Bag a Barra — 27 March 2020

OK, let's head to the Top End, to Bag a Barra. With Glenn, what he wants, thanks to Barefoot Fishing Safaris. Gee, I wish I was in the Top End right now with you, Watty. Things are actually pretty good up here on the old COVID-19 front duck.

I don't think we've, we haven't got any community transmission up here, so we're going well. Oh, mate, well done to you. And as you know, we were planning a trip up there and we hadn't really revealed much about it here, but obviously that's all put on hold now. I mean light of what is happening.

So what we're doing on the show, what do you have for the next couple of months, is we want to be, we want to give people a bit of a break from all of that, and still try and do the show that we do, and tell people about some of the spots that they can get back to, once we are all through this horrible, um, coronavirus all deal, and all the effects it's having, on society, and trying to be mindful what are you, the amount of people that won't be able to afford to go anywhere, once they can because they've lost their jobs. Yeah, that's right. So, of course, I'm in, I'm one of those people that's lost their job, essentially, at the moment, we've, I've just had to cancel the rest of my year.

So that gives me plenty of time to, um, you know, do other things. I've got some rod building to do and some other, I've been, I'll be planning on developing a heap of content for people to sort of fish their way through lockdown, I suppose. Um, you know, some little hints and tips videos and that'll keep me busy and hopefully keep people from going crazy. You know, if they are in isolation.

So, um, you know, we're all in it together, so we'll we'll do our best. Yeah, absolutely, mate. So you, and you do a little bit of video content now. And so you can obviously, you know, expand on that and and keep in touch with your with your customers.

Because look, we'll get through this and what we'll do over the next couple of months while we are all sort of grounded, is, you know, give people some options and some tips and some locations to visit in the Top End once we get through this. The trouble for you is that by the way it's looking, it'll at very best, it'll be on the brink of the wet season again. Yeah, that's right. Who knows what the timing's going to be, but um, yeah, it'll, it'll give me plenty of time.

You're right. I do a um, a weekly, I call it a one minute Monday sort of hint or tip video at the moment through the Facebook page and the website and I'll, I'll plan on doing a lot of them. There's a, you know, I, I just come back from a week at sea and it, it's a different world now, but there's, there's always common questions that everyone asks about, you know, knots and, and even things like landing fish, using a landing net, and I took a heap of video while we were away with some funny landing net, um, sort of operations that the boys were running and, and I can critique them over, over um, Facebook with everyone and, and show you how to, how to do it, properly, how to launch and retrieve the boat on your own. We'll develop either content, it'll be all free, and people can sort of live, live there, fishing life vicariously through us at the moment, um, and you know, once we're, once we're through the other side, we'll all be ready to go and fire up again.

So not the end of the world. Now's the time that, well, you've got to look at these things as an opportunity and we can all, like, might go home and learn how to play the harmonica or something, and um, job's right, you know? Yeah, no doubt, mate, and I'm sure you've stocked up too with plenty of cool drinks up there. Yeah, well, you will be at home.

I was in it, I was in it, um, CUB talking to the Great Northern Boys before I went off on the mothership for a week and they were saying they doubled the capacity of the, of the bottling plants, um, in preparation for a bit of panic buying, so it's interesting. You know, those winners and losers in all this stuff. Oh, mate, there is mate. Absolutely mate.

But, yeah, well, and now that is a shame because I know you put a lot of effort into what you do, and like Vic Woodman, who comes on our program, who runs a tag along tours. I mean, his business is closed at the moment, it will reopen, and I guess that you're in that same boat. But in the meantime, we'll still, we'll still try and give people an escape via, you know, via what you do and via this radio program as well because, you know, there are plenty of radio programs and television programs that will be concentrating on, on, on what's going on. We want to try and give somebody a bit of a give people a break from it, if anything, and kick back and listen to us, dribblers, just dribble nothing, really.

We're just talking about it. And then, and take that time to recharge the batteries and, you know, and tinker with a bit of our gear and and service things and fix those things that we've been putting off. you can do all that now and then and then and get ready to go. I mentioned earlier that once, um, once this is lifted, mate, I reckon the biggest business will be security, uh, because they'll even have to put alarms on their houses because the burglars will be able to just roam the streets of all the neighbourhoods and do what they like because there'd be nobody home. Everybody would be just like, gone.

Everybody be out camping. Yeah, that's right. Yeah, you want to get the TV hooked up while you're in lockdown. But I'll tell you things for a start that people can do that might interest them from my point of view, I suppose.

Um, the, the number one thing that we always get asked to show people on the boat is is not. And I recently did a short video on how to tie the FG knot. Um which does stand for what you think it might stand for. It is a damn good knot.

And um, it's a tricky one to get right if you don't know how to tie it and it'll fail every single time. But if you get it right, it's the strongest line to line connection you can do for fishing. Um, the video is up there on my YouTube and Facebook. I'll probably do another one a bit more in depth.

Um, you know, as time goes on, but people can check that out for a start and um, start practising the FG knot while they're sitting around at home looking for things to do. All right, mate. Well, we'll leave you in self-isolation up there in the Top End, like I said, I do wish I was up there with you, mate, and I will get there one day. Mate.

You take care up there, and like I say, anything we can do for you here, we certainly will do that, and like I said, we'll talk to you every week about some of those great places that you will be able to visit again as soon as we can, and look, and if we all adhere to the rules now, the, and all stay home and do what we're, what we're asked to do, the sooner we'll get back out there, and we've said it a couple of times on the show today. If you still think you can get out and sneak around and live your life normally, you're only going to prolong it for the rest of us. So let's just lock ourselves down and then we can get back out there. Totally agree, mate.

Yep, short term paying for long-term gain for all of it. Yeah, that's a good one, mate. All right, talk to you next week. Thanks, Doc.

Good on you mate. And that's our man. Watty. Don't forget.

Check out those videos. Barefoot Fishing Safaris. Check out the website. Check him out on Facebook.

He's a good man and certainly doesn't know his stuff. So make sure you follow that. Give yourself a little bit of a breather from everything that's going on. And he's pretty laid back, old Watty.

It's a shame I was looking forward to going up there and having a few beers thing, but we'll get to that a bit later in the year. So, but check him out Barefoot Fishing Safaris.