Bag a Barra — 13 February 2026

It's time now to head to the Top End and Baga Barra, with Glenn Watty Watt, thanks to Barefoot Fishing Safaris and Uniden, for the best in UHF communications, explore the extract series at uni.com.au. Well, I know that what he loves, he's Union End, X 75 plus antenna value pack. The only other pack he loves more than that's a six pack. And I'm not talking about the one on his, you know, guts.

Watty? Hello? You're not wrong, mate. I'm talking about the one he comes out of the thirsty camel, the hunky dude, part with his eyes wide open at night.

The characteristics bag. the front there, mate. I'm actually looking at the little handheld sitting in its charging docky right now. It's an amazing little bit of kid. Actually, rock solid.

You could throw that at a crocodile. probably knock it out. I'll tell you how good they are. Gradiate those things.

Let me tell you how good they are. We were on Frasier with the jet ski anyway. Anyway, the young blokes out in the ski gets knocked off a knocked off away because what happened? the GoPro dropped off the ski into the water.

He's dived in to get it and he had the handheld in his pocket. The unit end, the one that you've got. Man, it still works. We've got it, mate.

He was underwater, don't they? We've still got it. Still works, but they're brilliant. Good gear, man.

I've got the dual band one as well in the boat, the handheld. It's a VHF and UHF. So we've sort of got all bases covered there, so it works really well. Mate, what's doing up there?

I know it's sort of a little bit of a lay period at the moment with all the rain and I've seen some videos of different things happening up there, you know, just people that are putting up videos, a lot of water at the moment. It's been a big wet, hasn't it? Yeah, that's right. It's actually hard to get out fishing.

I promised that I was going to, but it just kept raining and rain and then, of course, Alice Springs flooded. The Daly River's still up really high. Yeah, so the whole of the northern territories where at the moment, which of course, as we keep saying, it's going to be good later on. But for the last week, there hasn't been a hell of a lot going on, mate.

But I've definitely got the boat. It's all ready to go now. So there's no excuse. Next time is a sunny day, the line is again and yourself are going to head out.

um just a bit of a shakedown and a 1st look and that's really all every anyone is doing it at this time of year. We've still got perhaps a couple of weeks before it really starts to sort of settle down and then potentially start to drop out properly and get that good fishing happening. But for now we're just blowing the coldwebs off everything and making sure it's all working for the real deal when it all starts up in a few weeks time. So when, so you've got, like you say, you've got, you know, people who have booked ages ago, for their Top End fishing trips, when do they kick off?

Yeah, well, this year I'm not starting until middle of March. I've got to actually go away next week to a big fishing conference overseas. I would normally start in the, hang on, hang on, hang on, hang on, hang on. Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, hang on.

A fishing conference. Yeah, mate, this one's actually, you'll get onto, you'll get on board with this one. This is the World Recreational Fishing Conference. It's been held in South Africa.

It's the 13th one there's that's happened and yeah, I'm going over as part of the official delegation mate. So, yeah. be able to give you a little report. So when you say that the official delegation?

For what? Well, to represent Australia. So there's there's a... Who voted you in on that? Say that again.

How did you get? How did you get that gig? Well, yeah, you got to put in an application, go through a big process, an interviews and stuff, and you sort of, I'm heading up as what they call an emerging leader, along with another, half a dozen, other sort of people in my position, from around Australia, and some other, sort of more established leaders within the wreck fishing game, and it's too, the conference is, you know, it's built around sustainability and good practises, and sharing the knowledge that sort of all the, all the other countries with a big industry like Australia does. all around the world. So, you know, there's a, there's, of course, a lot of ongoing issues um with recreational fishing as population increases and people sort of look towards a more sustainable way of harvesting meat and things like that.

So, yeah, I'm really about to be actually heading over there. And um, and yeah, it's a 4 day conference, mate. So it's actually the 1st time I've ever done something like this, so I might have to get some tips off someone a bit more professional like yourself before I go. Oh, mate, I've been at some conferences over that. I got to say to you, I mean, I mean, how good is this?

Our show now has an emerging leader? As a regular guest. I mean, I think that's fantastic. I mean, we're making the big time here, aren't we?

Yeah, yeah. Mate, it is really good. It's really nice to be part of something and, you know, the peak recreational fishing bodies are in Australia are all attending. So, you have to rub shoulders with a lot of really smart people who can hopefully, you know, sort of show me the path to some good ideas and perhaps some good um, some good policy implementations and things we can um, work into our submissions to government through the amateur fishermen's association here in the North.

I told you, I've been telling you for years, an emergency, emerging emergency. Emerging chief minister, emerging chief minister. It's not out of the question. You run the show up there, you could be running the show.

No, no, in the fair Degan department, I think it's a great choice and I think it's, I mean, you're always not just about catching fish, but you're all about the whole system and how it works. And, and of course, you do pass on that knowledge and you've done that in the past through your online courses and all those things. And I know you take it very, very seriously and we have a bit of a laugh here, but I think, well done, mate. I think it's a great choice and having people like you on that. and sending them over to South Africa, you say. I'll tell you what, it's not a rotten if you're not in it.

if you're not in it, isn't it? That's what they reckon, mate. The last one was actually in Melbourne last year. So that was a bit easier to get to, but... Oh, yeah, you wouldn't have had as much fun.

I don't know where I've never been. been to South Africa, but I've been to Melbourne. No thanks. Yeah, that's right.

Yeah, yeah. No, I haven't been to South Africa yet either. And everyone else that's going is going off on big game park visits and stuff after the trip, but of course, I've got to get back and get stuck into fishing within a few days of getting back from that conference. So that'll be good, but I'll have another chance to get over there.

We send plenty of people over there to catch, well, not specifically to South Africa, but to Africa on our angling adventures trips with tiger fish and other things like that. So I'll get over there another time next couple of years anyway. Yeah, good stuff. All right.

Well done. Congratulations on that. I know we muck around, but I know that's a big deal and it's great that you are on it. All right, well, we'll let you sit there and look up at the sky and look at all that water coming down and up there in the Top End, the northern territory.

Can't wait to get there later in the year. We'll talk to you next week if we can find you in South Africa. Yeah, that's right. Yeah, we'll see how it all lines up.

It'd be good if we could do a little live cross. That'd be good fun. It would be good. All right, mate.

Well, take it easy, stage, right? Talk to you soon, next week. find you. We'll find you.

All right, there he is. Barefoot fishing and well done, Watty. I mean, he, he, look, what he is right across how that system works up there, that ecosystem, the rain, what he does, the whole thing, he's all over it. And, uh, and I, he's a great choice and well done to him, uh, being part of that. That delegate, that delegation, an emerging leader.

Well done. Mate, we love body, don't we? Barefoot Fishing Safaris or Angling Adventures. Be out.

Be sure to get out and go fishing with Watty. You certainly might be disappointed whether you're going overseas or just heading up to the Top End. You certainly will have a great time and catch some fish as well. Barefoot Fishing Safaris.