North Australian FISH FINDER TM forums

Here are a few tips for the Mouth area of Rapid Creek. A great spot to fish that is underated for sure. I used to fish here years ago as a kid and have well and truley mastered it catching a Barra everytime I went

These tips are for night fishing only.

Tides - Fish the neaps nothing over 6 meters, I looked for 5.4mtrs down to 1.9 or 2.6 mtrs otherwise the run out is too hard.

Fish only from the top and the run out and the bottom of the tide.
Bottom of the tide : fish the first big bend past the bridge there is big hole in the middle just behind the sand bar, live mullet unweighted on the dead low.

First run out of the tide base yourself on the Casuarina beach side, as the tide starts to run cast along the shadow line that the bridge makes from the lights, use small rebel silver popper, slow bloop-----bloop. The barra cruise the shadows up and down waiting for bait. If you are there at night late or early morning you will see and hear them. It was alot better when they first finished the foot bridge as the lights were brighter we had some great sessions on 80-90cm fish in the very early hours.

After the tide has dropped the small rock bar on the nightcliff boat ramp side on the first bend from the mouth is starting to show. Now you should move down the beach until you are at the corner. Stand on the corner and cast back towards the bridge again with the popper. Work it back towards about 1 meter out from the edge of the bank 'slowly' though, you then let it drift past you for a few meters around the corner and then bring it blooping back again 'slowly'. I have not, not caught a Barra doing this on this corner ever, they are just sitting waiting in the eddy from the corner for the bait to come past.

Alternately cross the bridge and walk down to you are in front of the rocks on the outside bend of the creek mouth, cast along the front of the rocks as they come out of the water in the dropping tide. Have seen big M+ fish here before and lost one also.

It is a bit scary on the mouth of the creek at night now I guess with the handbags that have been seen there in the past years, but thats a good sign as I guess they are there for the barra too.

Would love to hear if anyone else has had the same luck in Rapid Creek. Oh and dont forget to drop your Pots in the trees just past the first bend after the bridge and pick up your 4 or so good Muddies also on the way home.

Good Luck

That's a great post Andy - always felt that Rapid Creek was a good spot too.

Buffalo Creek is another spot. I have hooked some whoppers off the boat ramp at night that swum off down the creek - a couple of unstoppables! The trick was to fish a low tide with about a metre of water out front of the ramp. Loads of blue salmon in daytime hours on the push in. It's amazing what swims up Buffalo on the incoming tide - dolphins, sharks, crocs - must be loads of food for them.

Yeah, I used to fish there as a kid too Andy (in the early 80s) - had some great times catching salmon, barra, flathead and muddies.
I've been away for a few years and have only recently returned, but mates of mine who used to fish there with me years ago are still fishing there on the odd occasion - catching some nice barra.
I might take your advice and try the night fishing seeing that I'm only a hop skip and a jump away from there now - unlike when I used to do the long bike ride from Moil as a kid - that used to kill me some weekends.
I'll keep you posted on the results.
By the way, I was doing some snorkelling off the rocks around Nightcliff pool and spotted many nice sized bream and a few just-over size barra on the high tide. I was going to invest in a spear gun (or maybe just a gidgey/hawaiian sling) but was put off by the 2m+ croc that I saw weeks later swimming aroung the Nightcliff jetty. I might just wait a few weeks till the croc is out of my memory somewhat and then give it another go under water.
I might also check out what's under water at the rocks at the mouth of Rapid Creek - used to see many under-sized barra under there as a kid. You can't spear barra of course (according to the Fisheries Regulations), but it gives you an idea of what is hanging around where.

G, by the time you go back the croc will be 2.5m long

a spot I have fished with pretty god results is the rockbar just upstream from the buffaloe creek ramp on the right side if you time it when there is a tide pushing up just on dark using poppers nice and slow,you can walk to it ok just dont get caught there when the tide gets too high

true Matt, true. I don't think my new spear gun would help either.

RaceCourse Creek is another good one. Although Sadgroves has to be one of my all time favorites even with the traffic. I like racecourse in the
buildup from low on a average spring tide. park your boat at the channel at the mouth, get some livies and wait for the tide to push in. It always fishes better when the water is dirty, also chuck lures at any swirls etc.