It’s the dry season. The tidal rivers have shut down due to low water temps and the blue water is subject to the relentless south easterlies that blow hard enough to wash mud crabs up the beach. The billabongs are one of the only options left and luckily we have plenty to choose from. Hitting the ‘bongs is a seasonal…
Author: Dan Firth
Cleaning up on the NT bluewater scene
It’s been a long time between post for me, partly due to the dry season ‘cold snap’ where the barra shut down when the water gets below a chilly 26 degrees, and a hectic work schedule. Last weekend made up for my lack of fishing action though. I don’t know if it was the mega full moon, big tides or the remoteness of…
How to Target Monster Kingfish – Royalty of the reefs
There are some huge kingfish biting up and down the coast at the moment. In this (fairly) recent blog, Dan recounts one of his more memorable captures, and gives you the low down on how to apply the same technique to join in on the fun. As I lowered the fat and frisky Bonito through the water column I said…
Runoff report – floods and failure
It happens every year. It rains and I can’t help myself. The rivers are still rising, the clouds are angry and the roads are submerged. Most fishos stay at home to avoid the tempest. I just pack a bigger tarp, upsize my bilge pump and accept the inevitable drenching. This year has been no different. I’m up to my third runoff…
Boat Reveiw – Schmetterling
Our boat is called Schmetterling, that’s German for ‘Butterfly’. She sneaks around the Katherine River putting her passengers onto oversized Catties regularly. Call them Powertails, Silver Cobbler, whatever, these powerful fish inhale deep divers and hit like a log with a tail. Schmetterling knows where to find them and how to avoid Barra. The tinny was a present for my partner, Lena. I found…
Trolling for Whiting – with poppers!
Trolling tiny poppers behind a noisy two stroke doesn’t work. It’s all about stealth, long casts and delicate presentation. Did I mention you need the latest in Japanese lure tech? Don’t be shy, $30 is nothing to spend on a 3 gram piece of plastic… That was my mindset when my nephew George lobbed a $2 popper out the back of…
South Alligator River
I was looking through some photos the other day and it reminded me of a fun little trip the boys from Flick and Fly Journal had on the South Alligator River. I’d almost forgotten how much fun we had. We had spent the last week battling it out on the Daly. We had caught over 100 fish and spent a…
Dundee Beach Boat Hire – Fishing trip saved!
It had been a tough trip. The sort that makes you wonder why you don’t drop the addiction, seek therapy and take up knitting instead. I mean what’s all the excitment about being on the water anyway? It’s likely to leave you sunburnt, or with varying degrees of hypothermia, even both. It will certainly bring you closer to the poverty line and…
An encounter with sawfish
As this one slid over my head I couldn’t help but think there is something especially intriguing about Sawfish. What is the go with the saw? Do they need it in case they encounter an underwater forest or was it a simply a hiccup in evolution that resulted in them having to carry around this cumbersome appendage? When you look…
Video – Daly River Runoff Metery
Video – Daly River Runoff Metery A runoff reunion is on the cards for the authors of this here blog. Last trip was an ideal adventure and the stories that came out of it are here. The fish turned it on, we had a good crew and the landscape produced an impressive backdrop for an extended time on the water.…
Spacky Placky
Not many plackys can hold up to the rigors of multiple hits from toothy critters, hence the ‘soft plastic’ title. Give a ‘squidgy’ a tradies favourite though – the old Dunlop Volley – and they certainly redeem themselves. I’d go as far to call this guy a hard, mean placky with shoe eating capabilities! This is the result of my usual unpacking routine…
Swamp sessions
Living in the Kimberley for a short stint took me to some damn scenic fishing spots. I wasn’t expecting to add another one to the list when good mates Snav and Omar suggested we hit ‘the swamp’. Jumping in the back of Snav’s troopy I found a spot wedged between eskys and live bait tanks. We settled in for what…