Visiting Darwin for first time IN MAY this year enjoy my fishing here in vic especially surf.. can anyone recommend some good land based salt water fishing spots in and around Darwin ?
Hello Golden Years. My advice is to stay away from the edge of the water in the NT unless you want to become the next meal for a passing croc.
However, if you go down to the main wharf area there are heaps of spots along the wharf with plenty of fellow anglers to keep you company.
If you don't have any luck with the line there are heaps of takeaway fish and chip shops along the wharf. The best fish and chips is at the fishing co op just down the road.
dmaxer thanks for the advice yes bit wary about fishing too close to any waters edge ....... as you said stick with the locals .. have seen many fishing from rocks on utube but not too sure where that is ?
Think the beauty of fishing up north is the fish ( and crocs !!! ) are a good size so I've been told .
Go across harbour on Cat, to Mandorah Jetty.
We used to park van there instead of Darwin.
and catch cat over when needing Markets etc. ($25 a trip. or 146? km round. both ways.
Fishing there includes from Lemon Sharks,Spanish. Tuna. and sundry local smaller fish down.
With a HUUUUGE school of baitfish milling round underneath.
Bait net of small bait rig will get all the livies you'll need. Good Squid chasing bait too, if you like them.
Just don't have your rig resting on the outer side of jetty when cat comes in. He'll take them all with him.
Another one is\was. Further round the harbour on outer to Drs Gulley entrance.
Catch some Huge "milkfish" as they go in on tide for show feeding.
Put them back though. they not good to eat. just great fun on light line.
There are a zillion spots. Ask locals according to season when you get there.
PLUS........
.. ALL land based.
Just remember YOU, are in the food chain.
Common Sense rules. OVER everything.
Basically. NEVER go to waters edge at the same place. TWICE.
He'll be waiting for you.
This is a bit late for "Goldenyears"
The Mandorah jetty was the best spot I knew when I worked at Cox Peninsula (Radio Australia) from 1969 to 1972. We hardly ever went home without a big "skinny (queenfish), grunter, trevally or barracuda (watch their teeth). The biggest edible fish I saw caught one afternoon was a 30 pound Spanish Mackerel - on a 50 yard long 150 pound breaking strain hand line! I caught numerous sharks off that jetty - the biggest a 2.4m hammerhead although I hooked & brought a "monster" to the surface - it took one section of line, I had two sections somehow - on a heavy rod & an Alvey reel.
Catching Long Toms at night on light line was exhilarating!
For a landing point, the then PMG built it in a rough spot (but there was deep water) if a big sea was running - but it was the best fishing spot in the harbour. And we were paid to enjoy a ride across the harbour on a 45' long twin engined launch twice a day but it had detrimental effects on my hearing! From what I heard the "Charles Todd" sunk during TC Tracey, the second launch "Sky Wave" was wrecked when it washed ashore.
Warren
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Warren
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If you don't get it done today, there's always tomorrow!
Hi Goldie, I lived in Darwin for 5 years and did a lot of fishing. One thing you wont find up there is surf unless a cyclone is blowing. However, there are plenty of places to wet a line safely shore bases. East point recreation reserve has plenty of good spots off the rocks.. with no breakers to wash you away. Buffalo creek has good fishing off the sand into the creek. I have caught good fish on the beach side of buffalo. If you are adventurous you can wade across buffalos lower end with a piece of 8 gauge wire and pull the odd mud crab out of holes in the mangroves. Its quite safe and you will see a group of Vietnamese ladies regularly there cast netting prawns. Cast netting will not only get you prawns at buffalo, but mullet for live bait. If you fish off the jetty in town at night, you can catch almost anything. If you get a draw string cast net you can get a good feed of squid casting off the wharf.
Just ask the guys in the tackle shops and they will be happy to steer you right. Quite often blokes will advertise for a mate to share their boat. Dry season you can catch northern blue fin tuna and Spaniards off Lee point.
Darwin ruined fishing for me down south it was so good. The Vernon Islands are just a half hour run from Buffalo creek ramp. There you are fishing coral reefs and will see boil ups of tuna, Spaniards, queen fish, GTs a mile wide as the tide turns.
Great bit of info Cyclops thanks for that ... actually made the trip up there in 2017 and found the fishing to be great always wary about the odd croc . have made a note of the places for our next trip .
