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An Australian teenager has become famous nationwide after catching a $1 million fish in the remote Northern Territory town of Katherine which is famously known as where ‘the Outback meets the tropics’ and his home to both freshwater and saltwater crocodiles, making it one of those spots in Australia that contributes to the country’s reputation of teeming with deadly wildlife.
But Katherine in the Northern Territory is also home to some of the best barramundi fishing in Australia and in an effort to boost tourism to remote region a contest was launched where anglers could chase after an elusive tagged fish worth a grand prize of $1 million.
For those who aren’t familiar with barramundi fish, which is perfectly normal because they aren’t native to the United States even though there’s a farm in Florida where they can be caught, the fish looks like a cross between a snook and a tarpon with a little bit of corvina tossed in there. Often times, the barramundi looks like such an even mix between snook and tarpon that when I first learned about the species decades ago I assumed it was a hybrid species like a ‘tiger trout’ but it’s not and it’s an incredible game fish that can be caught in the Northern Territory.
Australian Teen Catches $1 Million Fish In Northern Territory
19-year-old Keegan Payne is from the remote NT town of Katherine and became the first person in 9 years to catch and turn in a tagged barramundi fish to collect the $1 million prize. His story was immediately the #1 headline in Australia as the program to boost Northern Territory tourism hadn’t produced a $1 million fish in nine years!
Keegan Payne told ABC Australia he wasn’t expecting to catch a tagged barramundi and it wasn’t until his little sister asked what was inside the fish that he realized what he’d caught. Initially he believed it was a catfish and didn’t see the tag sticking out but that all change din an instant. After the realizing that the fish had a tag in it and the barramundi was worth $1 million, the nerves set in. He told ABC News Australia they “nearly crashed the boat getting back to the boat ramp”
What exactly does a 19-year-old do with the money after catching a $1 million fish? Well, Keegan Payne has publicly promised to repay a man he stole two cars from several years ago.
After catching the fish and seeing the tag, Keegan was jumping and screaming at the realization of what he’d caught, a barramundi fish worth $1 million. That’s life-changing money for anyone.
I’ve never been myself, but I mentioned there is a place to fish for barramundi here in Florida. It’s called Osceola Outback Adventures and they also have peacock bass there to catch so anglers looking to catch some new exotic fish off their list should check that out.