Bag a Barra — 7 February 2025

It's time now to head to the Top End and Bag a Barra with Glenn Watty Watt, thanks to Barefoot Fishing Safaris and uniden. For the best in UHF communications, explore the extract series at uniden.com.au. Oh, yeah, what about his new intro? Yes, that's right, and we've got that, heard him on the radio, and saw it on the television, because you were on Oz Off Road TV, the latest episode, and the TV version will hit the screens in about six weeks, but it's up on YouTube, Water, you're a star son. Oh there we go.

Bloody hell. I'm a bit of a famous bloody YouTuber, isn't it? I don't know what the world's coming to. Anyway, there you go. So anyway, and you're sponsored by Union as well now, and of course, you are a Union and radio supplier user as well, and they're good radios, and it's great to see that you've got one in the car, in the boat, and do what you do, and get out there.

So, but do you like the new intro? Yeah, mate, I love bit of Yothi Indy too, and it really catches the vibe of what I get up to up here, so that's awesome. Yeah, absolutely, mate. and we're just freshening things up for 2025 as we head into another year of the camping and off-road radio show.

Now, before we see, find out what's been biding up there, and we've had Owen Douglas on the show earlier, and we've mentioned it a couple of times. You work you work around crocodiles every day. What are your thoughts on the crocodiles as far south as Inskip Point on the east coast? Yeah, yeah.

That might change a bit of behaviour of how people play around the beach there. I definitely should, and I was thinking it might stir those bloody dingoes up as well, that cause a few problems here and there. So, it, um, yeah, it'd be interesting to watch, and I suppose like the water temperature is rising and and pushing further south, so, it's not only the crocodiles that are, they're going to be moving south, it's the more tropical fish species too, and, and barramundi, of course, is top of the list for a lot of people that, won't be too long before the barra might be moving down there too, mate. Well, I did hear that because they're catching Barramundi as far south as the Gold Coast and people saying that where the Barramundi are, well, you know, you'll, that's normally indication that you could find crocodiles.

Young Owen Douglas made a good point too, that because the numbers are so large now, the population numbers are so large, they're very territorial, and some of these crocodiles are just looking for somewhere to live because they get kicked out of where they are. Uh, yeah, that's, that's, that's certainly true. However, the crocodile population is definitely not going to be bigger than it was pre um European settlement. So, it's not so much that they'll be getting pushed out of areas, um, because there's too many, um, but just that, it's that um, higher average water temperature that's allowing them to, I suppose, not be on top of each other, that allows them to go exploring for perhaps bigger territories, or spreading their wings a bit more. So, yeah, and and that's right, like, wherever crocs are, um, the, the barrel survive as well, and, and I do know there's a resident population of, of, um, Barrow in Brisbane River as well, but they, I mean, they're not very active through those cooler months, but, but they do survive.

So, you know, yeah, things are changing, mate, that's one thing that never changes, is that it's always changing. Mm, that's right. I guess at some point there needs to be a discussion whether it's right or wrong about culling crocs if they start getting into populated swimming areas south. I mean, shack could cause a real problem, especially for tourism and the like.

And yeah, anyway, I took a discussion for others that were smarter than me to have, but certainly worth having that discussion. What's happening up there, mate, in regards to fishing, mate? What are we catching? Well, mate, it's actually, it's really starting to get pretty exciting now because the monsoons here, uh, which is the latest one on record, but, uh, the rain's actually been pretty average across the board.

So, this will top everything up and all my clients are really starting to jump out of their skin now. It's only a couple of weeks until we start. And of course, the very 1st trip of the year is the guys who have won a 4 day fishing trip through Barefoot Fishing Safaris and some of the online core stuff, I do, so they're pumped. I, I, I'm pumped, and yeah, I mean, we're getting out to one of the most well-known um crocodile viewing areas in, in Kakadu there at the East Alligator and and try and catch a few of those barra before the crocs get them.

So, yeah, it's all happening, mate. The people that are catching, are keeping it on the download a little bit. It's a bit of that sort of Johnny on the spot, early season stuff. So you don't hear too much unless you um got your ear right to the ground, but I I know enough to know that there's plenty of them getting caught out there, so I'm really excited.

Well, I reckon plenty of people will be getting excited. Those who have already booked their trips up there because a lot of people plan these things up to 12 months or even longer out and then those are about to lock in their plans. And of course, you've always got those last minute has gone back. Let's get out of the cold and out of the territories.

Not just the fishing either. I mean, it's a great place to visit. So much to do, so much to see, so much scenery, the whole northern territory, but the Top End, of course, is our favourite part of the northern territory where you are, and if you want to go and catch that fish, well, they're up there waiting for you. Good stuff, Watty.

Well, it's all happening for you there. Uh, mate. And the big monsoon, how does that go? The monsoon will rain.

So just big downpours and it just goes, or what's the story there? Yeah, it looks like it's going to be settled in here for a few days, which is which is exactly what we want. It's, it's perhaps, um, well, it's a few weeks late. I suppose, we sort of expect the 1st monsoon in, uh, around Christmas time each year, but we've just been, we've sort of just haven't had quite had the right conditions, and then, of course, that rain in Queensland, and Western Australia sort of sucked a bit of our weather away, which it does do every now and then.

But this will really just set it up to really go bang and actually, if it, if it lasts, uh, you know, a bit more than, um, a few days. It'll really extend that season out a bit longer for us, and perhaps even get another monsoon in March, which would be um, really good for, for the whole system, especially later on in the year for everyone coming up to have us swim in the waterholes, um, and, and waterfalls out in Kakadu, and, and of course, that, um, that other favourite spot of yours, Duck, um, Berry Springs, that'll be absolutely pumping after a big wet season. That would be the best place I've ever gone for a swim. That's unreal, isn't it?

Yeah. Unbelievable. That would be one of the best places I've ever gone for a swim. Berry Springs.

Love it. All right mate. Well, good stuff. Love the new intro.

Nice fresh look for 2025. You come up big on Oz Afraid TV. Go and have a look at on YouTube and what he's probably 50% of the views at the moment, but you know, John, I just keep watching himself on there, but certainly he did come up good. And you've heard us talk about corroborate billabong here on the radio.

Well, go and check it out because we filmed on corroborate. You're a good man. Wadi, we'll talk to you next week. Thanks, mate.

Yeah, some of that corroborate billabong stuff there, especially the aerial footage, it, it really, um, geez, I didn't, you don't realise how beautiful it is just driving around the boat, but it takes us to a whole nother level from the sky. It's unbelievable that show. Unbelievable place. Unbelievable place that you told me about here.

taken me there twice now. If you want to know what we're talking about. Look at it on YouTube, Oz off Road TV. And it'll be up on 9, the 9 network of 9 now, the TV version of that will be on in about 6 weeks.

So it's already, uh, Oz offrade TV. He's available on the 9 now app. Just go to 9 now or 9 rush on the weekends. I think they run shows through the week as well.

But anyway, it's everywhere. So you can't really miss it, to be honest. You're a good man. Why did he talk to you next week, son?

Righto, bud. Good on you. Enjoy it. There he is, the TV star.

Glenn, what do you want? And of course, his new intro, and up there living in the monsoon, right, as we speak, and geez, he loves it, doesn't he? If you want to go fishing up there, you need to get onto him, Barefoot Fishing Safaris, get onto that.