Barramundi Fishing
in the Northern Territory
By MATT FLYNN of North Australian FISH FINDER TM
****
So you want to catch the famous wild barramundi in the Northern Territory?
There's a few ways you can do it.
You might wish to take your own boat north or you could fly in and hire a professional fishing guide.
Either way, a little planning will vastly improve your chances.
Barramundi seasons
Australia's Northern Territory has three basic seasons - the wet season monsoon (usually late December to April), the dry season (June to September) and the stormy "build-up" - the time of increasing heat and humidity leading up top the wet season (October to December).
There is usually very little "build-down" from the wet season as the cool dry season south-easterly wind arrives almost overnight once the monsoon weakens.
What does all this mean for barramundi fishermen?
Barramundi love heat. They bite really well in the build-up because it is warm and they are preparing to spawn, so they must eat. But it can be an uncomfortable time to fish unless you limit trips to the cooler morning and afternoons.
During the early wet season the weather is often cooler but barramundi can be hard to catch as the rivers flood and the fish spread out in the floodwaters. Towards the end of the wet season the fish tend to gather in certain areas, usually the mouths of floodplain creeks. This is the run-off season and it is a great time to fish. A wet season that drops rain consistently from January produces better fishing than a wet season that dumps it all in one lot in February or March.
Just after the wet season is the "greenwater" period where the rivers are full of clear rainwater. This is a great time to fish because water clarity is good.
Once the dry season south-easterly hits, the water in rivers and billabongs begins to cool and barramundi slow down, however they can be caught right through the year, especially during warm spells.
Where to fish
Northern Territory barramundi live in fresh and salt water and can be caught in rivers, lagoons and along the coast. The fish do tend to congregate in certain areas with the changing seasons but the fact is the fish can be found in any of their usual habitat at any time.
Fishermen who target big barramundi tend to fish the big tidal rivers such as the Daly, Mary, Adelaide, and East and South Alligator Rivers, and some coastal creeks. Most big fish are caught just after the wet season.
The Northern Territory has excellent roads to boat ramps on most of its wild rivers, but finding barramundi hotspots on these vast waterways can be daunting.
For that reason, many people hire professional barramundi guides.
The Northern Territory has several stocked waters which provide good fishing at times.
Billabongs are popular venues for mostly smaller barramundi, which are caught in a setting among lillies and loads of wildlife. Billabongs also hold freshwater sportfish such as saratoga.
How to fish
Barramundi live in a great range of habitats and therefore fishing methods are varied. Most fishing takes places in the salt water and the NT's tides have to be taken into account.
Fishing is usually best in early morning, late afternoon and at night. The best tide is usually the last three hours of runout and first two hours of run-in, when barramundi and bait are forced out of the mangroves and into mud drains and tidal flats.
The most popular way to catch barramundi is on lures. Some people use live bait to tempt them but this is considered unsporting by some.
Lures are usually trolled or cast to like places, which includes snags, rockbars, undercut river banks, and coastal flats where bait is being working by fish.
Lure colour and size are greatly debated but there is no doubt that some days barramundi will show preference for certain lures and colours. At times the fish will feed on a specific food item and a lure will need to imitate that item to get strikes.
Tiny lures can be useful at times, especially during the wet season run-off. Small prawn imitations are very effective in the saltwater as even large barramundi are voracious eaters of small prawns.
The main consideration is that the lures are strong - barramundi will literally tear apart lightly built lures. Fortunately there is a huge range of strong lures available specificially for barramundi.
The soft plastic lures or "jellies" are very effective on barramundi and should always be in the tackle box.
Boats and cars
The Northern Territory has good roads and most boat ramps can be accessed by 2WD, although 4WD is recommended as even good concrete boat ramps can be slippery and difficult at low tide.
Boats of all sizes are used to chase barramundi, but because of the presence of large crocodilesin Northern Territory, anything under 3.7m is not recommended.
Casting platforms are very useful in a barramundi boat, as are livebait tanks, and a long-range fuel tank. However a standard 3.7m dinghy with a small tanks is suitable for many barramundi hotspots.
Rods and reels
Overhead casting reels are hugely popular for lure fishing - models such as the Shimano Curado and Calcuttas are market leaders.
Small spinning reels (eggbeaters) work fine however.
See your tackle shop to find a matching rod - there's too many choices to list here, but good rods are available at low prices.
Line breaking strains today are usually 8kg to 15kg, with a tendency to use the modern braided lines.
Other gear
A good echo sounder can help you locate barramundi, although it is not an essential item for much barramundi fishing. A GPS unit is handy when you are in unfamiliar waters as local fishing maps generally provide GPS data.
You will need a landing net, preferably a small mesh net that will not split the fish's fins. Many barramundi are released because the NT has strict bag and size limits and these fish must be handled carefully to ensure their survival. A measuring sticker should be attached to the gunwhales so you can see if your barra is over the legal 55cm limit.
A lure desnagging pole will help you retrieve lures that are invariably snagged while fishing the lairs in which barramundi shelter.
Sunscreen, a good hat and lots of drinking water are other essentials.
Other fish
There are many other exciting fish species in the Northern Territory that live in the shadow of the famous barramundi. Living in much of the same habitat in the salt water are threadfin and blue salmon, queenfish, trevally, black jewfish, mangrove jacks, grunter and golden snapper. In the fresh water saratoga and tarpon are a popular side catch.
Salmon, queenfish, trevally and salmon-catfish are the most likely bycatch while actually lure fishing for barramundi. Other species generally have to be targeted with bait.
Most of these species are excellent to eat, and some people argue that they are better than barramundi. Either way it helps to mix your catch rather than just take barramundi.
The NT coast is also home to longtail tuna, spanish mackerel, cobia and to a lesser extent sailfish, and many of the grounds are just a short distance from the barramundi hotspots.
On any day several fish species can be caught when fishing the NT coastline.
The best places
There are many good places to fish. However the big rivers where netting has been banned are where the most big fish are taken. These include the Roper, Mary, Daly, McArthur and Adelaide Rivers. The South and East Alligator Rivers in Kakadu National Park have no netting and are also good fishing spots.
Other good waters accessible to the public include the Finniss, Victoria, Towns, Robinson, Wearyan, Calvert and Keep Rivers.
The Tiwi Islands north of Darwin have large rivers that fish very well and the Tiwi Land Council has a permit system available through the Amateur Fishermen's Association NT.
The remote rivers of Arnhem Land are difficult to access because the Northern Land Council rarely approves permits for fishing purposes, however the rivers can be entered by sea at the time of writing. The fishing can be very good but not necessarily any better than the rivers where netting has been banned.
The permit debacle
A Federal Court decision in early 2007 decided that Aboriginal people owned the waters around their Northern Territory lands to the low water mark, including the whole width of rivers running through or bordering their lands.
This has huge implications for fishing access because until now people could access these waters by boat as long as they did not disembark onto the land.
A temporary permit system is in place until a High Court appeal is complete. After the appeal it is likely that either the permit system will be dropped or a paid permit system put in place, depending on who wins.
If Aboriginal people win the appeal it is likely that comprehensive changes to access will take place on the longer term, including a paid permit system and new no-go areas.
For more information visit the barramundi fishing forum
Barramundi
fishing links
Northern Territory
Fishing Maps
North Australian FISH FINDER Forums
Join the free
global fishing map
WorldFishingMap.com
Website published by
The Editor's Office,
PO Box 3195,
Darwin, NT, 0801.
Ph 08 89810621
Fax 08 8981 0228
For more information
about Northern Territory barramundi fishing see
the products at
FishFinderBooks.com