11 of the best fishing spots to visit in the Top End

A well-timed fishing trip to the Top End makes all the difference between snagging a tiny tacker or a bumper-sized beast. Tropical Summer is the prime period for memorable fishing moments against a spectacular Territory backdrop. Whether you’re a beginner after a unique holiday or a die-hard angler, we’ve got the top spots and best times to wet a line.

Unlock harbour secrets to bag a trophy-sized Territory catch

Five times bigger than Sydney Harbour and dotted with shipwrecks, mangroves and saltwater crocs, Darwin Harbour is a top choice for a day charter.

If you’re an amateur angler or if don’t have any fishing gear with you, head out with an expert fishing guide for the best chance of reeling in a trophy-sized catch. You’ll be spoilt for choice with the number of tours (half and full day) available, including Darwin Harbour Fishing Charters, Barramundi Adventures, Anglers Choice Fishing Safaris and Estuary Escapes.

South of Darwin is Bynoe Harbour with a natural boat launch site on the north shore at Keswick Point and three boat ramps on the south shore, including one at Crab Claw Island Resort. You can fish from a small tinny, as much of the harbour is considered sheltered waters. If you don't have your own boat, book a tour with Fish the Top End. Bynoe Harbour sits in a storm alley, so do as the locals do and keep an eye on the Bureau of Meteorology (BOM) radar throughout the day.

Nearby is Shoal Bay, one of the Territory’s best fishing secrets. You'll need to be aware of the tides as the bay dries at low tide into a maze of sandbars, leaving the unprepared high and dry. Alternatively, book a fishing charter with Offshore Boats who depart from Darwin.

Elevate your fishing game with a heli fishing tour

Spend less time travelling and more time fishing by taking a heli fishing adventure. Heli fishing experiences will take you to the Top End’s most secluded and treasured fishing spot - a fishing adventure of a lifetime!

Airborne Solutions, which has access to several remote land and fish sites, offers half and full day packages from Darwin as does HeliFish. Custom designed multi-day fishing adventures by HeliFish are also available in hot-spots such as the Daly River, Bynoe Harbour and Arnhem Land with options to suit all budgets, timeframes and experience levels.

If you’re looking for that dream ‘bucket list’ fishing trip to a genuinely wild and fish-fuelled stretch of Top End water with all the hard stuff taken care of, Cobourg Fishing Safaris are your new best mates. They provide fly in/fly out fishing safaris to the remote Cobourg Peninsula, which is almost 2,000km² of mostly uninhabited coastline on the western tip of Arnhem Land. The peninsular is about one hour’s flight from Darwin and is is home to some of the world’s best reef and tropical sports fishing locations. If you'll pardon the pun, this is oh-fish-ally as good as it gets! Seriously.

Land your dream catch at Dundee Beach

A favourite fishing hotspot for locals, Dundee Beach is just 90 minutes from Darwin by sealed road. With a beachfront tavern, adjacent holiday park and boat ramp protected behind a seawall, this laid-back beachside community has front row seats to some of the Top End's best blue-water fishing spots. Huge jewfish are landed not far from shore while barra are commonly caught along the coast.

Success at snagging a barra is based on the right tidal conditions, and while October is known as the “sweet spot”, you can fish anytime of the year. Local operator Dundee Beach Fishing Charters can help plan your trip to coincide with the best tides, offering tours during the build-up from October to December and then January-February (dependent on the weather).

If you’re feeling adventurous, hire a boat at Dundee Beach Boat Hire and join the early morning boat launching at the boat ramp. There are also plenty of locations for land-based anglers from the beach. No matter the success of your catch, celebrate with friends over a sunset drink at the Lodge of Dundee or Skippers at Dundee.

If you’re short on time, Anglers Choice Fishing Safaris and Humbug Fishing will pick you up from Darwin as will Phil’s Affordable Barra Fishing Charters. You'll need to call ahead as tours are often weather dependent.

Get your run-off rush at Shady Camp

Shady Camp is a popular place to try for a large trophy barra. It's not uncommon for species larger than the magic one metre mark to be caught in the Mary River system, especially during the run-off months from February.

Located in the picturesque Mary River National Park, Shady Camp is a good 2 hours’ drive towing a boat from Darwin. You’ll need a 4WD from December to March when wet season rains impact the road. Hire a vehicle with Adventure Rentals which have vehicles suitable for unsealed roads and 4WD tracks.

Surrounded by freshwater billabongs, paperbark and monsoon forests, it’s worth camping at Shady Camp or at Big 4 Howard Springs Holiday Park. If you’d rather go with an expert fishing guide, Reel Screamin Barra Fishing are based at Shady Camp all year round. Many fishing tours are seasonally operated, such Wildman Fishing and Estuary Escapes Fishing Charters so it's best to check in advance when tours are available..

Super-size your fishing adventure in Kakadu

When it comes to fishing and boating, Kakadu National Park should be at the top of your wish list. While most fishing tour operators close during the Tropical Summer (which is the wet season) you can still fish at Yellow Water, which is part of the South Alligator River floodplain.

There’s a boat ramp and you’ll find great barra here, plus peaceful companions in the fantastic bird species that live on the wetlands. Cooinda Lodge is nearby or spend the night in Jabiru where there is a range of sleeping options, including Aurora Kakadu Lodge and Anbinik Kakadu Resort.

If you’ve got the right safety gear and a big enough boat, you can super-size your adventure by taking a long trip to the mouth of South Alligator River. Check with the Bowali Visitor Centre to ask river conditions and tide times. Keep your trip flexible as the weather may change suddenly, check the daily access report, buy your pass online and keep an eye on the Bureau of Meteorology (BOM) radar throughout the day.

Cast a rod in the wild rivers of the Top End

Take advantage of the great fishing during breaks in the tropical summer, when monsoonal rains bring the landscape to life, and head to the Top End’s wild rivers.

Adelaide River is 70km east of Darwin via the Stuart and Arnhem Highways. A concrete boat ramp just upstream from the Adelaide River Bridge provides easy access. The river has many creek mouths that can be fished for barra during the build-up and the run-off seasons. Book a tour with Estuary Escapes or Alure Fishing Charters NT which offers day trips to Adelaide River out of Leaders Creek.

One of the most iconic spots to catch a barra in the Territory is the Daly River., approximately a 2½ hour drive south of Darwin. Stay overnight at Daly River Adventure Lodge or the Daly River Inn to be close to the action. Some areas are subject to seasonal closure so download the Daly River Fishing Guide to stay informed. For a longer fishing trip, NT Fish & 4x4 offer one day or five-day tours from Darwin

Extend your trip and drive the 147km across to the Douglas Daly Esplanade Conservation Area via a sealed road. You’ll not only enjoy great fishing along the way, but you can hike or swim at Butterfly Gorge, soak in thermal pools at Tjuwaliyn (Douglas) Hot Springs Park and stay at the Douglas Daly Holiday Park.

Hop aboard a boatel for a barra brekkie

As any fisho worth their salt will tell you, they’d rather spend their precious time fishing than hours spent in a car.

So what could be better than rolling out of bed on a big boat, jumping into a tinny with a morning cuppa and minutes later snagging a nice boatel barra for brekkie?

It will be hard not to miss the 70ft floating Barra Boatel moored at the mouth of Sampan Creek (Shady Camp) or at Tommy Cut Creek. Stay overnight and fish the myriad of creeks, billabongs and floodplains with Wildman Fishing.

Get ready to reel in a million-dollar barra jackpot

The Territory’s Top End is home to some of the best fishing in Australia. What makes it even better is that you can land a barra worth a million bucks just by casting a line with the annual Million Dollar Fish competition.

Whether you’re a complete novice or an experienced fisho, the odds of reeling in the Million Dollar Fish have never been better. Increase your chances of hooking a tagged barra and book a fishing tour with HeliFish, Humbug Fishing, Real Screamin Barra Fishing and NT Fish 4x4. Don’t delay. Grab a rod, a reel, and a bag of lures and get ready to take home a bucket full of cash.

Hook up for the ultimate offshore fishing adventure

The Tropical Summer (also known as the wet season) is one of the Top End’s best kept secrets when it comes to pristine water, abundant wildlife and action-packed bluewater adventures. You can either choose a day trip or stay overnight for the fishing trip of a lifetime.

Alure Fishing Charters NT offer a Darwin Bluewater Offshore Full Day Charter and Barramundi Fishing Charter while Offshore Boats specialising in barra fishing plus Darwin reef and sports fishing charters.

Territory Guided Fishing feature overnight stays on their 55-foot ‘mother ship’ the Beagle Gulf. Anglers can hook straight into the action, followed by the all-important beer after a big day out.

Chase jewfish, mackerel, golden snapper, coral trout and cod with Arafura Bluewater Charters which offer reef and game fishing tours departing from Darwin’s Cullen Bay.

Reel in a world of wonder in the magical Tiwi Islands

Escape to a remote, natural paradise where you can fish in little-visited river systems. Bathurst and Melville Islands – the Tiwi Islands – lie about 80km to the north of Darwin and are the perfect place to catch barra, salmon and mangrove jack in the estuaries.

There’s also excellent blue water fishing around the rocky headlands for queenfish, giant trevally, golden snapper and black jewfish.

Leaders Creek, which is an hour’s drive from Darwin, is the closest boat ramp for the Tiwi Islands. Stay at Clearwater Island Lodge, which operates all year, or Melville Lodge which is open seasonally. You'll need to apply for a permit to fish these waters.

Tiwi Island Adventures and Alure Fishing Charters NT generally close during the Tropical Summer season.

Cast & conquer with land-based fishing in Darwin

If you want to have a shot at catching a barra, and you don’t have your own boat, you’ll find an abundance of land-based-fishing options around Darwin.

Catch a barra from the safety of a shaded fishing deck at the Top End’s only land-based, recreational barramundi fishing venture at Barramundi Adventures Darwin.

Stokes Hill Wharf and Rapid Creek produce some good fish for the patient angler and live-baiting from the rock wall near the Deckchair Cinema on a big high tide will not only give you a chance at reeling in a barra but trevally and queenfish.

Some of the best fishing is on the western end of East Point, in sight of the Fannie Bay Beach, with low tide as the premium time.

Another popular location is Mindil Beach right next to the Mindil Beach Casino Resort and Buffalo Creek, just out of Darwin’s Northern Suburbs. A barra hotspot during the build-up, you can cast lures or live bait off the beach to the left of the boat ramp, especially on a rising tide.