FISHING
NEWS FROM NORTH AUSTRALIA
With Alex Julius - 3 February 2005
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As expected, on Tuesday there were plenty of anglers out chucking lures along the tidal sections of the Mary River below Shady Camp.
I had the opportunity to fly over the river on Monday and it was obvious that the place to be was the mouth of Sampan Creek.
There was a terrific colour change at the mouth of this major tributary of the Mary River.
Interestingly, Tommycut Creek mouth was a different story altogether – murky with no significant colour change.
Catches on Tuesday reflected the above, with plenty of quality barra caught around Sampan Creek mouth, including a whopper 120 cm fish.
It seems the general run of fish were 70 cm and above.
I’m told there were about 20 anglers fishing from the barrage, but only undersize fish were biting.
Meanwhile, there was good news from the Daly River which also had its lower tidal section opened.
The river has been dropping fast, and several feeder creeks downstream began to fish well.
At this stage, we desperately need more rain to get those big tidal rivers back into full flood.
Unbelievably, the East Alligator River is accessible tahnks to hardly a dribble going over Magela Creek crossing.
However, anglers who tested the East Alligator on the weekend battled to get a feed, let alone a hot session.
The South Alligator has also dropped down from its floodplain with the banks exposed all the way up to the Forks.
The best barra fishing has been in the estuaries, including both Darwin Harbour and Bynoe Harbour.
James Houston with his first-ever barramundi fishing a local estuary last weekend at the Arnhemland Barramundi Nature Lodge.
Vanessa Houston also caught her first barra during the weekend outing.
The Houston family trifecta was completed with Dan Houston’s first barra after a solid tussle. |
At Bynoe, there has also been a good run of threadfin salmon.
With the seas a bit calmer over the last week, the best fishing seems to have been offshore.
I’m told the jewies are going beserk at the moment.
Lorna Shoal, Fish Reef, Charles Point Patches and across at Ruby Island past Cape Hotham have all produced jewfish in numbers.
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With the Wet late as it is, aspiring billfish anglers might consider taking the opportunity to chase a sailfish offshore.
We know that February is a top month for billfish off Darwin, but normally the conditions are so lousy that it’s not worth having a go.
Usually sailfish are encountered as loners, which makes them harder to hook; when there are a few on the hunt together, they are much more aggressive because of the competition to eat the food.
Out off Broome, the sailfish capital of Australia, I’ve seen pods of up to 12 sailfish and they just about eat you out of the boat.
Multiple hook-ups are common and it’s every angler for him or herself.
Fingers crossed that the monsoon pulverises us soon; but if it stays away, go catch a sail.
Good news for Darwin anglers is the availability of the 2005 Darwin Tide Diary.
Purchasing one of these little gems of information is the best $3.00 any Darwin angler can spend.
Each year 10,000 copies are printed by the Darwin Port Corporation, and this year the mini-publication actually comes with a pencil.
Apart from accurate tide charts, there is a host of other information, including boating safety information, boating and fishing regulations, boat ramp locations and moon phases.
Of course, there is the diary space itself, and all in something that fits snugly in your pocket.
Both Chief Minister, Clare Martin, and Fisheries Minister, Kon Vatskalis, will be the special guests at the annual general meeting of the Amateur Fishermen’s Association NT (AFANT), which will be held at 10.00 am Sunday 20 February 2004.
The venue will be the Aviation Institute, Charles Eaton Drive.
Minister Vatskalis has been asked to address the meeting and provide an update on the range of initiatives that his department has been undertaking for the improvement of recreational fishing in the NT and what future plans there are.
Infrastructure and Planning Minister, Chris Burns, is also expected to attend the meeting and provide advice on when recreational anglers can expect to get access to Point Stuart and Channel Point.
Both of these locations have been high on AFANT’s priority to increase and improve access for the angling community.
“With the NT scheduled for an election in 2005 our AGM provides the perfect opportunity for the government to share its vision for the next 4 years,” AFANT President, Warren de With said.
“We will also introduce our new Executive Officer to the meeting” Mr de With added.
“We are keen to get some women on the AFANT Committee and encourage nominations for the positions that will be filled at the AGM” Mr de With concluded.
The AGM will also see the election of six vacant positions: President, Secretary and 3 Committee positions.
Nominations for these positions close on 6 February 2005 and nomination forms are available from AFANT or on www.afant.com.au.
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