A remote fisherman has bagged himself $10,000 after catching a tagged barramundi as part of the country's richest fishing competition.
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The fish is the eighth $10,000 barramundi caught in Season 9 of the Northern Territory's Million Dollar Fish competition, with $90,000 now awarded to lucky anglers across this season.
The first red-tagged barra for 2024 was reeled in by James Mawson near Borroloola.
Mr Mawson said he was fishing 2kms upstream of the Borroloola Crossing on January 22, when he managed to lure in his well-paying fish.
"I was shocked, it was just another fishing day for us," he said.
"Just get out there and have a go, you never know, it was just a normal day out fishing. I wasn't expecting to go home with a red tag."
Mr Mawson's catch comes as competition organisers have announced that there are now a whopping 24 barra with tags worth a million bucks swimming in Top End Northern Territory waters - the most in the history of the competition.
NT Minister for Major Events, Brent Potter said the Territory was blessed to not only have some of the best fishing in the country but also the world.
"And every $10,000 tagged barra caught is one step closer to seeing someone become a millionaire ," he said.
"The Million Dollar Fish continues to be a massive catch for the Territory, in terms of giving back to local businesses, putting the NT in the spotlight and getting interstate visitors to the Top End.
There are still 103 barramundi waiting to be caught as part of Million Dollar Fish Season 9.
That includes the 24 fish carrying a tag worth a million dollars - with about a one-in-four chance of a tagged fish being worth a million if it is a Season 9 red-tagged barra.
SportsBet NT Operations and Partnerships Manager Thijs Bors said 2024 was "off to a cracking start" with the "65cm beauty" caught near the Gulf of Carpentaria town of Borroloola.
"It goes to show the tagged barra are everywhere and you've got a shot at catching one all over the Top End.
"SportsBet is excited to see who else reels in a $10,000 barra or the life-changing barra worth a million bucks."
Season 9 of the fishing competition runs until March 31, with tagged fish to be caught across northern waterways in the Top End's five main fishing regions including Arnhem Land, Darwin, Kakadu, Katherine and the Tiwi Islands.
