North Australian FISH FINDER TM forums

Rebaited my 3 cherabin pots yesterday [17/2], and all 7 cherub's was berry carrying females. If my info is correct, when they drop spawn, it must hit salt or at least brackish water within 3-5 days to survive and grow. With the Adelaide on standard tidal at present, that's a long way to try to get there without the assistance of 1 way flooded river, but perhaps BOM is correct with mid March monsoon, certainly hope so. Also spotted the first 3 Crimson finches yesterday, but no nest building yet. Kai.

I'm predicting an Easter monsoon. Hopefully big one.

Was out there on Thursday and crimson finches everywhere.

Lets keep fingers crossed for bl..dy rain.

Yep, saw a couple more today, but still no nest building activity, when that starts, max 3 weeks to rain. Unless like 2-3 years ago, they abandoned nests within a few days, no eggs, an no bl..dy rain either.

Caught few cheriabin down daly last night most were also filled with eggs

Looks clear today ... http://www.bom.gov.au/

And fluffy whites outside my NT window ... http://www.weathercamnetwork.com.au/dar ... namah.html

Access G model has a bit of moisture around Thurs/Friday, and has been pretty consistent with that for the last week or so... Hardly what I would call a monsoon, but I will be grateful for any rain atm...

Access G for Thurs/Friday...

Hi everyone,my name is Karl Boettcher and I have a massively keen interest in this topic as I lived in Darwin from 2007 to 2013 and have been working up here in East Timor from 2006 to the present and 2010 was the eye opener for me as we did not have a dry season in Darwin with rain every 4 to 5 days,massive thunderstorms over the Timor Sea all day and night heavy afternoon rain in Dili once every couple of days and massive fish being caught everyday and sold on the side of the road (in Dili) with nothing smaller than 4 feet in length...I was listening to an oceanographer on Radio National on my way to Hibiscus shopping centre in July and he was making the comment that the ocean temperature across the top end of Australia extending East to the Central Pacific and down the East Coast of Australia was warmer than average by 2to 3 degrees,not just on the surface but extending down to about 130 feet depth and made the prediction that parts of Australia could very well experience higher than average rainfall over the coming summer...and he was right as we had flooding in Towoomba followed by the Tropical Cyclone that made a bee line for the Queensland coast and hit at a category 5 on the coast and was still a cat 1 at Mt Isa miles from the coast and dropping buckets of rain over Central Australia,and it received its immense strength from the warmer than average ocean temperature. The point is that from what have seen is that there is a direct correlation between the ocean temperature around the northern and eastern coastlines of Australia that will indicate in broad terms as to whether Australia as a whole gets average,above or below average rainfall...and I made my prediction with workmates over here in Dili in June 2015 that Australia as a whole would have way below average rainfall and that we would probably see only one or two tropical cyclones if any at all...solely because literally overnight starting in March 2015,all of the large fish were not to be seen here in Dili with the fishermen only selling tiny little ones ( if any at all) and even these were relatively expensive for the locals to buy.
I have since found that the warm water that migrates around the equatorial regions spent its time on the west coast of North America through late 2015 and was the cause for the massive snowstorms and that Australia has been surrounded by well below average water temperatures and has resulted in our lower than normal rainfalls...just google 'the blob high ocean temperatures' and there are coloured diagrams illustrating this phenomena.
I am keeping an eye on the water over here and will give my prediction for the 2016/2017 monsoon season mid way through the year based on what fish I see...talk soon and kindest regards

Interesting observations Karl. I now have 15 Crimson nests around my roof lines, but the 3 where I can get close still no eggs. They are still flying around, but seem finished with nest building, so like the rest of us, just waiting for rain and hopefully LOTS. Mickkk could be right, Easter.

Hi Kai...I am a friend of Michael (Casuarina Pool Inspector and obsessed fisherman) and I meet him once a month when I have my morning swim on my way home from Dili to Newcastle when I overnight in Darwin and he put me onto your remarkable observations that I will be keeping a keen eye on...I have known Michael since I began living in (wonderful) Darwin and always look forward to hearing of his latest observations...talk soon.

The finches are right again...the monsoon trough is currently south of Darwin and has strengthened over the last 2 days and the associated barometric pressure over Darwin is now 1003mb...the lowest that it has been for the last 6 months as I have not seen it below 1009mb indicating that there will be rainfall.The pressure during a normal wet season is from 998mb to 1004mb but this wet season it has been up around 1009mb to 1016mb...so for it to now be as low as 1003mb is an indication of more rain...talk soon.

Interesting posts Karl, the concern now is that the low in the Gulf is heading east which might take the weather with it.

Or maybe not

Absolutely right,the low pressure is now definitely moving east and taking the weather with it and there seems to be minimal rain associated with the monsoon trough that is extending all the way across the top end of Australia...and my reasoning is that the low pressure is conducive for good rainfall but the only aspect missing is a relatively warm ocean mass that is not present and had the ocean been warmer there would have been much higher rainfall.
My prediction is that this is the end of the majority of the monsoon season rainfall for the north of Australia and we are soon to be headed into the dry season...however,this is my prediction and I look forward to being proved wrong and then shot down in flames with no mercy...but nevertheless I am keeping a keen eye on the pressure systems and open to new surprises that Mother Nature always delivers...talk soon