North Australian FISH FINDER TM forums

hey crew, glad to join here and loving darwin.... I'm on the barra mission!! haven't caught one yet been here 3 weeks!!
Anyway i have been chatting to a few friends, i have a 4.1m side console stacer with a 40hp and was wondering if it is big enough to get into the Alligator/mary rivers and on the salt side of shady?? some say yeah others say f**k that haha...... after a few opinions on if the rig is big enough or not.

cheers,

pickles

Pickles, post a picture of your rig. I have seen 4m boats that I would say "no way" to and others that would do the job well.

I grew up fishing in a 12 foot punt with a 15hp. My dad's mate had a 4.2m boat we considered huge!

Been out to sampan/tommycut mouths with itsinmebloods 4.2 when it had a 25 2 smoker on it - no dramas. Just make sure your rig is reliable and seaworthy.

Plenty big enough.

Mate you'll be lucky to hear of more than 1 croc/boat related incident a year up here, then think about the number of fishing trips done here each year and the odds are really fark all to worry about, more danger towing your tinny to the ramp than from crocs

Here she is....

One more

Looks the goods mate, most crocs in the rivers slink off before you can get close enough to take a photo even, billabong crocs are the dodgy ones I've found 4 mile hole has the worst in my experience. If one gets too close or starts snorting I bugger off to another spot

Looks the goods. If a croc goes that it would probably go my 5m boat too.

Not safe if your using it in the position from the first two pictures.....in my option no worries at all. You can take that places these bigger boats just can't go. Three tips
1big fuel tank,
2 big pesky
3 big sense of adventure

haha cheers, yeah few boys were saying coroboree can get some big dodgy ones and the alligator system... its got a 35l ally fuel cell and take a jerry with me.... don't know why they upside down i uploaded them and they look fine on the phone, next i just gotta convince a seasoned barra finder to let me in some tricks of the trade...... hint hint hahaha

mate, biggest tip for learning about the Barra - fish with your eyes and ears open! Even on a quiet trip, with your eyes and ears open, you will learn a lot about them and how to catch them. Keep a good mental log of the structure and timings around you/them when you catch, hear or see them. You will be surprised how much more successful you will be.

As a Southerner you are probably very comfortable in fishing in close proximity to others which is great, but up here our comfort zones/personal space are a lot bigger than down South. Always say G'day but don't drop in on somebody catching fish, more often than not you will get called over if you keep your distance. I have called others over plenty of times and even handed over lures that are working, but the southern method of dropping in without saying G'day is less successful in eliciting information.

Make sure your safety kit is up to date and be bl..dy aware that our river/estuary systems up here are full of hidden obstacles (logs, rock bars, mud banks) so be very careful when you are heading somewhere new, read the water and err on the side of caution. The sand bars/banks of down south are far more forgiving and the tidal variation much less than here. Tight lines and safe boating mate.

Doors Off

thanks jedi and everyone.... looking forward to getting amongst it, spent a fair bit of time in karratha jedi, so a bit familiar the bigger tides but its definitely different and more exciting water up here!! so far i have been up elizabeth and hudson, look forward to getting further out of town and up some of the bigger rivers and billabongs... i hear woods inlet can fish well?? i really like king creek and the shoal bay creeks but haven't pushed the little rig to that yet still figuring out the boat

Gday pickles and welcome
the boat looks the goods (You will need a lot of rope to secure the esky etc if you try it upside down)
remember that shady salt is closed for a while yet

Use it the right way up and you'll be fine! Welcome to Darwin