The Barra Nationals is an icon on the national fishing tournament scene. Currently the largest competition with 70 teams, 210 anglers registered to fish the iconic Daly River. The history of this tournament has regularly seen it at the forefront of innovation, marketing and how to have fun. In the industry it is generally regarded as a benchmark for fishing tournaments in Australia.
The event attracts enormous interest with teams coming from all corners of Australia vying for the exclusive spots available.
Due to the nonstop weeklong cycle of fishing, fun and entertainment the event is a serious test of determination and stamina. Most competitors go home needing a long rest to recover. The bonds that exists amongst the anglers in the Barra Nationals family is exceptional with many long term friendships being made and renewed year after year.
The Barra Nationals was setup by the Palmerston Game Fishing Club way back in 1996 with a focus on providing an avenue for the average angler to fish and experience a world class fishing tournament. Competitors at the Nats via for a myriad of team and individual prizes with the most coveted being Champion Team and Champion Angler. 2023 will see over $200,000 of prizes and giveaways, making the Nats the Territory’s, if not the nations biggest Barramundi tournament prize pool.
The point system works to reward all anglers regardless if they are targeting lots of small fish or the larger fish that are harder to find. All Barramundi caught allocated a point score according the length of the fish. In 2021 the Nats moved to a raw centimetre scoring metric. Points are accumulated with the team and angler having the most points at the end of the week being crowned the Champion Team and Champion angler.
Fish care is foremost with the Barra Nationals being the first Barra tournament in Australia to mandate the use of fine mesh knotless fishing nets back in the early 2000’s. In 2022 moving with the times, the Nats permitted Barbed hooks for the first time, widely praised by anglers a amove in the right direction.
The combination of the Barramundi – Australia’s famous sportfish, the magnificent Daly River, the Banyan Farm venue purposely designed around hosting the Barra Nationals and over 210 keen anglers from all over Australia, all combined together command the interest of all forms of media. Each year the Barra Nationals features in a large array of Australian fishing magazines, newspapers, TV shows and social media forums. This in turn makes for some fantastic exposure for all involved.
The Palmerston Game Fishing Club is very proud of its figurehead tournament and has proven through the year in year out success of the Barra Nationals that it knows how to host a professionally run, world class event again and again.
Want to know more – head over to the Barra Nationals web page.
