Bag a Barra — 26 July 2024

Remember to buy local and fish local. visit shamanofish.com.au. Well, we're certainly going to the Top End this week. In fact, we're going a bit further to the Top End because our man Watty is in puppa New Guinea.

What do you g'day? G'day, duck. Yeah, I'm right at the top Top End. Of course, New Guinea used to be part of Australia, so it used to be the very Top End, but yeah, go a little bit further these days.

Absolutely. Where are you? I'm right now I'm at a hotel called Rondon Lodge. It's right up the top of a place called Rondon Ridge in Mount Hagen, which is right in the middle of PNG.

It sort of the central Highlands. It's the main hub, so, anything that happens, sort of through the interior of the country, and it actually, it wasn't too far away from here, about, oh, a couple 100 K's, where that landslide happened there a while back, so that might give people a bit of a reference point, but, yeah, I'm up on top of a mountain, mate, it's 7200 feet above sea level, where my bedroom, that looks out over the mountain view, um, is sitting and yep, puffs going up and down the stairs. So, yeah. So, is this a work trip or a jacket? Yeah, well, yeah, that's that's how we run it through the accounting system.

Anyway, so, um, I just spent a week at Lake Mario. Of course, I was away over there for 3 weeks earlier, um setting up the lodge for the year, and then I've just done a week of um sort of fishing with a couple of mates of mine, a couple of other fellas. At Lake Murray, and we got into a few black bass. It was actually a bit hard fishing, for whatever reason, we didn't really understand why, but you know, that's, that's fishing, and that's, that's okay, because there's plenty of other cool stuff to do at Lake Murray.

We, um, we went and did all sorts of cultural stuff, including hunting cassowaries, in the, in the jungle there, and garden tours, rubber tree plantation, tours, with the local blokes, and, and of course, all the local markets, started chewing some betel nut, all that sort of stuff. So, yeah, pretty awesome trip regardless of how good the fishing is. So this is basically all to do with you're putting together these trips where you can take customers back, yeah? Well, yeah, Lake Murray Lodge has been open since 2014, so it's, it's a going concern and we've sent about half a dozen to 8 groups a year over there, over here, and uh, and yeah, just to keep that experience really true and, and keep the, um, the fish levels abundant.

We don't, don't put too much pressure on the lake, but It's a huge lake, mate. 640 square kilometres. +5 or 6 big rivers. So yeah, there's not too much worries about catching all the fish in there in one week.

Yep, no, absolutely, mate. Sounds fantastic. All right. What about back home?

What's biting? You got much info there? Well, I happen, to be honest, because I've been busy doing my own thing over here, but, you know, like it's that time of year, where it's that cool time of year, when the plague just come in close to Darwin Harbour, so there'd be plenty of tuna in and around Darwin Harbour. Billabong fishing will be good for Saratoga, it's corroborate drops, and and of course, those, the snap efficient and deweys, and that sort of stuff that, um, goes really good when you get a break in the weather as well.

It's a perfect time for you to be sightcasting. Bar, if you get some nice weather, without a bit of wind, but yeah, like I say, I've been sort of focussed on what's going on over here. Tomorrow, I fly to Ben's back, which is another lodge that we do bookings for, and I think last week they caught about 35 metres for the trip, so hopefully they left a couple for me. Jeez, that sounds big, doesn't it? Well, I've got some breaking news for you.

Yeah, I'm heading your way. Not in the puppy New Guinea, but we're heading your way. For Oz afraid, too. Look, you're going to look, and I saw I saw a picture, as you know, you're going to be appearing on Oz Afraid TV.

Well, after seeing a social media, you're going to have to tile yourself up. I saw a photo of you somewhere. I mean, mate, feed ink. I mean, what's the go with the beard?

I mean, you look like a face looking for a hedge. Yeah, well, I mean, Louise liked it. Okay, got to keep growing it, you know? Happy wife, happy life.

I reckon, isn't it? I'm in Fed Incum. Yeah, it's a it's a beard. It's a beard, yeah, a bit more gray in there than they used to be.

Yeah, well, I'm talking to you all the time. Yeah, there that happens that happens. But yeah, so we're going to be heading your way and we'll hook up with you when you're back. But this episode, you ready for this?

Top End pubs and barra fishing. You're much better than that, does it? And I've got the expert in both fields. We've got the expert in both fields, the Top End pubs because there wouldn't be too many you've driven past and the fishing.

Yeah, well, that's true. Yeah. I reckon that I reckon that'll probably come up all right, that one. Yeah, so we're heading your way.

So I think we leave here next week. We'll be doing the show on the road and I think the episode will start filming at the Walkabout Creek Hotel with my me and Frank, who's probably more excited than you are about us coming there. And then we're into it. I think the Daly Waters will be at the threat 3 bar. Humpty-Doo, Corroborate Tavern.

We might even head out to Dundee Tavern. You've been to all these places, haven't you? You know them all? Oh, yeah, yeah, that's right.

Yeah, I've got my own seat at most of those spots, mate. Yeah. That'll be good. We'll be up there.

We film that. We go fishing with you and we'll be rolling the camera. So we might do a bit more exploring around the Top End while we're there as well, maybe dug out to Shady Camp and a couple of other spots. Yeah, absolutely.

Of course, there's um, there's a, the lifetime is supposed to explore around there and, and it's a great time of year to do it, as you know, the weather's really um, friendly for the people coming up from down south and all the waterfalls and everything will be open. So yeah, perfect time to have a good look around. Yep, sounds good, mate. All right.

Well, well done. So it's obviously a pretty big deal, aren't we at the moment? And as you said, people can check all that out, and they, and you book, do book these fishing trips over to Papa New Guinea, because people will just love it. They're so fanatical about their fishing.

They can do that on your website. What angling adventures? is that the one Yeah, that's right.

Yeah, these are all angling adventures, trips, and yeah, I mean, the whole reason I spend so much time over here and and angling adventures in the past as well. You know, people have been sending people to Benz back for over 30 years. So, yeah, there's not too much thinking and figuring it out for yourself that you need to worry about, pretty much get yourself to Cairns and we look after it from there. So, it becomes a really accessible trip for Australians to, it's some world-class, thorough fishing and black bass fishing right at the back door, the top door, I suppose, up the top paddock.

Well, when you say 35 metres the other day, hopefully they did leave a couple for you, mate, okay? Well, last year they average 20 a week. So if we get half of that this week, I'll be happy. All right.

Sounds good. All right. Well, mate, I'll leave you there. Obviously, you did say you're at a hotel.

Surprise, surprise. We'll leave you there and we'll try and catch you next week and as I said, we'll be up a week after that, we'll be with you. Yeah, bloody oath. I'll be looking forward to that as well.

Not a bad luck. It'll be good, mate. All right. We'll travel safe and we'll talk to you soon.

Will do, mate. Thank you. There he is. That's our man, Glen, what do you, what?

You can catch him, angling adventures. Uh, you can, oh, check you out Barefoot Fishing Safaris as well, and uh, what a life he has, fishing all over the place, and uh, but getting you out there with him or even arranging your fishing trip for you.