Charter Fishing in Northern Territory
The fishing in the Northern Territory is some of the most pristine fishing to be found on earth. The opportunities up here are endless, governed only by how far one is prepared to travel. Located in the northern center of the country, the northern territory is a massive area of land that is deemed to be some of the most remote in Australia. The area of this massive part of Australia 1,349,129 km2 which is the same as the areas of France, Spain and Italy combined, but the population is a mere 215 000 people - that?s about 7% of the total population of Sydney. The Territory, as it is commonly known in Australia, is mostly made up of massive cattle properties and national parks and because of this, and the incredibly small amount if fishing pressure, the fishing in the Northern Territory is like nowhere else on earth. There is some 6200km of relatively untouched coastline that is riddled with inshore islands, estuaries, swamps and mudflats. These areas are some of the most biodiverse and important marine ecosystems in the world today.
In saying all of this, one can only imagine the plethora of untouched fishing opportunities that await you in this amazing place. The top end, as it is commonly known is the one place that every Australian fisherman wants to get too at some stage in their lives. For many it is so close yet so far away and for others it is a yearly pilgrimage to fly to Darwin and go on the fishing adventure of a lifetime. The waters around Darwin are home to a myriad of inshore and offshore islands, reefs and estuarine waterways. There are many different types of fishing charters that can take you out and show you the fishing trip of a lifetime. Species such as fingermark or golden snapper, barramundi, grunter, black jew, coral trout, mackerel, trevally, tuna, red emperor, nannygai and mangrove jack are all in excellent numbers in the waters around Darwin and are caught every day on any one of Darwin?s charter boat fleet.
Of the many different species that can be caught whilst fishing in the Northern Territory, by far the most sought after is the great barramundi. The estuaries of the territory are full of these big predatory species and they are considered to be the trophy fish of the estuary. The Barra as it is commonly known, can grow to about 1.5 meters in length and some 40kg. A big fish is considered to be 1 meter in length and 15 kgs. They are an acrobatic fish that will repeatedly leap from the water making aggressive headshakes in attempt to throw the hooks.
A big barra will fight tenaciously making hard runs and fight with great stamina. Most of the barramundi fishermen practice catch and release fishing but smaller fish (being all male) are regarded as one of the best eating fish in Australia. Barramundi is often found on the menus of some of the best restaurants in the country and yields large fillets of flakey, flavorsome white meat. The barra will move upstream during the wet into the wetlands and billabongs to feed. The first part of the run off at the beginning of the dry season sees the best barra fishing as the fish move back into the estuaries to lay their eggs. Casting baits and lures into the feeder creeks that run into the main rivers usually will result in good catches of barra.
So when planning your next fishing trip or family holiday, remember the fishing in the Northern territory is second to none.
