What fish is that?

Find out about: Barramundi | Golden Snapper | Mangrove Jack | Queenfish | Sooty Grunter

Barramundi

Lates calcarifer
Common Name: Barramundi
Other Names: Barra

Where are they found?

All coastal areas of the Northern Territory. They are caught in the open sea, harbours, estuaries, creeks, rivers and billabongs (freshwater lagoons).

Where do they like to live?

Barra frequent inshore rocks and headlands, coastal estuaries and creeks, big rivers and inland billabongs.

Recommended Bait/Lure and Rig

Barra can be caught using a wide range of lures – casting and trolling – and a variety of baits can be successful. The barra is also a fantastic opponent for the fly fisher.

Visit the Fishing the Territory Website for more information

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Golden Snapper

Lutjanis johnii
Common name: Golden Snapper
Other Names: Fingermark bream, spotted-scale sea perch, snapper, goldie, fingermark.

Important

These fish grow to around 8 kg and are superb eating. They are distinguished by a prominent fingerprint-like mark below the dorsal fin similar to Russell’s snapper. This mark fades as the fish grows.

Where are they found?

Estuaries and inshore rock and reef areas all round the Territory coast. Can be caught year round with peak season October-December.

Where do they like to live?

Golden snapper are regularly caught bottom fishing but they are happy to take lures.

Recommended Bait/Lure and Rig

Offshore, snapper are usually caught bottom fishing on heavy lines but barra tackle is fine for the estuaries. Golden snapper will take small, deep-diving lures worked
around reef and other structures and readily take squid and pilchard baits.

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Mangrove Jack

Lutjanus argentimaculatus
Common Name: Mangrove Jack

Other Names

Red bream, jack

Important

Fish caught in the creeks and rivers rarely weigh more than 1 kg but larger specimens up to 10 kg are sometimes caught along the coast and offshore reefs.

Where/when are they found?

All around the Territory in mangrove-lined saltwater creeks and offshore reefs. Can be found all year round

Where do they like to live?

Shallow mangrove-lined creeks along the coast provide the best jack fishing but they are often taken from bottom structure such as snags and rock bars in saltwater rivers and estuaries.

Recommended Bait/Lure and rig

Baitcaster or threadfin outfits in the 4 kg to 8 kg range. Jacks will take a variety of lures with shallow-running, minnow-style lures taking most fish. Lures need to be cast close to snags and rocks to entice a strike from the jack and then it’s a matter of keeping them out of their lair.

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Queenfish

Scomberoides commersonianus
Common Name: Queenfish

Other Names

Leatherskin, queenie, skinny

Important tips

Queenies grow more than 15 kg but are more common up to 6 kg.

Where/when are they found?

All round the Territory cost in rivers, creeks, harbours and the open sea but usually within site of the coast. Can be found all year round.

Where do they like to live?

Rocky headlands are favourite spots

Recommended Bait/Lure and rig

Baitcaster or threadline outfits in the 4 kg to 8 kg range. Queenfish will take live and dead baits but lure fishing is preferred. Lures and baits, which are cast or trolled
quickly, are most effective and the fish provide real excitement on fast popper-style surface lures.

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Sooty Grunter

Hephaestus fuliginosus
Common Name: Sooty Grunter

Other Names

Black bream, sooty

Important

They only grow to around a kilogram but they strike lures very aggressively.

Where are they found?

The upper freshwater reaches of most Top End rivers and larger creek systems. They usually inhabit cover in areas where there is clean water flowing over sand or gravel bottom.

Where do they like to live?

They hang in structures such as snags and rock piles ambushing food as it passes.

Recommended Bait/Lure and Rig

Baitcaster or threadline outfits in the 2 kg to 6 kg range. Sooties will take small lures
and they also like red meat baits on small hooks with no weight attached.

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