Wednesday, January 23, 2013

First Time At Cahills Cossing.

Hi there,

Just a mini report about the first time that I went fishing to Cahills Crossing.
I had never been there, and this is a very beautiful place near Jabiru.
We just passed through, but now that I have seen a bit of it, I would love to get back there one day with more time.

Moz, gave me a call one morning, saying that if I wanted, he could pick me up one hour later, and we would drive there for a try at fishing the culverts and maybe the crossing.
I was on it like a kid on an ice cream.
I wanted to see this famous place for so long.

We drove directly to Cahills Crossing, and it was closed, because of the rain from the previous days.

Cahills Crossing, under water.

We first started to flick our lures from the viewing platform. Then Moz spotted a little passage on the left of the road, that lead to some rocks from where it seemed to be safe to fish. With a lot more room to cast. So we went on it and started to fish again from there.
As I was reeling in my lure just next to the rock, I had the feeling that something had followed it. But I was not sure if it was just a shadow made by a nearby tree, waving in the wind.
To be sure of it, I sent my lure where I had dropped it on the previous cast, and tried to retrieve it on the same trajectory. Once the lure was not very far from the rocks, a flash of light in the water, and bang I was on to a vigorous little Barramundi.

Greedy little Barramundi.

This was no big fish, but it made us think that we were in the right spot.
Well about a few hundreds cast latter and no more fish, we weren't so sure anymore, and decided to start to make our way back. With the plan to stop at the culvert we would see on our way home.

The first good looking culvert was already busy with two other fishermen, so we just had a little chitchat with them, and left them at it. They hadn't caught a fish yet.

At the second one, at Magella Creek, I didn't get anything, because Moz stole all the action.
He first started to even the score with a little barra.

Moz and a little Barramundi from the culvert.

And then he got something like five or six hook up, while I was just gave a little swim to my lure...
It is faire to say that both his technic and the spot from where he was fishing were better that mines.
Yes I hear you, for the technic, it is a question of practice and talent, but for the spot, I could have just walked next to him...
Well, to this I will just say no.
He had taken his shoes off, and walked in the middle of the road/culvert to fish straight in the middle of the creek. With the light fading this was to me like wadding in the crocodile causeway. There was no way I was going to get in there, not even for a better fishing spot.

We did see a kangaroo cross the creek behind us, and this was the first time that I saw one of them jumping in the water to cross a creek. The sound and image of it will stay in my memory for a long time. This is part of what makes fishing in the top end so magic.
This was a great little trip, thank you Moz for the invitation.

From Darwin this was a round trip of between 400 to 500 km, and we came back with no fish in the esky. Because the two landed ones were undersize... I know what some people might think...

But hey, it could be worse.
Have a good day,
Me.

2 comments:

Fish Whisperer said...

You can't win them all but at least you had a great trip.
Cheers

Rambling Expat said...

Hi Fish Whisperer,

Yes, as I often say, it could be worse...
;-)

It is a part of the NT where I had not been before, and it is very beautiful, so I was very happy.

And a mini road tip with a good mate, talking about fishing, is usually a pretty good way of killing time...

Have a good day,
Me.