Muirella Park again.

2 Mile Hole in Kakadu still not open so decided to camp for three nights at Muirella

Park and try my luck again there.

Arrived in the dark and set camp. First thing that was noticeable was the increase in Mossie activity over that of two weeks prior. A few more green leaves on the fire soon fixed the little buggers.

Weather for fishing was great with minimal wind, although the humidity was sky high with thunder and lightning each night, my calendar tells me it’s May but the weather says it’s October!!

As with the last trip the first fish into the boat was a solid Sootie Grunter. The more I catch these fish the more I am impressed with their fighting ability, they pull so hard for their size, will pack a 4 weight for the next trip! As per last time Saratoga were the fish that was most plentiful but they had to be sought at a deeper depth than last time. This time I was able to catch quite a few Barra compared to last time when I did not even sight one. All the Barra caught were that lovely bronze colour so were obviously fish that had been in the system for sometime rather than replacement stock from the salt. The last hour of darkness just before the sun rose the water seemed to come alive with activity from all species, so did the mossies!

 

For the three days I had on the water to myself, mine was the only boat. I would recommend the place to anyone to hone their casting skills getting into the tree line with the opportunity of catching fish. Over the time there I picked up eight different species. How good is that?

One evening the Parks put on one of their slide shows. Over the years I have seen many of these and in the main have been disappointed with their content and presentation. They have often been presented by university graduates with only a theoretical knowledge of the subject and Kakadu. Not this time. The subject was “Buffalo History of Kakadu” and was presented by Jenny Ralph (maiden name Hunter) as a 25 year veteran ranger and born under a tree in Kakadu, her husband Andy and their 10 year old daughter. They gave a fully interactive presentation with show and tell items over and above the slide show giving all an insight into the local culture, history, bush tucker, medicine, flora and fauna. Their presentation, knowledge and passion were impressive. If you have the opportunity ever to attend one of their presentations you will not be disappointed. Speaking with the tourists in attendance this is what they were after from their visit to Kakadu, all made the comment that they found it hard to find aboriginal involvement in Kakadu.

Yes we have had a disappointing wet but there are still lots of fish to catch and areas to visit that are hard to be beaten anywhere in the country, if not the world. Get out there and do it!

Tight lines

Jim