Territory fishing legend Col ‘Cords’ Cordingley dies

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Col Cordingley with a 25kg barra caught at Daly River

A FISHING legend died suddenly yesterday, leaving the community devastated by the loss of a fantastic angler and a kind soul.

Col ‘Cords’ Cordingley has been remembered by close friend and fellow fisherman Alex Julius as “a great angler, a great Territorian and just a great bloke.”

Mr Cordingley arrived from Perth as a builder after cyclone Tracy and made the Territory his home and the Daly River “his” river.

Mr Julius said he was larger than life in his ability to catch fish and help others and was the “essence of Territory barra fishing”.

“The thing about Cords was that everyone loves him,” Mr Julius said.

“I’ve never known anyone who ever had a bad word to say about anyone like him.”

News_Image_File: Col Cordingley

Mr Julius said Mr Cordingley had a lot to do with improving recreational fishing in the NT and was always at the forefront of raising any concerns.

Mr Julius said he was lucky and honoured to share Mr Cordingley’s last fishing trip last week on Daly River where he caught a 124cm barra.

In his competitive fishing career Mr Cordingley won every major fishing competition in the NT multiple times.

He retired from competing two years ago but was still a regular face at competitions, driving boats.

He passed away peacefully at 74.

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News_Image_File: Chris Makepeace (left) and Col Cordingley, pictured around 1989.