It was supposed to be a quiet night on the water. A chance for two brothers to catch up, cast a few lines and, with any luck, catch a fish. Instead, Matthew Maurice managed to catch a prized barramundi worth a million dollars.

The Darwin local was fishing with his younger brother at Corroboree Billabong in the Northern Territory on October 29 when a barramundi took his lure.

“I saw the fish jump within the first 10 seconds and spotted a bright red tag hanging out of it,” Matthew recalls. “It was probably the most stressful two minutes of my life.”

With a little encouragement from onlookers aboard a nearby boat, the brothers managed to land the fish, which measured just over 80cm. And there, attached to their catch, was a tag bearing the words Season 12.

For anyone unfamiliar with the Northern Territory’s Million Dollar Fish competition, those two words can mean a great deal. In Matthew’s case, precisely $1 million.

The Territory-born angler had managed to catch the only million-dollar-tagged barramundi released for the competition’s 12th season, making him just the second person in its history to claim the top prize.

“I’m just happy to catch fish,” Matthew says. “Any barra is a good barra, especially the million-dollar one.”

Matthew’s win follows that of Katherine local Keegan Payne, who became the competition’s first millionaire in April 2024.

Million Dollar Fish was set up 12 years ago in a bid to lure tourists and fishers to the Top End during the quieter wet season months by giving them the opportunity to catch the million dollar barramundi, or reel in one of the other 100 fish each carrying prize money of $10,000, which is paid out by sports gambling company Sportsbet.

There’s also a charitable side to the competition, with Matthew’s catch triggering a $10,000 donation to Surf Life Saving NT.

Despite the recent big win, there are still 96 barramundi carrying $10,000 tags in Northern Territory waters waiting to be caught before the season ends on March 31, 2027.

As for what the newly minted millionaire plans to do with his winnings? He’s still coming to terms with that.

“I don’t think I should be allowed to touch the money,” Matthew jokes. “Someone else might need to look after it for me.

“I’ll probably be smart with it, buy a house, pay off anything I need to pay off, and then treat myself a little bit.”

Million Dollar Fish Season 12 runs until March 31, 2027. Registration is free and compulsory for anyone hoping to claim a prize.

milliondollarfish.com.au