My SWOFFING (saltwater fly fishing) plans for a weekend at Bynoe

Hoping to be heading off to Bynoe harbour a weekend soon . Staying overnight at the Sand Palms pub. Great food and cheap accommodation. That's all depending on the workshop solving my boat motor not starting.

Bynoe harbour is an awesomely fish rich and beautiful waterway an hour or so, south west of Darwin. Slightly bigger than Darwin harbour, where the local fly guide of 17 plus years experience guiding at Bynoe, claims "you could spend a lifetime fishing it's shores and still not discover all it's hidden treasures".

Depending on the seasonal ebbs and flows you will find longtail tuna and broad barred mackerel out the front, trevally and queenfish throughout, a plethora of flats for targeting blue bastards, barramundi & threadfin salmon. Reef species will be caught on the rock bars and gravel patches. Add to these the many creeks feeding the flats and channels - and all these locations are under little fishing pressure despite the close vicinity of a capital city.  Interestingly, there is also some rising chatter about permit being a sporadic catch as well, that needs more attention and time from dedicated fly fishers, like those in the two fly clubs in Darwin.


The tides I want are neap tides, a slow dropping for some flats fishing targeting barra and threadies mid morning. Prior to that, at first light when the water is high I will target trevally and queenfish on the rock bars.

Previous year around this time with the same sort of high neap tides had large packs of big queenfish regularly flashing around the rocky points, creating much excitement.

But I need to really focus on the barramundi. They have been a nemesis to me in the last two years. I have had follows, even had fish nudging the fly as it is retrieved. I have also had fish firmly hooked up only to spit the fly back at me after a few minutes of give and take. I am actually getting quite despondent about my lack of success with barramundi and feel like not targeting them at all. But if I don't target them, the nemesis status they have with me currently is not going to change.


So I have tied up a few barra things to tempt these iconic species in colours I don't normally use but by comments of other swoffers are the 'go to' colours. We shall see!

It is a simple but very effective pattern as it vibrantly pulses with lifelike movement even when not stripped. It is made from of a rabbit zonker strip for the  tail with a little flash appropriate to tail colour. Then a schapplen feather collar of contrasting colour and weighted eyes and a weed guard to suit the ambush locations where these fish will be holding as the tide drops. I have this fly in white/pink, chartreuse/hot pink (Wild Thing fly), white/yellow/ black/purple, white/red - so you  can tell its a favourite fly.

Based on my thoughts in a previous blog about big flies I will be casting some big articulated flies to the bigger pelagics and use smaller clousers to the run of the mill schoolie sized fish up to 60cm.

The all white baitfish fly shown here, has plastic red eyes like the some baitfish do and a mono weed guard. The red headed baitfish fly to left is designed to represent a very popular Halco lure, it is articulated and has a stinger hook in tail section. Both flies are about 10cm long. Eventually I am aiming to tie and then use bigger flies longer than 15cm.

With all that planning I really hope the boat motor is fixed and reliable for a weekend soon!
Must remember to charge the camera and action cam to ensure they are ready to capture all the hoped for action!