2015 Top End Barra Series Round 4.

Hi there,

Over a month ago was the 4th round of the 2015 Top End Barra Series.
But illness, the visit of a relative from overseas, and starting a new job all got in the way. And now with the round five coming next weekend, I have totally forgotten what it was like in round four.
So?

• It was in Darwin Harbour.
• I fished with my good mate Brett.
• He did catch more and better fish than I.
• I caught my first flounder on a lure.

I remember Brett picking me up a bit later than usual, simply because this time we were to fish closer from home, and because of the tide.
I love fishing on Darwin Harbour, as it is a beautiful harbour, and it has a great biodiversity.
We launched from a boat ramp that I had never seen before. Where we saw some other participants in the TEBS.

View from the boat ramp on the first morning.

From the ramp we zoomed to a few different places, and finally moved to a spot where we had some fish last year. We decided to stay on the spot until the tide was going to change, hoping that the fish would turn on. They did not really turn on, but still we got a few little hits, and I even finally got my first Barramundi of the weekend, after casting just where Brett was saying that the fish might wait in ambush:

First little Barramundi of the weekend.

This little Barramundi was too small to be give me any point, but it showed us that we were in the right spot and that we could get lucky.

So we tried a bit longer, and this is where I got my first point scorer of the weekend:

Second Barra of the weekend.

This one wasn't a monster, but it made me sure that I was not on a donut for the round, and that was more than enough to make me happy.

But with no more action there, not even a sniff, we decided to move to another spot, not too far away.

There, we arrived once again full of optimism. 

But sadly the fish were not on the same wave length than us, and decided to avoid us as best as they could.

Yet I managed to get a fish that was just the legal size, and who gave me a few more points for the round:

My second point scorer of the weekend.

As luck would have it, this was to be my last point scorer of the weekend too.

Yet there was still some fun and surprises to be had. Even if all I got in this spot was a smallish Rock Cod, and Brett I think got a few small Barramundi, that were slightly too short to give him any point.

So we called it a day, and decided to go back home, have a rest and come back the following day with a vengeance.

Going back home after the first day.

On the way home we discussed the different options for the next day, wondering how we could improve our chances.

But finally decided to do the same, and the same we did:

Start of day two.

But this time we would get some fish.

Anyway, this was the plan.

Which at first did not really work. So we stopped for a little while, to have a chat with Kieran who was fishing solo:

Kieran in his new boat.

He too found it hard to get some fish, but already had done better than us.

After that we moved to another spot where Brett had got a really good fish last year...

And he did it again!

Brett with is first Barramundi for the round.

Yes this was a good fish. It also meant that from now on, none of us was on the dreaded donut for the round. Our spirits felt suddenly much lighter.

At the same spot, I got my first flounder on a lure.

Little flounder on a lure.

Yes it was rather on the small size, but that was more than enough to make me very happy, and surprised.

First I had never caught a flounder before, and more importantly, I didn't even know that they lived in our waters. This is another proof of the great range of animals living in Darwin harbour.

But with no more fish coming our way, apart a few small Trevally, and maybe a small Catfish, but not sure about that? We decided to quietly go home and call it a day...

But... 

On the way, Brett saw some fish boofing on the sand flat, and we went after them.

This is where Brett shined, and I did not much.

Brett second Barramundi.

Brett had just changed his lure to a lighter one, as we were fishing in very shallow water.

And nearly immediately caught a fish.

It didn't took him long to get another one:

Brett last Barramundi of the weekend.

Brett was doing well, and I was taking photo of fish, instead of catching them.

I remember that the sand flat were full of sharks, some even swam very close to the boat, and another one had a go at my lure.

But then the bite stopped in the blink of an eye, and we could not see any boof anymore.

We had just arrived at the right time, and Brett made the best of it.

So this time we really went back to the ramp.

At the ramp I saw a beautiful little crab swimming:

Small crab in the shallow.

We got the boat on the trailer, and once on Terra Firma I tried to put the strap on it...

Well, I am not the best at it... To the extent that I wasn't sure if Brett found it funny or tragic, but the later wouldn't surprise me. As this is what I would have thought myself...

Trying to strap the boat.

It was so bad, that after a few attempt Brett had to do it himself...

But to me it was still a great weekend fishing, with my mind away from the rest of the world.

Thank you Brett for inviting me on your boat.

Sorry that I could not give you more detail about how the round went, but my memory is not the one of a twenty years old anymore...

But hey, it could be worse.

Have a good day,

Me.