Bag a Barra — 22 August 2025

It's time now to head to the Top End and Bagabara, 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. Ah, the great man, he's up there in the Top End, our man, Watty, and I think he's got kids around, because we could hear him in the background there. Watty, what's going on there, son? Yeah, that's right mate.

Yeah, I just had a mate in his family rock up here from Jabberoo. They came to have a couple of days in town, so we're setting up the Caribean and they'll go off and do what they need to do and then head back out. Well, they parked on... They parked on my spot, are they?

Yeah, well, they're inside the fence, mate, so they're not your spot. It's a bit cruel. I mean, what do you mean? I mean, you'd leave me outside.

I mean, fed. I mean, I just get through like a stray dog up there. You probably would. Yeah, yeah.

Anyway, what's doing up in the Top End, mate, what's happening? What Christmas party have you been invited to already? Well, yeah, actually none confirmed at the moment. Maybe that is a worry.

I'll have to chase that up. Thanks for reminding me again, but no, it is all happening, mate. We had another little um cool burst, uh proper dry season, whether this week. In fact, I was out at, uh, Kakadu, having a, um, little pre-fish, checking out some of the billabongs that had just recently opened the other day and it was 11 degrees overnight, mate. So, uh, that made it pretty chilly for us.

We're not used to that and we certainly weren't prepared for it with our swags just with a sheet in them. Um, so, yeah, that about, I mean, of course, it does make for beautiful camping weather and that's why everyone else comes up here at this time of year, but I think I might need to get a better sleeping bag. Yeah, no, fair enough. And there's lots always stuff going on on there.

What about what's biting, mate? Were you into them or what's happening? Yeah, we were, and it's pretty standard for what happens this time of year where when you do get those really cold mornings that it can be quiet in the morning, until that surface temperature warms up a little bit more, the afternoon session we fished on the 1st day when we 1st rocked up out there actually went a lot better than the morning session that we did the following day. But that didn't worry me too much because I mostly just wanted to check that I could get the big boat in and out on those sort of mud and rock boat ramps that are in those remote billabongs as well as just checking out the tracks and stuff because I've got a um 4 days of fly fishing to do out that way in a couple of days time and I just want to make sure we can give the boys the best chance by knowing exactly what the conditions are doing out there.

Yeah, no good stuff, mate. And, uh, and look, this time of year. I mean, it's a bit unseasonal, have that cooler weather, isn't it? Well, yeah, we'd probably expect it to be warming up, and in fact, it will again in a day or two.

They tend to only be 4 or 5 day bursts, but we are sitting, I think, right now on about 45 nights under 20 degrees in Darwin, which is, um, we've, we've caught up a bit since I mentioned that perhaps last week, um, where the, uh, the average for a good wet season is 50 nights under 20. So, it's an interesting stat because a lot of people don't think about how cool it gets overnight. Um, I mean, 20s not cool in Darwin, uh, not too bad, but once you go, 20 K's inland, like we are, we drop down to 15 on those nights. So, um, it does make a great camping weather and and beautiful fishing days as well, of course. Yeah, okay, but obviously with the cooler stuff, does that change what you, you go after him because you have time before, and I know from 1st any experience with you, when it's a little bit cooler, the bar high, but there are other fish to catch.

Yeah, that's right. I mean, obviously what we were doing out there the other day was sussing out some barra and Saratoga spots, but perhaps a better option for those days is to go and chase your tuna and mackerel around in the harbours because they do like the cool weather and cooler water temps, especially on the ties that we had over that, um, those couple of days, nice neat tide, so you get nice clean water. Uh, clean, cool water, and that, that can get you a nice big uh, long tail tune, mate, and it's pretty hard to beat, fresh sashimi tuna. Um, straight off the ice, yeah, you know,

you know, in the boat still, so with something that we do virtually every time we get one, I can't get enough of it. Yeah, no, you got to be happy with that, mate. Now, angling adventures. I mean, you've got, um, how's that going? Because people booking um, those exotic and more challenging fishing trips right now.

That's all happening. Yeah, it's all happening. We're coming towards the end of the big season for Ben's Back River, which is right down the southwest corner of New Guinea. We fly charter plains directly to the lodge from Cairns there.

So it's a great trip. You're fishing by lunchtime. And we've got our last group heading in there in a couple of days for a 9 week season, and funnily enough, this year, the season over there, really followed exactly what happened here in the territory where they had, um, we had late rain, which really changed the fishing conditions, actually made it a bit harder early on in the season, but I reckon this last group's actually probably going to get the best of it. So something that you never quite can predict.

But, I mean, anytime you're flying to a destination that averages catching 20 bar a week over a metre. Um, you know, you're in with a pretty good chance, regardless. And because they leave cans are fishing by lunchtime. Oh, yeah, it's really unique.

There's no other trips like it, and you're going from, you know, a pretty big city in Australia, which is um fully developed, right, um, and landing in an area where there's no electricity, and uh, local people live essentially off the land still. So, it's a great cultural experience as, as well as, as definitely the best barra fish in the world. So yeah, we're lucky to have it quite close to Australia, of course. You've spent a bit of time over there.

I know that the, I know this is nothing, this is off topic. The NRL, the rugby league, you're looking at putting a team there. and you reckon that'll go. I mean, you go over there.

Yeah, that's right. Yeah, they'll, they'll probably have some challenges in Moresby, because things don't really run the way they do over here in Australia, but, um, you know, the, the puppy New Guinea people are really passionate about their rugby league. There's a lot of players already in the NRL. And, you know, that's one of the reasons they fly 3 or 4 flights today from Brisbane and Cairns to Port Moresby every day. But, yeah, I mean, when it's state of origin. Time, if you're in New Guinea, that's what's on the telly.

Every single one and every phone, anywhere. It's, it's rear, they, it's, you know, up until about 40 or 50 odd years ago, New Guinea was part of Australia and and that's part of that legacy that really continues. So, yeah, it'll be enough to see how they go. I really hope it goes well because they'll they'll unearth some amazing talent out of the country if they can get it set upright.

Well, at least when they go up there, they'll be able to go fishing, but I'm going to take a few footy players fishing. Well, funnily enough, we actually had Andrew Edinghausen sent me an email the other day about exactly that. So, yeah, it's front of mine. Don worry.

Yeah, absolutely. I mean, that'd be the game. I mean, they'll be looking for things to do, because I think they're going to set up a compound. They will be living in some compound because security's a massive issue, isn't it?

In more, do people prefer to live, um, or and certainly I think with the sporting stuff and the celebrity that's attached to the NRL players, they'd probably put him in a compound. Yeah. I mean, it can be a bit of an intimidating place to be sometimes, Fort Moresey. in probably one of its hardest few days, in the last 50 odd years, early last year when the riots happened, um, after some government problems.

And yeah, it was pretty intimidating, but also part of the last frontier, mate, and a big reason why I love it. I think that a lot of the fellows that live in Moresby and New Guinea are the ones that are even a bit too wild for the northern territory. So, who knows, I'm all... Yeah, the Northern territory.

We love it. Which is why a lot of people do love it, which is why all the caravaners head there, all the campers, they get up there and they hang around the Top End, they go fishing with you and all these other things. It's my favourite part of the country, I will say. All right, mate, I'll tell you, oh, you're talking about cold weather.

We're here at the Monday, Monday, bash, and mate, it's not too bad at the moment, but geez, a couple of days ago, mate, it was cold here. I think at the top of 9 felt like 4 or something all day. and of a morning it felt. Yeah, I don't know why they do that. Why do they do that?

15 degrees feels like eight. Well, they just say, well, it feels like 8 or 8. It is eight. yeah that's right.

Yeah, yeah. The weatherman got to try and figure out a way to confuse us all. But yeah, that's a whole different thing, that sort of desert camping, isn't it? I mean, you're prepared for those cold nights and beautiful, clear sunny days. So, yeah, I don't get a chance to do much of that, but in the past, I've driven right up through the Tanamai and the Strezliki track and spend some time working out at Dude Nadata and around Cooper Creek. Yeah, I do, I do have a bit of an affinity with that wide open spaces, and the pure silence. And, the cleanest skies in the world, you know, no light, you can get the best mule of a nice guy. And we've got such... in Australia. We all take that hand on it.

It's amazing. The sky, when you get out in the middle of nowhere. and you're out, you know, even when you're heading across, like even when you hit the channel country and you make your way up through into the territory and the sky just looks bigger. It's just a big flat horizons and big, big, big blue sky.

I love it. It's great. It's good. Where we are now, Cant here on the Monday, Monday planes, near Broken Hill.

It's just amazing and everybody's out here now is having a great time. This is a good pub near here too, mate, which you love the Silverton pub. Silver. Oh, yeah, I've been there, yeah. Oh, have you?

Yeah, my mate. Pete's man there. He owns that. He's a great bloke. And that is one of the great pubs, I've got to say.

And he is doing a roaring trade at the moment because it's only about 5 kilometres from here, where we are right now. And he's got shuttle buses running in and out of the festival, back to the pub. just non-stop. That's the go. That's what you're going to do, and that's safe, that's safe behaviour as well too, right?

So no one's drink driving and everyone's happy day. So that's really good. Oh, look, once you've been here, unless you have a transit sticky, you can't leave here. So and there's only a handful of those.

media have them and a couple of vendors may have them. But and obviously staff, but, you know, transit stickers and there's a transit service road. So you can go in and out. But everybody else, basically once you're set up here, you are here until you can leave when the festival's over.

But no, mate, I've seen plenty of people doing beer runs. You see, coming, getting off the bus, walking up, carrying their beers. They underestimated their capabilities and running. They use the uni den handheld, mate.

of course. Yeah, copy, copy duck. bring us in a couple more cold ones. Yeah. I know.

stocked up there. Don't worry about that, mate. I'm gonna have to leave you. Don't worry.

I'm basting. I'm entrenched. entrenched here. All right, mate, you're a good man, and it's good to see that you've got some people here, just tell them, you know, made the laundry around my spot there for when I get up there next year, all right?

Yeah, there's not much at the moment, mate. She's all pretty dry and brown, but, you know, we did get that rain the other day, so a little bit of a tinge in certain grass, but, um, yeah, this is probably the last call we'll have before I'm actually back on the water a bit more regularly, mate. I'll perhaps have a bit more genuine, up to date fishing knowledge to have for you. So that'll be good.

I'm looking forward to getting back on the water in a few days time. Yeah, well done mate. All right. Well, we'll have a arm with you next week.

can tell us how that went. Absolutely. Look forward to it. There he is.

Good on you, mate. That's Glenn Watt. Glenn, what do you want? and you can find him Barefoot Fishing Safaris.

You can check him out on the website, check him out at the social media pages as well, and of course angling adventures. And I'll tell you what, for you, keen fishermen, don't those Port Moresby, or not Port Mores, those new guinea fishing trips sound fantastic. book yourself one for next year. You leave from Cairns, you're fishing while lunchtime.

I mean how good's that? And he goes, he said, you go from one big place that's, you know, pretty civilised, and a big city to remote parts of the world, fishing within a few hours. And Watty and his team of experts and guides will certainly make sure you enjoy the experience. Barefoot Fishing Safaris and angling adventures. He's our man in the Top End.

He's the beer tester. He's the fisherman tester. He's everything. He tells us what's going on, and you can be getting in touch with him and he'll look after you there as well.

Barefoot Fishing Safaris.