Our Christmas fish wish
WHAT more could you ask for than a nice set of neap tides for Christmas and some balmy boating weather?
The latter will of course depend if the monsoon forms or not.
If you can tear yourself away from turkey and plum pudding then you will find quality barra and snapper waiting in the saltwater.
The Top End’s rivers are up and down and flowing dirty, with a few barra catches reported by those who have been at the right spot when a river drops.
There’s been reports of barra boofing at the Daly River, which is good news.
But until more monsoonal rain arrives, you would be better of staying close to town and fishing Darwin and Bynoe harbours, Shoal Bay and the Leaders Creek/Saltwater Arm region.
There are still plenty of reef fish about, with snapper and jewfish reported by charter boats at Charles Point.
I was going to write a ‘‘year looking back’’ column this weekend, but most fishos would probably want to forget 2013.
It was the year barramundi almost disappeared — although some great barra were still caught, but the numbers were right down.
The big barra comps at the beginning of the year showed how bad it was, and it didn’t get any better.
On top of that, in 2013 we were told Darwin reef fish stocks were under stress and closed areas were needed, a plan which is still under consideration by NT Fisheries.
All this followed hot on the heels of toxic mine spills at Mt Todd on the Edith River.
So it was not really a good year for morale!
And yet, even when it was bad, it was good — the bluewater really fired in 2013 with mackerel and snapper caught in droves.
It was yet another bumper year for mud crabs, and the big bucks must have been out there like cockroaches because everyone who tried caught some.
Everyone is curious to see just how Top End rivers perform in 2014 if there is a decent wet season. Will the barra materialise after their apparent absence?
I am thinking they will. As long as rivers flow clean, the fish will always come back when conditions are right.
In reports, the Lodge of Dundee’s Scott Simpson said it has been game on.
‘‘The coral trout in recent weeks have been consistently from 50cm to 60cm, I don’t know if this is a pattern or what,’’ he said.
‘‘You have to drift for them and use white coloured rubbers, anything white seems to be the go.
‘‘You also have any amount of 70cm goldies along the coast now, and there is no need to go far — Point Jenny and Blaze is as far as you need to go.
‘‘However, out wider, Sail City is producing a lot of big cobia. The cobia are taking baits on the bottom.
‘‘On the change of tide on the reef out the front of the lodge there are some really good jewies biting at night.
‘‘There were big threadies being caught at the mouth of the Finniss River last weekend. There are 60cm to 80cm barra on the coastal rocks.
‘‘Christmas is an unknown factor now— once the westerlies kick in it will be hard to fish.
‘‘ But the Finniss River flood plain already has a lot water on it, it even poured clear briefly after the last cyclone. I reckon we are going to have a ripper run-off.’’
Fishing and Outdoor World’s George Voukolos Sr said the New Year looked promising.
‘‘We have already had a little bit of run-off,’’ he said.
‘‘The East Alligator River was up, the Daly River was up, the Finniss got rain. We just need it to keep raining.
‘‘The fishing has been good on the bigger tides along the foreshores, there have been queenfish and trevally near the Deckchair Cinema.
‘‘ All around the Darwin they have been getting nice barra.
‘‘Rapid Creek and Buffalo Creek mouths have been producing some fish.
‘‘For the past week there were some big barra caught down the Daly River at Bamboo Creek, the Crossing and Browns Creek, with big fish caught off the bank.
‘‘ The harbour has been really really good with fish between 60cm and 80cm.
‘‘People are already buying lures for the run-off.
‘‘ The goldies have been really good this year, we haven’t seen so many for such a long time. The lack of rain seems to have brought them in close.’’
Top End Tackle World’s Shane Compain said he went to the Daly River on Wednesday but didn’t end up fishing.
‘‘While we were there we heard a few reports, the river has been fluctuating up and down. If you are in the right spot at the right time there are some good numbers being caught already,’’ he said.
‘‘There is a lot of action at night.
‘‘The water is still really dirty, as soon as the creeks flow some colour it will be on.
‘‘It has been very hot with mega storms most afternoons, which is a good sign.
‘‘South Alligator River culverts have been flooding but there are not a lot of reports of good fishing as yet.