“Cast. Now, wind, pause, twitch. Wind, pause, twitch. Wind, pause, twitch.” This was the mantra I was whispering in the ear of my partner, Heather Doy. Over and over. “Wind, pause, twitch.” We were into the third day of our (second) epic barra fishing adventure with the Kimberley Quest mothership and Heather had finally passed up the spa, sunbathing and books to come out with guide Liam and our good friends and neighbours, Gary and Jan Rew. I was the fifth wheel on the boat as I was keen for Heather to catch a barra under her own steam. Her casting skills have improved dramatically, and I was impressed with how many times she was placing the lure exactly as I suggested, but her retrieves were way too fast and I was trying to get her to slow down and give the cagey barra a chance to make up their minds about whether to eat or not. Anyway, back to the mantra; Heather had just flicked a neat cast at a small sand bank near a deep drop off. “Wind, pause, twitch. Wind, pause…” “Oh s#*t! I’m on!” The resulting barra was not overly big by any standards but it was fun to see Heather hook, play and land it by herself. She went on to repeat that effort several times and I even got the chance to have a few flicks and catch a couple myself. All the while following my mantra. Gary and Jan were also having a great time. They were using Halco TB 80s or Laser Pros and getting similar success.

Both had a great desire to tick a barramundi off their bucket lists and as Heather and I had really talked up the previous year’s trip they were very keen to jump on board with us. I’m not sure who caught the most barramundi between them, but I witnessed Jan catch seven and Gary six; what a relief for us that the cruise was meeting their expectations. As alluded to above, we were having a second taste of what Kimberley Quest’s two annual fishing adventures have to offer and as we had such a remarkable trip the first time it was a no brainer to book the boat and fill the cabins with our own group. Heather and I were quick to sign on again and the other places filled quickly with friends and one couple that were KQ regulars. Our group of 15 was very ably supported by the crew, led by skipper Alex Tom. Kimberley Quest is a luxury outfit and as such is priced accordingly but all guests are afforded the most outstanding service and accommodation, way beyond what you might expect on a fishing trip of this nature. Let me whet your appetite.

Shane Abbott fought this 93cm barra in the tight confines on a small creek and came up trumps.

Editor Scott Coghlan wrote about our trip last year, so I apologise for any repetition, but I hope to further your night at our respective accommodations and an early pick up the next morning to head to Avian Air Services for the flight to Cygnet Bay. Luggage capacity is restricted to a 10kg bag with 2kg carry on due to the small planes used on this flight. You don’t have to bring fishing gear as there are good quality rods and reels on the Quest with stacks of lures also available. Nonetheless, the hardcore anglers amongst us brought gear and a few lures. I must admit to throwing out a few jocks and socks and a shirt to scrape in just under the limit with one box of lures, two Shimano 4000 Sustains, two Curado overheads and two Zodias five-piece travel rods recommended by the good folk at Tackle World Miami. One a baitcaster and the other a spin model, both in light to medium weight class. They turned out to be perfect rods. You don’t need to over pack in terms of clothing though as there is a daily laundry service and, in the evening, you will find your bed turned down with a chocolate on the pillow and your clean clothes neatly folded on the end of your bed.

Back to the travel arrangements. The stunning flight to Cygnet Bay is about 45 minutes with a short bus ride to the resort. Once there, guests can avail themselves of refreshments, a swim in the pool and or a presentation about interest in undertaking what for many, will be a one-off trip of a lifetime. Our journey began with a flight to Broome where we met up with all contenders and skipper Alex at the Mangrove Bay Resort. Dinner was followed by a relatively quiet the pearling industry in the area, including a pearl shell seeding demonstration. Around 11.30am we boarded a Sea Legs tender which drove us out across the tidal flats followed by a short cruise to where the Quest was anchored. Here we were greeted with cold towels and a refreshing drink. Alex introduced all the crew then gave us the mandatory safety talk followed by our sailing plans for the day. All cabins come with a full ensuite and independently controlled air conditioning.

Kiwi guide Liam Reilly with the best fish of the trip at just a centimetre below the metre mark.

The beds are really comfortable and there is ample lighting and power points plus USB chargers. Our pre-ordered alcohol was stored under the bed with some placed in the mini fridge prior to boarding so it was already chilled. Heather and I booked the fly bridge cabin, which is the only guest cabin on the top deck. Very special! After settling into our cabins, we consumed the first of many outstanding meals prepared by special guest chef Luke in the galley and we began our journey towards George Water, where most of our fishing was to take place for this trip. In the early hours of the morning I heard the anchor drop in 20 metres, then there was relative silence for the next few hours. It was around sunrise that the excitement really started to kick in. Everyone was up organising rods and reels, checking knots and sorting lures as we were off for a quick fish before breakfast. Scott, Darcy Hamill and I were fishing first up with guide Bryce, and it felt like coming home to be back on that magic stretch of Kimberley water at the Glenelg River. The tides were dropping towards neaps so we weren’t constrained so much by overly strong currents and having to constantly move to keep in touch with the fish. That first session wasn’t great for me barramundi wise, but Scott and Darcy managed to land a couple while I seemed to mainly catch queenfish, catfish and bluenose salmon. Zerek Fish Trap vibes and Halco TB 80s were working well along with that standby lure, the old Halco Scorpion 150 in fluoro green. Purple/ silver was also effective. We were casting to dead trees, rocks, back eddies and runs. Anywhere a barra might be laying in wait but the key driver in any of these locations seemed to be the long pause. “Wind, pause, twitch…” Perhaps it was because the water was pretty clear and the barra had plenty of time to check out any offerings in the slow-moving currents; faster retrieves just didn’t cut it for most of the trip. We even had barra hit a vibe resting on the bottom, lures floating by the boat and one which was hanging from a tree branch.

The fishing just got better as the days rolled on. All the punters were hooking up and some big fish were landed. Though most were in the high 50s to low 70cm range there were some big girls landed. Shane Abbott scored many of the best fish, his biggest reaching 85, 87 and 93cm. After the pre-breakfast sessions, which lasted 90 minutes or so for most and more than three hours for others, we would regroup and head out again, coming back for lunch or just fishing through until around sunset. These arrangements suited many on board as we could tailor the fishing experience for everyone depending on their energy levels, interests and passion for other activities. Of course, Scott and I would stay out all day every day if we could. Our second morning on George Water saw us fishing (pre-breakfast) with skipper Alex and we decided to head further upstream to try a rockbar which produced a lot of fish for us the previous year. It was quiet to start with then a frenetic 45 minutes saw fish after fish coming on board. I caught four in four casts, dropped one, then caught three or four more in succession. After I hit 14, I lost count. Scotty was kept similarly busy and Alex even managed to catch some when he wasn’t too busy releasing ours. At times we had triple hookups. That session saw over 50 barramundi being caught, but with the time and distances involved we didn’t get back to the mothership until nearly lunch time. The entire trip was a blur of fishing, eating, drinking and luxuriating in the amazing service provided by the staff against the backdrop of stunning scenery, crocodiles, dolphins, turtles and bird life and then in the evenings, pre-monsoonal lightning shows.

Fingermark, like this one caught by Darcy ‘Pablo’ Hamill, were a regular catch in the snags.

There was a feast of mud crabs too which is almost de rigueur for any northern adventure. Everyone caught barramundi. From memory the total releasing ours. At times we had triple hookups. That session saw over 50 barramundi being caught, but with the time and distances involved we didn’t get back to the mothership until nearly lunch time. The entire trip was a blur of fishing, eating, drinking and luxuriating in the amazing service provided by the staff against the backdrop of stunning scenery, crocodiles, dolphins, turtles and bird life and then in the evenings, pre-monsoonal lightning shows. There was a feast of mud crabs too which is almost de rigueur for any northern adventure. Everyone caught barramundi. From memory the total while longer. Same result! After another short rest it was Darcy’s turn and his little gold hard-body vibe did the trick. This time the fish stayed connected and he was very happy to land an 80cm slab of a barra. Same fish? Probably. There was only one showing on the sounder and it looked the same size each time it came to the surface. It certainly wasn’t the only occasion on this trip the same fish was hooked again within minutes of being released. I must say, fishing with experienced anglers like Darcy and Scotty was a great pleasure. There was plenty of good natured sledging but the fishing was like clockwork. Accurate casts meant fewer hooks in trees or on snags. Skills in flicking a lure off oyster-encrusted rocks or from a deeper obstruction all meant more time catching fish. Awareness of one’s surroundings so you are not dangling a set of trebles in someone’s face or casting over their line also helps. In addition, if your guide isn’t constantly untangling lines, changing lures or tying new leaders they can concentrate on keeping the boat in the right places for their clients. Also, crushing the barbs on hooks means fish not required for the table can be quickly released without needing to wait for the guide’s assistance during a hot bite. At the start of an expedition like this it seems like you have days and days ahead of you but all too soon you find yourself tidying gear and packing bags ready for the return home. Nevertheless, I will find a way to squeeze every second out of every trip and on the last session of the last full day, everyone else from my group had pulled the pin and I found myself alone on the tender with Kiwi guide Liam Reilly. I was back in my happy place, on the forward deck, and we set off to try to find that final ‘BFG’.

Back on the ship the leader board still showed that Shane Abbott had the largest two fish to date. At 87 and 93cm they were going to be hard to beat. Shane and wife Nicole seemed to find barramundi everywhere and were having a blast throughout the week. However, Kiwis can be a bit underhanded when it comes to sport (or is that us?). Anyway, Liam had a plan. We were going to fish small snags and small features as we leapfrogged from spot to spot. One place in particular was on Liam’s radar – a shallow muddy creek from which the last of the run-out tide was oozing. There were stacks of small snags, and my first flick in the vicinity yielded an average barra followed by another with the next cast. I invited Liam to have a fish and his lure was getting a bit of interest when I noticed a muddy back bulging from the water behind my Jackall. It was big but I really had no idea how big! The bulge then followed right to the boat and just sat there nudging but not hitting my lure. I told Liam to look down and suggested he drop his Laser Pro and give it a twitch. The ‘big friendly girl’ then introduced herself with a surging tidal wave which had us both soaked and hooting for joy as she was clearly close to the magic one-metre mark. Liam hung on as she repeatedly raced into the cover of the snags and each time he was able to coax her back out and into clearer water. Roles reversed, I grabbed the landing net and after a few tense moments alongside I was able to lift the heaviest barramundi I had ever netted.

On the measuring mat she touched 99cm! The photo hereabouts tells the rest of the story. We went on until it was time to call “last cast!” By then I was fishing a Fish Trap and just jigging it down deep in amongst the snags in the main waterway. Fish were showing on the sounder and they were keen to bite so we finished off with another 10 or so barramundi and some fingermark. That night we cruised back towards the mouth of George Water whilst we enjoyed another fantastic meal and regaled each other with fishing stories and re-enactments as the wine and beer flowed to enhance the telling. Our last day involved a cruise towards Walcott Inlet to take in more of the majestic Kimberley coastline and then out to Montgomery Reef where we anchored up as the tide started to drop. The helicopter was fired up and a few members of the group went on a scenic flight over the reef followed by a boat tour in the tenders. You guessed it – I went fishing. This time I was back with Scotty and we were keen for a good last session. Unfortunately, while Montgomery Reef was as spectacular as in previous trips, the fishing didn’t really fire. Mainly because of the sharks which now seem to be a worry just about everywhere. In the main channels there were the usual suspects of queenies and various trevally and even some mackerel but anything of a decent size got munched. Liam found us a good patch of ground which held some nice coral trout and cod, however these were either eaten or they shredded our lines on their way back home. I lost more lures in that session than on all of the previous days.

Wind, pause and twitch paid off for Heather Doy.

Despite that it was still a great way to finish off our Kimberley Quest fishing adventure in glassed off conditions and then especially nice to unwind with a very cold beer. With everyone back from their respective tours the anchor was raised and we set off on the return journey to Cygnet Bay. At home now, the excitement hasn’t dulled, and it is with great joy I look back on this very special cruise. We solidified friendships and gained some new mates in the form of the KQ crew and others on the trip. If you are as obsessed with fishing as me or Scotty, do yourself a favour and get on board Kimberley Quest. You’ll be catching fish in an amazing part of the world so very few people ever have the opportunity to enjoy. It is high end budget wise, but so very much worth it. Oh, and remember. “Cast, wind, pause, twitch. Wind, pause, twitch.” You’ll be on in no time.

Join Western Angler and Kimberley Quest for another special Kimberley fishing adventure later this year. After the amazing fishing on the 2024 trip, this year’s cruise is scheduled for October 23-29. Start the trip with a stunning light plane flight from Broome to Cygnet Bay, offering a great chance to view this amazing coastline from the air. Kimberley Quest then departs from the fascinating pearl farm after an optional tour of the facilities and perhaps a swim in the pool. There will be the opportunity to fish some incredible Kimberley locations for the iconic barramundi and many other species, as well as sightseeing with visits to Montgomery Reef and freshwater waterholes such as at Ruby Falls. There’s always the chance to catch a feed of mud crabs for dinner. All this fishing happens while enjoying the superb comfort of Kimberley Quest for the week, with luxurious rooms including ensuites, air-conditioning, superb meals (often fresh seafood) and even satellite TV. Fishing is from four classic Kimberley tenders with experienced guides familiar with these waters, with helifishing also available. Tackle is provided or you can bring your own and they are happy to cater for all styles of fishing. Kimberley Quest offers an unmatched combination of access to superb remote fishing and creature comforts, making it the perfect way to chase that elusive metre plus barra! Places limited to ensure everyone can fish. Prices vary with accommodation options on Kimberley Quest, so email scoghlan@westernangler.com.au for more information.

Article written by Scott Coghlan.