Bag a Barra — 3 July 2020

It's time to head to the Top End and Baga Barra, with Glenn Watty Watts, thanks to Shimano. Remember to buy local and fish local. visit shimanofish.com.au. And Wadi runs a little business up there called Barefoot Fishing Safaris, and I've got to say, he would be one of the happiest blokes in the northern territory at the moment, knowing that on the 17th of this month, the borders are open, all these customers will be back.

Let's find out what he g'day. How you going, duck? Yeah, you're dead right. I'm looking forward to it.

We've already got plenty of bookings coming in since the announcement, so it's gonna be a pretty busy last half of the year, I think. Yep, you got my name down, mate. Mate, I'm not leaving there until I catch something. You might go on the band list with half of my mate, I reckon.

You're going to be joking. Oh, mate, I actually be good because I never catch any whenever I go fishing, mate, I'm hopeless. So it'll be good to get up there. You can actually teach me a few tips and it'll be good.

I never ever caught a barramundi, mate. Never. Yeah, we'll get it done, mate. It's not too tricky about, especially this time of year as that water does start to warm up again, they get a lot more active and they're a bit easier to get a hook into.

Yeah, yeah, how good is that going to be? and we're on our way, mate, and you'd be happy to know that we are doing the show. We're doing a pretty long road trip to get there, and obviously we'll come in a couple of days. We've got a pass to come in a couple of days prior to that 17th. Get ourselves set up, and then we're going to do a series of radio shows, which I'll have you a part of as well, up in the northern territory.

We might even have the odd Great Northern while we're there, mate. Yeah, it's a great plan. You're on a good little trip there, aren't you? Yeah, we're doing the best we can, Watty, with the equipment we have, mate.

I mean that's all you can do. Now, listen, you want to take us fishing at the Adelaide River this week, and that's a great thing because we're actually going to do a program there. Yeah, that's right. So, the area where you plan to do the program from is the township Adelaide River, which is sort of right up the top section of the river, I suppose, in the freshwater reaches, and it's quite a long river.

It starts way up in the station that I used to work in, which is pretty cool for me and it actually flows out to see just east of Darwin. It's actually the closest major river system to Darwin. And, um, yeah, I mean, it is full of Barra, um, Saratoga as well. But also one of the main attractions, um, which is a bit further downstream from the Adelaide township at the, on the Arnham Highway. Bridge there is the jumping crocodiles there.

The only place you can legally feed and encourage wild crocodiles to, to jump out of the water in Australia and um it's, it's definitely a must do for anyone coming to Darwin. I think it's pretty, pretty cheap and affordable and and just, you just get to see the agility of those animals when they, when they want to get something, they can, they can actually move pretty quick. Yeah, it's amazing, isn't it? They just literally jump out of the water.

Yeah, that's right. Like the little sort of the 2.5 metres sort of guys up to that size, they can pretty well get their whole body. They'll get their back legs out of the water as well. uh, and then there's a couple of real monsters there that, when they get a big wind up, they'll, they'll sort of get half their belly out of the water, but that's going to be, you know, 2.5 metres length there and their heads is heads wider than your shoulders.

So, um, yeah, extraordinary to see what they, what they can do and actually the size of them up close like that in a relatively self- safe environment. No, that's good. And we certainly don't want people to think, oh, you know, crocodiles will be scared. You just, wherever you go, and it's not just there in North Queensland.

you'd just be very crock wise. and take your common sense with it, you'll have a great time because, like, the Northern territory is certainly, there's a lot more to the territory than crocodiles, that's for sure. There's plenty to see, plenty to do, beautiful national parks. Plenty of those cruises you can go on in those day, you know, adventures and tours and all those tour guides, just like you, who are, you know, running a fishing charter business, those tour guides. They'd also be rubbing their hands together and really be able to treat people to a real Australian experience up there, weren't they?

Yeah, that's right. I mean, the Adelaide River is a really great one for it because it's so close to town. There's a great boat ramp there. There's a little kiosk attached to the one of the jumping crock bobs.

There's toilets there, and the barrow fishing around that area actually can be pretty tough, um, throughout the year, during runoff can be really good, but it's, the upstream sort of side of that is a great place for families just to go for a cruise up. There's big overhanging gum trees and and you can chuck their yabby nets out and catch a feed cherubin and red claw up there pretty easily as well as then use them for a live bait for a bar and have a pretty relaxing day and then it's only a, it's less than an hour drive back to Darwin, you know. So it's a really good spot. You've took me into it.

on my way. That's all I can say. I bet you're getting excited, mate. I reckon you're gonna, mate, you're not gonna believe it.

Duck. I've had to go to sea for 3 months. I'm not going to see you. Yeah, well, I might be... I've just stepped outside of me, mate's boiler making shed here, we're actually sort of halfway through building this new boat of mine, so I might have to find the next couple of days in the shed hiding away from you if you start calling too much trouble.

No, mate, I reckon, but anyway, I think we'll be right, mate. I'm looking forward to it, actually. Be great to sit down and blow the froth off a couple with you mate, when I get there. Yeah, that's right.

I might even get you swinging off a welder if we've still got a bit to do here. You can moon. Oh yeah, yeah. Hey, listen, that ain't call me Mario. I don't know.

What's his good Italian name? Oh mate, if you want spaghetti worlds, get me on the job. Is that what they call them? What do they call those worlds?

Bloke's got no idea. Spaghetti Worlds or something? We'll put that down under the deck where no one sees it then, will we? Oh, yeah.

I would be putting it down under anything. got to go in water. It'll be leaking for sure. I mean, fair, Neakum.

an imbecile. They call them spaghetti wells, don't they? Anyway. Anyway, I'll say Mario Aindredi.

Mario I know, so there you go. Actually, I do, actually, I know another Mario, actually, wears a salmon shirt every time I see him. one day. What's with this pink shirt, Mario?

He said, it's not pink at salmon. . Good stuff, mate. They don't want me anywhere in your welder.

eh? No, that's right. I'm just going to say, they'll check your bag of clothes at the border, into the territory, make sure you haven't got salmon shirts. You not allowed to wear that sort of stuff up here.

Mate, you know me, son. I'm travelling with blue singlets. Don't worry about that I might get one made up for you and get it sent up there.

got to get some shirts set up. get you one. All right. You're a good man, Watty.

I look forward to seeing you when I get up there, but we'll talk before then to anyone on the radio. Yeah, mate, look forward to it very much. Okay, mate. Very good.

Thanks, mate. There he is. Glenn, what do you want? And if you want to check him out, you can just go to his website, barefootfishingsafaris.com.au or check him out on Facebook.

Barefoot Fishing Safaris.