Bag a Barra — 17 December 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 shimanofish.com.au.

And, of course, our man, Glenn Watty, what is the fishing guru up there in the Top End and is the owner operator of Barefoot Fishing Safaris, and you can check him out on Facebook as well as the website. But we normally talk to Watty about the fishing spots that, you know, what's biting and what isn't up there in the Top End and in the northern territory in general, but this week he's back home on the farm for Christmas and he's down there doing his best. What do you g'day? Yeah, g'day, Doc.

How are you? I'm going all right, mate. Well, how's the culture shock and the climate change? Yeah, that's right.

Yeah, I mean, we left, well, probably 900% humidity in Darwin and back down to sort of 4 seasons in the day in Victoria, but it is beautiful to get back down and play around on the farm again. Yeah, absolutely. You mentioned through that, through the week before you left, that you were welding, you've been doing some maintenance up there. You started welding in the dark in the morning before it got too hot, is that right?

Yeah, that's right, yeah. I had to get a little bit done before we got moving. So yeah, I try and get going before the heat and um, yeah, welding in the, in the cool of the day is a lot better than in the heat of the day, of course. So, got that all done.

The dongas are up and on their stumps, and, you know, at the start of the north big shed for us, then, uh, yeah, really good, uh, please, that that project will come together. You got to be happy with that. Just on that, mate. The people up in the northern territory and in Darwin in particular, they change their, their working hours or business hours in light of the, the, uh, wet season and the, and the heat and the humidity. No, not so much.

Generally, most people getting going pretty early anyway. So, um, yeah, and school starts earlier up here and finishes early than it does down south or up there, that does down south too. So they, um, like our kids knock off at uh, 20 past 2 in Darwin. Yeah, so and that's all geared around that, I suppose.

yeah fair I remember when I had to pull into a mechanic shop up there and he had these big fans all around the walls everywhere for, you reckons they run flat out during the, during the summer period. Now, mate, you're down on the farm, back home for, um, in Victoria for Christmas, mate.

What do you install for? There is, your old man got you to work yet or what? Well, I think we might, we might have done, um, had a bit of luck this year. I don't think there's a hell of a lot lined up just yet. I know we've got a couple of mobs of truck out at some stages, that doesn't take too long, and um, no, we've been eyeing off the abbey dams and uh, and we, we live right close to Rockland's Reservoir in West Victoria.

So, um, there's some, there's some cod and yellow belly and Estry Perch starting to bite in there after they've been stocking it very heavily for the last few years. So, yeah, we'll fire up Tinny and get out in amongst them pretty soon, I think. Yeah, you love it, don't mate, mate?

It's all about fishing for you no matter where you are. And what happens, mate? So over the next week and then obviously we've got Christmas next week where you get a big family, all the family turn up. Is she a big turnout or what's going on there?

Yeah, yeah, that's right. It is it's generally a pretty big one at our joint every 2nd year. Um, the, uh, younger brother, d- Uncle D Man's coming back from Scotland this year, which is, um, which is good, and then, yeah, we'll have pretty big Christmas day, and then, um, yeah, 27th is always a big day at our place too, we'll have a pig on a spit, and all the neighbours and cousins and everything will come around, and, and that's sort of a big, big day of backyard cricket and watching the test and all that sort of stuff. So yeah, really look forward to that every year.

Yeah, life on the farm at Christmas time sounds all right, mate. I remember when you told me about a New Year's Eve yet on the Nullah, but we might revisit that next week and... Anyway. But yeah, no, it must be good, mate.

You catch up with your family and everything. Do they ever pop up to Darwin to see you during the year or during the wintertime? Yeah, definitely they do. Not so much the last couple of years, of course, but yeah, they'll come up 2 or 3 times a year, the old fella always comes up for a week long fishing trip usually in May.

So that's a good time, but yeah, they're up and down, and of course, now that we've got the um sort of uh spare rooms, you know, getting set up at home there, we'll um we'll be able to house a few visitors pretty easily going forward, so, yeah, it could be great. Hang on, hang on. So what I'm back in from the street, am I? Oh, well, you got your own room, haven't you?

So yeah, you'll be full out there on the ducks camp site there. Yeah, how good will that be, mate? Fantastic. That'll be that good for you, but it'll be good for me.

But, mate, I noticed just on what's happening back home for you up there in Darwin. I think I noticed that there's been a couple of people, I saw somebody jagged another fish this week. Is that right? a lot of those 10 green tags?

Yeah, I think you're right. I haven't been following you a hell of a lot. I've been trying not to die from all that welding I was doing, but yeah, no, I think you're right. There has been a flurry of it in the last couple of weeks, so, um, yeah, great Christmas presents for those guys, for sure, 10 grand.

It's a great promotion, isn't it? the $1000000 fishes. How long's it been going for now? It's been what?

A fair few years. I can remember talking about years ago. Yeah, yeah. This is its 6 season, I think, this year.

So, yeah, it's run by NT major events now, and um, yeah, they've, they've tweaked a few things, and sure, Cena dropped those bar in the, in the harbour there a couple of weeks ago, and they're the ones that everyone's been captured recently. So yeah, it's all going to plan for them, I think. Yeah, absolutely. So you've had a couple caught down in the Daly, but a few in the harbour, so I guess it's just, they're just all over the place.

Yeah, they do spread them all around. They, uh, they don't tell you where they are, of course, but uh, they're spread right throughout their popular fishing areas is is sort of what they say. So yeah, they're definitely, they're definitely sort of anywhere. Most people would be likely to go.

Oh, well, mate, then going in, and what you say. Like we've mentioned here in the past, there's been some people just drop a handline in and grab one. I mean, they're out there. So if you're up there, listening to us on Kicks Country radio, well, through the karma network, go and throw a lining, you might just get yourself a Christmas bonus. And just while you're there, just sneak around past Watty's place and see if he left anything in that VB, Keegan, just, you know, keep an eye on his place for him while he's down south.

Did you leave anything in there? Did you leave anything in that keg or? Yeah, I did, yeah. Just the, one to quench the 1st when you're in the workshop, so I'd better one ration it a little bit, but yeah, no, it'll still be there.

Fair enough, mate. All right, mate. Well, it's great that you're back home and obviously, just catching up with your family and cousins and mates and all that and enjoying a little bit of cooler temperature too, which I'm sure you're appreciating. I know you love it up there, but just that different temperature will probably give you a bit of a break.

So you'd be loving all that and getting into those yabbies and all that stuff you're going to do, mate. So I should be good with what we'll do next week. We'll catch up and we'll see how you are spending it down there if you're around. Yeah, absolutely.

We'll be around and yeah, we might be able to do a lot. Oh, you there, Watty? Oh, what, he's disappeared. Anyway, we'll, um, we'll let body go right there at that.

He's just dropped off there. He's probably fallen off the tinny down there at his at his farm or his or his home farm and there with his family and how good is it? We catch up with him next week. Just a reminder though, you can check him out on Facebook as well as on the website, Barefoot Fishing Safaris.com.au, or go to that Facebook page, Barefoot Fishing Safaris, and there goes Watty.

And you certainly will get plenty of information there and very educational stuff as well, as he has a well-earned breakdown on the farm, where the phone's not working that well, but we will catch up with Watty next week.