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Season 10 of Australia’s richest fishing competition, Million Dollar Fish, has wrapped up in spectacular style, with 17 lucky anglers reeling in a combined $210,000 in red-tagged barramundi across the Northern Territory.

While Season 10 has ended, fishos shouldn’t pack up their gear just yet. Ten barramundi carrying the $1 million tag will remain active during the off-season, from 1 April 2025 to 30 September 2025. To claim the million-dollar prize, anglers must have been registered for Season 10. Once a million-dollar fish is caught, the remaining nine will become inactive.

The action kicked off at a blistering pace, with nine $10,000 barra landed in just the first week, matching the entire tally of Season 9 in just a few days. By the end of the first month, that number had jumped to 14, making it the hottest start in the competition’s history.

Local fishing legend George Voukolos has cemented his status in Million Dollar Fish folklore by hooking his third $10,000 barramundi in ten seasons. His total winnings now stand at an impressive $30,000, with all the prize-winning fish caught in the Daly River — the gift that just keeps giving! His streak began in Season 2 with a 64cm, $10,000 barra, followed by a 70cm prize catch in Season 3.

The excitement ramped up again when Palmerston fisherman Kin (Akim) Lay reeled in the first tagged fish of 2025—a 72cm red-tagged beauty at Bridge Billabong, Mary River. As the only fish caught during the Size Matters campaign, which awarded $40,000 to the biggest $10,000 fish in February, Akim walked away with a whopping $50,000 payday.

Million Dollar Fish, backed by major partner Sportsbet, wasn’t just about big catches this season; it was also about big-hearted giving. Thanks to the competition, Cancer Council NT received a generous $21,000 donation, with $1,000 contributed for every $10,000 fish caught, plus an extra $4,000 for the Size Matters Campaign.

Season 10 was record-breaking with more than 62,000 registrations, with interstate anglers making up 57% of entries. Fishos from Western Australia, South Australia, Tasmania, and the ACT doubled their registrations, all hoping to hook the next million-dollar barra.

Sportsbet Head of NT Operations Thijs Bors was excited to see another record season of Million Dollar Fish.

“Sportsbet is delighted to see another successful season of Million Dollar Fish wrap up with 17 lucky winners,” he said.

With over $2 million in prize money awarded since Million Dollar Fish began in 2015, Season 10 set another record with its monthly prize draws, offering a total prize pool valued at $79,000. The grand prize was a Stacer 429 Outlaw SC boat, valued at $35,000.

The countdown to Season 11 is officially on. Season 11 will start on 1 October 2025.

The only fish caught during a morning fishing trip turned out to be a $50,000 beauty, winning the Million Dollar Fish Size Matters competition.

Kin (Akim) Lay set out early on Saturday, 15 February, for a fishing session at Bridge Billabong, Mary River, when he reeled in a 72cm red-tagged barramundi – the first Season 10 fish to be caught this year.

The Size Matters campaign awards an additional $40,000 to the angler who catches the biggest $10,000 fish during the month of February. As the only angler to reel in a prize-tagged barra Akim takes home a sweet $50,000.

The Palmerston resident was reeling in his catch just as the fish swam into a snag. Patience proved key, as the barra soon freed itself, allowing Akim to pull it in.  That’s when he spotted the Million Dollar Fish red tag. His winning catch was made using a Z-Man lure.

“That was my third trip there, but from my research on the previous events (seasons) and tags getting caught I noticed that this year, this season, there hasn’t been one caught there, so it thought I’d try my luck. And luckily, I did,” he said.

“Just get out and about, even if you don’t feel like it, just go out. It paid off in the end for me.”

It’s been a long wait for the FIFO worker who caught the barra while on a swing, as he had to wait more than a week to get it verified. Akim said he was thrilled to win the $10,000 prize but the $50,000 was even more incredible, allowing his young family to pay some bills and save for the future.

There are now 82 barra with $10,000 red tags still in Top End waters, along with 10 fish sporting a million-dollar tag. Once one of the million-dollar tagged fish is caught, all remaining million-dollar tagged fish convert to $10,000 fish until the end of the season.

As the official charity partner, Cancer Council NT receives $1000 for every $10,000 tagged fish caught. This time, the charity will receive $5000, thanks to the Size Matters campaign, which pledged an additional $4,000 donation if a fish was caught in February.

Sportsbet NT Operations and Partnerships Manager Thijs Bors said: “Million Dollar Fish once again delivers for fishos, with Akim taking home a healthy cheque. Congratulations! For those considering heading out for a fish, take Akim’s advice and wet a line. You never know what you’ll reel in”.

The total contribution to Cancer Council NT has now reached $21,000.  Since Season 10 began on 1 October, $231,000 has been awarded to fishos and the charity.

With just one month left, Million Dollar Fish Season 10 will conclude on 31 March 2025. To claim any prize money, participants must be registered for Season 10.

Delivered by Northern Territory Major Events Company and supported by Sportsbet, the competition is open to people aged 18 and over, with free registration. Simply by registering you are entered into the monthly prize draw valued at $79,000.

For the past ten years, Kiang Lo has been fishing in Darwin waters chasing a red-tagged fish, and last week, his determination finally paid off. Two days before his birthday, on the night of Thursday 21 November, Mr Lo reeled in a $10,000 red-tagged barramundi, fulfilling a decade of dreams and enjoying early birthday celebrations.

Mr Lo, who was meant to fly to East Timor that night decided to delay his flight to give the Million Dollar Fishing competition a go, decided to try his luck off Fannie Bay Foreshore. He arrived around 6pm, caught some live bait and within the hour he felt a pull. The bait was gone, but with the second mullet on the line he soon caught the red-tagged 58cm barramundi.

Mr Lo was so excited he began screaming and shouting – he could not believe it. The many hours dedicated to fishing and delaying his travels back home to East Timor to make sure he’s fishing during Million Dollar Fish season, have finally paid off.

“I go to East Timor every year, but when the competition starts, I have to be out fishing. Finally, I caught it. I was so excited I couldn’t sleep last night,” Mr Lo said.

As a keen fisho, Mr Lo goes fishing regularly, often for 5 or 6 hours at a time, sometimes coming home in the early hours of the morning. He’s often asked why he hasn’t caught a red-tagged barra given how many barra is often catches.

“All my friends say, ‘Mr Lo, how come you catch a lot of barramundi but you don’t have the tagged one?’ I tell them, ‘It’s not my luck!’,” he said.

“Now I finally caught one, but I’m still not going to give up – I’m still going go and try for the million-dollar barra.”

Last year he hooked a red-tagged fish that got away. He saw the red-tag as the barra jumped out of the water, but the fish went under the boat and snapped the line.

Mr Lo will be using the prize cash to go home to East Timor in December. He is looking forward to finding a way to preserve it and framing the fish.

There are now 83 barra with $10,000 red tags and 10 fish sporting a million-dollar tag, once one of the big ones is caught all million-dollar tagged fish revert to $10,000 fish until the end of the season.

As the official charity partner, Cancer Council NT receives $1000 for every $10,000 tagged fish caught, bringing the total contribution to the charity to $16,000 so far. A total of $176,000 has been paid out to fishos and Cancer Council NT since Season 10 began on 1 October.

Million Dollar Fish Season 10 runs until 31 March 2025, you must be registered for S10 to claim any prize money. Delivered by Northern Territory Major Events Company and supported by Sportsbet the competition is open to people aged 18 and over, with free registration. Simply by registering you are entered into the monthly prize draw valued at $79,000.

Yellow Water, Kakadu has delivered again for a local fisho, with the 15th barramundi of Million Dollar Fish Season 10 reeled in by two-time $10,000 fish winner Jamie Poniris.

Fishing with his partner Loren Hanton, who caught a $10,000 fish last season, Jamie hooked the 64cm barra around 9.30pm on the first day of their trip chasing barra on Sunday, 10 November. This marks Jamie’s second $10,000 red-tagged barra, having previously caught his first in Season 6, also at Yellow Water.

Jamie said they had planned a week-long trip to fish Kakadu, one of their favourite places to go as a fishing holiday.

“We intended to fish all the billabongs of Kakadu, not just Yellow Water, but we started at Yellow Water, and on the first day, I got the tagged fish within the first hour and a half,” he said.

“After we got it in the first hour and a half, it changed the tone of our fishing trip we were already victorious, so it had a relaxed feel about it after that.”

With a red-tagged barramundi bagged, their fishing trip was off to a cracking start and just in the nick of time as rain impacted a few days of their adventure.

A seasoned fisherman, Jamie hooked the barra on a Bite Me 6” Tiger Clown lure. Jamie intends to taxidermy the fish and hang it up next to his Season 6 catch.

There are now 84 barra with $10,000 red tags and 10 fish sporting a million-dollar tag, once one of the big ones is caught all million-dollar tagged fish revert to $10,000 fish until the end of the season.

As the official charity partner, Cancer Council NT receives $1000 for every $10,000 tagged fish caught, bringing the total contribution to the charity to $15,000 so far. A total of $165,000 has been paid out to fishos and Cancer Council NT since Season 10 began on 1 October.

Million Dollar Fish Season 10 runs until 31 March 2025, you must be registered for S10 to claim any prize money. Delivered by Northern Territory Major Events Company and supported by Sportsbet the competition is open to people aged 18 and over, with free registration. Simply by registering you are entered into the monthly prize draw valued at $79,000. Register for free at milliondollarfish.com.au/register

A local fisherman has struck gold yet again, reeling in his third $10,000 fish in Australis’s richest fishing competition. This remarkable catch adds to his impressive tally and solidifies his reputation as one of the leading winning anglers over the ten years of Million Dollar Fish competition.

While fishing at Browns Fish for a bit late on Monday, October 21, George Voukolus found the experience average and considered heading to the crossing. Instead, he stopped at Bamboo to check it out. At 8:45pm, after an hour of fishing there, he landed a 68cm red-tagged fish worth $10,000.

While fishing from the bank, he hooked his fish using a fizzer and instantly recognised it as a barra when it jumped three or four times before landing in the mud. After pushing it back into the water to rinse off the mud, he spotted the red tag and quickly dragged it back to the bank.

George is delighted to be up on the leaderboard of Million Dollar Fish.

“Happy as Chappy, this is the second one from Bamboo. I’ve been doing it all my life now, 54 years fishing for barra, born and bred here I love it.

“Three now so this is good.”

The local Territorian has claimed three $10,000 prizes in the Million Dollar Fish competition, having reeled in six fish in total, three of which were eligible for the cash prizes, while the other three were out of season.

The Daly River has proven to be George’s lucky fishing grounds, with all his winning barramundi caught just 140 km south of Darwin. His success began in Season 2 when he landed his first red-tagged $10,000 fish—a 64 cm barra. He followed that up in Season 3 with another victory, reeling in a 70 cm barra as his second winning catch.

SportsBet NT Operations and Partnerships Manager Thijs Bors is excited to see lucky 13 reeled in.

“Congratulations to George on winning another $10,00, this is his third time reeling in a red-tagged 10k fish over ten seasons. So, he is on to something.

“We’re still less than a month into Season 10 and records are starting to fall. We can’t wait to see who is next and how big their barra is, a lot is happening with Australia’s richest fishing competition.”

There are now 86 red-tagged $10,000 fish and 10 fish with a million-dollar tag for Season 10. Each season the competition sees red-tagged barramundi released in Darwin, Katherine, Arnhem Land, Kakadu and Tiwi Islands waterways.

As the official charity partner, Cancer Council NT receives $1000 for every $10,000 tagged fish caught, bringing the total contribution to the charity to $13,000 so far. A total of $143,000 has been paid out since the launch of Season 10, marking a promising start to the season.

Million Dollar Fish Season 10 runs until 31 March 2025. Delivered by Northern Territory Major Events Company and supported by Sportsbet the competition is open to people aged over 18, with free registration. Simply by registering you are entered into the monthly prize draw valued at $79,000.

A late-night fishing trip at Yellow Waters has delivered the catch of a lifetime for Darwin resident Alastair Lau. Unbelievably, this is the third red-tagged barra he’s reeled in, but the first one where he can claim the cash.

Fishing with his partner Bronwyn Loud and their 8-month-old daughter, Alastair in the early hours of Saturday 19 October reeled in his 86cm $10,000 red-tagged fish. Upon flipping it over he saw the hint of red underneath an algae covered tag, that he initially thought was reeds stuck to the fish.

Alastair was stoked to finally catch a prize-winning barra.

“It’s always been a bit of a thing to go out and have a bit of a go for the mighty Million Dollar Fish, and it’s actually happened this this year,” he said.

“Third time’s a charm, don’t throw it back, and on time. Nothing goes off the brag mat or even starts to shift towards the side of the boat until it’s been thoroughly combed over for a tag.”

With a four-day trip planned, the young family opted to stay out at Yellow Waters to continue fishing in the hope they’d reel in another prize-winning catch.

A fan of the competition since it began a decade ago, this is the third red-tagged barra Alastair says he’s caught. Years ago, fishing on the East Alligator River, when releasing a barra he saw a red tag on the fish as it rolled over and swam away. Then 2020 fishing the Finniss River, Alastair hooked a red-tagged barra and called it in, only to be told it was August and therefore out of season.

SportsBet NT Operations and Partnerships Manager Thijs Bors congratulates Alastair as the twelfth lucky fisho to reel in a $10,000 red-tagged fish. He’s looking forward to see more fish wins for fishos.

“We’re less than a month into Season 10 and it’s already been one for the memory books. We can’t wait to see more lucky fishos win big in Australia’s richest fishing competition.”

There are now 87 red-tagged $10,000 fish and 10 fish with a million-dollar tag for Season 10. Each season the competition sees red-tagged barramundi released in Darwin, Katherine, Arnhem Land, Kakadu and Tiwi Islands waterways.

As the official charity partner, Cancer Council NT receives $1000 for every $10,000 tagged fish caught, bringing the total contribution to the charity to $12,000 so far.

Cancer Council CEO Tanya Izod is very grateful to be the official charity partner and be a part of every winning fishos excitement.

“Twelve red-tagged barra caught! Cancer Council NT is so grateful to be the official charity partner and that we get to be part of this incredibly exciting start to Season 10,” said Tanya.

“Every fish caught means we can continue to support Territorians impacted by cancer and so we hope to see this fantastic winning streak continue.”

A total of $122,000 has been paid out since the launch of Season 10, marking a promising start to the season.

Million Dollar Fish Season 10 runs until 31 March 2025. Delivered by Northern Territory Major Events Company and supported by Sportsbet the competition is open to people aged over 18, with free registration. Simply by registering you are entered into the monthly prize draw valued at $79,000.