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Fishing in Darwin

Fishing Trips in DarwinHow 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 SpeciesHabitatPrime TimeWeight
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

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