Black CC

They are freshwater crocs and usually disappear as soon as they see us. The higher risk issue is treading on one when walking the kayaks in shallow water. That would probably end in an emergency extraction. It is too far from the coast for Saltwater crocs. I would not be taking a blow up kayak anywhere near a Salty.

Pickles, Yes, it was seriously hot. Maximums between 38 and 42. Better to go in April. The Alpacka Rafts need patches and repairs virtually every day. They are very tough but the fish spines are difficult to manage. One of the guys runs an upholstery business and one of his jobs on the trip is boat maintenance. The greatest damage was done when a croc didn't see us coming and we didn't see it and it bit a significant hole in one of the rafts after being startled. That happened on the 2021 trip. It took an hour to repair but our resident expert did an amazing job. It would be risky to go without someone who was very good at the repairs. There was a fly plague on the last 2 days of the trip this year and we have nets for that. There are no other insects but there are a lot of spiders. You need to check your kayak before you get in and check your tent before you get in because some of the spiders are large and seriously hurt when they bite. I have never been bitten but 3 of the other 4 have been. None are poisonous. There is no support crew other than the helicopter company. They drop us where we ask and pick us up when we've had enough. We call them on the Sat phone (we have 2 of those) and give them our GPS coordinates when we decide to stop. We agreed a pick up time and an approximate pick up location and we then call and confirm the day before extraction with our exact location. We also have an agreement that if we need emergency extraction we can call them and they will come and pick us up as soon as possible during daylight hours. The Jackall Super Squirrel 115 (PG Shrimp or Shad) are the most popular lures amongst the guys. Most of the guys use a Stella with various versions of top shelf 3 piece travel rods. The rods need to be 3 piece because they need to be able to fold away when going though tight places with lots of vegetation. Between us we take 2 spare rods, 2 spare reels, 1 spare paddle and an extensive first aid kit. One of the guys is a vet and has applied dog stitches to us quite a few times. He has put dog stiches (with local) in me 3 times. Filleting when exhausted errors. One of my jobs is fish processing. It is quite amusing coming back to Sydney and asking my local Mosman GP to remove the dog stiches. He doesn't get that every day. Thanks for your interest. Cheers, Tony

We have seen pigs on other trips. The Cane Toads have really messed with the ecosystem up there. We only saw 2 crocs on the whole trip where 5 years ago we saw hundreds. We suspect that the crocs and the pigs have been seriously affected by their consumption of Cane Toads. It does seem like the Barra population has thrived and we suspect that is because of the drastic reduction in the croc population.

We self manage. For context, however, the group of 5 have done a very large number of trips together and these kayak trips to the Kimberley are an evolution of adventures that date back to the early 1980s. We are all in our late 50's / early 60's and have a lot of experience in the Northern half of Western Australia. 3 of the 5 went to school together in Perth. The conditions are challenging; I lost 5kg over the week and had trained quite a bit for the trip.

I just got back from our annual crazy kayak trip. This was the first time we've been at the end of the dry season and we are unlikely to go again at this time of year as it was over 40 degrees every day. The fishing was amazing and we managed to catch 177 Barramundi over the course of the week. The biggest was 109cm. We covered a shorter distance than in prior years because we knew we would be dragging the kayaks through some sections where there was no water but the upside was the fish were very hungry and hit our lures hard. The helicopter ride up the Fitzroy River was even more amazing this year as the damage from the January floods was quite incredible, all the way up the river. The 2 major gorges, Sir John Gorge and Dimond Gorge had changed significantly from prior years as the flooding completely shredded all the vegetation. However, the fish didn't seem to care. We kept 1 or 2 fish per day for food. We also managed to catch a lot more Cherabin this year which we ate every morning for breakfast.

Rob, Every time I go to the freezer and pull out another pack of fish from the Rowley Shoals I can't wipe the smile from my face. One of the guys caught 10 new species for him personally on the trip. Cheers, Tony

I just got back from an amazing trip to the Rowley Shoals, 315km West of Broome. After spending 18 hours steaming out there in the 80 foot charter boat, we had very high expectations and I am pleased to say they were met and then some. We ended up catching 12 Sailfish, about 8 Dog Tooth Tuna, 5 Wahoo, 4 Spanish Mackerel and too many Coral Trout, Long Nose Emperor and Maori Wrasse to count. Each of the 8 of us brought back a full broccoli box full of fillets and we all felt incredibly fortunate to tick off a trip that has been on our bucket list for about 20 years. The pictures below are all pretty self explanatory except the large structure, which is the weather station at Imperieuse Reef. The channel snorkeling, where you are dropped at one end of the channel and drift a for 10 minutes to the other end of the channel and see the amazing aquarium of fish and sharks, is quite incredible as well. Not a cheap trip but arguably the best fishing in Australia.

It's called Navionics

My family has a 16 year old German student staying with us for the current school term and she mentioned to me a few weeks back that she had never caught a fish before. So, I decided it was my mission to help her catch her first fish. I sold my boat last year and haven't quite managed to buy another one yet, so I decided to rent one of the small boats at Balmoral Boat House yesterday and see if we could find a few Trevs. My daughter, who has been on numerous fishing expeditions with me, the German student and I left Balmoral at noon with the plan to fish half an hour before and an hour after low tide. It was a bit slow at the start but once the burley trail was established the Trevs arrived and our German guest managed to catch a double header, so she caught her first fish ever and her second fish ever at the same time. The girls managed to catch 14 Trevs between them and had lots of fun doing it, so a great experience for all 3 of us. A significant departure from my normal hard core adventures but I forgot how much fun it can be to watch someone catch their first ever fish.

Geoff, There is not a lot of fishing pressure on the system up there. There are a few remote indigenous communities we have seen fishing from the banks 2 or 3 times over the years but that's it. We took a total of 7 fish for food and did not see another human being for 7 days. The only fish we kept were between 65cm and 75cm (enough for 4 of us for dinner) and caught between 3pm and 4.30pm. They are hard to keep fresh in the heat, so we wait until towards the end of the day before we keep one. So you are right, it is certainly remote and the fishing is good. Cheers, Tony

The hotels were all 5 star except the place we call Spider Hell. We set up the tents and then realised too late that there was a major spider infestation all around us. It was too dark to move so we tried to manage the situation the best we could. In the tents by 7.30pm. Some of the spiders were massive so that spot was definitely not 5 star.

BN, you can fly to Perth and then to Fitzroy Crossing and go heli-fishing and that is an amazing experience. Best time is September / October when there is not much water and you can see the Barra and catch them from the rocks. I have shared another couple of photos below. The catfish were so hungry we often caught double headers like the one in the photo.

We had a lot of issues with aggressive freshwater crocs last year but we saw very few this year. Our extraction point was not far downstream from Dimond Gorge so still way too far upstream for any Salties.

I just got back from another crazy kayak trip. We went a bit earlier this year which meant the water was warmer, the fishing was amazing but kayaking when it's 38 degrees with no wind was challenging. We started this trip with the 2 helicopters dropping the 4 of us on the banks of the Hann River about 5km upstream from where it flows into the Fitzroy River in the Kimberley. The plan was to kayak for about 10km each day for 7 days with the extraction point about 70km downstream. The fishing in the Fitzroy was absolutely amazing. I caught a 92 cm Barra with my second cast (see the photo) and the biggest caught was 110cm. Catching big Barra out of a blow up kayak is seriously good fun but just don't let the dorsal fins too close to the boat. We managed to catch a Barra for dinner each day and we also caught plenty of Cherabin. I caught 25 Barra across the 7 days with the majority between 80cm and 90cm. Most were caught just trolling a lure behind the kayak while we paddled down the river. Some were caught casting at snags.

Thanks RRM. I fry them in a batter of egg; milk; sparkling water; flour and ice. The batter needs to be very cold. I only keep the fish between 30cm and 35cm because I find the fish over 35cm are a bit tough. My family prefer Silver Trevally cooked that way to any other fish I catch. I have served up Coral Trout, Red Emperor and Rankin Cod but they prefer battered Trevally. So I didn't keep this one, which is my PB Trevally caught 20 years ago at the Montebello Islands.

I had a 3 hour gap between Zoom calls yesterday, so I put the kayak in the water with a plan to fish the tide change. Ended up catching 10 Trevally but just kept 1. I forgot my measuring stick and quite a few were about 30cm so the only one I kept was clearly over 30. I caught them at the end of Chowder Head in the main Harbour with Navionics telling me I was 1.5km from home, so well within the 10km rule and definitely within my local Government area. I used prawns for bait purchased while refueling the car and a burley bomb full of old bread I pulled out of the freezer. In my 30 minute kayak from Sirius Cove around Bradleys Head to Chowder Head it was like being on a remote lake. Other than empty ferries, I only saw 2 boats out in 3 hours. I wouldn't normally share such a mundane venture but the experience of having Sydney Harbour all to myself was amazing. The fishing was pretty fast and furious as well. I used a small 3 way swivel onto the main line with 2 hooks (size 4) off the swivel. Very light trace. I was using 6 pound yesterday but even lighter can make it interesting if the Trevally are over 35cm. No weight but that only works if you fish an hour before and an hour after the tide change, which is what I normally do. The burley is more effective at the tide change too as it stays close to the kayak. I went out in the first week of lockdown on the Friday and caught 15 Trevally (kept 4) a bit further North but there were hundreds of boats everywhere. Lockdown sure has changed a bit since week one. Cheers, Tony

Donna, The locals all fish out of tinnies between Fitzroy Crossing and Derby and no one has ever been taken, so I think the risk is pretty low. The Barra fishing in that part of the river during the run-off is supposed to be amazing. We have never been further downstream than Geikie Gorge in the kayaks and we have never seen a Salty or any indication that they have been in the area. Cheers, Tony

Kevin, They are amazing videos. You are much more game than us. Going solo is quite incredible and going so close to the salt water is not something we have been prepared to do. While we can't be certain there are no Salties, we are pretty confident that we are far enough from the coast that they are not around. We will have a go at cooking the fish whole next time. I loved your handline. We are all fishing fanatics so our fishing gear is a bit sophisticated. Our trip record for a Barra is 103cm. It would be interesting to see you catch that on your handline. Cheers, Tony

Kingie Chaser, As I said in my other responses, it was probably less about luck and more about planning and preparation. I'm not saying we couldn't have a disaster but I think we are very well aware of how remote we are and therefore we are incredibly careful to be self sustainable. Cheers, Tony

Pickles, I had the best treatment from the vet, very much antibiotics and pain relief early on. The scary thing for me is the fact the vet has put stiches in me 6 times over 27 years of fishing trips together. When I got back from the 2018 kayak trip, where I had 7 stiches in my hand from a Barra filleting error, the doctor in North Sydney that removed the stiches remarketed that they were unusual. I explained they were administered by a vet with dog stiches and she had a good laugh. Over the years the vet has administered antivenom for spider bites, loads of stiches to lots of the guys and some help for many other ailments to all those who go on the adventures. We couldn't go without him. Cheers, Tony

Donna, Firstly I want you to know I'm a big fan. I've been a fishraider member for a long time and I take more than I give to this site and see you as the opposite to that. The risk of losing the finger was actually pretty low. We knew there was a possible infection the night before and at 5am the next morning I had my first round of antibiotics and anti inflammation drugs. I was able to grip the paddle and kayak again by noon that day. We have 3 risk management meetings before we go and we can emergency chopper out at very little notice, so there is a lot of planning and discussion before we go. Our group is very well resourced and we do a huge amount of preparation. This type of trip, to probably the most remote part of Australia, needs very careful planning. It also needs the approval of several aboriginal tribes and land owners so is not a simple undertaking. Cheers, Tony

I didn't do enough training so my hands were too soft, even with gloves. One of the blisters on my hand got infected from what we think was filleting a fish. Each of us have agreed jobs and one of my jobs is processing the fish for dinner each evening and the infection developed overnight after filleting the first Barra. It ended up in pretty bad shape as per the attached photo. Almost fully recovered now.

I recently got back from a 6th crazy kayak trip. This was the 3rd time in the fresh water rivers of the Kimberley and we've done 3 in the salt water, all in the North West. With the on again off again lock down situation in Perth, I decided the best way to get to Broome was to avoid Perth, so I ended up flying from Sydney to Alice Springs and then through Darwin, Kununurra and on to Broome. Then a 4 hour drive and 90 minutes in a chopper, which dropped us next to the river. After an hour of set up we were on our way for an eight day adventure down the river. The Sooty Grunter were pretty easy to catch on the first few days but no sign of any Barramundi. The freshwater crocs were surprising aggressive with one of them attacking one of the kayaks that put a decent hole in it and that took some patching up. As we got further downstream the rapids became more challenging but we also started catching plenty of Barramundi. They were all in the 70cm to 90 cm range, so a decent challenge off a blow up kayak. I ended up with a pretty badly infected finger that needed some urgent treatment and meant my wedding ring had to be cut off. We do carry a full medical kit and one of the guys is a vet, so he managed to patch me up so I was able to continue. Our exit from the river went very smoothly with a heavy reliance on the latest technology. We sent a text via satellite phone to the helicopter company with our GPS coordinates and a request to pick us up at 6.30am the next morning. The one word response to our text was "confirmed". Then at exactly 6.30am the following morning the 2 helicopters came over the hill and picked us up. With the 5 of us now in our mid 50s, the physical challenges of kayaking 110km down a raging river while dodging crocs and eating only what we catch is not the most relaxing holiday but we are already planning on doing it again next year.

I catch yakkas at the tide change from my kayak when the burley doesn't drift away. If it is not a tide change I target squid.

The best fish I've ever caught was a 81cm Snapper. I have caught a lot bigger fish (Marlin, Sailfish, GTs etc) but I rate it the best fish I've caught because of what I had to do to catch it. I sent my kayak on a train from Sydney to Perth, where a mate picked it up. I then flew to Perth and drove to Denham (820km North) with the kayak on a trailer. I was then taken on a large dive boat to Steep Point (Southern point of Dirk Hartog Island) with the kayak on the back of the boat. I then kayaked over 6 days to the Northern End of Dirk Hartog Island where I caught the Snapper below. The Northern End of Dirk Hartog Island is in the background, which is about 50km from the nearest point of mainland Australia.