Happy Micks Fishing Report

by Brian Lund

Mike and his first Dundee Sailfish

What a weekend!

Friday I managed to get away as planned and took a couple of mates to Dundee for a spot of bottom bouncing and some sail hunting. The weather gods smiled on us, the fish played the game and the day was nearly perfect.

The Sail scene is nothing short of balistic at the moment with Sail Fish nearly everywhere. My good mate Joynsie managed to land his first NT Sail Fish over some of my favourite grounds off Dundee after a very short period of time tolling the Soft Head Pluggas on sale in the shop. He also managed to raise a number (in excess of 15) more during the day. His counterpart Jarboy managed to get a couple of nice Mackeral under his belt that same trip. I took a mate Brad on my boat and though we were mainly targeting bottom fish we too managed to raise a good number of Sails and small Blacks in and around the same area and in the vacinity of Sail City.

On the bottom scene the Stripies were as thick as thieves with some cracker 45 – 50 cm fish caught mixed witha lot of smaller bait sized stripies amongst them all around Long Lost however there were also some nice Tricky Snapper in with them. After getting a few Stripies for bait we headed towards Sail City to chase some larger bottom dwellers  and succeeded in getting a few nice Red Emperor, larger Tricky Snapper, a few Rosy Job Fish and a Trout or two. Brad managed to out fish me on the Red Emperors as all I seemed to manage was Tricky after Tricky.

The Tuna schools while being everywhere consisted of very small fish to less than 1kg. Perfect bait schools for the maurading Sail Fish.

On return to the boat ramp I spoke to a number of fishermen who had tackled the Finniss River with the plethora of other boats. Most reported that the rivers had appeared to close down and the barra were very hard to get. The ones caught all appeared to be good quality solid fish but there definately is not the numbers there that were there the last few weeks. Speaking with other crews that had fished around Blaze they reported getting some thumper Goldies and a few nice Jewies.

6 Mile and the harbour wrecks have all been producing quality Goldies and smaller Jewies. There have been some scattered reports of Mackeral showing up around Lee Point and the Bottle Washer while further afield there have been good reports of big Goldies and assorted reef fish around some of the other artificial reefs. Charlie Chambers has said that his customers have been doing really well with Goldies. Charlie himself managed to pick himself up a nice sized Black Marlin last weekend.

Dean Blackman with his biggest yet - a 102cm barra from the mouth of Shady Camp

One of our regular customers Dean Blackman dropped in yesterday and happened to mention that he joined the meter club on the weekend with a very solid fish trolled up at the mouth of Shady Camp. He also explained that they managed to get a few other fish there too. Others are comming in saying that they are still getting good fish at the mouths in Chambers Bay however there appears to be more Salmon than Barra being caught.

Reports from the Adelaide and the Aligators have been very promising with the best reports coming from the upsteam section of the South Aligator, 1 crew reported catches in the region of 40 fish.

The reports of muddies have been patchy at present however the ones that are filtering in have me planning a trip in the near future. The pick of the spots for a feed appear to be Bynoe Harbour, Shoal Bay and the deeper water in the Elizabeth and Middle Arms.

by Mike Chambers

My good mate Tim set out with his crew for Shady Camp last week, sparrow fart, and full of good intentions. Somewhere around Humpty Doo one of the bearings seized. Back to town.

Now this would have been curtains for many, but Tim’s intrepid crew prevailed, and they finally launched later that morning. They fished hard all day for a couple of Salmon, ending up sat the mouth of Tommy Cut. There was one crew onto a good colour change in a creek mouth onto a few fish, but no room to get alongside. They moved to the next creek, didn’t look much just dirty water, and hooked up on a lone ranger, 65cm barra. With not much happening they moved on.

It’s interesting how decison making can affect the outcome of a good barra trip. About an hour later, with talk of maybe going home instead, they voted to go back and have a look at the dirty creek. Didn’t look much different, but there was colour and a bit of bait. Suddenly, a hook up!

About an hour and nearly fifty barra later, worn out and buggered, they left and went home. “The best fishing session I’ve ever had” he said. ” Most of the fish were 70 to 80cm, and I caught the biggest, 91cms all big fat and silver. ”

Puts a whole new bearing on things, dosn’t it!

happy day fish that people dream about..

With another year coming to a close, it has been another great oner for fishing in both
   blue water and the fresh. I guess the standout was the Sailfish mayhem off Dundee and
   around the Peron Islands earlier in the year. The lucky ones that tangled with them had many
   stories to tell, getting every one fired up to go out and chase these speed demons of the sea.
 One sailfish was caught on the every trusty Maribou jig intended for a tuna! more

 The wet season finish a month early but despite that the run off was short and sweet with most big rivers firing up  like the Daly river and the Shady Camp S bend with plenty of quality
   Barramundi being caught and lots of them.

The Billabongs fished well this year with Corroborree being the most visited freshwater water hole with some real large fish coming from the area.
   

Most boats have been fishing around  the  Harbour with some nice mixed reef fish. Others have been heading  a bit wider around Charlies Point for the many jewfish being caught but l have heard of snapper other reef fish been in good numbers out there as well.

 
Charles Pt and the mouth of Bynoe Harbour have been the pick of areas , with the Adelaide Narrows also
  producing Snapper and Barramundi as the tide comes in. Still in that area the Vernons has been very good
  for the bait fisherman,  as well as for the jig fishing folk with some great sized snapper and the odd coral
  trout thrown in the mix of things. 

The Shoal bay area came alive last week with qaulity barra being caught and lost, live bait as well as big lures like bombers and killalures were the most effective,   and kept fisho’s on the toes with nice action as the tide rolled back in – some were too big and busted off on the rock. Maybe jewfish l’m thinking.

With most bigger rivers now starting to flow there have been some great reports from them, with the first push of water to get things flowing it seems  that alot of land locked barra are on the move trying to get to better parts of the river or the salt water sections of the river system. Heaps of fish were stuck as the wet stopped so quickly.  

 Shady camp last week was going nuts. Almost a fish a cast on surface lures. Awesome fishing up to 85cm and consistent 70cm fish. As it,s flowing over the Barrage the fishing has slowed right down and the fish kill that happens every  year is now happening. Very sad to see so many barra dead. 

The Daly river at the crossing also went gang  busters and the Finnis River and the Marrikai Road where the Adelaide river flows over had its fair share  of great barra action with fish on the move down the river eating anything they could get their mouth around.

Iin the New Year the Harbour will be a great spot to try to kick start the barra  count for the year. l might be giving West Arm and Little West arm a hit   and even Woods Inlet on the incoming tide which are around lunch time. 

If you are planning to get away for a couple of days the Daly river is another place to try. We’ve  been hearing good reports from there with some nice barra  on the chew. If the river does not rise it should be good.
  Bynoe Harbour will be another place if you want to get out of town.  l like the area around Six Pack Creek.  As you come out  of the creek you are at the bottom of Indian Island and can sneak up to Sims Reef on the change of tide for a jewfish.
  Six pack is a fine river system for snapper, barra and jewfish. Crabs are also plentiful in the system and ita good place to get out of the wind  if it blows up.

Closer to home the Narrows will be worth a shot on the change of tide for a jewfish. Its a big tide so a small
  window before the tide becomes too strong and you can’t keep connected to the bottom but the area will be worth a troll or a cast around the rocks at the mouth of Saltwater Arm and along the Narrows itself.

It is a bit early for the culverts  but Scotts Creek is starting to run and there have been some barra caught there.

Remember to play it safe and keep one eye on the weather- no fish is worth put yourself in danger for, if the rain keeps falling l cant wait for next year hopefully we can get a few more   monsoons in mix of things. Should be good, keep safe from the team at Happy Micks Happy New Year..

   Something has been going on at the “S Bends”. No, not at the Daly. No not at Coroborree,  but down at Shady Camp. How weird is that? Some big silver lean barra have been giving  fisho’s a work out! You may think l  had too much sun over the weekend, and its definitely not the run off but they have moved up the river with the big bait schools. The barrage went gang busters one night last week, as well as the mouth of Sampan. Barra are really on the chew down that neck of the woods. One customer came in with a report of a metre plus fish on a trolled Little Lucifer Redhead. How good is this? Sail fish and big barra in the middle of the dry!…

2008 Corroboree Park Challenge

The Palmerston Game Fishing Club, along with it’s primary sponsors Humminbird Australia, and the Coroborree Park Tavern, reckons this is the best way to get the whole family on the water this weekend.

Fished in the picturesque waters east of Coroborree Billabong right through to Kakadu, this prestigeous Catch and Release competition is not one to miss.

A strong emphasis on families is what makes this event so unique.

Lines in will be at 6am Saturday morning, and you can fish all night if you want to, or return to Coroborree Park Tavern and enjoy the festivities. Lines out is at 3 pm on Sunday.

All fish are to be photographed against a recognised measuring device ( like a Brag Mat) before being released, thus keeping in line with the PGFC and it’s Catch and Release philosophy. Should you not have a digital camera one will be available on loan at a nominal fee.

You need top have your results with photos presented to the PGFC staff at the Coroborree Park Tavern by 3:30pm on Sunday. The presentation starts at 4:00pm sharp.

Cost of entry is $35 per adult and $15 per child. Entries can be made at the PGFC clubhouse, online here , or at Happy Micks Tackle N Tents at Fairway Waters Roundabout.

You can also make post entires at Coroborree Park Tavern from 4pm Friday and from 6am to 10am Saturday.

There are thousands of dollars in prizes up for grabs in many categories in this, the ultimate family fishing event. Register now and you won’t be dissapointed.

For more details phone Craig 0438270512 or call Happy Micks 08 893 111 44

Dwayne and Laura caught some good fish out at Shady Camp freshwater last weekend, but as always the girls always get the best! This was her 75cm best caught on a Barra Classic and her trusty Pink Ugly Stik Combo

Meanwhile Dwayne took our advice on lure selection fishing for Queenies at the Larakeyhah Rockwall.

“Thanks Mick. I got two queenies over a metre usiing the Silver Viper you put me onto!

The Viper is a big fish lure. The head is bulky to simulate a large baitfish and the tail is slim to maximise hook exposure. More about Vipers here.

In his book “Barra,’ Rod Harrison says “By the time Rob Smith applied his creativity to producing an 18cm 6″ Barra Lure carrying the three sets of trebles the market demanded, there weren’t a lot of distinctive profiles left.

He did well to come up with a shape that not only demonstrates originality but delivers a performance that makes it a #1 seller at locations like Awoonga!” Find out more

And, we might add, the Daly, the Adelaide, the South ,and Manton Dam! 

Purpose designed action
In the water, the Viper sends out fish attracting vibrations, and noise from its rattle chamber. The action is narrow, rock ‘n roll, as preferred by many barra experts. Expert choice
Neil Schultz, well known fishing writer, rates Viper his number one lure for big barramundi. Neil’s results have helped Viper earn an enviable reputation for performance in Queensland impoundments.

Using a Viper, Neil captured one of the largest barramundi (35kg – 77lb) ever caught on a rod and reel at Lake Tinaroo in N. Qld. It was a record that stood for two years.

John Mondora, another well known writer, rates Viper as important equipment for targeting large barra.

There are currently three models, shallow, 4 metres and 6 metres.

Late September is traditionally a time of hustle and excitement as screaming fans urge on their favourite teams through the frenzy of footy finals.

Much as we enjoy the thrills and spills of the footy end of season extravaganza, it pales into insignificance against the action that is unfolding in Coroborree, Hardies, the Mary and many of the other top end billabongs.

Around quarter final time each year, subtle changes occur in our weather patterns. Those ghastly sou’ easterly trade winds that have plagued a great dry season’s blue water fishing slowly back off, roaring into September like a lion, and leaving like a lamb later in the month. The strong winds blowing across the water each day like a refrigerated air conditioner have been keeping the water cool, in the low twenty degrees. The bigger fish don’t like this; they are sluggish, and doughy, difficult to catch.

But as the winds drop, the humidity rises, and the water warms, the big fish begin to stir. They haven’t done a great deal of feeding for a few months now, and their condition and fitness level has dropped off. Somehow they realize that within a few short weeks, when the rains begin in earnest, the water will become depleted of oxygen, and some will even die in a backwater fish kill. They need to build up their body weight enough to sustain them through the difficult weeks ahead. They start to feed aggressively.

Game on! It’s Coroborree Finals Time!

Along with thousands of other enthusiasts from across the Top End and the rest of the country, we always plan to make a few trips around this time. We reckon the moon is still a factor, and the full moons of September and October are legendary, providing some extraordinary night fishing trolling the billabongs with big shallow running lures. These provide an enticing silhouette when trolled slowly against a sky lit by moonlight and lightning.

. But we still reckon that an old fashioned almanac, a Fish N Tide Watch or one of the new Fish IQ handheld prediction devices is invaluable in deciding not only when to go but also when to be at “that spot.” Although isolated from the tides, freshwater fish, and indeed all wildlife life are sensitive to the cycle of the moon, and it can be an important factor in making decisions about your own fishing activities.

Charlie and I caught our very first barramundi during an early morning September trip to Coroborree with a workmate in the late eighties. Or more accurately, it was seven year Charlie who hooked five fish over eighty centimeters in what is still one of our fondest fishing memories. The bamboo clad bank that we were on, which we fished successfully for many years, has gone now, disappearing in a morass of fallen, dead bamboo. No doubt the fish are still there, but its impossible to get at them.

The lure that we used that day is also one of legend. It was one we picked up along the track on our way to the Top End, chosen unwittingly and quite by accident from the range of strange and colourful barra lures on the wall of the local tackle shop.

It was not until we started Happy Micks tackle shop some years later that we realised the significance of that choice. The number 67 Spearhead, for many years our number one best seller, was the favourite of most who fished freshwater in those days. The rise of the Bombers and Little Lucifer’s, arguably the best barra lure of all time, has sent the Spearhead range into the back ground in recent times. Talk to any Coroborree guide and they will tell you that the Lucifers, and more recently the wonderfully coloured moulded bib imported models, form the mainstay of their working lure collection. They run at about eight feet, the ideal depth for these billabongs. Their hardware is tough, and the two treble have excellent exposure. Lucifers have a tight, enticing action at both low and high speeds, which prompted the begininings of the jig jig jig rod action movement which has pretty much revolutionised the way we troll for barra. But that another story.

Within a few years, Lucifers had taken over the role of Spearheads as the predominant billabong barra trolling lure. However, herein lies the mistake. Anglers new to the game, and there have been tens of thousands since the late ninties, have come to the game without the historical knowledge of what went before. I have noticed in recent years that a lot of anglers don’t even carry spearheads in their boxes. They don’t know what they are missing out on. A Spearhead free September is like a year without a grand final brawl. Unthinkable!

I’ve had a couple of trips in the last ten days. On the first, we found fish on the outside of a big bend, holding in a bunch of lillies some thiry metres out from the bank. We were “loaded for bear” as they say, with just about every Lucifer ever made in one or other of our boxes. The timing was right, the water clean and looking good. No fish!

This particular bank had been quite heavily fishing during the week, and the fish may have been a bit spooked, but they were still showing on the sounder. Time for change. Spearhead time.

There are four main colours that we use at this time. Numbers 67, 70, 90, and 97. All will work during different periods. We chose the two naturals as the water was quite clear. Within the space of about three runs we had three fish. Then came carnage and mayhem as the big boys came out to play. Our lures were new, straight out of the box, and the hardware was just not up to this kind of pressure. You’d think a bloke woud learn over the years! (Best to change the split rings to an Arafura size 3 and the trebles to an Eagle Claw #6. Anything heavier will kill the action).

We were hooking up on big fish, well above 90cms from the size of the buckets that were constantly rearing out of the water behind us. On a normal bank we may have stood a chance, because the fish would have been forced to swim out, but in this situation they just drilled us straight back into the lillies from whence they came. It was fun, but! We noticed that the guides trolled wider on this bank, I think to give their punters a better chance of landing the fish, but they didn’t seem to be getting the big suckers. They seemed to stay right in close.

Later we went into the Rock Hole, and had a similar result, catching plenty on the spearheads and losing the bigger fish to the lilies.

No doubt that with the amount of trolling the key spots that is happening at present, the fish will eventually get a bit wise and spooky. I think this may be where the Spearhead comes into its own. Hand carved from timber, it has two characteristics that the Lucifer’s lack. It has no noise, the Lucifer’s have a distinct rattle. Normally this will entice a strike, but I have had experiences previously where a solid lure will out fish a rattler, and a lot of old timer’s actually don’t like lures that rattle. The other difference ifs that a Spearhead, not being hollow, will suspend in the water a bit longer than their plastic counterparts.

It’s these two points of difference that I believe can make the Spearheads so deadly in this situation. They are different. And just because they have been around a lot longer, fashion just doesn’t work in the water. As long as there are barra, these guys will catch fish!

So next time you are trolling the billabongs, and need to try something different, try running the Spearheads on the inside and the deeper Lucifers on the outside, so that when you turn around just swap rods over. Naturals for clear, fluros for dirty water. The results may surprise you!