Barramundi

The mighty barra is the most sought after sports fish in the Northern Territory. It is renowned for it’s spectacular fight when hooked up which involves great leaps out of the water as it shakes it’s head trying to dislodge your lure. It is also well known for it’s “boof”! The “boof” is the sound a barra makes when it attacks prey (or lures) on the surface and is especially exciting during quiet moments casting poppers around at the mangrove edges and snags. We fish many of the remote river systems in the Top End in search of all the barras we can get our lures into and as you would probably know, there’s nothing quite like a feed of fresh barra after a hard day’s fishing. They are a fantastic table fish.
Skippers Rating * * * *

Saltwater Crocodile

The saltwater crocodile is the most fearsome beast you will encounter on an expedition with us. They are found throughout the Top End both in estuaries and out in open waters which makes swimming up here an incredibly dangerous sport! Salties like to eat barra and the occasional lure as well so keep your eyes peeled when you’re fishing.

Black Jewfish

Another very popular territory sportsfish, this one is cousin to all the mulloways from down south. They are usually size large and put up a great fight. Jewies can be fussy eaters and like to kiss the bait a few times before committing to a feed so you have to be quite restrained and try not to set the hook too early. You might need a heat pack for your tired muscles after wrestling with a big one of these - they can really give it to you!
Skippers Rating * (chewy, not jewy!)

Giant Trevally

These guys can literally pop up anywhere, any time and at any size! We’ve caught gigantic ones up creeks and microscopic ones on reefs but we usually find them out in the bluewater on reefs or around rocky headlands. They are awesome fighters guaranteed to put a bend in your rod and a grin on your face. And when they want to eat, they’ll eat anything in the tackle box, usually sending your lures back to you minus a few bits from the explosive hit on the first bite. The Kimberley is full of big GT’s so be prepared if you’re headed that way.
Skippers Rating * (horrible stuff)

Queenfish

Queenies are great fun and are found in similar places to GT’s. They are an acrobatic fish tending to leap out of the water twisting and contorting their bodies time and again which is always a crowd pleaser. They hit like a steam train and keep on going so it can be a bit of a mission to turn their heads and bring them back to the boat. The big ones go really hard and often attract sharks which makes for some pretty amazing moments!
Skippers Rating * * * (only for nummus – pickled fish)

Spanish Mackeral

Spaniards are one of the fastest fish in the sea which you’ll realize the first time you see one of them hit a live bait at the back of the boat. The balloon pops and the reel screams! Fantastic stuff! They have a vicious set of fangs that act like a pair of scissors and even when dead are capable of taking off a hand or foot so beware of the bitey end! You’ll have to take the Skippers Rating with a pinch of salt here because the majority of people really like mackerel but Mal’s a bit fussier than most!
Skippers Rating * * (when there’s nothing else..)

Golden Snapper

A beautiful eating fish, the goldie is a bottom dwelling reef fish found throughout the Top End. On the east coast they are known as Fingermark Bream due to the thumbprint near the tail and they look very similar to a Moses Sea Perch. They have a beautiful white flesh which, cooked properly, will flake off the bone and melt in your mouth.
Skippers Rating * * * * *

Coral Trout

Also known as "skippers tax" these are our personal favourite. There is nothing quite like the taste of a trout and they fight well on their way to our table! They are not as common here as on the east and west coasts which adds to their appeal even further and will win you favours (not like that!) from the skipper if you catch a good one! Trouts have a great set of teeth and beautiful coloration which camouflages them perfectly amongst the coral on the reef.
Skippers Rating * * * * * * * * *

Threadfin Salmon

Threadies are found in our estuary systems alongside the barra and will often be seen feeding on small bait in the shallow water along the edges of mud or sand banks. It can be quite a challenge to get them to take a lure at times but that’s what fishing is all about. They have long whiskers under their jaw which gives them their name and they use them to feel out their prey and surrounds. Many Territorians rate the threadie more highly than the barra as an eating fish.
Skippers Rating * * * *

Red Emperor

Much like the trout, we don’t often encounter reddies up here but when we do…. Watch out – the skipper will have it stashed in a freezer you don’t know about before you can blink!! Reddies fight harder than any reef fish we know. You will often think you have a monster on and it can be a real surprise to find a 30cm reddie ogling you from the surface after a 10 minute fight! They have very distinct markings like an arrow on their bodies and are also known as convict fish because of this.
Skippers Rating * * * * * * * * * * * * (better than trout)

Tuna

The most common tuna we catch is the longtail with the only other species being mack tuna. It schools around shoals of bait in a feeding frenzy that can be seen from miles away. We use fast spin tackle to chase these balls of muscle if we haven’t already trolled them up, although sometimes the school moves so quickly it can be nearly impossible to keep up with them. Skippers Rating * * * (excellent sashimi)

Mud Crabs

One of the tastiest crustaceans in the seven seas! We find muddies all through the estuaries we fish and will always have a few pots in the water trying to round up a feed for sunset nibbles. Mud crabs are quite feisty and are more than capable of taking off a finger or toe with their massive claws.
Skippers Rating * * * * *

Dolphins & Whales

It’s not uncommon to come across dolphins and whales in our travels. We often get dolphins swimming in the bow wave or wake and on occasion have seen spectacular displays from whales heaving their massive bodies out of the sea to land in a torrent of white water. It’s sights like these that are hard to forget and will leave you with some wonderful, lasting memories of your trip.

Turtles

Turtles are a pretty common sight in the Top End. There are a few species of them in our waters so expect to see at least one or two on a trip. In some areas where we operate we are able to go in search of turtles on the beach as they lay their eggs at night and then watch them as they struggle to take their cumbersome and exhausted bodies back to the water. It’s an amazing sight.

Billfish

Sailfish, swordfish and all the marlins are collectively known as billfish. In North Australian waters we will usually only find sailfish and a few species of marlin. These guys are pretty much considered to be the Holy Grail of sportsfishing for us and catching one comes as close to having a religious experience as you can get! In '05 and '06 Hyland C won Champion Visiting Boat in the Broome Billfish Tournament and in '07 we took out the Champion Male Angler prize.