Fishing in Darwin
How could you leave the Top End without trying your hand at catching the elusive Barramundi? Many Darwin fishing charters offer daily, overnight and weekly services which give you the opportunity to catch a mighty ‘Barra’ and enjoy the beautiful, exciting waterways of the Northern Territory. You can also choose to skipper a boat yourself and take the high seas at your own leisure.
Barramundi can be caught all year round but their peak season is towards the end of the wet season between March and May which is known as the Run Off. Although they live in both fresh and salt water, you will find them most plentiful in the rivers and tidal estuaries. There is a catch and release policy which asks that you only take what you can consume and release the rest.
If you want to stick a little closer to town the Darwin Harbour stretches over 450 square kilometres and is great for full or half day charters. The Harbour is subject to large tidal influences so you can go fishing on the reefs and in the estuaries. You’ll find all sorts of fish here to test your line skills on whether you're up for a spot of game fishing, deep sea fishing or if you just want to throw in a line on the beach.
Here's a list of Darwin Fishing Charters to help you find one you'll enjoy.
Local Fish Species
Fish Species | Habitat | Prime Time | Weight |
---|---|---|---|
Black Jewfish | Reefs, wrecks | Dec - Jan | 8 - 30 kgs |
Blue Salmon / Blue Threadfin | Bays, estuaries, river, beaches, creeks | June - Aug | 1 - 8 kgs |
Cobia / Black Kingfish | Reefs, rocks | Year round | 5 - 50 + kgs |
Cod & Groper | Estuaries, reefs, wrecks | Year round | 200 kgs + |
Coral Trout | Reefs, wrecks | Year round | 8 kgs |
Giant Trevally / Turrum | Estuaries, reefs | Year round | 40 kgs + |
Golden Snapper | Creeks, estuaries, reefs | Year round | 8 kgs |
Golden Trevally | Reefs, rocks | Year round | 4 - 8 kgs |
Longtail Tuna | Offshore, estuaries | Dry season | 15 kgs |
Mangrove Jack / Red Bream | Mangrove creeks, rivers, estuaries | Year round | 1.5 - 10 kgs |
Pikey bream | Estuaries, shallow creeks | Dry Season | 1 kgs |
Queenfish | Estuaries, rocks, reefs | Year round | 7 - 14 kgs |
Red Emperor | Offshore, estuaries | Year round | 8 kgs |
Saddle-tail Snapper | Reefs | Year round | 10 kgs |
Saratoga | Freshwater rivers, creeks, billabongs | Year round | 1 - 7 kgs |
Spanish Mackerel | Offshore reefs | Year round | 12 - 35 kgs |
Threadfin Salmon / King Salmon | Shallow rivers, estuaries | Nov - March | 8 - 15 kgs |
Tricky Snapper | Offshore reefs | Year round | 6 kgs |