Bag a Barra — 21 February 2025

It's time now to head to the Top End and Bagger 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, the great man. Wadi up there, in the top bend, and you can catch him on Barefoot Fishing Safaris. Look him up on social media, the website, and angling adventures as well.

He's on the line. Watty, how is the Top End, son? G'day, duck. a bloody beautiful clear day here today, actually, we're in a bit of a monsoonal break period, which doesn't hurt.

I went out to Kakadu yesterday and there's a couple of river crossings over, so yeah, getting pretty excited now, mate, start fishing in a couple of days, so pretty pumped. Yeah, happy days, mate. Now, just on that and at the Kakadu, you've now got accommodation out there. So when you do your trips, you've got somewhere to base yourself in Jaburu.

Yeah, yeah, that's right. I mean, it saves me sort of moving in and out of caravan parts and hotel rooms all year, so it's been a long process, but pretty proud and pretty excited to have a sort of a more permanent base out in Jabberoo to be able to offer a bit more, I suppose, service to the clients, you know? So, I'll, I'll be, I'll have a lot, a lot more ability to, you know, maintain the boat properly and make sure everything's snick over each day efficient, um, because I'm not sort of living out of the car in a bag. So yeah, pretty exciting for everyone.

So how often do you get out there when you do go, when you do fish there? Because you fish at Dundee and you fish it, you know, on the harbour and corroborating all these places. So, I guess the place will be empty at times, will it, or will you base the boat there or how does all that work? No, it will be empty at times, but that's okay. So, yeah, I'll be in and out of there every week until the end of May, and that's sort of when we say runoff fishing is finished, and then the big plan, and I, if, if anyone wants to become a barrow fishing guide, get onto me, because I'll be looking for a guide to run some half day fishing tours in Kakadu for me for June, July, August.

So, um, that's, that's going to be the, the house, of course, to play a big part in um, accommodating a guide and and making sure those tours run nice and smoothly. So, yeah, perhaps we do a shout out to the listeners, mate. So what does that mean, another boat or? No, I'll just have the main boat?

The big boat that you know, based out there, and of course, my availability during June, July, August gets significantly reduced because we've got all the trips going to New Guinea in that time, and there sort of needs to be someone that can answer the phone and make sure everything's going smoothly then. So, that's what, that's the role I played during that time of year. And, um, but of course, there's huge demand in, in Kakado, especially that sort of East Alligator, upper system in amongst that escarpment country, and, um, you know, to be able to provide some long-lasting memories for some families, especially, uh, through a half day offering, that's what we're keen to do. So, if you want to be a fishing guide, obviously you need to be pretty experienced and be pretty experienced around a big boat and all of that, you need to get onto you on the Watty. Yeah, yeah, yeah, of course.

And I mean, like I got told when I 1st started guiding it, I can teach you. I can teach anyone how to catch Barra, but you, but you really need to find that right personality. So, it's not all about the fish, mate, as you know, it's about managing people and making sure everyone's got a smile on their face at the end of the day. So, yeah, for the right person, it's a, it's a dream come true, and I, I remember, as I was writing a bit of a um job description the other day, which will go live on the website soon, I was thinking, oh man, I remember when I was reading these ads, and I was so excited, you know, so, I'm looking for that sort of person, and it'll, it'll be a big 3 months, probably working 6 or 7 days a year, and also, an amazing way to get started in an industry that, you know, can provide your lifestyle that I, I now live sort of 15 years later.

6 or 7 days a week, not a year. Yeah, a week. We're not talking about your job. 6 or 7 days a year anyway. You've got to do 15 years of practice to get as lazy as me, mate.

Well, hello. Now, listen, just quickly how they go, how is the fishing up there? Are you across it or you haven't, you know, you're just hearing dribs and drabs? What the deal?

Yeah, no, I am across it. Because I've been sort of out and about and a bit more active in it last few weeks or last week or so, and it, at the moment, which is sort of typical of, of February, it's, it's pretty hit and miss, you know, like people are, some mob are saying, oh, yeah, we got 60 Barra, and then the other guys who were sort of close by or the next day, uh, uh, really struggling to get one or 2, you know, and coming home with their tail between their legs. So, that just shows me that that rain that we had last week has sort of unsettled things a bit, but, you know, of course, we've got a, um, we've got a few tricks up our sleeve after, you know, 10,000 days on the water that we can um, work around those sort of issues, and of course, being in Kakadu. We've got the south alligator and the East Alligator to choose from.

So, yeah, we've got plenty of options there, and we'll be able to find some fish. sure of that. Alright, good stuff. 10,000 days on the water.

It adds up. All right, mate. Well done. He's unbelievable.

All right, mate. So people can check you out what you're up to by visiting the social media pages, Barefoot Fishing Safaris, and of course, angling adventures. are a good man, Watty. We'll let you get back to the bottle, O, and we'll talk to you next week.

No worries, mate. Good on you. get the ice in. I knew he was at the bottle, eh?

See, that he didn't say I'm not there. Hey? He's a good man. Barefoot Fishing Safaris.

You want to be a fishing guide? Well, there's your opportunity. Get old of Watty, and who knows, you could be up there living the dream, fishing some of those great Top End spots in and around Kakadu. How good would that be?

If that's your thing, get on to Glenn Watt. Barefoot Fishing Safaris.