While landing a barramundi is pretty much always a challenging task, fishing grey nomads might find it even tougher this year.
It’s been one of the driest wet seasons on record in the north, and that means there will be fewer of the legendary fighting fish finding their way into caravan and motorhome fridges and freezers.
“Research shows when you have a really good wet season and the floodplains fill up with water, then you do have a really good reproductive cycle of the fish,” Ashley Garner, from NT Coastal Fishing Charters in Borroloola told the ABC. “With the lack of wet season I dare say it is going to be pretty poor this season.”
Happily, it’s not all bleak news on the fishing front from the Gulf of Carpentaria, with good catches of reef fish reported.
“Out around the Sir Edward Pellew Islands has been fishing really well, but barramundi fishing has been hard due to the lack of rain,” said Mr Garner. “They are not feeding, not moving, they are pretty quiet.”
Without large flows in the McArthur River, Mr Garner told the ABC barramundi spawn would likely be impacted.
* Are you on the barra trail this year? Do you manage to keep the food bills lower thanks to your fishing rod expertise? Comment below.
