Bag a Barra — 5 August 2022

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.

Well, he's the man when it comes to the Top End, and of course, he's across everything up there. Now, Watty, I know you were out on the big mothership last week, which we couldn't get you because you're on that big, big fishing trip, and did you eat plenty of seafood, mate? Yeah, g'day, mate. Yeah, we have plenty of seafood.

Don't worry about that. Golden Snapper and Barramundi, mug crabs, and we do have a seafood night one night too, where the boys bring some oysters and prawns on as well. So yeah, plenty of seafood. Oh, mate, how good is it?

How did you go? you just catch plenty out there? Because you were off off Arnumland, weren't you? Yeah, that's right.

Yeah, we're in West Arnhamland there, up on sort of on the West side of Coburg Peninsula, and it's a beautiful spot. Um, uh, just to go for a look, but yeah, the fishing is um, consistently good up there uh, and particularly last trip was really quite, uh, was definitely a bit better than lot, than the one before that, just because we, I think we had a bit of a water temperature increase and, and it's um, starting to think about building up uh, into the wet season again now. So, yeah, we, I, I think, you know, the boys are probably, we had groups of 4 on each boat and they, they're boating 30 or 40 barrow each day that we went barrow fishing, so, um, pretty good going in anyone's books. Unbelievable.

Now, I saw through the week on social media, uh, at Dundee Beach, which is a place that we've spoken about here a few times. There was a bloke who had a crocodile under his caravan awning, a little 2.5 metre soldi, mate, what a visitor. That's right. I'm glad he didn't turn up to my caravan. When I had it there for 8 weeks, uh, during runoff, it would have been, um, an interesting thing to step on as I, uh, took me 1st step out in the dark in the morning, but yeah, that was a, that was one I haven't seen. The, the caravan parks is significant distance from the beach too, and you don't often get, uh, crocs even sort of transiting through the area, every now and then there'll be one move from the main rivers, um, up to the north.

There's a, there's a couple of smaller creeks, but they'll stop into the boat ram for a day or 2 and then move on, but I've never seen one come ashore there. I was actually chatting to the caravan park manager the other day and she was laughing at about how they got a few bit of coverage, probably international coverage for the caravan park with that one. Probably a few people might be closing the door and keeping the outside light on on the vans for the next little while, I reckon. Pretty careful if you're up there, if you're sneaking out through the middle of the night, you know what I mean?

Sometimes you've got to get up a couple of times a night, as you know, Watty, after a few days. Yeah, wandering back from the pub, yeah. Pop out into the into the dark and you've got a 2.5 minute saltwater crocodile, just, you know, lying outside your doorstep. Yeah, you might have noticed that he was sitting on a nice bit of faux grass there. I obviously thought that was a comfy little bedroom. Yeah, I saw that.

Now, look, just on crocodiles. I also saw through the week, a lot of people standing at Carl's Crossing. Now, for those of you that want to know about Carl's Crossing, it's a, it's a crossing at Kakadu, which basically can take them up into Arnamley, and we, it's pretty famous for all the crocs that go across the weir there. All these people standing in the water filming them.

Yeah, not really intelligent behaviour. The Kaos Crossing is the, is the eastern boundary of Kakadu National Park, and once you're over it, you, you are in Arnham Land. The Eastern Alligator River. Oh, what is it, about 85 K, so the mouth from the crossing and and it pushes up into the tide, um, or the crossing sort of separates the freshwater and the saltwater, um, sections of the river and there's huge, huge numbers of really big crocodiles there.

I was actually, I'd forgotten about um, just the size and density of those crops until I was there a couple of weeks ago, um, on a guided trip, and the, Fed income within probably a 100, uh, say, probably within 500 metres of the boat ramp, which encompasses that crossing. There's, there probably is like there'd be over 50 crocs that are 3 metres plus. which is really, really unusual, but they do tolerate each other's presence there a lot because there is so much tucker there. The barrel push up over the barrage, each time there's a high tide, and that's what keeps them hanging around, and of course, then people want to take their photo, which, which is a good idea.

Um, but uh, dipping your toes in the water while you're doing it. Not a good idea. mate, I couldn't believe it. I just saw there was a stack of a newest tourists. They weren't like, certainly weren't locals. And it looked like I said, I don't know.

I mean, there was a tourist bus that pulled up there or what the go was. But there were all these people filming with their phones standing there. And what you were telling me off air, that basically just from the edge of that water, she drops down a metre, which a crot could certainly launch itself from easily. Oh, yeah, absolutely. There's um, there's no way I would be that close to the water.

It's a bit of a, it's a funny one. There has been 2 deaths there. Um, uh, in uh, in the last sort of 50 years, um, um, both off the crossing there, uh, fisherman and a tourist. So, um, it might not be too long before there's another tragic death there.

And then there'll be a massive, there'll be a massive outcry about the crocodiles when it was, you've got imbeciles standing there. I mean, look, when you see a crocodile in the wild, it's a big thing. I don't know that. I get it.

I understand it. I was wrapped. I mean, we saw them when we were out with you, you know, or, you know, at, you know, corroborate Billabong, and I saw them in other places on that trip, and we saw a lot of freshies as well. But at the end of the day, if you want to get that close to the, I mean, unless you're Matt Wright with a bit of experience with crocodiles, you wouldn't put yourself at risk standing there on the bank just to film them with all, I just, I was dumbfounded.

I just couldn't believe it. I thought maybe this is a disaster waiting to happen. Well, it really is, and especially when you can sort of stand back a bit and zoom in on them with your phone or whatever anyway these days, but it's an interesting scenario because the park is managed from Canberra, see? So, the issue has arisen because they're building a new viewing platform.

Just, so looking at the photo that you saw on the, on social media, uh, up to your right shoulder. They're building a huge new viewing platform, which will be awesome. But the, you know, the, the comments have been made up here that why, why would you be constructing it, um, you know, on the, I think in, in June, they, June and July, they receive 40,000 individual visitors, uh, per month to the, to the park. So why wouldn't you wait till September, October when it's down to 10,000 and not create that congestion at a viewing area, you know?

So, I mean, if the park was managed locally, that viewing platform probably wouldn't be getting built right now and uh, and there might be less people on there and um, and less of an issue, but, you know, these are the, this is the problem when you have, um, you know, management decisions made down south when they think, oh, we better not do it during wintertime. Um, but it's actually dry season, so, which is the busiest. Oh, look, mate. I mean, how often is that?

Look, I mean, I'm not going to get into it here. I mean, my old mate, Ruthie, you know, used to see his face go purple with some of the decisions that were made by people that are sitting in buildings in the big smoke or, you know, or discussing how people should be, you know, spending their recreational time in the bush, but while they're sitting in a ca-, you know, having a latte in a coffee shop somewhere in town, and making decisions on how other people should live and how they should, you know, what they should be able to do, what they're allowed to go and do, what they're not allowed to go and see. I mean, fit, think. I mean, it's Australia.

We should be able to go and explore the bush and explore, and the people that do it will respect it more than anybody. So, I mean, we've had this discussion before, but it's amazing how many decisions are made by people who are nowhere near where the where the place is. It's just incredible. I just can't believe how dumb we are sometimes, seriously.

Fantastic. I mean, I don't get too every year or controversial, mate, but for God's sake. I mean, at least get it, get up, get up and go and have a look at the place. and talk to locals. You can't, whenever you go anywhere in this country, even if you're just on holidays, you go and talk to locals if you want to know anything.

If you're making decisions and building things and based on what you think, go and talk to the locals, see what they think. Because here's a tip of might get done right the 1st time. What? Yeah, I'm still anybody.

I was just waiting for you to explode. I totally agree. It really annoys me, mate. It really does.

It just, you know, you see tracks where these, you know, tracks close and gates and this and you're not allowed in there and you can't do this. Mate, we can't. I mean, feeding and we're becoming that we can't do anything place here. I mean, and these decisions are made by people who don't get out there themselves.

It's just amazing how that people just try to control everything we try and do, and it always seems to be based around the fact of our recreational time, and when we want to get out and explore and teach our kids about what the country's about, not used to go on here and where you could go and what used to be down there, and it's just amazing. It really gets up me, mate. That's all. Sorry, I don't like to get political here.

I mean, a little bit of consultation goes a long way in things like that. doesn't it? I mean, they go fishing unless you go and talk to a local tackle shop, which I'm about to tell people about, but it's true. You just, if you want to go, you go somewhere.

You, you know, when you go into a caravan park, for instance, you walk into the reception area and to your left or right or somewhere near the counter, there will be a massive board of brochures and information of things to do and see in the area. I mean, and that's because, you know, you're getting that local knowledge. you, you, you, you, this is all right. We go and check that out.

But these people that make these decisions, they don't, you got to go and talk to locals. You find out what's this going to mean? what do you suggest we do here? But anyway, we're not going to go on with it, buddy.

I'll give myself a ulcer, sir. I've got some great news for you too. What a mate of mine down here, you don't really follow the rugby league. I know, up there, but a fellow down here you may have heard of, Josh Morris.

a great football player, rugby league player. He's involved in his cattleman's draft. I'll have to try and get you some, mate. Oh, you got a new deer?

Yeah, right, yeah. I did see you had one of them fellas on one of your social media posts on the other day. Yeah, Josh, if he's evolved, Calliban's draft. you know, it's a mid strength, which I, which, as you know, we only drink that while we're working, but look, I've got to tell you, it's not a bad drop.

What a name. How good is the name, Cattleman's draft? You got to love that, haven't you? Well, yeah. Oh, man.

Okay, okay. Well, I mean, it'll be made to be everywhere. I mean, people would be putting in their fuel tanks. It's cheaper than diesel at the moment.

eh? I love the name. Have they known actually run the two-stroke Yamaha on? Actually, no, it was a two-stroker hat to on a bottle of bourbon when run out of petrol once at Shady Camp back in the good old days.

Got on a bottle of bourbon. That'll do me you in, babe. You might have to tell us that story. You'll have to tell us that story next week.

Yeah I can do that. I'll see if I grab that. I'll get up with the draft up there. They should be selling it to the Northern Territory.

Cattleman's draft. Yeah that's right. What did my drop here? Oh, that's great. It's a great name for a beer. Love it.

I'm not, you know, I mean, you think about some of those, you know, boutique beers that you probably get into. I mean, this is the this is the real deal here. The real deal, KB, pretty boutique. Yeah, exactly mate.

All right. Well, mate, stay away from Kale's Crossing as well as be careful next time you're at Dundee Beach in the caravan parking. You got to get up for the middle of the night. OK, mate?

Yeah, you got to watch out everywhere. You go up here at the moment, don't you? A bit of a worry. Well, it is like that.

Sorry, I got a bit controversial. Just gets annoys me when we got people making decisions on, of our, other people should leave. Get out of our lives, for God's sake. We need one thing, mate.

We don't need people to, most people who travel and explore and get out there and do what we do and have a good time, it gets what they, they have common sense. They can actually think for themselves. We don't need people to think for us all the time, do we? Yeah, well, I mean, the issue is that the decision's been made, and it could impact on a pretty tragic accident, or it could result in a pretty tragic accident through, through the wrong decision making, which, um, you know, might, might lift a few eyebrows.

So we'll see what happens. Hopefully no one gets hurt down there. and I think they are put in some more resources out there for people to keep an eye on uh to see how close people are getting to the end. Oh, mate, it blew me away. I just looked at it.

We've got another month of busy time, so... I've driven across there. Man, I've got to say to you, I couldn't believe it. I could not bel- I mean, there were a few people there that I drove across, but nothing like this.

I mean, I don't know whether a bus pulled up or what happened, but I just saw, mate. Wow, this is good. this could end very badly. eh? Yeah, that's right. There's plenty of people there throughout the day.

All right, mate. We got to fly. find out how you ran that boat on Bourbon next week, okay?