a go! For anglers using bait, fresh local squid is the number one choice.
Some nice mackerel and queenfish were taken around Emery Point last weekend. Trolling blue/chrome or gold-coloured minnow lures was the productive technique and will be worth a go again in the area this weekend.
People have also been catching good queenfish trolling lures around the rocky outcrops of Indian Island in Bynoe Harbour. Small hard-bodied lures such as the Killalure Flatz Rat, buck-tail jigs and small soft plastics will do the trick.
Anglers fishing Middle Arm have been taking some nice barra in and around Pioneer Creek. Soft plastics have been the preferred lures, fished around the rock bars, although casting your favourite hard-bodied lure won’t hurt. The numerous rock bars in this area are also home to golden snapper and mangrove jack, with small queenfish passing through.
Alex Blain from Perth caught this thumping 40lb giant trevally fishing the bluewater east of Darwin.
Michael Reiter and a few mates made the trip to Bathurst Island, and were rewarded with barra to 75cm.
Wayne Williams with a good mud crab |
West Arm has also been fishing well for barra and salmon, with anglers enjoying the most success using smaller prawn imitations. Fish the edges of the flats on a rising tide, and look for any gutters on a falling tide once the water has dropped below the mangroves.
Some good barra can be expected around The Rock in Shoal Bay. This is a productive area for big barra at this time of year, with many large fish trolled up on hard-bodied lures. An alternative is to anchor up and cast, or even fish from The Rock itself.
The Daly River fished well last weekend, with some localised rain lifting the water at the crossing. One angler caught two fish around 14kg and 19kg in the one evening in the area.
The river also rose quite a bit over the weekend and a wall of water was pushing down the creek earlier in the week. This is promising sign for some sensational fishing this weekend. Shallow-running lures, such as Bombers and Classic 3+, as well as shad-style soft plastics will bring results.
Minister for Primary Industry and Fisheries Kon Vatskalis has called for submissions on proposed amendments to the Northern Territory Mud Crab Management Plan.
The package of proposed amendments includes: increasing the minimum size of mud crabs caught by commercial fishers by 10mm; prohibition of commercially unsuitable mud crabs; a requirement of commercial fishers to check crabs at the point of capture to ensure they are of legal size and commercial suitability; allowing the use of holding cages by commercial fishers.
The proposal is aimed at ensuring the long-term sustainability of the mud crab fishery, with scientific evidence revealing there are biological indicators that suggest the fishery is in serious trouble.
Members of the community, and other interested parties have 28 days to lodge a submission.
Alex Julius Fishing Media
PO Box 571, Howard Springs NT Australia 0835
International phone: (618) 89832167
International fax: (618) 89831914
Fax (from within Australia): (08) 89831914
E-mail: AJFM@hotspot.com.au