With the missus taking a week off work I decided to do a two day, two night camp out at a billabong. With a quick loading of the car we were ready for the drive and travelled comfortably out to Kakadu. The plan initially was to travel around and fish a few different spots but that plan went out the window upon arrival at our first spot. We arrived at the spot that I had wished to camp first up to find another couple parked up with the bonet riased. It appeared that the car had got wet going through a creek crossing and had activated its ignition shut down making it impossible to restart the car.

With a quick inspection of the phone I found that I had one bar of signal so rang a mate who is a mechanic and asked some questions. He suggested taking the battery leads off and hope that this may recet the ECU allowing the car to be started. It appears that the problem was much worse and it was impossible to restart the car. This was about all the info that I could make out as the phone kept dropping out and my battery was going flat. With this info and being the only people there the onus was on us to help him so we agreed to tow his boat back to Aurora Kakadu Inn later the next night so that he could get it picked up and make some phone calls to arrange for his car to be towed out.

He then asked us to launch his boat so that he could at least have a fish while he was there. With a quick shuffle of trailers we dropped him in and off he went for a fish. Sindy and I then set up camp and got comfortable. Eventually after waisting a couple of hours we finally got on the water and it appears that our good deeds had already started to pay off as Sindys lure was in the water for 20 seconds when it got smashed by a reasonable fish.

This set the pace and we soon had 15 fish on the board. Every couple of minutes we had hits and the whole place was firing for fish between 50cm and 75cm.


By this time it was getting dark and the fish shut down so decided to call it a day and go organise some food.

After a feed the other couple came over and we asked them how they went. we expected them to say they had cleaned up but they said that they had only boated one under sized fish for the afternoon. I couldnt believe it. Dont know what they were doing wrong but......
With full bellies and some drinks to celebrate Sindys birthday we sat, listened to some tunes and studied the stars and in general mellowed out in the cool of the dry season night. It still amazes me how soothing staring into a camp fire is. love it.

Before we knew it the night had passed and after a reasonable sleep that was only disturbed by the air bed deflaiting during the night (you know its time to go on a diet when this happens) we eventually got out of bed and warmed up by the fire. By the time we had finished breakfast it was 9am. We decided to try something different and have a look down the far end of the billabong. This proved a fruitful decision and stumbled on a honey hole that had us busy for the next two hours. At one stage we got 8 fish in 7 casts. Yes 8 fish in 7 casts. As we boated one fish it desturbed another and it jumped into the boat. I p...ed myself laughing but Sindy didnt find it too funny as her heart was racing already as we were in an area surrounded by crocodiles and this on top nearly gave her a heart attack.
At a count there were 21 crocs in a 200 m stretch of billabong.

The place was alive with action a plenty. Fish boofing, birds feeding, crocs feeding on barra and birds. At one stage there were three crocs working together scaring the barra off the bottom and the others would grab the fish as they jumped. Some times as many as 20 fish would jump at once in the shallows. One croc managed to get a good fish in the 90cm range. Was great to see such an event.

Eventually we decided to go and troll again as the fish were consistantly bigger and we had had heaps of fun on smaller fish around the 55cm to 60cm range. After a quick troll we eventually caught a saratoga. I though we would have got a few of them for the trip but this was the only one we got. Was good to show Sindy as she hadnt seen one.

After a couple more fish we decided to have a cast at some deep snags and rocks that I remembered from many years ago when I last visited the billabong. this imediatly proved succesful but unfortunatly I wasnt good enough to hold onto the three bigger fish that I hooked dropping a couple around the mid 80s. This surprised me dropping them as they were hitting really hard and more then one fish had swallowed the lure as far down as you can get. the fish were how ever launching after hook up which again surprised me considering the cold water temperatures and conditions.

Sindy managed to boat this one after I dropped the bigger ones.

Eventually it was getting late and I decided to head back to camp so I could retrieve old mates boat from the water and tow it back to the Aurora Kakadu. Upon arrival at camp I noticed old mate waving from the bank and pointing down the billabong. He hadnt tied the boat up properly and it had floated off in the wind. I went down the billabong and retrieved it towing it back to camp. Again he thanked me a bit embarressed. We then pulled it out and drove it out to Auror. After a couple of hours we were back at camp and old mate was a bit happier with the thought that a mate of his was on his way out to tow his car out and home after a couple of phone calls on a line that wasnt breaking up. Or he thought someone was on there way...

Again sindy and I had a few bevarages and relaxed after packing some things away ready to head home the next morning. We had expected a car to arrive in the middle of the night to tow old mate out but that never eventuated and we slept well through the night. After a quick fish that morning we pulled our boat out and made final preperations to head home. I again spoke to old mate what he wanted to do and he gave me a phone number to see what had happened to his mate.

After a few good bys Sindy and I headed off and fortune had it we ran into the ranger on his way to another billabong and flagged him down. we told him of old mates bad fortune and he said he would tow him out toi the main highway so he could be picked up. This was a weight of my mind for the treck home.

Once home and a good sleep I spoke to Steele. He said that he was keen to head out there for a night and a day. I said that the boat was already hooked up and loaded from the day before and that Sindy had to work the next day anyway and that I had nothing better to do. After restocking the beverages and food we headed off back to the billabong. We got there and found that old mate was gone and we had the place to ourselves. With a quick tent set up steele and I were on the water and fishing. This time fishing was a bit slow for the afternoon and a quick expection of the far end of the billabong created a bit of disapointment. It was filthy dirty. The fish had shut down and the crocs layed dorment on the banks. What a change in two nights.

With this disapointment and nightfall upon us we went back and had a feed at camp. we decided to go spotlighting to see if there were any red claw or cherabin. This proved fruitless due to the water clarity but was nice all the same having a drink in the cool air and dribbling shitt while we trolled the middle of the billabong for a grand total of nothing.

The next morning i awoke early and steele was a bit hung over so I shot off for a quick fish. The fresh cold air soon sobbered me up completly and i felt heaps better. The first troll also helped with a good 75cm fish soon followed by a couple of 60s. It was then that another car arrived and awoke steele so I picked him up from camp. We then fished the morning for a few smaller fish but was a bit slow. Eventually we went back to the snags and hole that I had dropped the bigger fish with Sindy. Instantly this proved a good choice and Steele was good enouth to boat a 77cm baz

We then got a heap of smaller fish to keep us busy. Once the sun dropped to the top of the tree line the bigger fish again fired.


Someone was excited over the fishing.

This huge eagles nest is close by.

Any way in three days fishing we got about 100 odd fish and plenty of them in the mid to high 70s and a couple of 80s. Plenty around despite the colder conditions.

great post CS good to read about a great fishing trip keep em coming

Wow!!! wicked post, some cracker barra there Well done .

Good post there cuddles sounds like ya slapped it!! Ya give it away with the birdnest in the Charles point light house though

Great fishing! And an awesome post! Good work looking after the fellow who broke down. He may not get the opportunity to help you but someone will cross his path that needs help and he will remember.

Good post, good pix, good fishin & a good deed....Top effort

Top post with great shots as well.

Great write up mate.
Sounds like an awesome trip.

Great read! sounds like you were definitely rewarded for being a good bloke!

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geez cuddles...stop cluttering the place up with fishing reports

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great report.
good reward for the extra effort of being the rescue crew.
the billabongs will be full of boats for the long weekend with reports of 100 + fish caught.

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Hi there,

Great post!
And it is funny how the same spot was so good to you and so unlucky to the other fella.

And it is good that you were the lucky one, because it makes for a better read!


Have a good day,
Pecheur

Good post mate, when I first read it I packed the boat and headed to kakadu and the fishing has been great so thanks for the heads up.

Top post mate and good pics as well

fair read..great trip