Bag a Barra — 19 June 2020

It's time to head to the Top End and Bag a Barra. With Glenn Watty Watts, thanks to Shimano. Remember to buy local and fish local. visit shimanofish.com.au. And every week, we head to the Top End to find out where the borough are abiding with our man, Glenn Watty Wattsy, is the man.

Don't forget, you can check him out as well, Barefoot Fishing Safaris. He's on the line. I've got some very good news for you. Is that right, mate?

Tell me all about it. I'm heading your way, son. Oh, shit. I thought you said it was good news.

Yeah, no, it is good news. It's very good news for you. It's very good news. You know, over the next, you know, 2 months, it will be very good news for the drinking establishments up there in the northern territory as well.

Yeah, that's right. Perhaps I'm just on my way back from a little fishing job this morning. Perhaps I'll call into the pubs and let them know. The duck, the travelling duck road shows on the, on their way, eh? are you coming up?

I'm coming up, mate. That's right. We're just working on our paperwork now and we're actually going up there for northern territory tourism, mate. So I certainly do look forward to that.

And it's going to be an absolute cracking time and we're just going to try and tell people all about how good it is in the northern territory and apart from that body, I get to tell people about the trips, you know, the trip on the way and on the way back. Because, mate, even getting, okay, it's the jewel of the crown, but you're still going to be travelling through, you know, great parts of South Australia, or WA, depending on where you're coming from. But obviously we're targeting the people down south to get up and get out of the out of the cold. So why do you hope you're hospitable? Oh, yeah, well, we're we're keen to welcome everyone with open arms up here too, Duck, and these guys that I've got on the boat with me today,

They're up from Alice and they're they're the same. They're keen to get all the tourists back and get all our events happening and things like that and try and finish off the year strong. So, we had a beautiful morning on the Corrobory Billabong this morning, caught a few fish, and yeah, we just slid a couple over the timber at the Corrobory Tavern, we're on our way back to the next pub now. How good is it?

Well, that's one of the places where we'll be broadcasting from, I think, which will be out there at corroborate Billabong at the pub, which will be fantastic and might need your help to line that up too, mate. But we'll do a show out there. But also, you can tell the boys from Alice. We will be doing that as well.

We're planning on doing a complete trip of the northern territory, all the good places, and some of the places that people may not have thought of, and we'll be taking the show on the road as well as doing some other radio work. And obviously it'll be all up around your region, but including places like, um, they had the transport hall of fame in, in analysts and all those other, you know, iconic places that we can get to. So we look forward to doing that. And you might be able to introduce me to those blokes too, but they might want to look after you while I'm there.

Yeah, that's right. Well, they might want to avoid you too, mate, depending on how much I tell them about you. Yeah, no, fair enough. Thanks for your support, Watty. Mate, how'd you go?

So, how'd you go out there this morning, mate? Fishing out of the billabong. you getting any? Yeah, we did. We actually had a bit of a late start this morning.

We didn't pick up in town till 6.30, so we're a bit later on the water than we normally are, but there was some good activity early and it dropped off after about 10 o'clock, sort of as per hour predicted bite times for the day, but, um, yeah, we, I think we ended up boating 3 Saratoga, good size, and probably dropped, Yeah, like numerous others as well as some barra and um, you know, the thing about the billabong system out there is that it's not just about the fish. It's, it's, you know, it's equally as spectacular with the, the scenery in. all the bird life and stuff that you see as well as just being back out on the water again, mate, you know, like a lot of us have had a lot of time off the water in the last couple of months and it's just a beautiful feeling.

Actually, just playing around with one of my new video cameras today. So I'll put some footage up of, of one of my favourite places to go fishing on the Facebook page later on today. Yeah, you go there a little bit, don't you, that corroborate willabong, and you actually, when I spoke to you on the phone, you were saying, make sure that you go there, you're trying to encourage me to get there, and saying we should be there, because how far from Darwin is that? Not that far.

No, it's not that far. Like, it's a cruise hour and a half tow on the boat, so it's where we tend to take all of our um sort of one day tours, for, particularly for the people who've never been to Darwin before. It sort of gives you the whole experience in one day and, and of course, if we can fit in um, a beer over the wood at a couple of these sort of iconic territory pubs at the end of it or on the way home, it really is a, is a good day for people. Yeah, absolutely.

Is it camping there, corroborate? You can camp there, mate. Yep. And you can also camp at the Corrobory Tavern.

They've got some on-site a donga rooms there as well as just powered sites, a beautiful swimming pool there, and the meals are really well put together, and and um, you know, it was pretty hard to walk past the Bay Marie with their fresh steak burgers in there just before, but um, perhaps I'll wait for a salad sandwich when I get home. Yeah. Fair enough. Well, mate, you might have to book me in, son.

I reckon that's where I could be heading. I reckon I'll just go straight there. It sounds like that's the plan. Yeah, you'd probably fit in pretty well out there, mate.

All the rough ones end up. Oh, thanks, mate. Yeah, no, I've read it, like I said, I appreciate the support. Okay, so look, so you look, obviously, we're heading up there to get a bit of a jump on the push to travel Australia and all that and by road with all the international borders closed, and I'm tipping that they won't open.

I'd be lucky if the international borders open this year. In fact, I highly doubt it until we gave a vaccine for this virus. So, there is a push and that's what our plan is, is because obviously the borders, restrictions will ease and then all of a sudden everybody will want everybody to come to town. So, mate, there'll be a stack of places that we can talk about up there.

We try to do it anyway, but once I get there, mate, that'll be the plan and we'll try and encourage as many people to get up there. Are you are you gearing yourself up? What are you expecting a bit of extra business? Once those borders are lifted? those restrictions are lifted?

Yeah, absolutely. I'm sort of expecting the floodgates to open a little bit. I've got inquiries coming through at the moment for September and October, um from guys um who are just champion at the bit to get get out of the cool weather, you know, and up up here and into a bit of fishing and and a bit of sunshine to charge the batteries up, and yeah, like I say, I can't wait for everyone to get back up here. The last 3 months have been really tough on us all, but, um, so yeah, we're, we're keen to get back out just as much as anyone else.

Yeah, you would be. and it was supposed it was supposed to be 6 months. So we were lucky to get it, you know, to where we are, I guess, it won't be far off though. I guess it'll be what, 4.5 months by the time borders open. I'm tipping it.

It's still a fair while, isn't it, really? Yeah, that's right. I think Australia's done a spectacular job getting it under control and particularly big pat on the back to the territorians too. You know, usually we're told, told to do one thing by authorities and we go and do the absolute opposite, but this time everyone really realises it's important and and we've got the job done and I think the country as a whole is going to reap the benefits of sort of taking it seriously and doing the right thing.

So, as long as we can um continue to do that, we, there should be no problem sort of holiday and within Australia for at least the rest of the year and, and why wouldn't you? There's a lot of spectacular places to go within our own country. Yeah, no absolutely. and you are right.

I mean, we have behaved ourselves. Um, in regards to that. I mean, okay, there's been a few protests around the place, which has probably been a, you know, I've got nothing against people wanting to protest, but geez, during the pandemic, it becomes a bit selfish. I mean, I love going to the pubs and staying at the Barbie mates too, and doing things that I've had not been able to do.

Um, and that was, you know, we don't need that sort of stuff at the moment because we've only got to get another wave of this thing and we're right back where we started. We don't want that because like you say, you got businesses like yours that survive off tourists and others and we don't need that. As a whole, you are right. We've done we've done the right thing.

We've done well. In fact, we're very, very lucky we're in Ireland, mate. and as a nation. So, all very good.

So, mate, the plan is now you've been to the Billabong, uh, the, the pub there at the Corrobory Billabong. Where are you headed now? Yeah, so we've got another what, 4 pubs to drive past before I can get... town, so I'll see if I can get home before dark, mate.

We'll see how it goes. Ah, very, very good. All right, mate. Well, I'll keep in touch with you.

And we'll have a chat. Obviously, we'll chat next week, but then over the next few weeks, and we'll give people more details on it once we have them, and what I say, we're still sorting out paperwork here, but once we get up there mate, it'll be good to catch up with you. Yeah, I'll look forward to it immensely. And just make sure that beer truck's got plenty on it, will you?

Yeah, you might have to tow your own mate. Bring your own road train up. Yeah, exactly. All right, you probably, you probably will need to because I don't think we sell that bloody 2 of his new stuff up here.

No, you're feeding them no dramas. What about those days, I mean, those emu exports. I don't mind. You got the Great Northern there anyway.

Nothing wrong with that. You can get a box of bush chooks if you look hard, but yep, she's all about the great order, mate. Yeah, no, well, I'll be into the great. don't mind.

She could drop that great northern. I'll be into them, so don't worry. So make sure there's a few. mate, I'm talking about the heavy stuff too, not that mid stuff that you drink.

Yeah, yeah, right. What did you tell me once? You drink mid-strength up there and while you're working and you get on the heavies after that? Yeah, you do, you do mid strengths until you finish your jobs and then full strengths to finish yourself. Good stuff, mate.

And on that note, we'll talk to you next week, Watty. I know, mate. Good on you. And that was our man.

Watty from Barefoot Fishing Safaris.