Bag a Barra — 15 October 2021

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 Shamanofish.com.au.

Barefoot Fishing Safaris. That's what you get onto if you want to go fishing in the Top End. You can just check out the Facebook page, Barefoot Fishing Safaris or go to the website, barefootfishing safaris.com.au. He is the best in the business when it comes to guiding you around the Top End to catch that elusive barrow or whatever it is.

You certainly catch a hangover with him. hes on the line. What do you g'day? Okay, duck, how are you?

I'm going, all right, mate. Let it be all right, with it? You catch a hangover? Pretty right.

I was actually, yeah, I'm just working on one tomorrow, right? Working on a hangover. Yeah, that's right. Second towards one.

Yeah, no, fair enough, mate. That's all right. Mate, how are they biting up there, mate? You was telling me you went out on a river the other day through the week and how did you go?

Where was that at? Yeah, that's right. So the just river down near Dundee there, he's one of my favourite spots. It's where I really sort of cut my teeth guiding up here, I suppose, and um, it's a, it's probably an interesting one, I guess, from uh, if you haven't been here before, because it's, it's one of the only rivers you can't get to um, via a boat ramp, um, sort of upstream. You have to get up into the river from the ocean side. So we launched the boat at Dundee Beach and drive 20 odd Ks down the beach to the south and then up inside the river there.

And uh, yeah, there's plenty of plenty of bar in there and plenty of dewies at times. We were chasing Barra the other day and we actually got scunning a little bit, thanks to some overnight rain, which dirtied the water up. We only got a couple. They're good ones.

One of the boys got a 99, just shy of the magic metre and one of my boys got an 80s. So, I reckon around about now, this weekend, these, um, there'll be plenty of people out there getting into some fish over the nice, neat tides, which is the key for that river at this year. Mate, how often have you caught a one metre barrel? How many have you caught?

Uh, we catch a reasonable amount, I suppose. Oh, probably average half a dozen a year. Um, like clients do, uh, and I try and get myself one a year if I can get a chance to um take some time off on sort of some favourite tides and that, but, yeah, I mean, it sort of sounds easy when you say it like that. But, um, you know, there's plenty of people that have been beneficient for 20 years and haven't caught one yet.

But then there's guys who catch one on the very 1st of course. So, yeah, it's um, there's a lot of luck involved in the big fish game, but um, you can sort of sway it your way if you do, if you really target them in specific ways, I suppose. Well, you see people who catch them, get very, very excited. I mean, I was excited just to catch A Barramundi.

I mean, but to catch that metre, Barrow, like you say, I mean, if you're talking 6 a year that you go fishing nearly every day, um, I mean, they're obviously not as easy to get as you may think. No, that's right. It really, the key times for them really is throughout runoff time, that March, April, May, and then again, uh, from sort of end of September, through until it starts really raining too much in December, and uh, I mean, even though they're pretty big chunks of, of the year, they really, you know, certain areas, say, the finish are probably only fish well for them for 3 days, a fortnight sort of thing at the moment, just because of the tides and the water clarity and, and the wind and everything's got to line up, and, and if it doesn't, like, it didn't quite for us the other day, you, you get a really small window and uh, and you don't get much of a chance at them, um, that particular day.

So yeah, there's, there's, there's limited opportunities, but they're, they're certainly out there right throughout the year. Yeah, you got to be happy with that, eh? I mean, I've seen some of the boys on TV like Chase Andrews and my mate Sean Wild catch them and they just say stoked and happy to get that metre. barra, mate. You mentioned you've had a bit of rain.

How is the weather up the Top End, mate? you'd be definitely on the turn now, wouldn't it? Sure is. Bye, sort of.

We're actually pretty consistently getting our afternoon storms now, um, sort of every 2nd or 3rd day at least, and um, that's keeping everything or getting everything nice and green, which is really nice. But yeah, it does make any outdoor activity, very hot and steamy after about 9 o'clock in the morning. Oh, I can imagine. Some of the water holes still open that you can swim in, some of the swimming holes or are they closed now?

Yeah, no, all still open at the moment. We actually went to Berry Springs last weekend ourselves. Had a great time there. Yeah, Goodsbury Springs.

I loved it there. I mean, how good is Berry Springs? Yeah. Beautiful. That's not too far from your place, is it?

No, we get there in half an hour, from our place now, and even in the city, from the city, it's still only 45 minutes, and it's so close, and it's just, it's, there's a huge big rainforest sort of area that you can set up a little picnic, and you're not on top of each other, barbeques all through the joint, and, you know, plenty of people stay down there all day, and, you know, go down for breakfast, lunch, and come, come back home for dinner, or markets at markets for dinner. There was some, there was some of the um, the islander boys down there on the weekend, just gone. Uh, they'd have the day off from uh, picking mangos, some of these um, bellas they've flown in from overseas and they, they were doing some traditional dancing down there on, on the edge of the water, which is pretty, pretty entertaining for everyone. They can uh, they can, yeah, learn, they know how to party those fellas, that's for sure.

Did you join in? I mean, you would have better skin for by then. I mean were you up dancing with them or not? No, let's be I let the professionals look after that sort of stuff.

I'd look like a, you know, a disabled giraffe running around up there. I've got to tell you, I reckon that was one of the best places I think I've ever swam is Berry Springs. It was just, it's just beautiful and the water is just so, it's, everything about it is just fantastic, the way all the, the plant life meets the water edge and it's deep. It's pretty deep the minute you jump in.

There's no touch on the sides. But that's great, easy access as well with, you know, I mean, they've done a great job up there, you know, allowing safe access to the water. And I mean, like with steps and the way they slope the, you know, the little slope, the way they've sloped the concrete down to get in easy and handrails and the like. But you are right.

I mean, then you got all those tables and those picnic tables all scattered through that, that, that bush area. It's, oh man, it's fantastic. Oh, great spot. And like you say, half an hour from your joint, you've got to be happy with that.

It's really, really good. And considering we're right at the end of the dry season now, well, we're actually into the buildup, um, and it's still flowing really well there, it's all, you know, the water's beautiful, fresh and crystal clear. The kids love going there. We take the goggles and mask and snorkel.

You can dive down, see some turtles, yobbies, those go Anna, swimming around with us the other day, we're climbing up the rock, jumping off the rock and Joanna sitting down there watching us and yeah, it just, it really is just immersed in the nature and it's, um, it, uh, yeah, it is a really special place actually. Yeah, beautiful. I loved it there. We actually went there a few times when we were up there last year.

Went there the 1st time. I said, we've got to come back here. I think we went 2 or 3 times because it wasn't far from where we were staying. So we just drive down there and spend the afternoon and like we say, you got all those tables and that set out, that layout there, and a huge car park, too. So, you say, like, you can, you can understand why plenty of people get down there and spend a day because it's quite easy to do it.

And so if there's not much else to do and it's getting pretty warm, why wouldn't you be there? So that water running through there, those little waterfalls, just beautiful. Great spot, mate. All right, Watty, we'll leave you with all that.

And um, what about the uh, before I let you go, you're not 10,000 richer or a 1000000 richer this week, are you? Uh, not yet. I looked at the phone if I was. I'd be still celebrating, but I'm planning on getting that sorted pretty shortly, I reckon.

Yeah, absolutely. All right, mate. The line's a bit dodgy. We'll let you go.

We'll have a chat to you next week. Hey, mate. Good on you, mate. No worries.

There he is. And of course, is Glenn Watt. can check him out. Barefoot Fishing Safaris.

Go to the Facebook page or go to that website, Barefoot Fishing Safaris.com.au, just on Berry Springs. If you're heading to the Top End. There's a stack of watering holes that you can swimming holes and some beautiful places all the way up from, you know, the minute you leave Daly Waters pub and you start heading north, you'll trip over them and then you get up around that Top End, you know, Litchfield and the like, and some of those, you know, thermal baths and the locks, just fantastic. For me, Berry Springs was a favourite.

It was an absolute standout, beautiful, and I can see why Watty heads there, and um, mate, no worries. It's a great spot. If you ever get there or if you've been there. Let me know what you, give me your thoughts on it, you know, because it's just, it was, for me, it was an absolute highlight and not far out of the big smoke either.

So for people living in Darwin, like you said, if you ride up in the CBD or closer to it, she's 45 minutes and you're there and it's just amazing. Just one of the many, many places that the northern territory and in particular, the Top End has on offer. But if you're going up there, you need to go out and try and catch a barramundi, and there is no better mean to do that with the my mate, Watty, barefootfishingsafaris.com.au. That's the website.

He is the best in the business. I know there's a stack of guides up there, and what he doesn't like to take all the praise, but we, you know, as far as we're concerned. He is our mean, and that's where anyone who goes up there, I steer him onto him, that is for sure. And we had a great day when we went out and spent a good quality time with him up there as well.

Barefoot Fishing Safaris.com.au.