It's a competition that lures amateur and professional anglers from across the country and overseas to the Northern Territory.

Now in its ninth season, the NT government's Million Dollar Fish competition has been growing in popularity every year, bringing much-needed tourism to the territory's Top End during the traditionally quiet wet season.

The rules are simple: sign up to the competition and reel in a barramundi tagged for prize money.

At the start of this season, on October 1, about 100 barramundi tagged for $10,000 were released into the main fishing regions in Arnhem Land, Darwin, Kakadu, Katherine and the Tiwi Islands.

Also released were two fish tagged for the jackpot prize — $1 million.

And as a special "fishmas" treat, in December last year the NT government announced a specific barra originally worth $10,000 had been bumped up to a million dollars.

They add to nine other million-dollar releases from previous seasons, which remain active.

It means this season, there are 12 fish swimming around the Top End each worth a million dollars.

A joy that 'can't compare'

In all the seasons the competition has been running, the elusive million-dollar barra has never been caught.

But plenty tagged for $10,000 have been — including by NT local Loren Hanton, who reeled in one of the prized fish at the Yellow Water Billabong in Kakadu National Park on October 31 last year.

"I didn't see it at first — I actually started to walk away — and it just caught my eye and I just started screaming," she said.

Ms Hanton said she had been hunting a million-dollar fish since the competition was first introduced in 2015.

Her partner also reeled in a $10,000 fish in 2020.

She said there were few steps to take once a tagged fish was caught, and that the process could sometimes take days.

"You don't know if it's a million dollars yet, so it's a few days of absolute suspense and you're dreaming of all the things you could do and what you're going to spend the money on. It is like an out-of-body experience," she said.

Despite already catching one $10,000 barra this season, Ms Hanton said her and her partner were keeping their eyes firmly on the top prize.

"The plan is to get another tag," she said.

"Preferably to get the million, but we just want fish, we just love the comp."

A winner guaranteed

Catching a million-dollar fish will supposedly be easier this year,  after former NT major events minister Paul Kirby announced in September a winner was "guaranteed" this season.

He said if no one reeled in the top prize in coming months, secret policy settings would be tightened to ensure a winner.

"The people at SportsBet will look after exactly how the settings will tighten … it's not something that they'll discuss widely."

Competition organisers said to maintain the integrity of the competition, those details would not be released until later in the season.

'Frothing on catching barra'

Running from October 1 to March 31, the Million Dollar Fish competition has become a powerful drawcard for tourism in the Top End during the slower wet season.

Ms Hanton, whose brother owns a local fishing business, said the competition had "done wonders" for the industry.

"It's the best comp ever to bring in the tourists … the amount of money that gets spent in all the stores, it's just the greatest thing," she said.

Producer of the well-known podcast Tales from the Tinny, Michael "Beard" Kermode, said the competition was significant for the fishing community in the Northern Territory.

"[It] stirred everybody right up, got everyone completely frothing on catching barra, and just added this little element in there that really got people motivated," he said.

'Tie on your lucky lure'

Last season, 20 $10,000 prize-tagged barramundi were caught in the Top End, with the winning anglers taking home a combined $230,000 in prize money.

So far this season there have been seven winners.

For every $10,000 barra that gets reeled in, the competition donates $1,000 to one of the Million Dollar Fish official charity partners.

Last year, a combined $23,000 was donated to the Cancer Council NT, Shoreline and the Starlight Children's Foundation/Star Ball.

This season's most recent winner was Jack Daly, who reeled in a tagged barra on December 1 at the Daly River Crossing, about three hours south of Darwin.

It's his third tagged catch since the competition began. 

Nathan Corpus, who caught a $10,000-tagged fish last year, said his biggest tip was to "just get out there and make sure you're registered".

But he also said he caught his prize in an area he had never thought to fish before.

"Do whatever you need to do, whatever gives you good luck." he said.

"Tie on your lucky lure, wear your favourite shirt, your favourite hat."