Story: Jeni Lerch
Photos: Jeni Lerch & Garry Barmby

The word 'Darwin' on any angler's lips instantly conjures up images of gleaming silver barramundi jumping from murky waters surrounded by mudbanks, mangroves and crocodiles. But there's more to fishing in Darwin than that.

Fact is, the bluewater offshore from Darwin offers the keen fisherman a large variety of northern pelagic species, which many anglers often overlook - or simply fail to take into consideration.

Combine the two forms of fishing on a 10-day trip aboard a mothership with two customised 7m sportsfishing boats and you have what could be called an anglers' dreamland.

Flights to Darwin these days are frequent and inexpensive compared to years gone by. Skywest airlines flies from my hometown of Exmouth in Western Australia to Broome and then on to Darwin. Not only is this a quick way for me to travel, but it also certainly makes for a good fishing trip when combining these well-known ports. Time saved reaching a fishing destination means more time fishing, I reckon.

GREAT MINDS...
On arrival at the airport in Darwin, I ran into a group of six guys from Sydney who were also going on a fishing trip - judging by the luggage they were claiming off the carousel, anyway! As anglers do, we soon got talking, because they had seen my rod tubes too.

We talked about what fishing we were expecting over the next 10 days and how we had chosen and booked our trips. There are many operators that work fishing charters out of the Northern Territory, so sometimes it's hard to make the right choice - especially from as far away as Sydney.

For this particular trip I was travelling with Garry Barmby, managing director of specialist sportsfishing booking agent, Angling Adventures, who was doing one of his regular trips to ensure that all details of the operation were up to his standard. Angling Adventures regularly goes to the destinations it promotes, and it makes sure every detail is covered for the needs and preferences of all-comers; from the casual angler to the fussiest fisherman.

I pointed out to the Sydney guys that there could be nothing worse than going on a fishing trip with your mates - a trip you'd been looking forward to and planning all year - and having it turn into an absolute nightmare through details beyond your control. Before long, we wished each other good luck and parted, not really expecting to meet up again.

IN ROYAL COMPANY
The 65ft mothership MV Swordfish is a steel vessel that was built in the 1970s to ferry Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II on her visit to Australia. The spacious saloon and comfortable cabins are all fully air-conditioned, and large freshwater showers are a relief after a day's fishing in the tropics.

The owner/skipper onboard works together with another qualified skipper and guide to take you to the remote areas surrounding Darwin. Along with the all-important chef onboard, the crew is truly professional, with the aim of offering first-class fishing and wilderness experiences to clients from Australia and overseas.

The crew members have local knowledge and expertise - and the equipment to match the occasion.

They also have the gift of making you feel welcome as a personal guest, not just another punter.
Our first stop was Point Jenny (appropriately named!). Terns hovered above bait and fish surrounding the point as we prepared the gear: an enticing start. MV Swordfish provides all gear and tackle on a 'replace if lost or damaged' basis. Fly-fishermen are also catered for, but it's recommended that you take your own fly gear.

The crew members offer advice on which lures work best, and they eagerly rig your outfit for you if you like.

Basically, if you want a relaxing fishing holiday, this is it. The crew de-hook all catches - mainly for safety - and although they are strong advocates for catch and release, you are allowed to take home a few fillets.

TACKLE HAPPY
Garry and I brought our own tackle. The three other clients onboard - Eddie, Laurie and Nathan from Melbourne - were happy to use whatever they were given. Meanwhile, the three guys opened a book and took bets on a competition for the trip including biggest pelagic, biggest barra, most species and most barra.

All three guys doubled their personal best fish on that first morning, with large queenfish caught on poppers. Laurie was astounded to think that he had also actually released his best fish ever. So it's really good to see that attitudes are changing as more and more people opt to catch and release for the greatest satisfaction of the sport.

I eagerly chased the queenfish on small C'ultiva minnows using my 6lb spinning outfit. This resulted in spectacular aerial displays of a few fish until something really big blitzed me on the light gear.

The interesting part I noted was that the crew catered for each individual angler and their needs depending on their requests. If I wanted to cast instead of troll, I could. If I wanted to try a different lure, they would change it. If I made a suggestion to the skipper, he would at least listen! I felt comfortable and confident with the skippers in each boat all day.

The second day's venture took us to what seemed the middle of nowhere, yet sure enough the crew put us on the exact spot. We trolled large deep-diving lures that were inhaled by schools of mackerel. By 9am the Melbourne guys had doubled their personal best again!

After numerous feisty catches and a few cautious releases, we returned to the MV Swordfish for lunch. The crew filleted the few fish we didn't release, and fresh mackerel steaks were on the menu.

The afternoon fish was unusually quiet as we chased the black jewfish; but nonetheless, all anglers were in high spirits.

NIGHT TRAIN
Through the night we steamed to one of the many creek systems towards the Daly River. I awoke at sunrise in barra country with mangrove-lined creeks in every direction.

Garry and I started to twitch. Barra fever was setting in. However, first on the cards was chasing trevally and other pelagics in the reaches towards the river mouth. Great fun for all!

We enjoyed yet another breakfast of bacon, sausages and eggs, then headed out in the boats. The sky was hazy with cloud cover, which actually made it cooler than expected for Darwin in November. The water wasn't clear, yet we still managed to land many more fish species.

Nathan even caught his first-ever barra out in the open waters under the spectacular red cliffs that were part of the stunning scenery on the trip. A modest 84cm fish is pretty damn good for your first barra!

It was an unexpected surprise that everyone got excited about. In fact, Eddie managed to get so excited at the frenzy of fish carving up a bait school that he cast his whole outfit into the water! He didn't mind what the replacement cost would be in dollars; it was the ridicule he'd receive from the others back at the mothership that worried him!

That night when the tally of species was recorded, we wondered whether the tally could include releases of rod and reel. We all laughed around the table as the mouth-watering dinner of Greek lamb on the spit was cooked specially by our guide Michael - must be a secret family recipe there somewhere!

It was glorious food. The full bar facilities onboard are well stocked, and there's also an endless supply of nibblies for hungry anglers.

UNDER THE MOON
Once again through the night we steamed to yet more barra country in Joseph Bonaparte Gulf - that stretch of water known to sailors as 'Blown-apart Gulf'.

We began the day setting mudcrab pots, and chasing barra along the snags and secret spots marked on
the GPS.

Owner Viv Thistlethwaite was once a keen recreational angler. His passion for the sport inspired him to begin operations on MV Swordfish. His enthusiasm and expertise along with the knowledge and understanding of all these remote areas really shines through as he tells you where to place you cast, or troll at what depth using a certain lure.

This guy is so experienced in catching these fish that he even had lures painted a special colour on his request to a major lure company!

You know when the fishing is good when you start to lose count of how many you've caught. Viv certainly took us to the right areas. Even though the barra weren't firing due to the late wet season, we still managed to catch loads of them along with mangrove jacks, javelin fish, trevally and the odd mudcrab in the pots.

At night, as we were anchored up in the creek with the lights on the stern deck, hundreds of threadfin salmon feasted on the small baits attracted to the lights. I reckon I cast every fly I had in my fly box, but do you think they would take it?

Although it was frustrating, it was also exhilarating. The big fish came in so close to the boat! I certainly would like to know if anyone else can catch these fussy fish on one of these trips.

HOMEWARD BOUND
We began heading back towards Darwin, stopping at different anchorages and chasing even more different species.

On the last day we caught reef fish including black spotted tusk fish, coral trout, cod and snapper. We also had an awesome run on queenfish, trevally and mackerel at the turn of the tide at a point where you could dangle your line in the water beside the boat with a maribu jig and they would come right up and take it from under your nose.

Casting poppers gave good visual results as the fish fought each other to reach the lure - big swirls and boils behind the popper on nearly every cast. Trying not to hook up was becoming more difficult than hooking up!

The last night was finished off with a feast of mudcrabs, prawns and calamari as presentations were awarded for the guys' competition. They were even rewarded with shirts from the MV Swordfish embroidered with 'Best Catch' and 'Best Fish'.

Everyone had an awesome trip, and back in Darwin I strolled around the markets biding time while I waited for my flight. Amazingly I ran in to the guys from Sydney whom I had met briefly at the airport on the way in, and I began telling them about all the fish we caught, the boats, the food, the size of the fish, the scenery, the different waters we had covered... and slowly I started to notice their faces dropping.

You guessed it: they had experienced one of those other trips, where there was only one boat between two groups. They'd had to buy and cook their own food, there was no air-conditioning, and they hardly caught any fish. Worst of all, they weren't offered any worthwhile local advice.

I think that next time those guys will definitely be happy to pay a little extra to book with reputable operators like Viv's Swordfish Charters through the specialist fishing travel agent Angling Adventures. After all: confidence and peace of mind are big components in a successful fishing holiday. It's all supposed to reduce stress, not add to it!