Trolling is perhaps the most common way people catch their first barra, and also the most common way they catch their biggest. It isn't fancy, but done at the right time and in the right place it is hard to beat.
As a general rule, trolling works best when the water is clean, so the barra can see your lures. Exact speeds and depths really depend on what's happening on the day, so this is about the when and the where.
Clean water and the neap tides
Through the dry season and the build-up, you're chasing clean water, so the neap tides work best. The mouths of the river systems around Shady Camp, the Finniss River in Fog Bay, and the Adelaide River are all good places to troll on nice neap tides with low or favourable wind.
Rock bars can be trolled on either spring or neap tides, depending on the season.
The run-off and the spring tides
In the run-off, it flips. Spring tides can work best, because the big incoming tide pushes back against the flood water and slows it down. That gives barra the chance to come out of, or up onto, a rock bar for a feed.
During the run-off, the standout is the Daly River. On the big tides around the new and full moon, a tidal bore pushes up the river. It can lift the water level about a metre and a half in one go, with big pressure waves running up the banks. Schools of mullet travel in front of and behind it, and big barra follow them up the river. It is an absolutely spectacular sight, and it's prime trolling time.
The Daly also starts a long way back, with a catchment that runs hundreds of kilometres. That's why it can rise and fall by several metres in a matter of hours during the wet.
Fast trolling the guts
On the Daly in the run-off, we fast troll the middle of the river with big shallow divers following the push of the tide. Any time from the new or full moon onwards, for three or four days, is the window. An incoming tide in the morning is ideal.
A couple of things to keep in mind:
- The tide runs late upriver. Fishing a long way from the mouth, you might be a couple of hours behind the tide times at the coast. Allow for it when you plan your morning.
- You won't always see the bait. The small mullet often shimmer on the surface getting smashed, but the big diamond-scale mullet can travel a foot or two under the water. You may see them on the sounder and nowhere else.
Should you troll the middle or cast the creek mouths? A lot of it is preference. We put a priority on casting because it's more rewarding for clients, and when the tide turns, you'll know straight away if the fish are switched on at the mouth of a creek. If they're not, it's time to go searching. But if you want a real chance at a very big fish, those are likely to be out in the middle eating foot-long mullet. That's where fast trolling earns its keep.
Jig trolling snags and rock bars
As the season moves into late April and May, the flood water drops and the river cleans up from the top of the system. That's when we move to the edges with deep-diving, stump-jumping lures and jig troll the snags.
The method:
- Run your lure a fair way back and hold the rod tip up.
- Jig it, jig it, jig it as you go.
- Every time you feel it hit a stick, throw it some slack. Most of these lures are very buoyant, so they hover and wobble back up rather than snagging.
- Then slowly jig it back up and carry on.
It's hard to do as a guide with four people on the boat, but an experienced crew can catch plenty of barra this way. The same approach works trolling over rock bars, and over gravel patches in the rivers that not many people bother to fish.
Breaking up a hot day
In the harbours around Darwin and Bynoe, trolling is a handy option over the dead low on big spring tides. As the tide drops out, the bite on the drains often quietens down and the fish can sit in the deeper water off the front of them. If it's hot, the middle of the day, and you need a break from casting, trolling a soft plastic or a Bomber straight up the guts of a creek can still catch plenty of fish.
The biggest tide of the month
The big tides bring in the big fish. On the coastal creeks, the Daly and the rock bars, the best day tends to fall on the biggest tide. The fish hang around for four or five days afterwards, then slowly move back out as the tides ease off, heading for spots where they can find an easier feed in smaller tides and cleaner water.
You can see that clearly at Shady Camp. On the big springs, the big barra end up in the coastal creeks. As the tides back off, you start finding them at the river mouths again, and some way up.
Check the tide tables before you lock in your days. The biggest tide of the month is the one we'd always pick.
Common questions
When is the best time to troll for barramundi?
In the dry season and build-up, neap tides with clean water and low wind are best, because barra need to see the lure. During the run-off, spring tides can be better because the big incoming tide slows the flood water and lets barra move onto rock bars to feed.
What is jig trolling for barra?
Running a buoyant deep-diving lure well back with the rod tip up, jigging it as you go, and throwing slack every time it hits a snag. The lure floats up and over the timber instead of getting stuck, and barra often hit it as it wobbles back up.
Why troll the middle of the Daly River in the run-off?
On the big new and full moon tides, a tidal bore pushes up the river with schools of mullet in front of and behind it. The really big barra follow those mullet up the middle, so fast trolling there gives you the best shot at a very big fish.
Which tide of the month is best for big barra?
The biggest tide. The best fishing tends to land on that day, and the big fish hang around for four or five days before drifting off as the tides ease.
Rather learn it on the water?
This is what the safaris are for.
Three to eight days, one guide, and the same water you have been reading about. Everyone fishes with Watty.