Bag a Barra — 19 May 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 shamanofish.com.au.

And, of course, yeah, man, what he is, of course, from Barefoot Fishing Safaris, you can check him out online at barefootfishingfaris.com.au. He's got Angling Adventures. He's got what he's designed to label fishing shirts, what he's saying shoes, what his hats, what his mid-strength beer. Oh, no, hang on, that can't be right.

be full strength. He's everywhere. He is Mr. Darwin. And in fact, we've got an issue with him, which we'll take up with him, but I learned to believe he's on a boat in Darwin Harbour. Wadi.

Hello. Good morning, mate. Yeah, I am. I'm out in Darwin Harbour.

Just tucked up into a nice quiet little pocket here. It's a little bit breezy here today with the southeasterly, so we're at Craig up the front of the boat there, throwing a couple of flies around, see if we can jam at Barry. up from Tazzy. So a bit of a different experience for him, so it'll be good day, I reckon.

Yeah, it sounds like it's fantastic, mate. They're now good at it. We got you on a boat in Darwin Harbour. So which is the, you know, you can't get any more fed income than that. How have they been biting, mate?

How have they been going up there? Yeah, it has been good. We just sort of had, well, actually, we had our 1st overnight low below 20 degrees last night. I'm surprised you can't hear us whingeing from there.

Um, but that'll change things around, but we had a, I did a half day fly fishing on the harbour there a couple of days ago as well, and yeah, um, climb hooked. I think 6 or 7 barrow, only land of one, but you know, that's part of it. bit of luck if you hold there. So, um, yeah, it's still, still fishing really well and we've still got runoff fishing right through until the end of May, so we'll be sleeping.

Mate, I'm tipping you're probably seeing plenty of tourists sitting your way. I've got to say to you, we're up in North Queensland still, and we're at Mackay at the expo here now. But Majors, I've seen some vans on the go and on the move and some camper trailers and whatever. Obviously, further north, there was a lot of people heading to Cape York, but geez, we camp beside this lake the other night, they'll kiss caravans everywhere.

you're seeing a bit of an increase in numbers of tourists heading into your part of the world. Yeah, they really are starting to rock up in here, more and more caravans on the road, and uh, we actually ducked into middle markets ourselves there last week, and it was chocker blocks. So, yeah, I think we're well and truly at the, I'm in amongst the start of it here now, which is um, which is really good to see. People are still keen to travel and have a look around. How good is Mindel markets?

Mate, what about that Mindel Marcus? I was up there, as you know. The is it the paella? Is that what I would have had, water?

Oh, that's what I had. Yeah, yeah. How good is it? It's the 1st time I've ever had it was up there.

Yeah, yeah, yeah. huge, huge big bowl of it. They cook it on site and yeah, we got there's a seafood one and then a chicken chorizo one. We got one of each.

God, it is good stuff. Yeah, one of each. Yeah, but even a pig knows when it's full. I mean you're kidding, aren't you?

The line takes a bit of feeding, mate. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. Oh, no. Oh, you're gonna, mate, I'll make sure I send her a tape of that one.

The lioness takes a bit of feeding. I'll paint you hard, man. The lovely Louise. I'd actually puts up with it to be quite honest.

I mean, seriously, talking about batting Avers, and nothing else happening around the traps. I mean, obviously you've got trips everywhere now. I was talking to some fellows the other day, they were talking about the Daly River, I don't know if I'm sure they went up with you or not, but they said that they'd been up there and mate, they had a lot of success. Yeah, Daly still fishing really well, actually.

I was in the tuck shop the other day and chatting to a couple of people in there. I haven't been there for, oh, probably over a month now, but, yeah, it's still fishing really well and, and sounds like uh, um, the word on the street is that it should continue to ride through till probably, till it gets really cold, maybe uh, late July, or late June, maybe something like that. Yeah. Yeah, I never spoke to you last week because you're not going to believe it, what?

I remember you told me once it gets cold. Temperature down, fish go down. Well, I went to a Barra farm up at Mission Beach last week. 2400 fish in this pond, and you think I could get one? Because there was a massive temperature drop the night before, and it was cool the day we went, mate, and in the end they're throwing that out.

Yeah, yeah, there you go. I mean, it's a really clear example, and Hodgy, you'll be able to back me up on this one that like the activity levels of Barra definitely drop when you get these overnight low temperatures, and we start to see it sort of from now, hopefully they play the game for us today, but yeah, they'll probably be a week or 2 up here where they sort of transitioning into that cold weather time and they do go a bit sulky and silky until they realise that it's dry season and they got to keep eating and they sort of come back good, but yeah, it's interesting that you saw it at an actual barra farm too. So, that obviously is going to affect their growth rates and all that sort of stuff, so they, um, they pay a lot of attention to that sort of thing.

Yeah, they barrow down under you. You want to check them out? Now, listen, you've just mentioned the great Hodji. Now, there's a bit of an issue, Watty, because Hodgy Hodgy's the Barefoot fisherman.

very well known. I've got to say to you, mate, a lot of people know who he is. He's got a YouTube channel. Hodgy the Barefoot fisherman.

He's been on TV. I've got to ask you this question because, man, we've had a bit of a chat the other day, Hodgy and I. And so he's the Barefoot fisherman. I'm going to bring Hodgy in here.

And you're called Barefoot Fishing Safaris. I mean, how dare you? How dare you? Pinch this man's name, man. Just bring him in.

Oh, gee, how I am, mate? You going, mate? Say good day to Hodgy, Woddy. Yeah, I've been waiting for you to turn up to my door for the last 15 years, mate.

It worked out pretty good for me, piggybacking off your name, so... Mate, no, you got the runs on the board. Just listen to you there before, like, you know, describe and very precisely exactly what, you know, happens with the barrier, no matter where you find it. He's been watching your channel. I reckon.

I mean, I've just found I just realise it. What he does his research by watching your channel. Including include... I mean, they need, I mean, I've got to say to you, I think you're a bit of an imposter.

This is unbelievable from you, mate. It wouldn't be the 1st time I've been called that done. The nicest thing I've been called too. It is a coincidence.

Just tell us how you got the Barefoot Fishing Safaris name, will you? Yeah, actually, it is a bit of an interesting story. It relates to Darwin Harbour. The original boat that I bought, and only sold a couple of years ago, was called Barefoot 2, and it was actually owned by Barefoot Marine, who was ran or owned and ran by Nigel Scullion, who's actually a former Northern Territory Senator these days.

But yeah, it was one of his workboats originally on the Harvard here. There's another boat you can quite eat, mate. I mean, because we did put you up to be chief minister, and in fact, we were calling for you to be the prime minister. What was the, I think rule number one, the 1st policy was only drinking mid-strength while you're working.

That was... Yeah, yeah, yeah. You only... Yeah, that's right.

You can't, and it was an affair. It's only mid-strength at work. And Hodgy, what about this? It was an actual fine, a standard $100 on the spot, fine for driving past a pub.

Well, they're pretty, they're outback rules, mate. You don't miss it, I reckon, if we put that policy in place. $100 and I would think it was 150 if you drove past a Daly Waters pub. I'm into saving money, so...

You just need the driver. Now, now, what do you, you know, I mentioned, I did you the other day. I got to say to you, Dizzy, you can cast a lure. Oh, yeah, I mean, a lot of the stuff that we try and do or teach clients up here, you know, putting lures up underneath mangroves and stuff is exactly what Hodgy's been demonstrating that all the expos since, you know, since well before I was doing this sort of thing, and yeah, he's a bit of an institution as far as trick shots and stuff goes, and everyone's seen him do it and wonders how the bloody hell he does it, but a lot of skill and a lot of practice.

I guessing is the main thing. I do, eh? Mate, lots of practice, eh? And that's the thing.

as you know yourself, you know, using the right gear, you can't do it with a stiff rod, you know, you've got to have a nice soft tip rod and be able to, you know, generate speed out of the rod tip, but, you know, like, it's just stuff that, if you want to catch more fish, you know, you've got to get as many little tricks in your cap as you can, you know, and there's, you can't cast overhead at every snag, as you know, mate, sometimes you've got to get load trajectory cast, and it's just one of those things, you know, like, one thing I've always made sure when I'm doing demos and stuff is making sure that people understand. I'm not standing up there bragging or saying how good I am or anything like that. I'm just showing them what they can do. Anyone can do it.

You just got to use the right gear to do it. No, no, no, no, no. Not everyone can do it. Almost anyone can do it.

Duck, duck. I had a hairy big mess in me, bait caster the other day. Yeah, that's right. I, um, you know, recently when I was stalking your channel trying to learn a bit more about fishing, I, um, I saw a one from when you were over in Japan at the next day there and you're saying how loose you get your spool on your spool tension.

Maybe we need to tighten him up a bit for the duck. Yeah, maybe a bit of super glue. Be in the bearings. So you do watch each stuff, eh?

Oh, yeah. Yeah, I'm a subscriber. Haven't been for long time. Yeah, right.

It's only a tiny channel, eh? I was going to say, he's the one. You're well done. We're trying to find out who that subscriber was.

. No, it's only a tiny little channel. only 3.5,000 subscribers, mate. The thing is, it's a sort of channel that attracts the right viewers.

You know, like I'm not after that sort of yuppie, you know, you get that yuppie side of any sport. And for us, we're after the, because we're pretty me and the young fellow and that, we're pretty redneck bushes, you know, I suppose. We're not flash at all, but we just love doing what we do, you know, and then if you can share that with other people who have the same passion and then jobs done. absolutely. I've got to say to you, Watty, that the fruit doesn't fall far from the trees.

Young blokes only 15 and mate, can't he? And mate, and what happened, I kept asking Oji last week when we were in Townsville, can you just shame me, give me a few tips, because Danny Simpson's, you know me? Danny and I just, we just look at this and we just shake our head. We just can't understand.

So Howie, they do it with such ease. So Danny went for a walk because she was doing some stuff on the J-race stand. So I said to Hodgy, I want to quickly learn how to do this. So when Danny comes back, I could just go, oh, Danny, look at the, look what I can do.

Anyone can do it, see? Anyone can do this. I mean, it's not that hard. Anyway, say, but he wouldn't teach me.

So then I grabbed these young bloke who's he's just as good as Hodgy. So he's given me a quick demo. I'm glad Danny never came back because I can tell you now, mate, I made an absolute meal of it, buddy. A couple of sea eagle nest in Hodgy's favourite boat cast as I'd say.

Anyway. Yeah, no, mate, as you know, like it's, if you can sort of get kids into it as well. And my young fellow, he's been fishing, we've been using a bait caster since he was three. So he's got a pretty well tuned thumb and everything and the thing that always, it's funny because, you know, I'm not into video games and all that sort of stuff.

And my young fellow, I've never bought him any video games or anything like that. If he's got, you know, half an hour, he wants to get out in the backyard and cast at the target or whatever or going service is real or whatever, you know, like, I might be prehistoric and a little bit ancient, but I think kids have got to use their mind a bit more than to sit there, look at video game, you know? Yeah, I tend to agree. I copied a bit from a lot of my mates. I've never owned a TV, and our kids spend a lot of time outside, but they do get plenty of opportunity and all that sort of stuff at school these days.

Our daughter, Arabella's in grade grade one and she's doing computer programming at school. So they get plenty of opportunity for that and they'll be fine. We got our job or my role is teach them about all the other stuff, I reckon. 100%. It's working out, they don't.

stuff they don't learn in school. That's right. I was about to mention what he does not own a TV. Yeah, yeah, good's that.

All right, Wady, we'll leave you on Darwin Harbour, and obviously, you're out in a really good part. We thought we were going good here, but you might have us a bit might have us pipped together. You've got the better offers there, Watty. Just about to switch on to you too, boys.

I reckon the toler's about to drop below the mangroves and know what happens then. Yeah, you don't rub it in. Don't rub it in. All right, mate.

We'll leave you up there and don't fall out of the mate, okay? I'll try not to mate. Good to talk to you, buddy. See you too, buddy.

There he is. Of course, that ease, Glenn. What do you want? Barefoot Fishing Safaris or angling adventures.

Find him on the website, online as well, on social media, and of course, and what about that? He just admitted that he watches Hodgy's Channel, which is fantastic. He is the best in the business up there in the Top End. So get onto him, Barefoot Fishing Safaris are, of course, angling adventures.