# Kayaking trip through the NT - Part 3



## murd (Jan 27, 2008)

'Part 3 of my journey across the Top End introduces three more rivers. I last paddled them in 2006 with varying success on the line and was keen to hit them again. River fishing in the Gulf is a hit and miss affair however. Sometimes the bite's hot and other times its not, which is what I found out over the next six days.'

Naturally it was with some sadness that I had to leave the magic of River X. With still much to see and do though, I remained positive about the future and happily idled out to the main road with dreams of more fish and adventure. Following another severe battering by the endless corrugations and stones I eventually reached my next freshwater river in stifling midday heat, pursued by clouds of annoying flies and wondering why I ever disconnected the air-con some years back just to get a little improved fuel economy and power.









 The campsite at the next river is actually really nice. Behind the car are the clear 'narrows' and a simple launch to either down or upstream. Significant bird life adds sound and colour to the region and the crustaceans and schools of small fish found off the bank are especially tame. 

I fished downriver initially, picking up some feisty sooty grunter, the odd archerfish and a barra which I kept for tea and breakfast. I also ran into a large saltie barely 20 minutes from camp which got the heart racing. Except for the opening long pool, downriver is only accessible by paddle and rarely, if ever fished. People camp further down in the tidal section but that is many kilometres from the main road along a different track in. The scenery doesn't compare to River X but it's a fun little place to play in and troll/flick a lure.









 A little Archerfish caught in the river. Archerfish like this one will often follow you along the bank. Feed them a few dead flies and they become your friend for life! 









 In the evening I watched a 'File' snake hunting in the water behind the car. She came across the barramundi gills/guts on the river bottom and somehow stretched her mouth impossibly wide to swallow them. This photo was taken through the water showing her wrapped around the meal.

The next morning I ventured upstream to a 3km slab of unbroken river via a 350m paddle/drag/carry. Trolling the bank soon gave me a few sooty's before I noticed a Bull shark pass shallow below the yak. As it moved off I cast the lure towards a shaded edge and hooked another sooty. Bringing it in, the water suddenly exploded as the shark grabbed the fish. A second, larger shark also attacked the fish while I wrestled with the rod now straining under the combined weight of both sharks and the hapless grunter. To some people this wouldn't be a big deal but to experience it in a calm piece of picturesque fresh water was remarkable. I believe these sharks would have ripped me to pieces if I had fallen in at the height of the frenzy. From that moment on I was careful where I placed my hands and feet.

The stats for the day eventually tallied out to a couple of dozen sooty grunter, one nice barra, two further shark sightings and a giant pig on a bank which I mistakenly thought was a cow. Yakking is a great way to get near pigs I've discovered over the years. I saw dozens on this trip along the shoreline, and most of those never knew I was there.









It's probably a little hard to establish size but this is one big porker resting on the bank. I reckon she would have gone 180kg.









 Sometimes it's nice to step out the yak and have a cast. The deep water below the pandanus here was full of sooty grunter, a very common freshwater species in the Gulf. In this self-timed shot I actually have a sooty on the line. The pool appeared a nice place for a swim however the sharks put me off.

*On to River # 2 *
Freshly graded roads meant relief at last to the car's suspension and an easy drive to fish my first tidal river since leaving Sydney. The 'Folshe' was its name and I had also planned to show it to a chap (Fred) I'd met the afternoon before at the previous river. The Folshe runs fresh at the crossing but thanks to a little track I found 2 years ago it is possible to get within a 2.3km shallow-water drag to the tidal headwaters. For those wishing to explore this themselves, the track coordinates are: 16°05' 55.9"S, 136°50' 55.9"E. Fred earlier mentioned that he hadn't seen a saltie in the Gulf since his own travels began - I assured him that would soon change. If planning to make the trek the campsite, a piece of level ground where cattle like to sleep, is found at: 16°05' 43.3"S, 136°49' 59.8"E. You may find the track ends before getting there which is what happened on this occasion. No worries, just drive through the bush and make your own road! And, it may or may not be cleared by fire. In this instance it was burnt out, which made setting up camp a breeze.









 This image of a serious bushfire to the north greeted me at the Folshe road crossing and appeared to be in the area where camp would eventually be made. Luckily, it was way further east.









The Folshe River is relatively shallow but this area near camp was deep and absolutely teeming with fish (mullet, herring, gar etc). 

Once camp was established between the numerous ant trails, I packed the yak and slid it down a steep bank to begin the 45 minute drag to the tidal section. Fred was keen to see his saltie but I quietly hoped he didn't. Memories still lingered from 2 years earlier when the river swarmed with them and I had more than enough tense moments on the water to last me a few years. As we eventually neared a shallow sandy ridge overlooking the 'viewing point' I picked up the binocular and crept ahead, focussing on several large reptilian shapes in the distance. 'There's yer crocs mate!' I said to Fred, 'Check these babies out!' Deep down however I was bothered as they were large enough to cause problems and had left the bank keeping their bodies quite buoyant, a behavioural sign of territoriality and a warning to beware.

Fred walked off along the bank with his camera while I climbed into the yak and reluctantly pushed from the edge, aware that the crocs had since submerged and could be positioned anywhere now. Inching forward I nervously paddled past where they were last seen, keeping as shallow as possible for a hundred metres or so before coming ashore to study downstream with the binocular. Too anxious to continue I turned back, planning to paddle the following day when I had more hours to play with and time to settle down.

*Day 2 at the Folshe*
Fred left in the morning and I was alone once again. Mustering courage I began the long haul to the launch site, enjoying a rising tide which cut at least 500m from the task. To ease nerves I told myself I'd done this many times before and not to worry. People were supposed to be smarter than animals and I wasn't going to let the reptiles stuff up a day's fishing. With a lure out and the rifle cocked, loaded and removed from its cradle, I set off.

The first croc appeared within 10 minutes, approaching at speed from some distance away. I released two warning shots and it quickly disappeared. Another kilometre on a second saltie moved in but I calculated that it wasn't large enough to take me and simply watched it until the head had lowered out of sight. The third croc targeted me 20 minutes later and I fired near it to chase it off. I didn't think it was oversized but wasn't taking any chances for the moment, believing it better to be safe than sorry. During all this, I hadn't caught a thing.

Nearing the junction where the Folshe joins the Wearyan River, I spied a familiar shape 350m ahead on a shallow bank. With the aid of the binocular I could clearly see it was an absolute Godzilla of a croc around the 5m mark. As I sussed out a safe route past it the animal saw me and disappeared into the river. Hugging the shoreline for security I expected it to surface but it didn't, telling me that hunger wasn't on its mind. Still, crossing its territory was an arduous moment and I made sure the yak was almost scraping the riverbed for the duration. Reaching the junction 20 minutes later I caught and released a spotted cod, my first (and only) fish for the day.









An interesting feature of the Folshe River is where it 'bumps' the Wearyan 1.3ks before the junction. (Check it out for yourself on Google Earth: 16°02' 41.72"S, 136°49' 28.23"E). On the runout tide water pours across the rocks offering awesome fishing potential. I spun for an hour there but didn't catch a thing. 









This is the junction of the two rivers. The Folshe comes in from the left with the Wearyan in the background. On paper the area should be hot for fish but I didn't get a bite on the lures. Another decent saltie met me as I left the shoreline here to paddle up the Wearyan to the 'overlap' but a quick shot near it sent it scurrying to the bottom. 









 Eventually heading back to camp I spotted this saltie in the distance on the bank. At this size they're manageable but can still be a little cocky towards paddlers. A couple more approached me from here on but were more curious than a serious threat. 

*Conclusion:*
Bugger-all fish on an outing can sometimes happen in the NT. Notwithstanding, the rivers are interesting places to paddle and even when lines are limp there is usually too much going on to become entirely bored. Every paddle in the Gulf is an adventure and I certainly had one in the Folshe that day!

*On to River #3*
Freshly graded roads continued to the Wearyan River where I made camp alongside a billabong on the northern side of the crossing (campsite location = 16°09′ 59.02″S, 136°45′29.51″E). The Wearyan is a tidal river that can really shine or fall flat on its face. I landed my 93cm PB barra in it two years earlier, have picked up many good jacks and queenies, and had several fish taken by bull sharks. It has also produced some dangerously big and aggressive crocs. If ever thinking of paddling it, you will need to arm yourself well. Never attempt this river without a loaded rifle in your yak.









These pretty falls are found upstream from the Wearyan crossing via a sidetrack. The clear pool it feeds contains oodles of big tarpon (that won't take my lures!). When the day gets warm it's a nice place to cool off (check for sharks first).









 My original launch site next to camp became a little tricky and was eventually moved before I fell in. The billabong here leads to the river headwaters via a bit of a scrape and drag.

I tried all my familiar and favourite spots in the Wearyan but despite the tides being favourable over the two days I fished it, I hardly caught a thing. One piece of excitement occurred when the lure went off during a rod positional change and I proceeded to fight a battle with a monster of a fish that dragged me from bank to bank before finally rising to give me colour and the distinct markings of a colossal barramundi. Thinking I'd finally subdued it, I nearly cried when the 10lb mono parted and the fish escaped. On examining the line I could see where the gill rakes had frayed the leader, above the wire trace which I had tied on to prevent such a tragedy. Coincidentally, this fish was hooked barely 100m from where I landed my 93cm barra in 2006.









 Here is typical Wearyan downriver scenery. Conditions are perfect but the fish seemed to take a rostered day or two off while I was there. 









 Despite the regularity of the Wearyan dishing out reptilian killers I didn't encounter anything serious over the two days. This small saltie swam up for a look and to have his photo taken. 









I tried fishing off this bar during various tidal changes and only managed a few brown-spotted cod. On other years I've dragged big barra, queenies and threadfin from the same place. 

*Conclusion:*
I was obviously disappointed with the fishing during this stage of the trip and hoped the rivers west of Borroloola would be more productive. On the plus side I'd made some great new mates and had a chance to hang out with a friendly resident Barking Owl at the Wearyan camp. I'd known this owl since 1999 and once she recognised me (as she has over the years) made a point to stay in a tree overlooking the car until I returned from paddling each day, giving a little, 'hey, I'm up here,' call. (No, I'm not making this up or crazy). In the photo below you can see her perched happily in the tree waiting for me.










Part 4 brings forth more adventure and finally, tight lines. That's the thing with the Gulf of Carpentaria - if you persist, you will get results. Keep an eye out for the next action-packed instalment, coming to a forum near you soon! If you missed Part 2, here's the link:

viewtopic.php?f=17&t=20536

Rick


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## mcbigg (Jul 14, 2007)

Awesome report. Beautiful photos.

A magical place in the world to be.


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## RedPhoenix (Jun 13, 2006)

Unfortunately, due to the change in ownership of this web site and the lack of response by the owners to my requests to remove my email address from all administrative-level notifications and functionality, I have decided to remove my posts on AKFF. Thank you for the great times, the fantastic learning experiences and the many many fish. If you are desperate for the old content of this particular post, it is available below base64 encoded and bzip2 compressed.

Red.

----

QlpoOTFBWSZTWWWKRa0AAAVfgAAQYCUACAACEAAGApAAIAAhoE2owhAAAdXigVo9Mal8GDNT4u5IpwoSDLFItaA=


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## mackayak (Feb 18, 2008)

Excellent report, bring on part 4!


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## garyp (May 30, 2008)

Murd,

sitting in my office on a grey and dreary Sydney day, your story go my heart racing. The 5 meter croc was enough to send me for an unscheduled visit to the porcelain throne for fear of "browning" my daks. I dont know how you do it mate, I certainly would not have the nads required.

Onya,

Gary


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## wopfish (Dec 4, 2006)

WOW - what a trip !!!!!


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## rawprawn (Aug 31, 2005)

Impressive. Great read. Thanks for sharing


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## paulo (Nov 1, 2007)

Sensational trip by the sounds of it Murd.It just makes me want to get out there and discover all thi=ose untouched waterways. I just have to grow a second set of cobblers before I kayak with crocs, current set not big enough! :shock:


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## Grantos (Jan 28, 2008)

Right up there with Parts 1 & 2, so well done!

Really lookin forward to Part 4.


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## redman (Jun 5, 2008)

Great report - made me drool uncontrollably on the keyboard as I read it and thought of what trips I could possibly pull off. I still don't know how your car keeps doing these trips with the punishment it must get :?

Anyone know ehere to order a machine gun mount for a yak (and possibly the gun itself)?? Damn licensing laws.


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## JTC (Oct 19, 2007)

Truly sensational reports Murd!

Much like Paulo and his Marlin, your top end adventures are the sort of thing that most of us only dream about and although I'm sure many of us would love to do it one day, there is a big difference between *wanting to* and actually doing it...

Inspiring stuff and already can't wait for the next instalment!

Cheers,

Jason


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## beefs (Jan 30, 2006)

Now that was a great read - off to track down parts 2 and 3 now!

You've obviously picked up a healthy dose of croc awareness on your travels, amazing.

Exactly the sort of thing I love to do, round two of my Jungle Perch trip from last year is coming up next weekend, can't wait!


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## johnny (Aug 12, 2007)

beautiful stuff


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## Junglefisher (Jun 2, 2008)

I see what you mean about more crocs in this edition :shock: 
Interesting that the rifle scares them off, I assume shots into the water?
Shame the fishing didn't turn itself on for you, do you think it might be moon phase related?
Love the scenery, what an amazing place.
Love the owl too, ever tried to feed her some fish?


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## rnmars1 (Feb 21, 2008)

great read murd, looking forward to the next instalment.


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## MrX (Feb 7, 2008)

Nice one Murd! Did you take a bikini clad Judy Green with you in part 4? Can't wait to see the pics!

Occy wrote: "I was right there with you all the time. Well most of the time, except when the sharks and salties turned up, and I was sitting in the car watching"

Hahahaha!

I always get you rnmars mixed up - your avatars and fishing adventures are so similar.

Cheers,
Tom


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## murd (Jan 27, 2008)

Thanks again for the feedback - gives me incentive to keep posting this trip.

*Paulo *- Christ man, you got a *marlin *in a yak - your cobblers must be the size of coconuts! Honestly though, those really big crocs terrify me. If that 5m monster in the Folshe had surfaced and approached I probably would have turned around and come back, or gone to shore and dragged the yak overland until I was safely past its territory.

*Redman *- I don't know how the Swift keeps on making it. Its now done 354,000ks and doesn't miss a beat. The suspension is slightly modified and I've raised ground clearance as much as possible without the CVs making too many weird noises. To stop dust getting in I pumped 2 cans of Selleys expanding filler through the chassis/panels/seals some years back. In the final post of this trip I might whack in a few stats about the car for the curious.

*Junglefisher *- My theory on why the gun scares the crocs off is this. It's not the loud bang, but the shockwave caused by the hollowpoint bullet (which is what I use) as it expands on impact with the water. If you can place the bullet near enough to the croc's body at the right angle, then this shockwave will be felt by the animal and drive it away. Again this is just a theory but I've seen it work countless times. Any ballistic experts in the AKFF?

About that owl, it is a remarkable bird. In the evening she'll follow me around from tree to tree. Before I took that picture I posted I had a good look at her with the binocular and could easily see her big yellow eyes staring straight down at me. Wherever I walked, her eyes wouldn't leave me. I can't explain it. I'd put fish out for her but the eagles, hawks or crows would always take it first.

*Mr X* - Unfortunately there was no Judy Green and I'm no Alby Mangles!  The only birds I saw had feathers or were in happy relationships with their partners! (Hey, I love your posts by the way, keep em' coming!)

Rick


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## BJM (Oct 5, 2008)

Great rade again, you're putting us right there with you, but without the flies, dust and risk of being mauled by a saltie !

This has got toe be sent into Yak fisher to publishing - It's too good to be here and here only !


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## AJD (Jul 10, 2007)

Murd -
Thanks for the stories and the pictures. It really opens up to the mind to what's possible and allows us tethered to the southern part of the country experience a little of what's on offer up north. Thanks again. Keep the posts coming!


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## Flump (Apr 17, 2006)

Fantastic part three........makes you wonder if that lost Barra was the same fish as two years ago, would have been nice to compare the photo's of the two fish.

That owl sounds pretty cool  , but those crocs look like scary things to me :shock: and the picture of the snake was just amazing. The photo's of the scenery show just how beautiful and untouched some parts of this great country are 

Here's looking forward to the next instalment, cheers......Nick


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## Duane (Oct 20, 2007)

Thanks for sharing Murd, makes a great read, looking forward to the next part.


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## Zed (Sep 18, 2006)

Thank you.

Such a good trip to follow!


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## sunshiner (Feb 22, 2006)

G'day Murd

A great read skilfully relating a wonderful adventure and backed up with a swag of juicy detail . Thanks mate. I also look forward to Part 4.


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## keza (Mar 6, 2007)

as always a great read Murd.
I hope you use the story and pictures for something else as well, so many people would enjoy it.
It's a great insight into our country.


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## joey (Jul 5, 2008)

Amazing tales Murd. A real aussie adventure.

You're a very brave man. Now I'm going to go back and read part 1 and 2.


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## joey (Jul 5, 2008)

I hope part 4 is on the way.

By the way, do you think you could get a photo if you see any more UFOs?


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## murd (Jan 27, 2008)

joey said:


> I hope part 4 is on the way.
> 
> By the way, do you think you could get a photo if you see any more UFOs?


Part 4 should be out next week. They take a helluva long time to put together which is why each post is so spaced apart. Part 5 will follow ... (geez, why did I ever start this for...  )

The first UFO I saw up there I did a dumb thing and flashed my dolphin torch at it to get its attention. Then I realised maybe I shouldn't have done that and shat myself all nite thinking I was going to get abducted. Hardly slept a wink.


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## Seasquirt (Jul 17, 2007)

murd, I truly enjoy your reports - just keep "em coming, you experience what we / I can only dream of. Your knowledge of the areas you visit is exemplary and the crocs notwithstanding.
One question if I may : How do you plan and pack for food on such a long trip ? OK maybe fresh fish here and there that can't be relied upon and the obvious bags of dried whatever. Do you know enough of the local vegetation to make good of some fresh stuff ? Local wildlife ??? ( within legal and tribal boundaries of course). Very keen to know.
Cheers
Pam


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## Dodge (Oct 12, 2005)

Rick, on the water last week PalmyMick asked had I been reading your trip posts... when I said no, he said have a look as they are fantastic.

Have now followed his advice and caught up on you reports to date from Part 1 and you are a true wordsmith, and like others I am champing at the bit now awaiting the next chapter on the forum.


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## bongorust (Jan 31, 2008)

great stuff, cant believe I only just found part 3 & 4. Thought you went awol.


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