A good trip is to overnight, swagging in your boat on a lee shore, and giving yourself plenty of time both to explore and to capitalise on any good spots you find.

There’s more good jewie fishing to be had by boating down the Mary River from Shady Camp and heading offshore a few kilometres to the shallow jew grounds.

You can head down from Shady Camp around midday while there is still plenty of water, fish the low tide and come back in the tide that evening.

Expect to catch salmon there too and, believe it or not, the only carnivorous painted crays that I’ve ever encountered.

Cape Hotham and round the corner to Ruby Island is a nice day trip heading out from Leeders Creek.

Wide of Cape Hotham, there are good snapper grounds, and jew are also available.

Around Ruby Island, you can target queenfish, trevally species and, if you’re particularly cunning, hefty saltwater barra to boot.

There is excellent security for a small price at Leeders Creek, and that is also one option for accessing the Vernon Islands and the famous Blue Hole at Gunn Point.

Recently at the Vernons, there were Spanish mackerel busting out along the reefs, with longtails reeking havoc amongst the glassy sprat schools between North West Vernon and Melville Islands.

Jew on the change of tide are a special in the channel between South West Vernon and Gunn Point, and you can have a lot of fun fishing inside the Blue Hole.

If you don’t want to get stuck in there, you’ll have to be out by 10.30 am, or you could stay all day, fishing the low tide when everything that’s in there can’t get out.

Once the tide starts to flow in, the predators normally go ballistic.

Closer to Darwin, it’s not bluewater until high tide, but you’d have to consider a day trip from Shoal Bay Boat Hire’s landing in the Howard River if a feed of succulent muddies is what you’re after.

This is a beaut option if you haven’t a boat, and the lads at Shoal Bay will also set you up with crab pots and bait.

Lee Point is where you go if it’s blowing and mackerel action is your goal.

Fish early and late, or on the change of the tide.

Discreet schools of longtail tuna having been busting out from Lee Point to the harbour; and, the further offshore you go, the more schools you will encounter.

Basically, from Darwin to the Peron Islands, Spanish mackerel are easy targets at the following locations: Lorna Shoal, Loee Patches, Bass Reef, Roche Reef corner, Blaze Reef and off North Peron.

Fish all of the above on the bottom for goldies and assorted reef fish, concentrating efforts on the turn of the tide.

Targeting jewfish on the turn of the tide in the same direction, begin with the Bus Stop Reef off Lee Point, the harbour wrecks and artificial reefs, the Fenton Patches artificial Reefs, Charles Point Patches, Dundee Jew Reef, Point Blaze and the Channel Point.