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If you have made it this far then, obviously, you must be an avid fisher person keen to put up with a little discomfort for the thrill of catching some truly great fish. Barramundi, Threadfin Salmon, Mangrove Jack, Estuary Cod, Jew Fish to name some of the good eating fish and they all have their own great little tricks to stop you from getting one of their species on the BBQ.
Purists of the sport don’t always want to eat fish and for you there are some great fish species up in the Northern Territory. Fish like the ancient Saratoga, the reel stripping Milk Fish, Queenfish or Skinnies, the much prized Cobia, the “Mother-in-Law Fish” more commonly known as Trevally and the list goes on.
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My mate Tex with a much prized "Barra"
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Inland fishing, as a guide, is generally where you catch the thrill fish as opposed to the eating fish. Fish residing in the darker muddier fresh water generally just don’t taste as nice. However there is plenty of excitement for those that wish to learn how to fish. Typically you can travel to the sublime areas such as Kakadu and the Daly River and the surrounding Billabongs and have some great fun and pick up some monster size fish. A well timed fishing trip can see you catch your bag limit in an hour or two and see you returning the rest to swim around for another lucky angler.
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One of the large Billabongs in Kakadu |
The road to Obirri Rock - flood waters receding |
| Common Name | Scientific Name | Limit |
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| NT fisheries pamphlet | NT Fisheries | |
| Black Jewfish | Protonibea diacanthus | 5 possession limit per person. |
| Narrow-barred Spanish Mackerel | Scomberomorus commerson | 5 possession limit per person. |
| Golden Snapper | Lutjanus johnii | 5 possession limit per person. |
| Mud Crab | Scylla serrata | 10 possession limit per person. 30 possession limit per boat with 3 or more people on board. |
| Tropical Rock Lobster | Panulirus sp. | 10 possession limit per person. 30 possession limit per boat with 3 or more people on board. |
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I was born in far North Queensland and so I guess it is natural to love the tropics. I have been fishing for quite a few years although study and work of one way, shape or form seems to get in the way. Living in Sydney has meant the rods have been put into storage pending the next trip to Darwin. You see once I fished the tropics there doesn't really seem to be that much excitement in fishing down south. OK you get the big Jew Fish down here and the Tuna and King Fish and many other great species in the Southern waters but there is nothing like the numbers up north. The NT has an excellent habitat and alot of pressure is placed upon the government to preserve the environment. The reduction in professional licences has seen the numbers of fish increase dramatically. I think a total change in angling practices of recent has helped too. Many of the guys I know now use barbless hooks to minimise the damage done to fish when caught. This means that the release is smooth and the stress on the fish is reduced. Previously I caught bait fish, these small mullet were used to catch the big fish. This style of fishing is on the outer now with most anglers, myself included, choosing to use either lures or flys. Nothing better than having a 100cm Barra smash your lure and take off stripping line as it heads for the closest snag. |