North Australian FISH FINDER forums

Hey guys im from the Gold Coast and am an experienced rock/beach/river/inshore fisherman in that area but i have recently relocated with my family to Darwin for work and i wanted some general info if possible for the type of fishing i plan on doing up here. I know it isnt completely in this forum category but it is all about going fishing so here i go:

primarily interested in salt water inshore reef/coast fishing chasing the norms up here (trevally, skinnies, jacks, barra) BUT i am buying a boat and i want to know is a 4.4-4.75m centre/side console with 40-70 hp going to be large enough to comfortably make it to places like the vernon reefs (once i have some experience up here), because i want to keep the boat that size to be able to still take the kiddies chasing small Barra and the like. Also for potential future trips to Melville, is a similar boat even viable?

I have read a fair bit about the area including on this forum but for the type of inshore stuff im looking at, will my focus be on gunn point/leader creek (ill be living in Rosebery/Bellamack area so i wouldn't mind a closer easy place to take my 5 year old either in the boat or land chasing some smaller pelagic and bait)

Also another question, i haven't been up here long enough yet to explore enough on my own but how is the boat traffic on weekends in these areas? on the Goldie its very much peak hour fishing dusk or dawn on a weekend, not ideal when u don't know the place well yet.

thanks for any advice in advance

G'day Mickxx,

I relocated here a couple of years ago with my boat in tow, and I am far from working a lot of things out in terms of fishing up here but am happy to give you some advice on what I have learnt so far.
I have a 475 trail craft cross sport with a 60hp 4 stroke on it and a 120 litre underfloor tank. so far it has gotten me everywhere I want to go and safely. its by no means fast, but it is reliable and has a decent range with 2 people and a bit of gear on board. I do a bit of crabbing and fishing in a few of the harbour arms, and whilst it is getting a bit big to push up some of the tighter creeks, I believe its a good compromise. I also enjoy fishing the reefs and Bluewater as often as I can
I have fished around the Vernon's a few times, I have also launched at Dundee and run down to the Finniss and Little Finniss. I would consider running across to the Tiwi's from Leeders creek during the build up when the weather is a little more stable in terms of winds etc
Around the Vernon's it can get quite rough and you have to pick your tides / winds right, but there are a lot better qualified people on her to give you advice about that.
I think its like everywhere else I've lived in Aus, the boat will do the majority of the jobs you want to do if the weather is right and you are equipped properly. biggest thing that holds most people back in boats this size up here is carrying enough fuel to do the job safely.
the dirt roads can be really hard on your trailer and gear so be prepared to keep your maintenance up and choose your trailer wisely.
I only get the chance to fish weekends, and whilst many ramps are often full to overflowing, there's so many places to explore its pretty rare (in my experience ) to have to be fishing in someone else's pocket.

Tubbs

Thanks mate, good to know pending weather/tides the size boat im after will be suitable.

Ill be looking into boats with the extra tank for longer trips and ill have to start exploring other areas once i buy the boat (my car and stuff arrives this week hopefully so i can have a decent look around)

Gady mickxx
Welcome to FFF .This question has been put up many times and I,m sure you will get a different spin on it from a lot of good fishos on here.
You can fish just about anywhere in a small boat on the right day ,but for me I,d like something that's gonna handle the ruff stuff when it happens.
Just ask yourself what you want to do most .Rivers & harbor or more out in the blue water. I,d be thinking about 5mt with 90/100hp

cheers
Jeff

I'd have to agree with jeffish. I have a 480 topender with a 60 yammy 4 stroke and although it is a very capable boat and does what I need it to, sometimes it would be nice to have that extra hp on the longer trips. If you are looking at buying brand new, get the highest rated hp for that hull.
I would think the difference between, for example, a 480 topender and a 510 topender wouldn't be too much as far as price (only guessing, though) but being able to get a 100hp on the 510 would be better if you were planning on doing a Melville trip at some stage.
That's only my opinion anyway, and of course it depends on the budget too.

Yep, something near 5m is better, bigger means you have far more opportunity, and safer, a little more comfortable, you can pack more gear and fuel, the kids are a little less likely to be hooking people when casting etc.

Small boats are handy up tight floodplain creeks, and easier for pushing off sandbars, but many NT fishos take reasonably big boats up small, overgrown, floodplain creeks.

Self launching is usually no problem with a 5m, unless there are waves and/or current, a drive-on trailer can help there.

5m console with 80hp 4 stroke

Echo what was said above with a slightly bigger boat if you want to regularly fish the blue water. Also buy the Fish Finder book. Not only fishing advice in it. You will need to know what heights you can get in/out at different ramps, over rock bars to get to ramps etc. A 3-4 hour fishing trip can turn into 12 hours if you miss the tide in some spots. And use the search feature on this site or read through old posts

Thanks for all the advice guys, ill definitely look into the slightly larger model for prince comparison too since the general consensus is that it will be worth it.

Cant wait to get out amongst it

I used to have a 4.7, now got a 5.4, would never go back in size… range is the biggest plus of a bigger boat IMO.
Get the newest engine you can though for fuel efficieny. With the new Suzuki mine now gets over 400km from a 140l tank cruising at 50kph.. not bad for a beamy 5.4m..