You’ve no doubt heard the saying “no run, no fun”? Well that’s a typical pro spring tide fisho’s payout on the neap tide lovers that occasionally rings true, but this week they can eat their words!
With a good break in the weather the ocean mimmicked ants on a lollie…boats were here there and everywhere, close, wide and real wide and for some of these crews the weekend was one to remember. At last I can finally report that there’s been a few jewies back on the bite at Charles Point where an overnight trip boated four fish to 14kg; a bundle of nuisance shark action and blue salmon rounded out the trip. Jewies have also shown up at Roche Reef and Fenton Patches. 3/4oz Nitro jig heads loaded with 7″ Satay Chicken Berkley Gulp Jerk Shads returned smiles on the dials of a crew drifting around the Fenton wrecks. No prizes for guessing the species…yep, those bloody big painful GTs that fight like wounded bulls all the way to the end. Moonfish were about in numbers too and it can be damn hard to get baits to the bottom without hooking one.
Got One’s Rob Rees ventured around Darwin Harbour and located macks at West Point that took to bibbed minnows trolled at speed. Rob said the tuna were around too, a little closer to Mandorah, but were real finnicky and wouldn’t take a maribou or chrome slice all afternoon.
As predicted, the inland barra scene has kicked into gear with the water temps now on the increase. Corroboree Billabong looked like Mitchell Street at peak hour as some nice fish were taken on Reidys Little Lucifers (Green and Gold #035). One crew swore by that particular lure, landing fish to 68cm – the barra were all over it and just wouldnt leave it alone. My favourite, the X-Rap 10 did well also as one customer brought back the evidence…the lure looked like it had been through World War Three.
A little further upstream on the Mary System, Hardys Billabong is now at a perfect height and producing fish from around the bamboo and pandanus at the top of the lagoon. Casting weedless Gulps and Squidgy Shads is proving successful amongst the timber. It’s important to use a top quality leader line for this because it’s bound to get tested to the limit in the sticks.
Up the Adelaide is providing some big stories – just how far up I’m not sure, but what I do know is that there’s one bloke cleaning up on fish to 98cm using Tango Dancers. This fellow has been getting sticked by even bigger fish in the snags – sounds like the kind of fun that could bring on a heart attack.
Well, here comes the build up and barra to boot! Get into the harbour and work the flats and snake drains during the spring lows, fish the neaps at Shoal Bay Rock or mouth of King Creek, fish inland at night with a full moon or early morning break on the new moon and you are in with a big chance.
Good luck!
Keen junior fisho Mark Zeroni with a nice catch from shore at East Point Rocks.
For more on fishing around Darwin check out Craig Grosvenor’s “Fishing The NT” posts via Reports on homepage.
