Bag a Barra — 29 August 2025

It's time now to head to the Top End and Bagger Barra, with Glenn Wannie Watt, thanks to Barefoot Fishing Safaris and Uniden. For the best in UHF communications, explore the extract series at Uniden.com.au. Well... Our man, Watty. We found him under a tree in the shading Kakadu. What a g'day.

G'day, mate. Yeah, how's that for timing? around here. I'm sure it is.

How is Kakati today? Well, it's bright and sunny, mate. It's actually warming up a little bit now, this last week or so, as we mentioned last week, it's uh, starting to tip the scales into the buildup season now. So, a little bit more humidity and warmer days, particularly inland here, we get a few extra degrees on the coastal stuff around Darwin.

So, yeah, it's nice to be able to pull up under a paper bark tree for a bit of lunch for a half hour or so in between fishing. Well, you gotta love that. Now you sent me a video through the week of Kale's crossing and crocodiles everywhere. Yep, that's right, mate.

Again, it's that time of year. So we get, start getting the bigger tides pushing up, back up the river and they bring those, um, those mullet back up the river that are starting to think about spawning, and of course, the, uh, kale's crossing is pretty famous for the aggregation of saltwater crocodiles there, mate. And yeah, I took the boys down for half an hour. The other day and yeah, didn't disappoint. There was probably 50 of them between the boat ramp and the crossing and They were all fishing away for mullet and um, yeah, we get some good photos and videos of, of a pretty unique behaviour.

You don't see that ve- uh any other places other than kale's crossing and a little bit on the south alligator. So you're sending me off air that the crocs take a look at their videos and have a good look where they actually can see their toes coming out of the water. What's the go with that? Yeah, it looks like they're having a little bit of a dance or something that they stick their front feet out wide and with their toes up just out of the water and uh they sort of use that to help sort of swish mullet into their mouth as they as they swim past and they say it's a learned behaviour.

I don't know which was the 1st crocodile to do it, but he was obviously switched on and yeah, you really don't see it anywhere else other than Kakadu. So, yeah, it's a, it's a, it's a great spectacle to watch, and it's very efficient way to hunt for them too, obviously, because they're all there and they're all fat. I was going to say, the crocs there. would have to be the most well-fed crocodiles in the territory, wouldn't they?

Yeah, absolutely. They don't have to go too far and and even when they do, you know, the the mullet get brought to them up and down that whole system. So, it's um, it's pretty much a meals on wheels scenario, they just pop in off the bank and grab the feet and then go and have another sleep in the sun. Not a good place to be if you're a mullet or a barramundi, eh?

No, that's right. Yeah, you'd be questioning your life choices if you swum over that barrage with the mullet, I think. Yeah, absolutely. and how is it up there?

I mean, obviously it's, it's probably the most famous crossing in Australia, really, water crossing for fall drivers. I mean, there's be some big ones. I'm at the Pentecost on the Gib River Road and all that, but, you know, and then some of the crossings up in, you know, Nolans, Brooklyn, all that in Cape York. But I would think Cahill's would probably be the most famous of them all because of all the crocodiles that, you know, as the tide changes, you'll sometimes be in the way and you almost drive over them.

In fact, I think there was a video doing the rounds only a few weeks ago where a bloke drove over one that was underwater on the crossing. Yeah, that's right. And you can see why because that water, on the big ties, the water pushes up really dirty and of course you can't see and the croc doesn't know and he's not too worried anyway. But yeah, it's, it's certainly one of the most, uh, I suppose, accessibly safe areas to, to view crocodiles doing their thing in the territory.

They've got a great big viewing platform up there now, and of course, there's mobile phone service so you can live stream the whole thing and everything, but it's actually a really good facility now. You can stand up on the top of the bank, all safe and sound, and get a really good bird's eye view of those crocs, behaving in a, in a really interesting way. And how's the fishing at the moment, mate? Certainly, there's still a few people about.

still a few tourists up there as well. Yeah, that's right. It is starting to slow down a bit. that sort of genuine tourism stuff.

The Kakadu is perhaps slowing down a little bit and, you know, it's the way it goes every year, usually by about the footy finals. A lot of people are heading back. But, um, yeah, we've had a bit of mixed success this last 4 days or so, uh, getting a few in the morning and then, of course, the sun gets up and and it goes a bit quiet, but we've got a few days off, uh, coming up and then, um, we've got another 8 days altogether, uh, back in the salt water over at Bynoe and Dundee. So, yeah, we've got plenty of opportunity to have some more good fishing next week.

All right. Well, it sounds great, mate. And it won't be long now. Have you had any invitations, any Christmas parties yet?

It is, you know, it's getting a bit. Oh yeah, there was some whispers getting around, actually. birthday Christmas party scenario. Yeah, they're going in the diary.

Do you remember the dog wedding? remember that one? The dog wedding, yeah. I've actually got some cardboard cutty apps for of Snoop Dogg, who was the make-believe pastor at the dog wedding in my office.

Yeah, that was a fairly unique territory experience as well. A few years ago now, the dog wedding. a big, a big drink? The big celebration for the 2 dogs who got married.

Yeah, well, they were in love. Well, I mean, and they got, well, this is why they got married. Exactly. I could follow up and see how the relationship's going. Yeah, no, no, good stuff, mate. Only in the northern territory.

All right, mate. So plenty of, plenty of action up there at the moment and life's good in Kakadu, and you're out, you live in the dream, mate. You're up there in the Top End, loving it, loving life, and as you say, hanging around that famous water crossing there. How many crocodiles?

50 between you and the boat ramp? That is incredible. Yeah, definitely. It's very incredible.

And I mean, that's not even the highest density in the territory, we've got the Mary River, that's got a few more in it again, and and then the Adelaide River comes before the south and east alligators as well. So, there's a lot of them out here, mate, but we're safe from sand. We're in the boat at the top of the south alligator system at the moment out the back of Toinda Lodge. So, um, we've seen a few this morning, but they tend to leave us alone because, um, yeah, I guess Camo, who's standing up the front of the boat, must be a bit scary looking for them.

Yeah, I reckon so. Must be, hang on, who? My client camo. No, not me.

Oh, right, okay. Me and the crocodiles are friends. Yeah, yeah. Oh, yeah.

Yeah. Plenty of people's last words. over the years. You know, I know what I'm doing.

Anyway. All right, well done, mate. And mate, you enjoy it up there, mate. in a great part of the world, and we'll catch up with you next week and see what's doing as it gets closer and closer to the warm warmer weather, the wet, and of course, all the Christmas parties and other celebrations that go on just about every 2nd week up there.

That's right, mate. Yeah, we look forward to September around here. It's the start of the buildup and uh, and like you say, uh, we've got to get those Christmas parties in the book for fuller October starts when they all happen. Exactly.

You currently in the territory. All right, talk to you next week. All right, mate. Good on you.

There he is. That's our man, Watty, Glenn, Watty, Watt. You can check him out. Barefoot Fishing Safaris, and of course, angling adventures, and he is the man up there.

He's got his finger on the pulse and he does know what he's doing. In fact, he's probably the best guide up there as far as we are concerned. I know he gets very humble and he doesn't like us to grab him too much, but he does a great job and he's got plenty of customers and he certainly gives them that northern territory experience. And let me tell you, you have not lived until you've travelled up there and had that Top End, NT experience and what he's the mean to show you all of that, and he'll show you where all the good pubs are as well.

He knows where they are. And he goes in, he makes sure and he tests the beers there, make sure they're good for when he takes his customers there. He's pretty thorough. And we might even hopefully, we'll talk to you about that. isn't that a spot?

Unbelievable. That's where I want to spend some time next time we go up there, and we are planning an NT trip for next year, and we're trying to factor in a couple of weeks. We're going to central Australia, but we just try and factor in a couple of weeks afterwards, that we can get up there and have some downtime, and that will include hanging around with my mate, Watty, as I probably camp, right at his back door. Forget being on the other side of the fence where he tries to put me.

I'll be right there, in his face, into it. No, it'll be good fun. We'll be up there next year and we're trying to factor all of that in now. So that's going to be a lot of fun.

If you want to get up there yourself and do all of that, you need to go to Watty. Barefoot Fishing Safaris, if you want to take your fishing adventure to another level, well, you need to check out Angling Adventures as well.