Bag a Barra — 31 March 2023

It's time to head to the Top End and Bag a Barra. With Glenn Watty Watts, Thanks to Shimano. Remember to buy local and fish local. Visit shimanofish.com.au.

And, of course, Glenn, what do you, what is the mean, the guru at Barefoot Fishing Safaris and angling adventures and probably something else up there? He's the man. He's the, he's like the, you know, he's like the Kerry Packer of Darwin. G'day, mate.

Yeah, I don't know, we had to carry packer, mate. I don't think I've got as big a tax problem as in, but there is something... A tax problem. He sorted them. He never had a tax problem, mate. sorted them out.

Well, that's right. He was too smart for them, the great Kerry. We didn't believe that, mate. We need one other thing, Nolan, actually, now the president of the Darwin Fly Riders Club too, actually. The what? What is it? The Darwin Fly Riders Club, like fly fishing club up here.

Yeah. You're the president. I'm the president now, yeah. Is there a little something in it for you?

does that pay? Is there little something in it for you? No, there's, there's no, there's no remuneration in there apart from, I guess, access to the bar. But everyone's got that.

Yeah, right okay. No big difference. What, free drinks? Give them back to the community, mate. That's how I do it.

Free drinks or free beer? Oh, we sure. I actually had buy people beer last night. I told anyone who turned up to the meeting that I'd buy them a beer and everyone's very turned up.

I don't know, I'd have been there meself. Yeah, that's right. Mate, you've been down the Daly. Yeah, was it?

Yeah, back down and probably my favourite system for this time of year and yeah, I mean, it didn't disappoint us. We were there the day after, um, they opened the boat ramp after the big flood that it had. It had dropped down to about 5 metres after being up at 12.5 there for probably a week or so, and um, yeah, the, the bill of bombs were emptying out, heaps of beautiful fresh water coming out of um, pizza bake and the barrow were there and big numbers and and really hungry too. So it was a really great 5 day trip, that one.

Yeah. Yeah, sounds fantastic, mate. And I know you are a fan of it down there. And obviously with the wet seas and everything else, you haven't had the opportunity. They've had some big waters down here.

So it didn't look much the same, but plenty of fish about. Yeah, that's right. Everything's dropping out nicely now. Um, and yeah, plenty of fish, uh, like the, the longer those floods stay up, or if you get 2 or 3 rides, there's big rises like we have had, uh, gives, uh, gives a bait and everything a chance to really breed up into big numbers and it, and it keeps those Barrett in the system, uh, in bigger numbers for longer.

So yeah, everything's going good down there. Looks like it should go right through until the end of May now or until it gets, we'll get that sort of cold plush, um, come through probably May June. So, yeah, it's um, I'm excited to get back down there next week myself. Yeah, I reckon you would be mate.

And obviously people that uh, who are heading that way and planning those trips for mid-year. It should be really good by then. Oh, for sure. Yeah.

Even now already there's a few caravans starting to turn up and uh, and they'll get more and more as, as time gets on and particularly after Easter is when the really influx of the, uh, grown nomads starts to turn up down there, so that'll be good. It's unbelievable because it used to be that traditional June, July, August period, they call the travel season, but I think it's, I think it's travel season all year round now, and apart from that, I mean, when you look at, like you say, you've already got, what are we? at the beginning of April, and you've already got vans, I'm heading to the northern territory for winter, which is, you know, incredible when you think when it was, you know, June, July, August, obviously June and July is very, very busy up there, but the fact that people are now getting away as early as April, I think, um, it just shows the way our travel habits have changed. Yeah, I agree, and I guess that's probably largely to do with COVID and all the amount of caravans that got purchased then, and I guess the facilities and the way caravans are built these days, you know, with air cons and good fridges and stuff doesn't mean that you're sort of restricted to the cool amongst only, you can, you can come up and have a nice cool sleep in an air con caravan right throughout the year now.

So yeah, I guess it has extended the season. Yeah, that's right. Yeah, definitely, mate. And of course, yeah, and that's what I was leading to, the fact that I think since COVID, more and more people, as we, you know, we know, we've spoken about it a 1000000 times here, are out caravaning and exploring Australia and where once upon a time, they may not have been doing that.

So if one thing's good to come out of COVID, it's good, it's the fact that people are out travelling the country, spending money in regional, you know, centres and towns and propping up economies and keeping people in work, which is a pretty important thing, I reckon, and it's great to see, mate. And the fact that they're getting up there early, getting their spots. I reckon that that joint I stayed in, she'd be full noise in the middle of the year, wouldn't it? Wait, wait, was that at?

That was Flash. Yeah, well you were in a couple of them up here, weren't you? The free spirit. The free spirit.

spirit, yeah, that's a great one. I mean, they're all great and they're all big and got great facilities, you know, some of these caravan parks got 3 or 4 pool in them these days. Yeah, yeah, like it's, it's, it's almost a little mini resort in, on, in its own. A lot of them.

So yeah, they'll, they'll be really looking forward to another, another year of sort of big recovery after a couple of quiet years, but yeah, it's all, it's all shaping up to go really well. Yeah, I think that's happening all over the country, mate, where people are certainly recovering in getting over that real lean period, which was caved, the borders closed and all that nonsense that went on. Um, which, I, I've got to say, that would have to be, that wasn't one of the, it wasn't one of our best moments as a country. I don't reckon that period when we had borders closed and and divided the country up into, you know, sections.

I just thought it was terrible when you saw some of the behaviour, some people, especially when I was in the territory, and there were people from Victoria getting abused for being there. I mean, like fed income. It was, yeah, it wasn't good. So it was great. Oh, we do that every year anyway.

Yeah, yeah, that's when I turn up there. What are you doing here? Get out. Bloody Mexicans come up here.

Oh, here we go. Apologies to our listers on flow FM in Victoria. Excuse this, bloke. He is the president of the fishing club.

What are you the president of again? down there on the farm. What are you the president? Fly Riders club, mate. It's probably one of the most prestigious fly fishing clubs in Australia.

He's a Donald. Hey, Harry, Harry. He now the Donald Trump of Darwin, this black. I mean, feet.

Oh, great again, mate. The president. Darwin going great again, yeah. I think you'd be going great up there.

It'd be the beers over the bar at the Daly Waters pub. I mean, fair, Ink, are you talking to me? Okay, I've got a metre bloke at the bottle shop today, so I've got to work out quite well. He's at the bloke behind the counter.

See you later. You imbecile? You imbecile? Oh, have fun up there. I got to fly, mate.

I got to fly. Have fun. I'll talk to you next week, mate, if we can get hold of you, especially if you're down there. I know you hardly catch down there.

Yeah, that's right. We won't have another crack of the sat phone hook up there. at some stage. It is a bit tricky, but.

Get one that works. I'm busy on the landing net when I'm down there, mate. I know, mate. See you. See you later.

Good on you. There he is. Barefoot Fishing Safaris.