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ARNHEMLAND BARRAMUNDI NATURE LODGE

If you want to give this approach a go, carry a range of sizes of both metal jigs from 50 to 200 grams, and soft plastic jig heads from 10 to 42 grams, to cover a wide range of depths and conditions.

Soft plastic shad-style lures are the go for your jig heads, ranging in size from 3” to 6”.

You’ll need an overhead or threadline setup in the 8-15kg range, spooled up with braid line.

Try and use the minimum weight needed to get your lure down to the strike zone. A metal jig weighing 200 grams should be more than enough to reach the bottom in depths of up to 20 metres, in all but the strongest current.

When a jig hits the bottom in a current, water pressure on the line will cause it to lift off after a short while.

This is when you need to release more line, until your lure contacts the bottom a second, third and fourth time. This keeps it in the strike zone for goldies.

Once the angle on your line gets to about 45 degrees as the lure moves away with the current, wind the lure back to the boat and drop it back down. This way you can cover more ground, and also have a good chance of picking up a pelagic on the way up.

A variety of techniques will attract strikes, but I prefer a short, sharp lift of the rod, moving the tip from just above the water to the horizontal.

Inshore, smaller pan-sized goldies are about in plague proportions at the moment.

They tend to gather at rockbars, creek mouths and junctions in estuaries like Darwin Harbour or Shoal Bay, and show a preference for areas that have a few rocks or a rubble bottom.

Squid, prawns, or small livebaits work well if baitfishing. Use a paternoster, or a simple running sinker set-up will suffice if the area is not too snaggy.

For lure fishers, small soft plastics jigged or crawled slowly across the bottom are dynamite on goldies.

As a bonus, they often inhabit the same areas as barra, and both species can be caught in a single session using the same gear and techniques.

The bluewater scene continues to produce great fishing.

The Peron Islands apparently went ballistic last weekend – macks, goldies, jewies, red emperor… it was all happening.

The Vernon Islands on the other side of Darwin also produced.

Big queenfish, giant trevally and mackerel were all on the chew.

Charles Point and the Fenton Patches have seen some big jew boated, and mackerel are around off Lee Point .

Mal Strong from Got One fished the Rock at Shoal Bay, catching a number of mangrove jack and a hefty 14kg mackerel on a slimey drifted out in the current.

The freshwater scene is a bit hit-and-miss at the moment, although barra to 75cm have been caught in Shady Billabong.

With the tides this weekend, you’d be crazy not to get out in the Harbour.

With an early launch you can fish the run-out tide, the start of the incoming, and be home with your feet up by mid-afternoon, cracking a coldie with some fresh fish sizzling on the barbie.