Heli Fishing the Top End – Australia

I can’t even begin to explain just how amazing this day was. Your own helicopter and pilot for 8 hours, fishing gear and lessons, lunch on a river bank, and breathtaking scenery at every turn. This was just some of what we experienced with Mark, our pilot and owner of HeliFish Day Tours.

After watching a fishing show on television about heli-fishing in the Northern Territory, Tony was hooked, ( line and sinker ) and determined that it would be on the top of his bucket list. His philosophy is ” this isn’t a practice run “. So a year or so later, we were  discussing taking a trip to Darwin, where we had never been, when he remembered the show about heli fishing. After a lot of researching on the internet, and contacting Mark, our excitement levels went through the roof when we booked our trip.

Our day began when we drove  40 klm south of Darwin, to the MKT Airfield, where we were to meet the guys from HeliFish. We were given a brief run down on what to do, and what not to do,( like don’t stand to close to the bank as crocodiles will see us before we see them ), what type of fishing gear we would be using , etc. ,then it was time to don our headphones, buckle up and take to the skies. 

Even if you aren’t a fan of fishing, this is a day of the best sight seeing you will ever have. We flew out over the majestic wetlands of the top end to reach our first fishing spot. On the way we saw Jabiru nesting in the tree tops, Brolga nests, with eggs, nestled in the tall water grasses and flocks of birds skimming across the glassy water. 

Jabiru nest. Hard to take a photo in a moving helicopter

Magnificent view over the flood plains NT

We followed the mighty Daly River to its mouth, were it meets the ocean, then continued up the coast to our first port of call. A stunning rock shelf attached to an even more stunning coastline. The views up the coast were breathtaking.

Mark guided our chopper in to land, then proceeded to rig us up with a baitcaster reel. My worst nightmares had come to fruition. I imagined massive birdsnests of fishing line, Mark and Tony cursing as they untangled my tackle, and me skulking away to hide. This day was going to be a disaster. Mark gave us a few lessons on how to cast, then handed over the rod. First cast, perfect, as was the second and third. Yes, I had mastered it. Birdsnest on the fourth. Luckily it wasn’t that bad and didn’t take that long to untangle. We fished the tide for about an hour, with no luck, so I left the boys to it and headed off up the beach with my camera. Mark warned me though to be on the lookout for crocodiles and not to go close to the waters edge. Well it wasn’t long before I spotted my first one, sunning itself on a rock ledge at the waters edge. It obliged me with a photo, then slipped off into the ocean.

Back into the air, more stunning scenery, then a gentle landing at our second fishing site. This time we were going to try a small estuary running into the ocean. Fishing spots can change daily depending on your preference on where to fish, or what the tides are doing. As we had never been here, we left it up to Mark as to where we would go.

Mark caught us some live bait to use here, but the Barra just weren’t biting. Not that it bothered us, as the scenery was fantastic and Mark whistled up a kite and threw some fish into the air, where the magnificent bird caught it on the wing. We practiced our casting techniques some more, took some more photos and took to the air again. Next stop was on a sandy beach, about 300 klms from Darwin. The tide was running out, so we didn’t have to worry about the helicopter floating away for a few hours. We strolled along the beach, then headed through the mangroves, and set up on the edge of a small inlet. Lunch was provided by Mark and consisted of fresh ham sandwiches, fruit and plenty of icy cold water. It was April when we did this trip and temperatures were still in the mid 30’s and humidity was very high, so the icy cold water and soft drinks were much appreciated.

After our picnic lunch in the shade of the surrounding trees, we rigged up and were determined to catch our prize fish. First cast and, Bang. Barramundi strike pretty hard and fight like crazy. This got the adrenaline pumping. Just as well it was catch and release or we would have depleted the river of Barramundi. All up, we caught more than a dozen here in an hour or so. When the tide started to turn, the Barra stopped biting. We strolled back through the mangroves and took to the air again, marveling at  the incoming tide.

Our fourth stop for the day was another small waterway, just upstream from the ocean. Tony was having a really good fight with a fish, that went on for quite a while. He was so excited, thinking he had caught the elusive metre long Barra. Unfortunately he had caught a shark, that proceeded to slip the hook just as he landed it. Being ever mindful of crocodiles, he wasn’t able to scramble down the embankment in time to stop it from flipping itself around and sliding back into the water. All this excitement and no one got a photo. The one that got away.

Sadly, it was time to pack up the rods and prepare for our return. On our flight back, Mark flew us over Litchfield National Park, offering to put us down next to a stream at the top of a waterfall, where we could go for a swim. To this day I am not sure why I said no. Maybe I didn’t want to inconvenience him, maybe I was just too tired, I’m not sure, but I certainly do regret it. We also flew over what looked like a huge graveyard, with hundreds of headstones. Mark informed us that they were Magnetic Termite Mounds. The mounds are all aligned north to south to minimise the exposure to the sun.

With great sadness we farewelled Mark, with a promise to ourselves that we will return one day. It was not the cheapest of days, but what the heck, This is not a Practice run.