Barramundi hit hard, jump, and live in crocodile water. That’s most of the appeal. Here’s what you need to catch one: the tackle, the lures, the best time of year, and where people actually catch them, based on where 130 prize-tagged barra have been caught in the NT.
- Best season (NT): The ‘run-off’, March to April (Tourism NT)
- Line: 20 lb braid minimum, ideally 30 lb, with a 50–60 lb mono leader (Rod & Rifle)
- Rod: 5’6″ to 7′, rated about 8 kg; baitcaster or spin reel
- Lures: 3–4 inch paddle-tail soft plastics; hard-bodies around 10 cm
- Legal size (NT): 55 cm minimum; possession limit five
- Safety: Stand 5 m back from the water in croc country
What a barramundi is and how long do they live?
Barramundi (Lates calcarifer) live in rivers, estuaries and coastal water from the Persian Gulf to northern Australia. They can grow to about 2 m and 60 kg and live 35 years. They’re also protandrous: they mature as males and many later change to females (FishBase).
The tackle you need
- Rod: 5’6″ to 7′, rated around 8 kg. Two- or three-piece rods travel better.
- Reel: a spin reel is easiest to start with; most Territory anglers use a baitcaster.
- Line: 20 lb braid at the least, 30 lb is better.
- Leader: 50–60 lb clear monofilament, tied to the braid. A wire trace is too easy for the fish to see in front of a lure.
Tackle advice from tackle store Rod & Rifle.
The best lures for barramundi
Start with 3–4 inch paddle-tail soft plastics on a jighead: cheap, and they catch fish. Add a few hard-bodied diving lures around 10 cm; the Gold Bomber is one tackle store’s pick as one of the best barra lures ever made. Bigger lures can scare off smaller barra, so save them for trolling big rivers (Rod & Rifle). In the run-off, match the baitfish: hard-bodies and lead-head soft plastics, or flies for fly anglers (Tourism NT).
If you use bait, the competition’s fishing advice is large circle hooks, at least 5/0, which hook fewer small fish and fewer fish deep in the throat (Million Dollar Fish FAQs).
When to fish: the run-off
In the Top End, locals rate the run-off as the best barra fishing of the year. When the wet season ends, floodwater drains off the plains through creeks, carrying small fish, tadpoles and prawns, and barra sit at the creek mouths to ambush them. It runs from about March to April and is usually over by the end of April, but rivers peak at different times: the Daly can be in full run-off while the South Alligator in Kakadu is still flooded (Tourism NT).
Where to catch barramundi in the NT
A useful guide to where barra are: the places where Million Dollar Fish’s prize-tagged fish get caught. Our count from the official winners list, 2015 to October 2026:
| Spot | Tagged fish caught |
|---|---|
| Daly River (incl. the Crossing) | 27 |
| Yellow Water, Kakadu | 6 |
| Manton Dam | 4 |
| Bridge Lagoon | 4 |
| Corroboree Billabong | 3 |
| Hardies Lagoon | 3 |
| Adelaide River | 3 |
| Cullen Bay, Darwin | 3 |
You don’t need a boat. Darwin’s wharves and jetties, such as Cullen Bay, Stokes Hill Wharf and Mandorah Jetty, all appear on the winners list.
Stay out of the water: crocodiles
This is saltwater crocodile country. The NT Government tells land-based anglers to stand five metres back from the water’s edge and never to dangle arms or legs out of a boat (Katherine Times), and the competition’s own advice is to use a landing net rather than reach into the water for a fish (Million Dollar Fish FAQs). Don’t wade in after a snagged lure. Cut the line. If you’re also swimming up north, check stinger season too.
Catch and release, done right
- Leave the fish in the water, in the net, until you’re ready for a photo.
- Hold it horizontally with both hands. Don’t hang a big barra by its jaw or gills.
- Don’t lay it on a hot deck or let it thrash around.
- Use a knotless landing net to protect its skin and slime.
- If it’s hooked deep, cut the line close to the mouth and leave the hook in.
- Barbless hooks make release easier.
From the Million Dollar Fish fishing advice. The legal minimum length in the NT is 55 cm, and you can have five barramundi in your possession. In Kakadu National Park and the Mary River and Daly River Fish Management Zones the limit is three per person, with a vessel limit of one fish over 90 cm (Million Dollar Fish FAQs; NT Fisheries).
Why fishing is good for your head
Fishing is more than a way to kill a weekend. Australia’s National Social and Economic Survey of Recreational Fishers, run by ABARES with the University of Canberra, found recreational fishers had higher wellbeing on average than non-fishers, and those who fished more often had higher wellbeing still. It linked fishing to social connection, time in nature, relaxation and physical activity. About 4.2 million Australian adults, one in five, fish each year (PS News, reporting the ABARES survey).
And in the NT, any barra you catch this season could carry a red tag. Here’s how Million Dollar Fish works.
Barramundi fishing: FAQ
When is the best time to catch barramundi?
In the NT, the run-off from about March to April, when barra wait at creek mouths for bait washed off the floodplains.
What is the best lure for barramundi?
A 3–4 inch paddle-tail soft plastic is the easiest start. Gold Bomber hard-bodies are a long-standing favourite.
What line do I need for barramundi?
At least 20 lb braid, ideally 30 lb, with a 50–60 lb mono leader.
How big does a barramundi have to be to keep in the NT?
55 cm. You can keep five, or three in Kakadu and the Mary and Daly River zones.
Do you need a fishing licence in the NT?
Not for recreational fishing, but you need a permit for Aboriginal land and some tidal waters over it.
Sources: Tourism NT: the run-off; Rod & Rifle; FishBase; Million Dollar Fish FAQs; Million Dollar Fish winners list; Katherine Times (NT Government Crocwise advice); PS News (ABARES survey); NT Fisheries. Checked 31 October 2026.
