FISHING
NEWS FROM NORTH AUSTRALIA
With Alex Julius - 5 May 2005
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Today is the last day of the NT Barra Classic.
However, as I’m down at the Daly for this mighty tournament, this column is being written a week in advance, so you can expect a full rundown next Thursday.
We are well into the dry season now – the mornings are finally getting cooler, the skies are cloud-free and those damn easterlies are making offshore boating expeditions difficult.
You know, just like we can have a good wet season or a poor wet season – with the attendant impact on the quality of fishing available – the strength, duration and frequency of the annual trade winds during the Dry dictate how, where and when we can fish.
I can’t recall exactly, but I think it was about six years ago that most of the dry season was blustery.
One after another, those capital Hs with liver-shaped balloons around them drifted across the Southern Ocean from below Western Australia to Bass Strait.
The higher the pressure, the stronger the wind that blew up the continent and across the Top End.
Years like that severely limit the number of days you can get out on the bluewater.
Let’s hope this is not one of those years.
In any event, there are some basic strategies for maximising a productive, relatively comfortable time on the water during the dry season.
To start with, during periods of strong wind warning, stick to sheltered waters – Darwin Harbour, Shoal Bay, local estuaries and inland rivers and lagoons.
If the east/south-easterlies aren’t too bad, you’ll get good boating water by launching and getting under way by daybreak.
That’ll give you an hour or three before the wind gets up and the water becomes sloppy and everyone gets wet from spray.
Once you’ve reached your destination, a bit of slop at anchor, or whilst trolling, should not be a problem for most trailerboats nowadays, and at least it will be dry.
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It’s not a bad idea also to spend most of the day out because the trade winds invariably abate in the afternoon – usually by 3.00 pm – and towards evening the sea breeze kicks in from the opposite direction, offering a Mexican stand-off and a window of sweet calm water for a care-free trip home.
An excellent dry-season-wind-avoiding strategy is to plan offshore trips for a mid-to-late afternoon departure, fishing for a few hours into the night and then returning at your leisure.
In all except periods of strong wind warning, the only breeze at night will be from the swishing of those big snapper and jewfish tails as they come aboard.
One of the best places for this type of sortie is the Fenton Patches artificial reef complex to the north-west of Darwin.
There are seven buoyed reefs – six in a hexagonal shape and each a kilometre apart, and one in the middle: the Marchart 3.
The beauty of this location is that you can move from one reef to the other until you find fish.
The tides this weekend are coming off the springs, but it can still get really choppy, particularly when you get wind against current.
But you could pick a spot and aim for a low tide session late in the afternoon on either Saturday or Sunday.
But remember, don’t go out if a coastal wind warning is current.
If you’re looking for a lengthy daylight option this weekend, and you fancy a feed of plate-size goldies, then the world is your oyster.
Any of the harbour arms are worth a shot, but the Middle Arm is definitely the pick.
Get in there at sparrows, and fish the incoming tide near any rocks you see.
The water doesn’t need to be deep – even a couple of metres will suffice.
Bait up with small squid pieces on 6 kg mono or similar braid line – lightly weighted – and keep moving until you find them.
A great spot is Saltwater Arm near the mouth of the Adelaide River and directly accessible via a concrete boat ramp.
This sort of fishing also works well on the first half of the falling tide, and sometimes right through to the low.
Mud crabs are also an option.
It seems there’s been some excellent crabbing of late.
Mind you, the inland barra scene is the easiest way to escape any inclement offshore conditions.
For my money, it’s hard to beat a day on one of our beautiful inland lagoons.
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