Bag a Barra — 27 January 2023

It's time to head to the top N and Bag a Barra. With Glenn Watty Watts, Thanks to Shimano. Remember to buy local and fish local. visit shamanofish.com.au.

Well, he's the man. Barefoot Fishing Safaris. What's the other one, Watty? Angling adventures. Hangling Adventures is a fuel in these days, mate, in there?

Oh, mate, I'm in fit, income. I mean, mate, you've become that. I mean, this is unbelievable. I need to create myself an acronym or something.

But you're the Kerry packer of the fishing world. I mean, you've got... be nice if I could share a bank account with you. Well, I won't be long because angling adventures, Barefoot Fishing Safaris. What the other one

Barefoot fishing academy. Yeah, that's the one I need to go to. Yeah, that's right. I don't think you could help me, to be honest.

How did your boot camp go? It went really well, mate. Yeah, we did 4 days of planning the perfect barrow fishing runoff for this year and with over 200, 204 people joined in on that boot camp. So, very excited to be able to share a bit of knowledge and experience with those guys and hopefully help them have a bit more enjoyment and luck on the water, this runoff.

So that's all online, is it? Yeah, that was all online. We did, um, we did Zoom meetings every day for 4 days and then a VIP session after that as well, an extra meeting for... Was there anyone? Was there anyone apart from you on the Zoom meeting naked?

Do you remember when the COVID was on and the lockdowns and everyone were over in meetings at home and there was a video doing the rounds of some Paul Blake who didn't know I could see? And he was at home. He was doing his Zoom, doing his Zoom meeting, not thinking I could see him starkest. Yeah, yeah.

make sure I put a shirt on, but you never know. Oh, Watty. Anyway. Well, that's good.

I am glad that worked out, mate. How are they going? How are they going up there? How's the fishing going up there?

Mate, I'm dipping nippies, I'm getting caught. Yeah, it's actually going really well, even though we're sort of right in the middle of sort of what is true wet season condition that's raining here right now and has been pretty steadily after that that sort of dry spell got broken the other day, but yeah, still a lot of blood water around, but people are catching a lot of fish. One of our, one of the local guns up here, one of the tackle shop owners, has cracked his 7th metery for the year and he's lining up for his 100s for this year. He's got, I think he's on 97 for for his fishing career.

So he's hopefully going to crack a 100 bar over a metre this year and you'll probably do it pretty soon. actually the way things are going. Unbelievable. pretty impressive. How long does it take to pull in a metre barramundi?

Well, it all depends. Yeah, I mean, it can, it can go quite a long time, you know, it can take a few minutes if you, if, um, if, if you've got to sort of, uh, manage the fish or if you're in current, we had a fish. There, oh, I caught a, uh, metre 12 barrow on fly with a client there a couple of years ago and it was 19 minutes. We recorded the whole thing. It was 19 minutes.

Yeah, that's the longest flight I've ever known, like personally. Most of them, you know, it seems like a long time. It's probably under it. It definitely generally under a minute, but it's pretty epic, you know, and you get caught up in it, and you split split 2nd decision, sort of make the difference, and anyway, that's why they get big, and that's why they're hard to catch, because they are hard to catch.

Yeah, oh, well, you certainly get them. But I mean, that's unbelievable. So this bloke owns the local tackle shops and he's, so he, he's, he's, he's not far off in his, he's fishing career, let's say. 100 meat 100 fish at a metre or more.

Yeah, that's right. And um, saying his name is, he's um, he's not old either. He's only about 37 or something, I reckon. So he's got plenty more, plenty more going.

Yeah, that's right. About half your age and um, he's uh, yeah, he's a local gun and... That's a bit out of it. Harry. Well, yeah, do the math.

Harry or what? You've been out on me, this bloke, isn't he? A bit, yeah. 37, half me age.

That would make me what? 80. What's nearly 80. 71, 6 or something? How old was that?

35 or 70? What, so 74? Yeah, that's right, mate. Are you closer to double at than Harford? No, I'm closer. I mean, you think I'm no way for getting a 74.

You kidding, aren't you? Anyway. But, um... Yeah, so, Shane. I mean, he's got he's got a he's got a whole tackle, but his fingertips and everyone comes in and tells him what's going on.

So he's got a little upper hand on a fair few people, but he's definitely got a lot of real natural talent and just targets big fish, so more power to him and yeah, he definitely very good at it. wins a lot of the tournaments up here as well. So yeah, good stuff. Yeah, good on you mate.

All right. And just quickly, mate, the $10,000 fish. Anybody? Going quiet, mate.

I reckon they're all spread out on the floodplains at the moment. stuff right up on the swamp land and we might see a couple in March again as it starts to run off. eating tadpoles, you idiot. All right. A lot of frogs up here, bud.

I don't know whether you know that or not, but a lot of frogs. Obviously caught about 50 tadpoles out of our water trough yesterday. All green tree frog tadpoles. There you go.

Okay. I'm recollecting tadpoles as a kid. No other gang, weren't they? Oh, Ted. I've got to do that for a while.

Absolutely. All right, Watty. Well done. And that's good to see you.

Oh, mate, we'll let us know how he goes. You might jag that 100 by next week. He probably could have. Yeah, like good ties for Barrow fishing this weekend, and of course, he's out there every chance he gets.

So yeah, he won't be far off even next week for sure. All right, so Barefoot Fishing Safaris, angling adventures and Barefoot fishing academy. That's where they'll find you. That's the one, mate.

Yeah, we've got the Top End Barr Secrets course is open for enrolment now, just for probably a week or so. If anyone wants to jump in and learn how to catch Barra through my experience over a dozen years there, it's open for enrolments now, they can check out Barefoot fishingacademy.com and get more info there.