Tough week on the coastal creeks

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Windy
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Tough week on the coastal creeks

Post by Windy »

Well I promised all I'd post on my much anticipated 5-dayer down at Shady and the nearby coastal creeks...a pity it can't be adorned with plentiful photos of the leviathans and behemoths about which i'd for weeks prior been dreaming of!! :banghead:

Set off last Monday and based at point Stuart Wilderness Lodge - thank god for their steaks!!! :chef2:

First day we arrived a bit late for optimal tides so stayed up the top of Sampan and worked the small creeks and barrages for a spattering of dark coloured rats and a saratoga :catch: Fish on the board at least and excitement was building for the coming days working the renowned big fish creeks on the building springs. 8)

Up again bright and early at 0400 for the trip down to Marsh Creek - arrived to see three others there ahead of us :fubird: Watched a poor fella lose a metery jumping at the boat and learned that night it'd have been his first - poor bugger :cry: One of the boats boated 4 or 5 keepers maybe reaching mid 70's but otherwise it was donuts all round. Back up to the top of Sampan for small stuff again, and nothing of note.

Another 0400 rise :sleep: and off to Love Creek where again we found two boats in ahead of us :bs: :banghead: Fished the prime tidal movements for another donut and now it was getting hard and frustrating :? :hunting: Headed off to Thrings Creek :captain: and flogged ourselves for another 3-4 hours, again for donuts. Watched another guide boat happy client land a 110 in tight country :applause: ( :fubird: ) and then headed off again to top of Sampan.

Had a few extra bevies that night in despair... :drinking5: :drinking7:

Next morning once again at 0400 :coffee: and this time to Swim Creek...3 more bl..dy boats ahead of us (from Botel) :banghead: We all enjoyed donuts, whilst there but one boat had a 118 FRAME on the transom...caught earlier in the morning apparently... :fubird: :hunting: Disgusted at seeing that...

Became fond of the fillet steak and pepper sauce at the lodge...

Took a few wildlife photos to change the tempo...

Final morning with hopes of recovery and restoring some lost pride and broken dreams - we headed back to Marsh Creek and despite three boats ahead of us (all Barra Base) we nestled into a good possie inside the creek and started flicking hard...finally managed some keepers and kept 3 to bring home for our hard work. The best was 76 (pictured below from another fella who on the first day snared his first ever barra) Reckon we saw only 4-5 other fish caught the whole morning (9 boats in total)...just hard hard work.

General impressions from most was that the going was seriously tough - with fish few and far between - anyone think otherwise?! And care to share their secrets?! :naughty:

Came back home feeling pretty shattered :cry: at how easily excitement and dreams can be broken to pieces despite so many things suggesting the possibility of truly good fishing...

As a Mexican who forked out serious coin for the guided opportunity, I'll have to wait another year and perhaps longer...my work here has finished and I head home again tomorrow.
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Re: Tough week on the coastal creeks

Post by seano »

That's fishing! Cheers for the report.
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Re: Tough week on the coastal creeks

Post by theodosius »

The croc photo looks like you were fishing the right area. Cheers for the report!
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Re: Tough week on the coastal creeks

Post by Lats »

I fished Swim and Marsh twice for no fish. Saw 3 small fish get lost at Marsh. I also heard about the 118 today.
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Re: Tough week on the coastal creeks

Post by Windy »

Lats wrote:I fished Swim and Marsh twice for no fish. Saw 3 small fish get lost at Marsh. I also heard about the 118 today.
Always wary of not knowing the circumstances (e.g. a failed swim and buggered fish) but it was a guided boat...sad to know a 118's been filleted for rubbish eating though...were u at Marsh yesterday Lats?
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Re: Tough week on the coastal creeks

Post by STANDY »

Heard today on the way home from zip at shady for two days in the boat a friend scored 3 meter barra at the barrage yesterday fishing over the barrage along the fence line, land based. There was about 30 cars without boats with people fishing the barrage today when pulled out. Looked like Casuarina car park
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Re: Tough week on the coastal creeks

Post by Smudge »

Tough run Windy I know how you feel with our boat collecting enough donuts to make a box full this year :banghead: ….but I'd rather be fishin'
Tight lines and empty spools !
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Re: Tough week on the coastal creeks

Post by Windy »

STANDY wrote:Heard today on the way home from zip at shady for two days in the boat a friend scored 3 meter barra at the barrage yesterday fishing over the barrage along the fence line, land based. There was about 30 cars without boats with people fishing the barrage today when pulled out. Looked like Casuarina car park
Unbelievable!! Was it on the fresh or tidal side? We tried several days for a while from boat on the fresh side without a touch...
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Re: Tough week on the coastal creeks

Post by STANDY »

Tidal side opposite where you launch the boat, along the fence line.

No way i would be fishing there :croc: :croc:

Funny all the guide boats were within 1-2 km from the ramp.
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Re: Tough week on the coastal creeks

Post by Kaos364 »

Thats the side with the little run off creek feeding in? (if there is any run off left)

You always hear about the big girls getting pulled in off the barrage by the shore based lads... But you will never see me out on there lol!!!
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Re: Tough week on the coastal creeks

Post by Windy »

Wont be seeing me there either - most guides I've been with say they'll happily fish off the garage cause "no one's ever been taken"...doesn't really make me feel any safer!!
How far down is the 'fence line" u refer to? Is it the fence that comes out perpendicular to the river about 100m down??
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Re: Tough week on the coastal creeks

Post by Quinntreximon »

We have all been there mate, at least you were there and gave yourself a chance. As seano says thats fishing , you could have gone and got 6 meteries as well just not this time
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Re: Tough week on the coastal creeks

Post by cuddlescooper »

I wouldn't worry about it too much windy. I can tell you that if any one gets a metery for only 5 days of fishing every trip they should be winning most of the Barra fishing comps in Darwin. With a lack of runoff remaining and a thousand boats every where its a surprise you got what you did. Any way, it will keep the fire burning for next year, or the year after, hell, it took me 20 years to get my first metery!
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Re: Tough week on the coastal creeks

Post by Lats »

Windy wrote:
Lats wrote:I fished Swim and Marsh twice for no fish. Saw 3 small fish get lost at Marsh. I also heard about the 118 today.
Always wary of not knowing the circumstances (e.g. a failed swim and buggered fish) but it was a guided boat...sad to know a 118's been filleted for rubbish eating though...were u at Marsh yesterday Lats?
Nope. Wed night and Thurs morning
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Re: Tough week on the coastal creeks

Post by Dundee Hombre »

Hey Windy, best option for next time is to book with Geoff Corey and Jason of barrabase.com.au

They have had a cracker season this year by a country mile. Jason has out up some good pictures on face ache with links form here. Don't muck around next trip, these boys know the country and conditions better than most others.
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