A few lads have been asking me about culverts and how to fish them. I'm not as experienced as many of the lads here but this might help beginners thinking of going for a run up the highway...its a reply I sent to Shayne earlier today. Perhaps some other lads could add to it?

A culvert is any drain that runs under a road. Culvert fishing includes these as well as creeks that rise to levels higher than usual due to the wet season. The key to culvert fishing is water movement and heightened levels. If it looks like it usually does in the dry dont bother. You are not trying to catch fish that usually live there. You are trying to catch those using the drain or creek to get to the flooodplains. But you have to time it to be there when they are going through so culvert fishing can be hit or miss. What produces one day might not the next.

The basics start like this. 8kg line minimum. 40kg leader minimum. If you have braid use a spider hitch on both the leader and the braid to loop them...that way the braid wont cut the leader.

I use a spinning reel but overheads are good if you can use them.

Use soft plastics day or night or small poppers at night. You will be doing yourself a big favour rigging weedless as you will lose a lot of time retying otherwise. There are two problems with snagging...the lure flying back at you from a tree...or more importantly...less lure time in the strike zone as you rerig. Either a texas rig or what I usually use - jigs with weed wire embedded in the head...you can get them from guns & tackle in town.

For the soft plastic I prefer either a 5cm gulp jerk bait or a Mr Twister double tail (black or white) but its really your choice. Other lads use hollow bellies or tsunami shads etc. When they are on it doesnt matter all that much.

As I said earlier the key to culverts is timing. If the water is not running and not clear I generally wont bother. Also...theres a big difference between night fishing and day..try to time it so you are fishing @ dusk and then for the next few of hours afterwards. Or early morning. The middle of the day is not so good unless you are at a crossing that is really pumping.

If you are fishing at night set your light nearby but not next to you or the bugs will drive you spare. Invest in a good headlamp and dont ever forget the bug spray lol!

The clulverts on the Arnheim highway are not working at the moment. This might change before the weekend if we get a lot of rain...which I think we will. But if its still or slow and you dont get a hit in the first few throws...move on...

Some places that people go to fish culverts include

Stuart Highway
Adelaide River at Tortilla flats (Water level about at the bridge)
White Creek on Whitehead Road Tortilla Flats (Water level just under bridge)
Below the dam at Manton (must be really pumping)
Elizabeth River (look for reports on FFF)
Howard Springs the Iron Bridge Crossing Howard River (Only after substantial rain)
Leanyer Drains (beside the water park)

Cox Peninsular Road
Berry Springs Creek
Any of the several drains that pass under this road.
Dundee Road Three Rivers pass under and over this during the wet

Daly River
The Crossing itself
Bamboo Creek
Browns Creek (Get permission from the camp caretaker)

Arnheim Highway
Scotts Creek both on the hway just past corrob tavern and in the park (Not bad now...some more rain would help) Scotts is all timing. They are sometimes on..usually off.
Numerous creek/river crossings all the way in to Jabiru.
South Alligator Culvert..Known for big barra after a good rain but running too low right now.

Jabiru toThe East Alligator
The Magella creek. (Fished well the other day..good burst of rain could turn it on again)

The Old road to Yellow Waters (Through the middle of the park)
Any of the streams that cross this dirt road....especially the South itself

The Road to Shady
On the way you cross a creek that runs from a billabong on the right. Towards the end of the wet this can fish well though the fish are not usually very big.

Jabiru to Yellow Waters (Kakadu Hway)
Three Bridges cross the Highway at lNourlangie - These all fish well when the water is running well.
If you are at yellow Waters at dusk throw a weedless or a popper/fizzer off the boat ramps. (These are swampies but good fun)

Boroloola
Roper Bar - this is a road crossing that fires with big fish when the water is a few inches over the road.



For many of the places that are farther away a quick call to a local accomodation place will often save you a lot of travelling. Most people are helpful and there is noone who knows whats going on more than a local.



If you are planning a trip this weekend these would be my thoughts.
I would get to Jabiru about 3pm (leave Darwin about mid-day) then go right towards pine creek....about 20k along is three creeks which make up the Nourlangie creek system. Fish those at dusk then move back towards Jabiru fishing moving water along the way. When you get back to the highway follow the road out to the east till you get to the Magella. It turned off yesterday but it only takes a couple of good storms to turn it on again....

Always be wary of the crocs, share the driving and watch for localised flooding across the road which catches a lot of ppl out.

Good luck and let me know how you get on!!!! I wont be able to get again for a little bit.
Cheers
Mud

On ya Mud -good info there! -you forgot to mention -dont forget your celtas.

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Fantastic post Mud - it's what this forum is all about!!!!

good stuff mud . it was good to meet you the other night too, shame the fish won't there

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Don't know what you are talking about.

Great post. Plenty of info.

Great stuff mate, very help full

couple important thing you forgot to add

is to get a driver who does not drink booze

and a esky full of ice cold stubbies of choice

Good stuff thats gonna be handy for a lot of people!

Great post Mud

That could get you some good culvert fishing karma...not that you really need it

Sheeby.

ha ha ...yeah dont forget the celtas!



Cheers Saarge..will call you next time I get a leave pass although going out chasing jewies with FF and Whomper next week Woo hoo!!!



Same same....yeah the fish wernt there but from memory you still managed to pull a 62cm barra out! Hope Aaron? gets his bazz soon!



Bwahahaha! I forgot about that one lol! Getting whapped in the face with a Tsunami Shad..cross that one off the list of things to experience! To be honest until u and Ernie started laughing I thought a grasshopper had flown into me!!



Yeah as Pony Play mentioned I forgot to add "take an esky full of ice cold stubbies of choice....and...and something else...just dont forget the bottles of amber mellowness....



thanks Banjo!



lol thanks Sheeby but I tend to minimise the fishless trips lol! I'll take any karma on offer!

Crikey Mud I'll have to google some new spots
Any running water is worth a flick this time of year, keep in mind tide times
(coinciding with high tide) even well inland seems to make a difference.
Any flooded shallower water around trees,back eddies, cover is worth a look
and alot of fish hold under the road,culverts & bridges during the day
but extracting them is another thing.
I prefer to use rubbers most of the time, with the weedless one's my choice
lets you cast into some horrible country, so hang on if ya hook up!
Good luck

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Great stuff Mud.

This weather had better improve before we fill this forum up.

interesting post as im new to NT. its good to see so much information on offer to get out there. Im not sure if anyone uses this or word of mouth but BOM could be usefull in being in the right location with regards to rainfall and predicting whats going to happen
http://www.bom.gov.au/nt/flood/index.shtml

worth a shot i guess...
cheers
ryan

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PFFTTTTT Youve got more spots than a leopard with measles.....

good to listen to ernie as he knows what hes doing



Lol Im pretty grounded with the new baby anyway GLP....I am fishing vicariously through other peoples experiences!



Yup good point! Most of us do Ryjan and before leaving we use BOM to check the water levels @ key locations. They post them regularly.

We hit Magella Lastnight and got zip. Really turned off from the other day and the water was around 700 over the road and dropping pretty fast. South Culvert was also for zip and not enough water in there at the moment. Hit leanyer drain again this morning early for the high as i live around the corner and it p...ed down all night. Seems someone had a big live bait session there lastnight and raped the place. Scales and fillets everywhere down there. Was very sad to see.

But i got a small one about 20cm and heaps of touches from Tarpon but no good fish what so ever. Maybe a bit to much fresh pushing through. Not sure but its turned off also. Could have been the time of day as i never fished it in the morning before, though i would think its not much different to dusk.


Great post Mud. Plan on heading out towards Berry this weekend with Ryjan to try get him on a baz.

hahaha news to me..... ill be working but, cheers for the offer lol

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