Fishing in Darwin is a top class fishing experience.
The northern coast of Australia has some of the country's best coastal and estuary in a wild and unspoiled outback environment with a great number of native wildlife. The pollution free, warm tropical waters and little commercial fishing pressure provide for extremely diverse and productive fishing.
Darwin is Australia's most notherly town and today she has evolved into a sophisticated but still character full tropical capitol populated with over 100 000 population. The town is located on a little cape encircled by the enormous area of Darwin harbor and a number of attractive ocean beaches and reefs.
Seasons
There are just a couple of ideal times of the year to be fishing in Darwin and the surrounding regions The "build up" is early October to the end of the year and at this time we see increasing air and watertemperatures and ever increasing humidity as we build up to the start of the rainy season This pushes the fish into a frenzy of feeding as we approach the monsoon season. The "run off" period that will usually be at the end of March, give or take a month. The monsoon season rains run off the sodden flood plains into the streams and estuaries and the barramundi and other estuary species go on a feeding hysteria in the food filled waters.
Estuary Fishing
The optimal season of year to be barramundi fishing and fishing for other estuary species around Darwin and the Top End is March to May and late Sepember to December. Barramundi are typically found in the warmer waters of estuaries any where round the Kimberley, Top End and North Queensland. They will be found in fresh and saltwater and will routinely be found lurking around submerged structure like overhangs, timber and rocks. Normal catches are sometimes around 50-70cm but monsters over 1 meter aren't uncommon.
The Top End coastline is generally quite flat and therefore the rivers that snake across these flood plains are slow and winding. During the wet season the branches break their banks and spread out over the flood fields. As the waters recede after the wet, many billabongs and inland waterways are created and fill with freshwater. These are home to Barramundi, Saratoga and Threadfin Salmon.
Reef Fishing
In and around Darwin and the Top End reef fishing is best from April to November. There are countless hundreds of reefs both man-made and natural in the waters surrounding Darwin. Several ship and plane wrecks were sunk in and around Darwin Harbor by storms and WW2 air raids. These will produce good catches of the prized black jewfish as well as golden snapper, cod, trevally and coral trout just just to name a couple. There is a number of Darwin fishing charters accessing these areas.
Safety
Beware crocodiles!!
Our reptilian mates are everywhere across the northern coast of Australia. We might not see them but be assured they are here watching and waiting. The older ones being bigger than five to six meters long and be quite aggressive. One more very good reason to consider hiring a local fishing guide with the appropriate
Fishing Lodges
Fishing Lodges
The northern coast of Australia has some of the country's best coastal and estuary in a wild and unspoiled outback environment with a great number of native wildlife. The pollution free, warm tropical waters and little commercial fishing pressure provide for extremely diverse and productive fishing.
Darwin is Australia's most notherly town and today she has evolved into a sophisticated but still character full tropical capitol populated with over 100 000 population. The town is located on a little cape encircled by the enormous area of Darwin harbor and a number of attractive ocean beaches and reefs.
Seasons
There are just a couple of ideal times of the year to be fishing in Darwin and the surrounding regions The "build up" is early October to the end of the year and at this time we see increasing air and watertemperatures and ever increasing humidity as we build up to the start of the rainy season This pushes the fish into a frenzy of feeding as we approach the monsoon season. The "run off" period that will usually be at the end of March, give or take a month. The monsoon season rains run off the sodden flood plains into the streams and estuaries and the barramundi and other estuary species go on a feeding hysteria in the food filled waters.
Estuary Fishing
The optimal season of year to be barramundi fishing and fishing for other estuary species around Darwin and the Top End is March to May and late Sepember to December. Barramundi are typically found in the warmer waters of estuaries any where round the Kimberley, Top End and North Queensland. They will be found in fresh and saltwater and will routinely be found lurking around submerged structure like overhangs, timber and rocks. Normal catches are sometimes around 50-70cm but monsters over 1 meter aren't uncommon.
The Top End coastline is generally quite flat and therefore the rivers that snake across these flood plains are slow and winding. During the wet season the branches break their banks and spread out over the flood fields. As the waters recede after the wet, many billabongs and inland waterways are created and fill with freshwater. These are home to Barramundi, Saratoga and Threadfin Salmon.
Reef Fishing
In and around Darwin and the Top End reef fishing is best from April to November. There are countless hundreds of reefs both man-made and natural in the waters surrounding Darwin. Several ship and plane wrecks were sunk in and around Darwin Harbor by storms and WW2 air raids. These will produce good catches of the prized black jewfish as well as golden snapper, cod, trevally and coral trout just just to name a couple. There is a number of Darwin fishing charters accessing these areas.
Safety
Beware crocodiles!!
Our reptilian mates are everywhere across the northern coast of Australia. We might not see them but be assured they are here watching and waiting. The older ones being bigger than five to six meters long and be quite aggressive. One more very good reason to consider hiring a local fishing guide with the appropriate
Fishing Lodges
Fishing Lodges
About the Author:
Paul Collery is a fishing fan, and travel writer based in Australia who has fished in countless locations around the world. He runs a company called Sports Fishing Adventures that focuses on all-incusive Barramundi fishing safaris and other fishing vacations to unique and remote locations around Australia, New Zealand and the Pacific Islands.
