Bag a Barra — 18 December 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 Shamanofish.com.au.

Well, I reckon this bloke, our next guest, Watty, has sent a bit of his weather out way. I mean, down here where I am, and I mean, there's been massive weather events all over the place. I mean, anyone see the footage of Byron Bay through the week in Northern New South Wales. They're copying an absolute hammering has been flooding up there around the Tweed, and certainly, it wouldn't be somewhere in Australia unless there's floods or bushfires or something happening somewhere, but where I live out here in the Hawkesbury.

It's been fairly, fairly humid. We've had storms rolling in of an afternoon. Uh, it's been steaming at nighttime. unbelievable. What?

Now I know what you've been going through, son. Yeah, that's right. You might be getting a little taste of the Top End weather. I don't think it's as humid as up there, but we've certainly been getting it and I think just about every day there's storms, which is, I guess that's just the way it is.

I mean, it's a bit like the old days where you had the real hot days and warmed up and then she had all cooled off with a storm, but even a couple of nights through the week, even once the storms had come through, so it was still fairly humid. But anyway, it's all part of it and we love it. It doesn't matter what it's doing because we try to do our best just to enjoy what we're up to anyway. Mate, how's your week being, mate?

You've been out fishing in court? Nothing. That's a bit of a surprise. Yeah, well, it happens this time of year.

I just wanted to take the boat out for the new boat out for a fish for meself. Um before I headed south and everyone asked me about it and I had no answer. So, yeah, I did this go out for a quick fish with a mate and his old man there yesterday. Um, and we sort of run into some problems that, that like a lot of people that are going fishing up here at this time of year, we'll find the same where, normally, um, you know, this time of year, we're sort of looking for that warmer water as things or, um, start to warm up and the, and the seasons change.

But what can happen right now is that because we're getting a lot of rain overnight. Um you end up with cold water on a high tide. Um, even though uh, we're so cold, it'll still be 30, 31 degrees. But cold for, cold relatively speaking, and then it's not until the tide falls out and then comes back in again that it'll warm up as the, as the um water comes back over those warm mud banks, you know, but, so we're waiting for the warm water to come back in over the mud banks for the, um, incoming tide and then the biggest monsoonal stall, just absolutely smashed us and uh, we would have had 1000000 in the boat.

um in probably 20 minutes and and that sort of ruined the fishing because it put all the dirty water down into the water and cools the water and, you know, we sort of, oh, well, we might as well head home from there. What do you mean, home? But you'll just head home. Well, we were, we were, we were in Bynoe Harbour.

you know, one of my favourite spots and and yeah, like we sort of happened to wait for the for the tide to come in at the boat ramp as well. So, we sort of, you know, dragged our tail back down towards the boat ramp there, and I guess we're sort of filling in a bit of time, just drying out in the sun, and thought, oh, well, we may as well have a flicky ride at the boat ramp while we wait for the water to come back in, and bugging me dead, we caught a bar of Monday within 20 metres of the boat ramp. We hadn't caught one all day. I just can't believe the statement that you just made about just heading home.

I mean, you would have went home the long way by about 2 or 3 different pubs. I mean, you know, you're talking to me. Well, yeah, we, you know, there is a couple of good ones out there that you're supposed to stop into each time, just a checkpoint, you know? So, um, we did that and it was good, but yeah, we're just, I'm just busily getting, getting ready to head down to Victoria for 3 weeks over Christmas, which is exciting as well.

Go down and cut the red fin in the cod and some yabbies, hopefully. Yeah, that'll be all right. Yeah, mate, well, you talk about that 100 mil. I mean, how does everyone handle that?

I guess the locals are used to it. And I mean, because look, it's a fantastic place, Darwin. I mean, the whole territory's brilliant. I love it.

But up there in Darwin, it's, I mean, you got all those restaurants and bars and, you know, you got that that swimming place there next to the wave pool with all those bars, bars alongside the park and stuff. I mean, do people just get out and stand in it or, you know, cool off in the rain as well? I mean, when it's pouring. I mean, you know, you got people that run for shelter, but plenty of people just going, oh, thank God for this and just cool off and stand in it.

Yeah, absolutely. I mean, that's one of the things that you know. Once you sort of been around the Top End for long enough, you, you start, you stop worrying about having squelchy songs when you walk into the shops and you don't run in the rain and, um, you know, everyone's just walking around with wet hair and wet shirts and stuff because there's no point trying to run through it. It's, you know, you, you almost got to push your way through it, so you don't get wet, but, yeah, I don't think I haven't been outside in heavier rain than, than what we were in yesterday in, in, you know, a long time in, in my memory.

Actually, it was, it was a monster, but, uh, yeah, it was isolated, though. You know, we didn't get a hell of a lot here at my place, um, only 30 or 40 mil, but it was, um, yeah, it's that time of year, and we've got a monsoon coming down on us now, so, you know, we should have a wet week ahead, which is really exciting for everyone. Yeah, absolutely. there are many tourists about.

What's the story there? Are they thinned right out now? Oh, yeah, I think, like, there's a few around just those that have come up to do their Christmas time up here, but essentially now, most of the, um, I guess the touristy sort of activities do wind down for, for particularly a couple of weeks over Christmas, but, um, yeah, I mean, it's, it's, um, it's a time of year when it does get a bit uncomfortable up here, so a lot of people go and sort of turns to a bit of a ghost town through this time of year. So, um, you know, we'll head down south and do a bit of water scan and you'll be in down home, which is something I'm really looking forward to. Yeah, sounds fantastic, mate.

that the caravan parks and all that are thinned out and and the like and many people sort of escaping that humidity and heat. Although, there's plenty of people who head up there for Christmas, as you say, so it's, it certainly is a, um, a very, it's a great place to be. I love it up there, mate. So you'll go down to the farm, the family farm, 3 weeks down there and um, and just, you know, do a bit of fishing and a little bit of coming and all that and, and kickback with some family, which will be good.

Yeah, that's right. Yeah, the old man no doubt's got a few lambs lined up for me to crutch and send off to market and all these sorts of things that he sort of remembers he has to do at the last minute as soon as I turn up. Yeah, of course. Yeah, but you know, it's an opportunity for me to sort of show our kids the life we grow up with, which I think is really important, you know, that sort of living on the land and that sort of stuff.

So, yeah, we're very excited to take the kids back every 2nd year we get back there for Christmas Day. Well, we might try and check in with you next week and over the next few weeks and see how all that's going for you. Yeah, absolutely. Yep.

Happy to share. Yeah, all right. All right, mate. Will you enjoy?

We're doing a special Christmas program next week and we'll see if we can't jag you for that one as well, eh? Beautiful. won't be a problem. We'll have some I just picked up some fresh northern territory tiger prawns to take down with us as well as we've got some barramundi fillets and some the lioness is getting the chilli buffalo sausages, the savo from the butchers, so we'll be pretty popular down that lake.

Oh, mate, the tiger prawns sound all right. All right, I'm going to let you go on that, mate. No worries, mate. Good on you.

Good on you, mate. There he is, Glenn Watty Watts. Don't forget if you are heading to the territory in any particular Darwin next year. You can't go up there without going fishing and trying to grab that elusive Barramundi.

Make sure you go out with the best in the business and that is, of course, our man. Glenn Watty Watt, who is the owner operator of Barefoot Fishing Safaris. You can follow him on Facebook as well. Just look for Barefoot Fishing Safaris on Facebook or check out his website, Barefoot Fishing Safaris.com.au.