www.ntnews.com.au Saturday, September 25, 2010. NT NEWS. 59

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The road less travelled

Starlo, his CrossXCountry boat in tow, heading into one of the billabongs in Kakadu to chasea few barra Picture: JO MOYLE-REITER

ABOUT STARLO

STEVE Starling is Australia’sbest-known fishingwriterand on-screen presenterwith over 20 books andmagazine articles to hiscredit. He is also co-founderof the popular Squidgy rangeof soft plastics.You can keep upwithStarlo’s fishy pursuits onthe StarloFishingFacebook page.

By STEVE ‘STARLO’ STARLING

THERE’S an old saying thatgood roads lead to bad fish-ing. While this is a broad-sweeping generalisation andthere are a multitude of ex-ceptions, there’s also morethan a grain of truth in it.

As populations grow andaccess to what were remotedestinations improves, peo-ple pressure on our water-ways inevitably increases.

A little bit of extra effortcan yield a disproportion-ately large return when itcomes to seeking out thefishing road less travelled.

Another half hour offilling-loosening corru-gations, one last challengingcreek crossing, or a dozenkilometres of deflated-tyrework over some soft beachsand may just be enough totake you to that piscatorialpromised land, where everycast is a winner.

Even if it doesn’t, it’ll almo-st certainly be worth the ef-fort in terms of increased

solitude. How’s the serenity?Online tools like Google

Earth help us suss out newhoney holes before an ex-ploratory trip. But there canbe a world of difference be-tween finding a ‘‘virtual’’fishing hot spot and actuallygetting there.

Road conditions changefast, especially during thebuild-up and wet season.

Most regions have regu-larly updated informationhot lines and even websitesoffering excellent advice ontrack conditions, but there’sstill no substitute for the fi-shers’ grapevine.

Bumping into someonewho’s just been there — orwho turned back because thegoing was too tough — beatsall those nifty cyber linksand smart phone appli-cations hands down.

In the final analysis, you’reresponsible for your ownsafety and wellbeing.

By all means, carry an EPI-RB and a radio or satellitephone, but don’t head into

tiger country with the expec-tation of being ‘‘rescued’’ ifthings go pear-shaped.

It’s better to rig your ownsafety nets than rely on oth-ers to pick up the pieces.

Most likely, that will meantravelling in company withat least one other vehicle, aswell as packing the bareminimum of recovery gear;snatch straps, shackles,shovels, vehicle and trailerspares and a high-lift jack.

Remember, the butt yousave could be your own!

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WEATHER l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l ntnews.com.au