Bag a Barra — 5 December 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. d.com.au. Well... We've had to locate Wadi ourself without the, and I've got to say to you, where he is now, not even the, the, um, the Uniden radio could find him, because he's in remote Arnland on a bit of a social fishing trip, because what he fishes all year round and he takes customers out and he gets out there and he takes people overseas, he does all these exotic fishing trips, and of course, he is the best in the business when it comes to fishing in the Top End. But it's always a work thing with Watty because he's got customers.

Well now, he is on a social fishing trip. I think there's him and a couple of mates, and they are somewhere in remote Arnham Land, and he's turned on the Starlink, just to talk to us, and he's on the line. Watty, how are you, son? No, I'm going well, mate.

How are you? Not bad, mate. Where are you? Yeah, we are.

We're on the, we're in West Arnland, I suppose, on the Coburg Peninsula, in the Garaguric Marine Park here. been doing a bit of bar fishing for the last few days, and even though you say it's a social fishing trip and I'm not working, these 2 Muppets keep me working pretty hard, so it's not perhaps the holiday that I was hoping for, but it's, um, you know, uh, at least I can have a beer at the same time and dreamy sorrows with all their dramas they cause me. And who are these two? What do you call them Muppets?

Do they can they hear you at the moment? Yeah, they're here. They make nation, other mate Abbott. So, yeah, we don't get both all of us work pretty flat out through the year, but this is one time of year we can get away for a little bit and have a bit of fun.

It's good decompress before Christmas time and um, yeah, like you say, it's only a couple of weeks and we'll be back down on the farm again too. So I'm also looking forward to that. So Tony Abbott's up there fishing with you. That's amazing.

They probably get along pretty well though, too, I reckon. So I've got to say to be steamy, wouldn't it? I mean, what's the weather like? I mean, it's that time of year and, and, um, there wouldn't be a lot of people about, were there or not?

There's locals, I guess. No, no, there's no, there's no one for a long way out here, mate, and we're gone. We've got another buddy who's got a like a bigger Liverpool boat, so we drove it from Darwin. Took us about 20 hours to get here from Darwin, and then we just anchor up in the creek and go fishing, so you never, you never see anyone else.

But we did have a big heap of rain there. One night, but other than that, yeah, just that nice, hot, steamy weather, and um, you know, it's good because uh, it keeps uh, keeps the fish nice and active too. So you actually went there by boat, did you? Yeah, that's right.

Yep. Steam left at about lunch. I know it was afternoon on one day and yeah, get there sort of mid-afternoon the following day. Steam, steam all night, take it in turns, having a watch of the radar and keeping it straight and and then into fish. Did you tow your boat or another boat or just just got the big, the one big boat?

Oh, I think we've lost Watty. We've lost him. He's gone. he's hang on.

He has gone. Look, we'll just... Oh, he's back. He's back.

I was a bit here he's back. Okay. All right. So did you tow another boat up there or you just your boat?

So we towed tow our fishing boats behind the big boat. We've got my my guide boat here and other mates, other boat pretty similar. Yeah. So it's a good way to go.

It's, um, you know, it seems like it's taking you a farewell to get anywhere, but of course, when you get there and you got the air con and showers and freezers and all that sort of stuff, bit of comfort goes a long way. How big is the boat that you, how big is this big, big, big boat? Oh, she's 14 metres probably? Yeah, couple, it's got um, 3 bedrooms, uh, you know, a nice shower, en suite, big galley.

Good air con too. So that's what makes the difference. Unbelievable. So you're basically just based on the boat and you just jump in the other boats and head off and go and catch your feet every day.

Yeah, pretty much mate. That's what's been happening. yeah. That sounds unbelievable.

So this is just a bloke's trip. Yeah, yeah. Unfortunately, it would have been handy, though, Louise here. Keep these boys in order a bit and keep their bedrooms tidy and their clothes a bit tidier, but um, no, she'll be looking forward to seeing me when I get home, I suppose, but um, I'll be looking forward to seeing her too after a week with these cars.

Oh no. Now, look, I mean, I'm tipping, you know, there wouldn't be much beer or anything drank on this trip, but, eh? There's a couple of cold beers, mate. pretty thirsty work, as you know, so it's something we pay a fair bit of attention to, making sure they're nice and cool.

I could imagine, mate. And what about the fish are they biting, mate? Are you into them or what's happening? Yeah, we're into them from time to time.

They've been a bit tricky, especially today. We haven't really had a hell of a lock yet. A lot of luck yet, but the tide's just about that point now where we should start to expect seeing a couple and get into it. Maybe pretty short bite window today, but um, we'll be able to get it done and then head back to the big boat.

We got to pack everything up and start towing back home tonight. So, yeah, only a bit of a half day today. Yeah, okay. And then another, that'll be another 20 hour run across.

Yeah, that's right. It may be a bit less because we'll get pushed along by the tide a bit on the on going back to the west to Darwin. So, yeah, it's a good way to sort of relax at the end of the trip and um, and I suppose tidy everything up and and then you're off the boat and all done at the end of it. It must be magnificent.

2 things. How far offshore are you when you're travelling and what's the, what's the water conditions like? Is it a big swell? Is it fairly calm up there?

What's it like? No, it's really good. This time of years, we don't have that sort of monsoonal swell happening yet, and we're in that sort of doldrums period in the start of the wet season, so you're getting a little bit of wind chop if it's a bit windy, but it's not too bad, and then as far as how far offshore we are, you've sort of cut across a big corner from Darwin straight up to Coburg. So at most it might be 30 or 40 K's offshore. But, uh, yeah, we parked a big boat up inside a sort of a big river system and and then you're nice and sheltered each night.

So yeah, it's all really nice and comfortable and smooth. Mate, sounds fantastic, mate. It really does. All right.

So, and a cruise back. So this is like a little bit of a pre-Christmas. I've got to say the Barefoot Fishing Safaris Christmas party is unbelievable, really, when you think about it, you put on the cruise, you go fishing, put on the beers. It's a bit of an extended one this year too.

About 8 days away, I think we are, yeah. Unbelievable, mate. All right. Well, well done up there.

Not seeing anybody else except your own crew and doing the whole thing by water on boat. It's just amazing, mate. I reckon it would have been a hell of a trip, but you would be looking forward to getting home, wouldn't you? Oh, yeah, I mean, there's nothing like your own bed and that sort of thing, but yeah, these are the trips we really look forward to right throughout the year when you are going pretty hard.

So, you know, you don't take it for granted, either. Yeah, well done, mate. All right. And how many fish do you think you're taking back with you?

Stack of them or what? Oh, we'll take a few Barra home. We've probably got a few barre in the freezer each there, and this is one of the only spots, because we're nice and remote, and there's plenty of mangrave jacks that take a couple of them home as a bit of a treat as well. Well, well done.

Well mate, travel safely. You enjoy. It sounds like a great trip and 8 days up there, just remote fishing. Um, and certainly, um, be something, that'd be a real experience, the fact that you've taken off from Darwin by boat, towing boats and fishing out there in West Arnland and then driving back by boat.

I mean, what a great trip. I think it'd be an experience for anybody to do, do it. I mean, but you're getting a kick out of it when you, you know, I mean, you are putting up with a couple of, you know, hard-working mates there who are hard-worn, I'm going to say, hard-working. That's what I mean.

I say hard work because they're hard work to hang around. I mean, they're probably really good blokes. They're probably saying the same thing about you to be honest. They'll make this, what is your punishing?

They'll be off the list next year if they start that. Yeah. All right. Well, good stuff, mate.

Well, you travel safely and mate, thanks for the invite. Maybe next year, eh? Yeah, right, actually. So breaking news for you. I got some breaking news for you too.

We back up there next year. Ah, that's right. You got a schedule in the diary yet, have you? No, no, we've got the big meeting, a big meeting tomorrow, and we're scheduling in some downtime, and we are put, I've got a couple of mates coming, or one mate in particular, and of course, Mrs. Duck, and mate, we are definitely putting Dundee Beach on the list, and we might go out with you one day, fishing.

that'd be good. That'll work. I might give you. I'll send you out with Papey and I'll just meet you back at the pub afterwards.

Yeah, yeah, no, no, dramas, mate. No, looking forward to that, too. I think, no, but yeah, no, we definitely. And look, there's every chance we could be there twice. It's so look out.

But no, definitely in the middle of the year, we'll be up there and we're going to, we're going to pencil in some downtime when we can actually, when we finish filming. Actually, we're going to finish filming around Uluru. There's rock. And then at that point, we're going to head north for a few weeks for some off time. We'll still do radio, but we'll, but we'll do it from up there and and have a bit of downtime, so we're not just on the run all the time.

So when we're, you know, because that's what happens when we're filming. We're moving all of the time. So it'd be great to stop and spend some quality time with my mate, Watty, up in the Top End. That's right, mate.

You can't work like a slave all the time, can you? Some of us blokes have got to have a bit of a spell every now and then. Getting too old for it now, mate. Old bloke now, I'm getting old now.

I don't feel it, but you know, some days I do. Anyway. All right, mate. Well, you travel safely, and we'll try and find you somewhere next week, but that's great that we come to you up there in West Arnel, in a very remote location where you are, and mate, I'll start link it, but does the job, doesn't it?

It's going pretty well, mate. Yeah, don't get much more remote than this. So yeah, we've, we appreciate it. We know we're lucky and it's great to be able to have the sort of circle of mates and access that we do have to be able to do these sort of trips that we know we're pretty lucky about to do it.

Yeah, well done, mate. All right. All right. Well, you take care.

travel safely. We talk to you next week. Right on, mate. Good on you.

There he is. up there fishing up in the waters in West Arnel Lane. How good does it sound? Where he's hopped on a big boat, towing a couple of smaller boats?

Well, when I say smaller boats, I mean, he's what his boats are fairly fair-sized boat as it is. And living off this boat and just fishing up there in very remote part of the country around West Arlem land and not seeing anybody except themselves, and then the 20 hour trip back or 20 hours across, he might be a bit quicker going back, but still, it's a fair trip. You'd imagine them on that boat, like just 20 hours, what that was like. Ah, fantinkum.

I reckon they need a pretty big boat just to cut the pallets of beer, they're probably loaded on there. Anyway, well done to him, and mate, he works hard, buddy. So it's great that he can have an 8 day fishing trip with a few mates and a bit of fun and up there in a very good part of the world too. How good would it be? And, you know, well done to him.

Barefoot Fishing Safaris is. You want to book your trip for next year? You want to do it pretty soon. Go to the website, check out the social media pages.

He is the man up there in the Top End now, man, Watty? Barefoot Fishing Safaris.