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Some mighty golden snapper were landed in Darwin Harbour's deeper waters last week, and big jewfish tested tackle at Shoal Bay's Rock and the Fenton Patches.

Barramundi fishing was mixed, but with the Daly River falling some good reports were expected to filter in this week.

Aurora Kakadu's Peter McKelvie said there was some floodwater up the top of the South Alligator River, but not much.

"I'd like to say we caught some 40 pounders this week but so far the fishing has been fairly slow,'' he said.

"There has not been enough rain yet.

"Yellow Water is probably the best place to visit right now until it rains more on the floodplains.

"One of the guys who went to the South Alligator river mouth a week ago caught some nice snapper but not much else."

Dundee Bluewater Charters' Des Puddey said inclement weather had kept most offshore fishermen from visiting Fog Bay's wide spots, except for a calm spell last Sunday.

"We went out last Sunday and the fishing was excellent - we caught everything including cobia, trickies, coral trout and red emperor.

"We went in closer looking for golden snapper but only found mobs of big Powertail.

"I don't think the barra fishermen are catching too much at the Finniss River yet - but the jewfish hole out the front near the lodge has produced a few nice fish."

Top End Fishing Supplies' Pip Clement said there had been few exciting reports.

"There were fish caught at the Daly River crossing on pink rubbertails,'' he said.

"The mouth of the South Alligator River was fishing quite well on the last small tides.

"I haven't heard of much run-off flowing into the rivers yet - we really need some more rain.

"The windy weather has been keeping boaters inshore.

"The harbour has been a bit quiet for barra and a surprising number of people are going crabbing.

"All the barra have stopped congregating together and seem to be spread out all over the place, and they are well fed with prawns.

"Now is a good time to be preparing the fishing tackle and boat for the run-off - check the trailer wheel bearings and replace old fishing line and rusty hooks.

"Probably the best report is from one bloke fishing the harbour who has been getting some very large snapper on the wrecks by using livebait - he let some of them go, which was good to hear."

Fishing and Outdoor World's Ronald Voukolos said one customer was getting some really good jewfish at Shoal Bay's Rock.

"The water was fairly shallow - they hooked a fish while the boat was banging on the rocks on the bottom,'' he said.

"There have been some big jewfish at the Fenton Patches - real freight trains - and there are lots of trevally too.

"Big snapper to 6kg have shown up on the harbour wrecks - everyone was a bit surprised about that.

"There have been a lot of reef fish biting on the deep Larrakeyah channel rubble.

"Shoal Bay has been fishing well - one friend landed six barra between 85cm and 101cm - that was a really good session up Hope Inlet.

"There are stacks of threadfin salmon in the harbour but how do you catch them? No one has worked it out yet.

"The Daly River should be ready to fish because it has dropped fairly quickly."

Katherine Rod and Rifle's Warren de With said the Roper River had fallen and was now likely to rise again this week.

"The fishing has been patchy and the latest bunch of cloud has all gone to the west - who knows what the wet season is doing,'' he said.

"There have been a few fish taken in the Katherine River because it dropped down to a metre and all the weirs were holding barra to about 60cm.

"There have been some barra caught at the creek mouths on the Victoria River.

"We didn't get many mud crabs up the Victoria River this year - I don't know why.

"Roper Bar fired last week but now the water has dropped too low.

"The South Alligator River might be worth a look for the first run of tadpoles off the floodplains, but they probably have not had enough rain yet."



Got One's Craig Grosvenor said unpredictable conditions hampered offshore fishermen last week, but some good reports filtered through.

"Around the Vernons Islands queenfish responded well to chrome Raider lures jigged in the deep channels. A crew managed six queenies to 4kg and some healthy GTs to 9kg. Trolling around the shallow reefs produced some nice parrot fish using RMG Scorpions. Bait fishing became a problem with spanish mackerel nailing the swivels on the drop.

'Mackerel to 10kg came from the Bottlewasher wreck off Lee Point, jigging Storm soft plastics in pearl colour.

"Jewfish to 10.5kg came from the Mandorah Queen wreck fishing with fresh mackerel-flesh baits.

"Assorted reef species were caught at the Six Mile Buoy grounds. Two jewfish, both 12kg, and golden snapper to 4kg took local squid baits during the neap tides.

"Local land-based spots have been good ... nice javelin fish were taken at mouth of Sadgroves Creek on squid and prawn baits, while Shoal Bay's Buffalo Creek produced a handful of smaller barra to 64cm on the run-in tides.Small soft plastics were the best lures.

"The top of the South Alligator River has been a topic this week, with one barra landed that nudged the metre mark, taken on a DOA Terroreyz, red in colour. The exact location is unknown.

"Beatrice Creek on the Adelaide River has reportedly begun to fire up, although fish are only in the 50-60cm range. Again, Vivif soft plastics and Reidys Little Lucifers in greens and golds have worked best.

"One customer was excited, having discovered a secret spot in Darwin Harbour which has provided explosive barra action using 10+ Classics, cast and retrieved dead slow ... he landed six fish on his last outing, the biggest 82cm."

Happy Micks' Charlie Chambers said a big wet season was necessary for good fishing now and the survival of the new generation barra.

'Thus far the wet season has been disappointing. After starting with an early break, and lots of rumbling promises, we just haven?t had the rain needed early to fill and flush the floodplains,'' he said.

"But all is not lost. The Daly River is running well, and there have been some good rain in the catchments of the big rivers.

"This coming week is important: if the low pressure system hovering around the Arnhem Land coast develops and starts dumping some heavy rain over the Top End, then with good follow up rain later in January and February we will have a great season and an excellent run off.

"Meanwhile, there have been some good catches at Darwin Harbour's Channel Island with reasonable sized GTs and queenfish falling to poppers around the boat ramp and off the rocks under the bridge. There were three barra caught from the bridge on livebait in one session we know of.

"There were reports of more than 10 barra from 60cm landed at Buffalo Creek, fishing at night with lures and live bait.

"There are plenty of whiting for the kids at Nightcliff and Lee Point beaches. Fish the rising tides with very small hooks, small ball sinker and prawn flesh cast into the gutters as they fill on the rising tide."