Grab your gear and some mates and head out there

IF you want a shot at a big barra this weekend, you should be rubbing your hands with glee.

Denby Baker fished with Kane Dysart wide of Dundee and they caught this and four other big cobia in a frantic session.

IF you want a shot at a big barra this weekend, you should be rubbing your hands with glee.

The tides this weekend, falling as they do after some sweet, rain-laden storms this week, are spot on for several locations.

These are neap tides of course – almost dead neap except they will be just starting to increase in size.

So, even though tidal movement will be minimal, on both Saturday and Sunday it will be more than the day before.

Given we are well into the build-up – which, for my money, offers more top-notch barra fishing opportunities than the run-off – this combination of tides, weather and time of year is virtually unbeatable this weekend ... but not everywhere.

Forget about Darwin Harbour, for example; you’ll need far more tidal movement to get those slender harbour salties on the chew.

However, looking towards the other side of Darwin, and assured as you are of excellent water clarity, the lower reaches of the Adelaide River are a special on these tides.

Simply launch at the new Saltwater Arm Ramp and head down and out of that small system, and straight into and up the mouth of the Adelaide.

If you do that around daybreak on both Saturday and Sunday, you’ll have ample opportunity to get settled into your chosen spot in time for low tide.

Trolling either side of the Narrows, where there are some terrific rocks, may not yield you a bag limit catch of barra, but you might catch a metrey ... and maybe a runaway black jew to boot.

Here’s a tip: use the Killalure River Rat 20+ at the Narrows, and just stick to the Elton John colour.

Moving up from the Narrows, you have a beaut – and often ignored – ripper little creek on the left side.

Lots of metre-plus barra have come from this creek over the years.

Here’s another tip: troll into and out of the mouth with Classic 120s or Reidy’s The Judge in contrasting colours

Next up on the left side is Wiltshire No.1.

This is a particular favourite of mine as I bagged a 120cm barra up inside it a few years ago, and I’ve seen plenty more metreys come over the side of the boat too.

There are lots of spots to fish in this big creek, but try casting and trolling the upriver bank just as you lose sight of the creek mouth.

Otherwise, pick the usual haunts up the creek, including the two junctions that you can’t miss.

Wiltshire No.2, just a bit further up, can go bananas at this time of year, especially on similar tides to this weekend.

Wiltshire No.3, again not too much further up, is where to try if you haven’t found barra in the aforementioned spots.

If you only have a few hours to spare and still wish to target a big barra, try Leeders Creek on Sunday afternoon.

Basically, you’ll be fishing across the mid-afternoon high tide, trolling the right-hand bank heading down in about 3-5m.

The actual spot is the long bend down near the mouth, basically working from the mouth to about a kilometre upstream.

Classics, Reidy’s The Judge and Killalure deep Barra Baits all work on this troll run.

If you’re up for a bit of travel, would you believe the Daly River has come back to life.

Huge schools of equally huge mullet have moved up the river, and hot on their tails are both barra and bull sharks.

On the tides this weekend, the Daly should be fishable for a long way downstream, and metre-plus barra are a definite possibility.

For blue water enthusiasts, Darwin Trailer Boat Club’s Blue Water Classic starts tomorrow. Call 8981 6749 for information.