Top End NT / -12.46°S, 130.84°E
Fly Fishing
Darwin Harbour · Bynoe Harbour · Dundee Beach · Vernon Islands · Kakadu · Mary River · Daly River
Top End NT / -12.46°S, 130.84°E
Darwin Harbour · Bynoe Harbour · Dundee Beach · Vernon Islands · Kakadu · Mary River · Daly River
As seen & heard on
Fly fishing up north is different from any trout stream or lake you've set foot on. It calls for a few different skills, different setups — and very different flies.
Life revolves around the moon and tides up here. It's the number one factor in your chances of success each day you fish.
"Up here the fish are big and angry — and we don't wear tweed."— Watty
When to come
You can fly fish all year round in the Top End, but the best of it runs from late February to the end of November — and what you'll be casting at changes with the water.
The big rivers of Kakadu, fishing the colour changes as the floodwaters drain — blind casting, not sight casting, for big barra and king threadfin.
Once the run-off trips finish, the sight casting starts: Bynoe's clean shallow water at its best, plus the freshwater billabongs.
Sight casting and the freshwater billabongs again, in warmer conditions — the water's alive before the wet arrives.
Darwin Harbour
Darwin Harbour has everything a tropical fly fisher looks for. When you get the tides right and know where to look, it's all there waiting for you — minutes from town.
Darwin Harbour / A Barefoot speciality
Milkfish are one of the great prizes in saltwater fly fishing: fast, spooky, and famous for running a long way into the backing. Most anglers travel to Christmas Island or the Seychelles to find them.
There is a population right here in Darwin Harbour, minutes from town — and Barefoot is the only operation in Darwin guiding for them on fly.
They are not easy. Getting one to eat is an achievement on its own, and holding on afterwards is another thing again. If milkfish are on your list, say so when you enquire and Watty will build the tides around them.
Bynoe Harbour
Saltwater fly fishing for barramundi in Bynoe Harbour is the headline act — hard-fighting fish, accurate casts in challenging tidal conditions, and insider techniques to land more fish on the fly.
Depending on your goals, Watty creates a personalised fishing plan to suit your desires, your abilities and — of course — the tides. Sight-cast at cruising barra all trip, chase big pelagics all week, slide gurglers over the lily pads for saratoga, or do a bit of everything.
Guests fish a high-quality catch-and-release adventure in pristine wilderness. The main species: barramundi, mangrove jack, threadfin salmon, saratoga, golden snapper, queenfish, giant trevally and Spanish mackerel — plus about forty other tropical estuary and reef fish.
Freshwater
Saratoga are without doubt one of the best fish to target with fly tackle. They love crunching surface flies first thing in the morning, and they'll eat a subsurface presentation as the day goes on.
Your guide
No blow-in guides — you fish with me, every single day, two anglers to the boat. I'm an IGFA captain & guide, a PFIGA-certified fishing instructor, and the Top End's specialist fly fishing guide.
Whether you're new to the salt or you've chased flats fish around the world, the plan gets built around you — your casting, your goals, and the tides.
How a safari runs
Trips of 3–7 days. Depending on the length of your trip you can fish up to four different areas — Darwin Harbour, Corroboree Billabong, Dundee Beach and Bynoe Harbour.
Your ute is waiting at Darwin airport when you land. Drive out the night before and wake up on the water, or head out on the morning of day one and meet Watty at the ramp — whichever suits your flights.
Days begin as the sun comes up, about 6:30am — breakfast at your lodgings or on the boat. Then it's tides, flats, billabongs or bluewater as the plan dictates.
You're finished fishing and off the water around 4pm each day — unless you nominate to pull up earlier.
A detailed itinerary is confirmed with you through the booking process, so the trip suits your needs, your casting and your goals.
Word of mouth
"Everything you look for in a guide — wise, calm, encouraging and entertaining."
— TripAdvisor review
"We can honestly say we learnt a lot and enjoyed every minute."
— TripAdvisor review · Shady Camp, Mary River
"His patience and coaching enabled her to land her first barra."
— TripAdvisor review
Availability
These trips only run on the best tides of each month of the season — about nine weeks a year — and those dates often book out up to two years in advance. If a week on the fly is your kind of week, lock the window in early.
2026 — fully booked
2027 fly dates · Kakadu run-off, then Bynoe
The same water fishes just as hard on conventional tackle — the run-off barra season out of Kakadu, or the dry-season sight-casting at Dundee & Bynoe.
Further afield, Watty is also a director of — and very active in — Angling Adventures, hosting trips to the best fishing spots around Australia and the world. If they haven't been there, they won't send you there.
Getting around
No taxis, no waiting on a transfer, no being stuck out bush without wheels. The Barefoot courtesy ute — a dual-cab four-wheel-drive Isuzu D-Max with a lockable canopy — is left at Darwin airport for you. Pick it up when you land and it's yours for the whole trip.
Drive out the night before and wake up on the water, or head out on the morning of day one and meet Watty at the ramp. Whatever suits your flights.
Price guide — 2027/28 bookings
Fly trips run a maximum of two anglers per boat and guide — that's what proper fly guiding takes. Prices are per angler in AUD, and every trip is private: just you, your fishing partner and Watty. Boat-only from $3,402 pp · fully catered from $4,842 pp.
Everything sorted — just bring yourself.
| Nights | 2 anglers | 1 angler |
|---|---|---|
| 3 days fishing | ||
| 3 nights | $4,842 | $7,263 |
| 4 nights | $5,307 | $7,961 |
| 4 days fishing | ||
| 4 nights | $6,301 | $9,452 |
| 5 nights | $6,766 | $10,149 |
| 5 days fishing | ||
| 5 nights | $7,760 | $11,640 |
| 6 nights | $8,225 | $12,338 |
| 6 days fishing | ||
| 6 nights | $9,219 | $13,829 |
| 7 nights | $9,684 | $14,526 |
| 7 days fishing | ||
| 7 nights | $10,678 | $16,017 |
| 8 nights | $11,143 | $16,715 |
You arrange your own meals & accommodation — with local guidance on the good options.
| Nights | 2 anglers | 1 angler |
|---|---|---|
| 3 days fishing | ||
| 3 nights | $3,402 | $5,103 |
| 4 nights | $3,867 | $5,801 |
| 4 days fishing | ||
| 4 nights | $4,381 | $6,572 |
| 5 nights | $4,846 | $7,269 |
| 5 days fishing | ||
| 5 nights | $5,360 | $8,040 |
| 6 nights | $5,825 | $8,738 |
| 6 days fishing | ||
| 6 nights | $6,339 | $9,509 |
| 7 nights | $6,804 | $10,206 |
| 7 days fishing | ||
| 7 nights | $7,318 | $10,977 |
| 8 nights | $7,783 | $11,675 |
Alcoholic & soft drinks not included. Depending on your package, meals and accommodation may or may not be included.
Lock in your window
Tell me who's coming, how you like to fish and when you can get away — I'll come back with the best tide windows still open and a plan built around your casting and your goals.
Out on the water most days — if I don't pick up, text or WhatsApp and I'll get back to you off the water.
Free guide
What to expect and how to plan a Top End fly safari — the seasons, the water, what’s included and what to bring. Free, straight to your inbox.
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