Darwin Fishing

[Jarrah Jack]

Just spent a few weeks up Darwin way with a mate who lives up there doing the annual Barra hunt.

I'm posting this so that anyone else who is thinking of a similiar trip can get a bit of background info as you need as much as you can get if you want to get wired into a new place. Especially when its as far away and varied as the Darwin area.

We fished Shoel bay for muddies, the Daly for B's Saltwater arm ( mouth of the Adelaide) for muddies, Jew , Barra and Jacks. Channel Point the Perons and Reynolds river and the mouth of the Daly for just about everything. Also the Finnis for B's too.

We got muddies at all spots so if you like a feed of them then take your pots.

The Daly is always worth the trip even if you don't get much as the lure fishing this time wasn't easy at all. We stayed at Wooliana caravan park which is comfortable and easy. The grey nomads with their cherybin pots for live bait were doing really well. One guy was getting four good B's most days all over 750mm, which are good fish . Night trolling on the Daly is becoming popular for good reason. The fish start to shut down with all the noise during the day. We connected to our best B using cherybin at the mouth of bamboo creek after dark and early morning. We flicked heaps of lures for zip.

Saltwater arm and channel point are good for jews and saw us connected at both places. Both are within easy access to Darwin with saltwater arm ramp not far away. Channel point, you really need to camp. It has a great camping area and a zillion mossies. The ramp is pretty wild as its open to the sea and has a resident croc to make sure you don't slip up.

Channel point has easy access to the Reynolds river and the mouth of the Daly which is a favourite spot. One creek mouth has threadfin at the top of the tide and lots of B's. My mate was spooled by a huge B there which we were unable to chase because there was not enough water to get out into the main channel. Again no fish were interested in lures only mullet..Not like last year. You really have to get the tides right at channel point or you are gunna spend a long time swatting mozzies. The same goes for the Reynolds, best to go in and out with the tide.

It was the first time on the Finnis and we really should have been there last year. Some people were averageing up to eighty B a trip. This year scores have been more modest to the extent that I read in the local rag that the river had shut down. There had been a lot of boats there with a few comps and as with the Daly the fish get jack of it and shut down. We tried the fresh for a few rats and one keeper which we lost.

This report is really just a bit of an overview. Anyone going there should be carefull about freezer trips as you can lose your car and boat if you are caught with more that five B's each no matter how long your stay. Just ask the mob from around Alice who lost three cars two boats and a caravan.

Thanks to Dan5 who gave me some marks and info on the Finnis. I hope to catch up with him next time. Anyone wanting some more detailed info just give me a PM. No pics cause my computer skills have not got past the dribbling and burp stage and probably never will.

Cheers

[Matthias]

Nice trip.

I spent a few days at channel pont a couple of weeks ago- We had barra a cast sessions in the reynolds and caught tuna, queenies, cod, salty barra and loads of mackerel off the islands. Love that place!!

Cheers
Pete

[Jarrah Jack]

Yep We got your phone number and message after we got back . I was with cjgp. Next year now. We didn't get the fish you did.

Cheers

[Matthias]

Hey do you live in or close to Tweed by any chance?

[Jarrah Jack]

No mate , bit further south than that in Vic.