Humpty Doo local Wayne Leather reeled in a tagged barra in a Territory fishing spot just in the nick of time.
He was fishing at a secret spot in Adelaide River on Sunday, with only four days left of Million Dollar Fish. While reeling a fish in he was surprised to see a beaming red tag hanging off his 68cm catch. But other fish were still biting, so Wayne kept reeling in two more barra while his son tried to read the writing on the red tag. When they realised Wayne had pulled in a Season 8 barra, the duo quickly packed up and raced home.
“As soon as it went straight into the net it was facing upright and we both screamed out at the same time, ‘red tag!’ I said, ‘no way, this can’t be happening’,” Wayne said.
“We quickly got it in the boat before a croc came out and took the fish.
“We’re quite lucky actually. It’s hard to believe it happened because we didn’t go there to catch a tagged barra. We hadn’t given up, but at the end of the season, you think the doors are pretty well closed.”
Fisho registers for every Million Dollar Fish Season
Wayne is the third lucky fisho to take home $20,000 after hooking his barra during the final weekend of Double the Dough, where a $10,000 fish is worth $20,000. He chose the Darwin Star Ball through the Starlight Children’s Foundation to receive the $2000 charity donation.
Wayne has signed up for Million Dollar Fish, underwritten by SportsBet, every season since the competition began in 2015. He carefully inspects every barra he catches to see if it’s sporting a red tag. He has his favourite Territory fishing spot, but keeps it a secret.
SportsBet NT Operations and Partnerships Manager Thijs Bors was over the moon at handing another lucky fisho a cheque.
“As the major sponsor of Million Dollar Fish, SportsBet is thrilled to be awarding another lucky fisho a cheque for $20,000,” he said.
“Remember, there’s still nine barra worth a million bucks swimming around in Top End waters. They are eligible to be caught all year round if you register for Season 8 by 31 March 2023.”
There’s still 81 barramundi waiting to be caught as part of the competition. This includes nine fish carrying a tag worth a million bucks, which remain active all year round. Remember, you must register before the end of Season 8 to be eligible.
Season 8 of Million Dollar Fish ends on 31 March 2023. To claim any prize money from a tagged fish you must register by this Friday. This includes catching a fish worth a million bucks after Season 8 ends. Register now for free at www.milliondollarfish.com.au.