NT Fly Fishers : ROUGH PARADISE?

What a difference a fortnight can make, tides, weather, everything looked good for a great weekend, the moon was coming to its peak (see Graeme the Greys post by clicking THE MOON), but we didn't take into account the storms. It was pouring when we left Durack, the gutters were running full and the sky was black. As usual with the rain up here we drove out of heavy rain where you could hardly see into dry clear areas where you could see another heavy shower ahead. What a wonderful place the NT is, just to see the storms and the magnificent lightning shows.

Actually we were a bit worried, because sometimes the big storms cause some flash flooding on the smaller crossing that still exist on the road to Sand Palms, but they were as dry as what Roggie calls a 'Çamel's Fart'. I think that's very very dry?

Poured at Sandpalms, and while we had the bungs out in the boat, we forgot to put it on a slope the next morning and travelled around with a heavy listing boat for the first day. On the ramp when we returned it must have had a hundred or more litre of fresh water in it. We made sure that the next day we drained it even only after a small storm, and it was amazing the water that gets in them.

Now we got to Sandpalms for the Thursday night pizza, and I invented a new one that the staff made up for me....a Salawaiian (instead of a ham and pineapple hawaiian), it was salami and pineapple Plus of course some of that wonderful red wine

Matt with the great wine

Friday was horrendous, we went up to the top of the harbour but there was swell coming in that you could not get through, so we turned back as the heavens opened, but the swell was the strangest, the poor old boat seemed to have trouble getting through it, so we headed back to the sheltered creeks and Knife Island. Saw Bill and Danny Wilson at Knife Island, they had a good day, some of the best fishing according to Bill, but the swell was a pain. They came back out the next day with the grandson, but I'm not sure how they went.

This was the smooth water in Phoenix Creek

We had a lot of action in 'Flog'em Flats', didn't see any of the usual threadies there but heaps of barra, but with the swell the boat was up and down onto the mud, and Roggie said something rude about the waves so we moved on. He said he was putting on a 'special prop' for the next day.....very silly.

We did manage a heap of 'Tea Leaf' trevally around China Wall and queenies, bream and trevally in the Charlotte. Then I managed a cast at a fish that Roggie said was a black trevally in the murky water, but it was a flat head with a very colourful striped tail.

This flathead took the 'barra'fly

Typical Tea Leaf

Friday evening was 'Schnitzel' night at Sandpalms...they were amazing, Roggie and Marty had to have their pork chops though. All with that wonderful red wine.

Saturday we all headed up to 'Jim's secret spot' but the weather was horrid and the sea was worse. Lord Jim had managed barra in Jim's Bay???, and Big Dave was at the secret spot, (when we got there) but there were only spasmodic queenies and wolf herring. The other boats had headed into the creeks out of the rough sea and as usual the Brokenflagens killed a pig. The Triple J boat ( Jenni, Jon and Jack) got some fish and we were late to all the spots, why??, Roggie had decided to put that 'Special Prop' on the night before. Well! it worked until we got into the waves and swell then the motor would not go over 3800 rpm. I didn't say, "I told you so"...but that prop is going to the Sea Gods to fix.

We had to limp back in a terrible sea, to a safe beach, where, with the boat rocking up and down, all over the place, Roggie put the old prop back on......fixed the problem.

We left the secret spot and went into a couple of creeks, one of them was alive with barra, we first saw one about 80cm and then as it swam into clear water realised that it was with a school of smaller barra. We threw everything we had at them...no good. Back to the every reliable Knife Island and there were birds everywhere with small macs jumping all over the place, but all we could manage was those bloody queenies. Roggie keeps telling me that I'm whinging, because most people would love catching a heap of them, but I know its so good up here, so I can whinge. I know...I'm spoilt!

The Brokenflagens heading into the 'storm'?

Lord Jim setting up as it clears

That evening there was a lot of planning, and decisions to make if we would go out the next day because of the horrid sea. The predictions were great, just like Friday and Saturday, and after drinking to the fish Gods and Marty doing a 'Fish' dance. (Something like an Irish Jig done by a German..which is what it was)...and all of us, except Jenni who had an injury from bike riding, decided to take on the rough sea for Sunday.

Marty doing the 'fish Gods'dance....(a German Haka?) ..it worked!!!

The Stig, Canadian Pete getting the 'drum' and the map references?

So the next day arrived, no black clouds, fantastic...

Looks good....fingers crossed

Fish a cast!!!

Sunday looked great, we went with Double J boat down into the harbour, and stopped at one of the rock bars that usually goes well...it didn't disappoint, Jack and Jon were on double hook ups and it was a fish a cast for a while. Roggie always says you shouldn't leave fish to catch fish, but we wanted to show the boys around, so we went to a few other spots that can fish well. Jack managed to get the barra to chase him, but it wasn't until we got onto the flats (I think Jim calls them Jim's flats) that he got his first barra, small but a barra but no red tag.