HELI YEAH
Why a Helifish needs to be your next big fishing trip
WORDS TIM McGLONE
HELI YEAH
Why a Helifish needs to be your next big fishing trip
WORDS TIM McGLONE
It is likely that in the eyes of many, Ben Power has the best job in the world.
For the last two years, Ben has been a guide with HeliFish, where he flies helicopters across Australian backcountry to some of the most pristine, remote fishing locations in the country.
For a guy who describes himself as a ‘fisherman first, pilot second’, it isn’t a bad gig to land.
“As a guide, it is a bit of a dream,” says the Senior Pilot.
“I always say to people, you’re in the barest minimum group of people that get to see this part of Australia, this piece of the Northern Territory, in all its glory. It’s pretty incredible.
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“When I started out fishing, I always wanted to be the one catching the fish, but it’s funny because now I’d say I actually get more enjoyment out of people catching their fish of a lifetime, and being able to be a part of that is a really great experience.
It’s the sort of adventure which sounds too good to be true. A full day of fishing and flying will take in river systems, floodplains, wetlands, billabongs and long stretches of deserted white sandy beaches.”
Extensive collaboration with local Indigenous groups mean areas have been made exclusively available to HeliFish.
The adventure begins at Darwin airport, where the first part of the flight is across Darwin Harbor, heading southwest and across ‘tiger country’ – rough land that was not wanted by early settlers or cattle farmers.
It then heads over stunning open floodplains, a sight best seen from above – on a chopper, for example.
Ben flies guests over the likes of Finnis River station and Lowell Downs station, continuing out toward the mouth of the Daly River, around 150km from the original take-off spot.
Any age can enjoy the beauty of the Northern Territory.
Not your usual ride.
It is at the river mouth where things really amp up, with exclusive access to 16 rivers and creeks, unspoiled areas teeming with fish and cultural significance. Ben describes these areas, made available to experience by traditional custodians, as HeliFish’s ‘bragging rights’.
“It takes people’s breath away when they see it,” he says.
“There’s no boats, no rubbish, no footprints even, and when they see it people say ‘how lucky are we?’, to be in country that is just so remote and untouched by humans.
“The sights and everything are beautiful but it’s the ecosystem that is so healthy. You can feel it. You pull up and you see the bait fish are really healthy, you see the white-breasted sea eagle, the hawks, kingfishers, all the fish and they’re all there and actively going.”
“You just sort of slot in and become a part of it.”
Nowhere is off limits.
Back in the chopper, guests are welcome to crack open a cold one while up in the air. Wild buffalo and boar roam below across raw landscapes hardly seen by human eyes.
You could be forgiven for forgetting you are there to fish.
“Predominantly we target barramundi — it’s a trophy fish within Australia. A really good size barramundi is what our clientele are often targeting.
“They’re such an aerial fighter, got a great mind on them. When you push up near the floodplains you get a lot of big female barra who are up there breeding.
Black jewfish are among the catch on offer.
“As well as barra there’s opportunities to catch blue water species, black jewfish, mangrove jack, trevally and queenfish.
“There’s a lot of knowledge here and we’re always brainstorming, work out where is the best spot. We’re chatting on the radio, we know the tides. We do know our stuff — I mean fishing definitely came first for me, I started out fly fishing and I’ve always had a passion for it.
“We’re not pilots who can fish, we’re fisherman who can fly.”
HeliFish run half and full day adventures, plus a fishing and pub crawl combination, where guests touch down on some of Australia’s remotest, and liveliest, outback watering holes.
There's secret spots, and then there's secret spots...
There’s also the Million Dollar Fish: in the Northern Territory, from October through until the end of March, there are nine barramundi that have been tagged red. Catch one, and you’re a million dollars richer – not bad for a day fishing.
There’s also 100 x $10,000 prize-tagged barra swimming around the Top End somewhere, and HeliFish have even promised they’ll double the money if a guest catches a $10,000 barra on one of their trips.
The red of Australia's north is a constant theme across the landscapes.
Ben says HeliFishing is perfect for both experienced fishermen, and those new to the game.
Ben is quick to stress that a HeliFish adventure suits both the experienced fisherman, and those casting their first line.
“That’s the thing, you don’t have to be a great fisherman,” says Ben.
“You’re with people that have great patience and knowhow. Our thinking is that if you’re willing to learn, we’re willing to teach.
Packing the gear up, and onto the next incredible location.
“One of the funny things that seems to happen is that you take out a lovely couple, they might be retired and doing a lap of Australia in their caravan, living the dream.
“You get the husband who is dead keen on fishing, really experienced, and the wife has been made to come along. Sometimes she’s keen on fishing, and sometimes she’s not.
“She doesn’t mind too much if her lure isn’t even in the water, and yet I reckon it’s just about always the wife who seems to pull in the biggest fish.
“It’s an experience anyone can enjoy.”
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