TERRITORIAN ANGLER LANDS MILLION DOLLAR BARRAMUNDI

Winner Matthew Maurice with his winners cheque. Image: Supplied

By Katherine Glass

A Northern Territory fisherman has become the latest millionaire after catching a tagged barramundi worth $1 million in the Northern Territory’s Million Dollar Fish competition.

Matthew Morris, a Territory-born local, landed the prized fish at Corroboree Billabong, just a few hundred metres from the boat ramp.

The catch marks only the second time in the competition’s 12 seasons that an angler has claimed the million-dollar prize.

Mr Morris was fishing with his mate when he hooked the barramundi using a silent suspending jerkbait lure, known as a Jackall.

The fish put up a fight, taking him around the boat’s outboard motor twice before he managed to bring it aboard.

Mr Morris said the moment he spotted the bright red tag was difficult to believe.

The tagged million-dollar Barramundi. Image Supplied.

He said he had been fishing the competition every season but had never expected to win.

The million-dollar windfall is set to help Mr Morris achieve a major personal goal, with plans to buy a house and enter the property market.

He also said he had no plans to quit his job, preferring to use the money to secure his future.

His mother Carolyn said fishing had always been part of the family’s life, with Mr Morris growing up fishing in the waters around the Territory.

She described the moment she received the news as overwhelming, saying she initially struggled to believe her son had won.

The Million Dollar Fish competition is run in partnership with the Northern Territory Government and Sportsbet.

Organisers say the competition has also raised more than $130,000 for charities, with a further $10,000 going to Surf Life Saving Northern Territory following Mr Morris’s winning catch.

The competition continues until the end of March, with another 96 tagged barramundi, each worth at least $10,000, still available to be caught.