Bite Compass

Silver Cobbler

Freshwater
Neoarius midgleyi

Lake Argyle and Ord River freshwater catfish — the bread-and-butter target of any East Kimberley freshwater session and the species that puts food on the table while you're chasing the resident barra. Different fish entirely from the saltwater estuary cobbler of the south-west. Strong, clean-fighting, and one of the better-eating freshwater fish in northern Australia.

Overview

Silver cobbler are a large freshwater catfish endemic to northern Australia, with Lake Argyle holding the WA stronghold. They're a different species (Neoarius midgleyi) from the south-west's saltwater estuary cobbler (Cnidoglanis macrocephalus) and shouldn't be confused with it. At Argyle they're abundant, feed throughout the day, and provide the steady action that fills the time between barramundi follows. Most fish landed are 2–6kg but the lake produces fish well above 20kg if you're targeting them with bigger baits in deeper water. Despite the catfish label, the flesh is firm, white, and very clean — it's a genuine table fish, not a by-catch.

How to Catch
Best baits

Fresh fish strip, prawn, chicken pieces, beef heart, bardi grubs

Lures

Soft plastic paddle-tails worked slow on the bottom, blades, small vibes

Rigs

Running sinker rig with 20–30lb mono mainline, 30–40lb leader, and a 4/0–6/0 wide-gape hook. Use enough sinker to hold bottom in current. A short trace is fine — silver cobbler don't have shearing teeth, but they have rough mouths and pectoral spines that can chew through light leader.

Technique

Anchor or drift over deeper holes, channel edges, and timber-strewn flats and fish baits hard on the bottom. Berley with crushed prawn or fish offcuts to draw fish into the area. Bites are usually a steady weight rather than a sharp tap — let them turn before striking. Watch the pectoral and dorsal spines when unhooking; they're sharp and they sting.

Best time

Silver cobbler bite year-round in Lake Argyle but are most reliable in the cooler dry-season months from May to September. They feed throughout the day and night, with low-light periods producing the larger fish. Tide doesn't apply — the lake is freshwater — but barometric drops before storms tend to fire them up.

Size

Up to 1.4m and 40kg, commonly 2–6kg

Peak season

Year-round

Eating quality

Excellent — firm, white, mild-flavoured fillets with no mud taint when fish are taken from the open lake rather than backwaters. Skin off, pan-fry, grill, or batter. Bleed and ice immediately like any other fish.

Regulations (WA)

Lake Argyle freshwater fishing rules apply. A WA freshwater angling licence is not required in the Lake Argyle / Ord region (the freshwater angling licence covers the south-west zones), but barramundi in Lake Argyle are catch-and-release only. Silver cobbler count within the freshwater 30-fish daily aggregate, with no specific minimum size — confirm current rules before fishing. Always check current DPIRD rules — regulations may change.

Perth Tips

Mind the spines — silver cobbler have a venomous pectoral and dorsal spine that delivers a painful sting, so support the fish from underneath with a wet towel and unhook with long-nose pliers. Lake Argyle Cruises and a few local operators run dedicated cobbler sessions if you want the local knowledge. Bigger baits cull the smaller fish; whole prawns or fillet halves will lift the average size.

Where to Catch Silver Cobbler
Kununurra / Lake Argyle / Ord River
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