4 minute read
Hook, Line & Sinker
The Run-Off
Twenty-year veterans of fishing on the small screen, Andrew Hart and Nick Duigan hunt barra as flood plains drain.
Words: Andrew Hart
While the rest of us in the southern parts of Australia enjoy a dry and warm festive season, those in the Top End are praying for rain. Not just a downpour to break the oppressive heat of the build-up, but rain to fill the flood plains and billabongs and lead to what fishers in this part of the world call ‘the run-off’.
Unfortunately, it doesn’t rain enough every year in the Top End for it to happen. But when it does, anglers are blessed with some of the best fishing for the area’s most famous fish: the mighty barramundi.
Anglers from all over the country flock to Darwin and surrounds during the run-off to chase the barra of a lifetime.
Here’s how the run-off works. First, all the rain fills the billabongs and the flood plains around the Top End’s rivers until they’re overflowing. This allows the barra to head up, out and away from the rivers— and feed like crazy.
Some then choose to stay in the freshwater billabongs for years. Most, however, use the high water simply to gorge themselves on the abundant food before returning into the river systems as the waters subside. And that’s where anglers wait for some of the best barra fishing in the country.
In late April we visited Darwin as it came towards the end of a pretty good run-off.
The Top End received proper rain during the wet season, which meant the big rivers in the area all fished really well. The most famous big river is the Daly, a three-hour drive from the Territory capital, which is also one of the most popular places to visit.
The run-off usually starts around March and is finished by May, depending on rainfall. The best fishing is typically when the weather is still hot and humid, and the water temperatures haven’t dropped too much. To give you an idea, the water temp was 30°C during my recent visit, which the barra seemed to love! Once the dry season kicks in, these temperatures drop, making the fishing a little more difficult as the barra become sluggish in the colder water.
The highlight for me on the Daly was catching fish with small Zerek Fish Trap lures.
These soft, vibe-style lures are super appealing to the famous fish. There’s a bit of a technique to using them and not getting snagged, but once you’ve worked that out it’s a fun way to wet a line. We caught most of our barra on Fish Traps at the mouth of some of the many creeks that run into the main river. You can see the fresh, clean water running from these creeks and mixing with the muddy salt water of the Daly. This is paradise for barra and barra anglers alike!
Another popular method is using live cherabin as bait. The Daly is one of the few spots where you are allowed to trap the cherabin, also known as giant freshwater prawns, which, as well as being tasty in themselves, are brilliant bait. Simply pick a creek mouth and cast one out under a float. The barra love them. Just watch their pinchers, because the angry shrimp are not shy in giving you a painful nip!
Of course, all this great fishing happens alongside amazing scenery and wildlife. The land is still green and lush, and there’s snakes, lizards, amazing birds, buffalo and, of course, crocs everywhere! It really does make for a great adventure. As long as you’re tucking into big barra—and nothing too big is tucking into you!
