Fishing Charters Darwin
We fish a number of exciting destinations teeming with a huge variety of fish species. Our ½ Day Fishing Charters in Darwin stay within the tranquil boundaries of the Darwin Harbour, our 1 Day Group Charters travel to Darwin's outer reefs and our 2 - 6 Night Charters are to the remote and virtually untouched destinations of the Peron Islands, the Daly and Finnis Rivers, Flat Top Banks, the Tiwi Islands and Cobourg Peninsula. These stunningly beautiful tropical destinations will make a lasting impression on you.
Darwin Harbour
Darwin Harbour is one of the largest and safest Harbours in the world, many times the size of Sydney Harbour with the catchment covering 2237 sq km. Darwin Harbour is home to a healthy ecosystem and teeming with marine life including marine turtles, sharks, dolphins, dugongs and many species of fish making a truly exciting Darwin fishing experience. The Harbour and City has a fascinating history. The Darwin area is the traditional home of the Larrakia people, who have looked after this country for over 40,000 years. The ecosystem of the Harbour is still today the centrepiece of the Larrakia's traditional lands. The first Europeans to discover and name the Harbour were Lt Stokes and Capt Wickham on the HMS Beagle. They sailed into the Harbour in 1839 and named it Port Darwin after past passenger, the famous naturalist Charles Darwin.
In its short history of European habitation, Darwin has been virtually destroyed by 3 cyclones and the bombing of Darwin during WWII. The most famous of the cyclones, Cyclone Tracey, hit Darwin on Christmas night 1974 and devastated the city. 63 people lost their lives and many ships and smaller vessels were sunk. Between 1942 and 1943, Darwin was bombed by the Japanese 65 times. Many vessels and over half of Darwin's buildings were destroyed. At least 243 people were killed, 20 aircraft destroyed and 8 ships sunk. Some of the larger World War II shipwrecks and aircraft are now prominent features of Darwin Harbour.
Many other structures have been sunk in Darwin Harbour and together with the WWII and Cyclone Tracey wrecks and natural reefs form a healthy habitat for a variety of fish species. Our Half Day and Sunset Fishing Charters in Darwin move between the wrecks and reefs of Darwin Harbour targeting black jewfish, golden snapper, estuarine cod, giant trevally, queenfish and Spanish mackerel. These along with many other species are found within the Harbour.
We do a mixture of bottom and pelagic fishing within the Harbour depending on the tides and time of year. Fishing for bottom dwellers in the Harbour, such as jewfish and snapper is best during the warmer months between October and June and pelagic fishing is best when the colder currents come into the Harbour from May to October.
Tiwi Islands
The Tiwi Islands are made up of Bathurst and Melville Islands and separated by the Apsley Straight. They are located 80 kilometres to the north of Darwin, between the Arafura and Timor Sea. Combined Bathurst and Melville Islands are the second largest island landmass in Australia at 8320 sq km. The islands are the home of the Tiwi people, famous for their art, craft and football prowess; they are linguistically and culturally different to the Indigenous people of the mainland. There are about 2500 Tiwi people living on the Islands today who fish and hunt the marine life surrounding the islands daily. The marine life of the Tiwi's is extraordinary, with the reefs, shoals, rivers and creeks teeming with species. We primarily target black jewfish, golden snapper and Spanish mackerel around the islands. We can only fish on neap tides as the islands experience extreme tidal movements. They are surrounded by shallow reefs which are fringed by Bathurst Trench which is a drop off where game fish can be targeted. The Tiwi's are an exciting fishing destination not to be missed!
Peron Islands
A fishing hotspot located on the west coast of the Northern Territory is the Peron Islands. More specifically, the islands are about 3 nautical mile (nm) west of Channel Point and about 90 nm south west of Darwin. They are made up of the North and South Island, with the North Island being much larger than the South. The islands are low lying with the only distinguishable feature a relatively tall round hill located at the tip of the North Island. They are uninhabited save for the occasional angler camping out.
The islands are surrounded by an extensive reef system that joins the islands and extends around the northern and southern tips. There are deep channels between the islands and mainland that are great Jewfish fishing spots. Out wide of the islands is where we fish for sportfish such as Spanish mackerel, sailfish and marlin. The reefs surrounding the islands are an ideal habitat for reef fish such as red emperor and coral trout.
About 20 nm further south of the Peron's is Cape Ford and Cape Scott. These Capes are also surrounded by fringing reefs with deep drop offs out wide. The reefs are prime locations for species such as snapper, trout and emperor and there's great sport fishing out wide. We've had great success with hooking Sailfish and Marlin off these Capes.
The Finnis and Daly Rivers, north east and south east of the Perons respectively, are hot barramundi fishing jaunts. With commercial barramundi prohibited in the Daly and soon to be in the Finnis, coupled with their remote locations and great run off, these rivers are favourites with barramundi fishing fanatics.
On our 6 Night Ultimate Barra and Reef Fishing Adventure we take in the best of blue water fishing and then use Northern Exile as a mother-ship at the mouth of either of these rivers and fish for barramundi in smaller tenders up the rivers and its estuaries.
Flat Top Banks
Flat Top Banks is situated about 90 nautical mile (nm) west of Darwin. It is a set of reefs and shoals that expand about 20 - 30 nm from north to south. Unlike many other areas of the Top End the waters are beautifully clear, with the tops of the reefs about 20 metres from the surface. The depth then varies to about 60 metres.
The pelagic fishing is exceptional, particularly for Spanish mackerel and trevally species and the possibility of marlin and sailfish if you choose to target them. The other fishing highlight is the vast range of striking and uncommon tropical species such as red emperor, rankin cod, chinamen, long nosed emperor and mangrove jack. This differs to species closer to shore such as golden snapper, reddies and stripies.
The other notable aspect of the place is the amazing amount of sharks. There are many species in huge numbers. A favourite is the hammer heads that grow to huge lengths and make for a great photo. The sharks can be a nuisance at times when you're trying to get the fish to the boat, but can make for great shark fishing.
Flat Top Banks is a dream fishing destination, but can only be fished on neap tides and in calm weather conditions.
Cobourg Peninsula
The Cobourg Peninsula is situated at the very top left tip of Arnhem Land and encompasses the spectacular Garig Gunak Barlu National Park. The park preserves the peninsula's sandy beaches, dunes and associated coastal grasslands, mangroves, rainforest patches, swamps, lagoons, coral reefs, sea grass meadows and rich marine life. The Peninsula is about 150 nautical mile from Darwin and takes us about 13 hours to reach.
The Peninsula is deeply indented with coves and bays and enjoys a mixture of shallow reef fishing and deeper water sport fishing. The land is virtually uninhabited with just 20 - 30 Aboriginal people living on 5 outstations. These traditional owners have lived here and looked after the land and sea for over 40,000 years.
The Coburg Peninsula is home to some of the best reef and tropical sports fishing in the world. Protected sea life including turtles, crocodiles, dugongs and dolphins can also be seen in the area. The Marine Park has an abundance of fish including 250 recorded species. Many of these are targeted by anglers including Spanish mackerel, queenfish, giant and golden trevally, barramundi, mangrove jack, golden snapper, black jewfish, red emperor, and coral trout.
We keep this special remote destination aside for our 5 and 6 Night Charters. Whether you want Bluewater or Barramundi fishing, this area has something for everyone. It is the trip of a lifetime and a rugged yet spectacular destination with world class fishing.