Bag a Barra — 14 October 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 shimanofish.com.au.

Well, the great manch back. He's up there in the Top End. He's been out fishing all over the place, Watty, and he's had a very big season and it's coming to an end as the rain starts hitting the Top End. And of course, the $1000000 fish is back on as well.

And it doesn't seem that long ago it ended, but we'll find out all about that. And he is on the line from up there somewhere. Watty, g'day. How are you, doc? Mate, I'm going good.

Great that you've had a fairly big, great that you've had a fantastic season this year in light of some, you know, different times with COVID and everything, but everything seems back to normal when it comes to fishing tours and trips. You've got plenty, you've had plenty happening. Yeah, that's right. It has been a huge year up here.

The biggest problem's been actually turning people away, unfortunately, this year, we just haven't had the sort of bandwidth to get everyone out that was that was looking for trips. Um, it would have kept everyone busy and uh, it'll continue through until the end of uh, end of November, I suppose, um, uh, before it gets sort of 22 wet and flooded up here. Um, interestingly enough, seems like um, this time of year, normally the Top End is the weirdest place in Australia, but we're definitely not at the moment, um, feeling, feeling, so everyone down there, you can send as much of that rain up from down south as you want up the top of you, have started getting it, but um, we could always do some, with some more. Well, you get plenty up there and it's all coming your way.

But yeah, you're right. We have had a stack of rain. out here, down in the southern parts of the country, and I know just in my own travels, especially out in the outback and around birds or on Broken Hill, and different places where I've been this year, and how green it is, and the ponds of water about the place and the bird life, and the plant life. The whole outback has just come to life, but many country and regional parts of the country as well, including up around Northwestern New South Wales, just water everywhere, and it just seems to be an abundance of rain at the moment, but uh, mate, it'd be building up your neck of the woods, wouldn't it?

Yeah, absolutely. We seem to be getting sort of in every 2nd day, storm. At our place there half an hour out of Darwin there now. Yesterday's was about 20 odd mil in sort of half an hour, one of those good solid downpours and um, yeah, I mean, if it continues like that, we're in for a really good season.

They're forecasting us an early monsoon this year. So, um, sometime before Christmas, and that's just, um, you know, that's, that's absolutely key to get those floodplains full on the recruitment of Barra and all the other critters really happening and um, and set us up for another really good fishing year for, for next year. Yeah, she is great, mate. Now, the $1000000 fish.

back. Yeah, it is back. It started there at the end of September, so I've been going for a couple of weeks now and there's been 2 fish caught already. Uh so that's good.

One of them was Hardy's lagoon and I can't remember the other one. Um, but yeah, just some regular local spots where sort of everyone can access and um, and some good, good sized fish too, so you get a good feed and 10 grand out of them. How good is it? $10 for you. But yeah.

Yeah, good is it? Just go fishing and pick yourself up 10 grand. Oh, mate, yeah. I mean, that makes a big difference for people this time of year, especially, you know, the old cost of living, squeezing everyone's budget a bit, and if you can get something like that to, you know, pay for your driving holiday to go down and see the family or some flights there, to go and see the family over Christmas.

I know it's a it's a pretty good win. Absolutely, mate. and especially your cost of living. I mean, I could just imagine the local bottle I up there cheering when you won the 10,000 because they'd see almost all of it, wouldn't they?

Yeah, I might nearly be able to pay off a tab by then. Exactly. Just imagine your tab at the pub, eh? I mean it'd be huge.

Anyway, but that's good, Nima. You had a couple of big trips on. I mean, you did one. Did you do one of the PNG, is that right?

Yeah, that's right. We haven't spoken for a couple of weeks, I suppose. And yeah, I thought I have been jumping around all over the place. We did a week over in New Guinea there or 10 days in New Guinea, um, at a lodge that we book for, um, for our other business angling adventures, and, uh, yeah, just making sure everything's on track for, for their, um, the lodge in the season for next year.

uh we've got a perfew groups heading over there um to target the black bass and the Barramundi down in remote sort of um southwestern puppa New Guinea and yeah, it was a really amazing experience for me. I never travelled in New Guinea, and we just found the people and the place, the countryside is just entirely spectacular, but also not too dissimilar to Australia. You know, we've got a lot of the same birds and other animals, um, that you'd find in North Queensland and and the northern territory. And, um, and of course, the, the local blokes down there have got a real affinity with Australians. Uh, you know, going right back to World War II.

So, um, they're sort of little brothers in arms for us over there and uh, it's, yeah, I can't wait. I'm heading back over probably 3 times next year. I'm taking some groups, doing some exploratory fishing, and going back having a bit of fun, mate, which, yeah, it's, I mean, catching these black bass. You've never, you've never, um, it's like you, it's like you snuck up behind me and pushed me as hard as you can, the 1st hit that I got pulled me clean off me feet, arse over tiddy to the floor of the boat when I was casting these fish, so, um, yeah, amazing place.

What was the fish like? Was there plenty to catch? Ah, yeah, plenty. Absolutely abundant fishery there.

There's 5 massive rivers that flow into this huge lake that's, you know, it's 1000s of acres in size, um, and it runs off fresh water all year round there. Um, yeah, like an average catch rate for, for a bass and barra combo. You catch a lot of bar over there as well, about a 3rd a day. You're probably looking at 20 or 30 fish a day per boat with 2 blokes fishing, so or 2 people fishing.

Oh, mate, yeah, yeah, like it's red hot. And it gets, it gets no attention. The only, um, you know, fishing that's done there is by locals. They tend not to target the bass.

They go for a bit easier stuff like the tilapia and snakehead and stuff like that. Um, and the only wreck fishing that's done over there is, is through the lodge that we're a part of. So it's, um, yeah, uh, we only send groups over there every 2nd week at the most, so, so really keep it, um, you know, that pristine sort of environment that it really is, and, uh, yeah, I mean, it's just spectacular. So what do we got?

Barefoot Fishing Safaris? What's this other one called? Yeah, Angling Adventures is there is our other business that we're, um, we're sending people. Well, it's been running for a long time and we're the new owners of it, sending people, places like New Zealand, Alaska, Papua New Guinea, um, you know, all over the places as well as uh, as well as a lot of the local territory stuff, um, got a couple of good operators in Western Australia and Queensland as well.

So, yeah, anyone who's a bit unsure of what they might like to, to sort of tackle for our um, a travelling fishing trip. Um, we've got plenty of options there and can, can I guess, um, tailor the best trip to them or lead them in the right direction as, as far as um, what they might like to do, and, and of course, their comfort level of, of, um, how far out of their comfort zone they want to get. Uh, you know, you can do, you can do local stuff in Lake Malwala, or you can, you can go to remote, puppy New Guinea. Oh, good stuff.

Angling adventures. So you look out for that one as well as Barefoot Fishing Safaris. You're a good man, Watty. Now, you're also going to be joining me and John Stanley on Friday nights on TGB in Sydney, 4BC, Brisbane as well as network stations with a bit of fishing news and the like.

So that should be good, mate. Live radio. You know, on a Friday night, mate. So mate, you have to start the drink for the afternoon.

Yeah, that's right. I've always been told. I got a face for radio, so it's heading down the right path, I suppose, but yeah, it might keep me out of the pub a bit longer, and um, I'll be able to um, yeah, give you a few reports about what's been going on through our, our pretty extensive network around Australia, and um, yeah, hopefully be able to help a few people out, have a bit of fun on the water, you know, over the weekends. And get a fish, good stuff. All right, mate.

I'll let you do it because I know you got a bit going on there. Good on you, duck. I look forward to it. There he is.

That, of course, is Watty, and you can jump in onto the usual website, Barefoot, fishing safaris.com.au. You can always check out Angling Adventures, and he is the man when it comes to fishing in the Top End and beyond. He's not just the Top End now, is he? eh?

Geez, he's gone great gun since he's joined this show. Unbelievable. Anyway, I look forward to seeing the check in the letterbox, if I had one, I'm a postbox man. But anyway, no, well done, Watty, and that's why we get him on the show.

He certainly doesn't know his stuff when it comes to all types of fishing in all sorts of places. Dizzy gets to some locations, fair income. Anyway, check him out, angling adventures and Barefoot Fishing Safaris.