A Darwin man is $1m richer after angling an 80cm, red-tagged barramundi during a night-time fishing trip with his brother.

Matthew Maurice, a 26-year-old from the Northern Territory, had finished football training and decided to take a boat out on Thursday evening with his sibling, who was visiting from overseas.

“We couldn’t be bothered going too far, we only went less than a kilometre from the boat ramp,” Maurice told Channel 7’s Sunrise on Monday.

“We just wanted to fish and talk, that was the only thing. Whether we caught fish or not, it didn’t matter. We just wanted to be together.”

Maurice managed to snag a barramundi that night, but what he saw when the creature’s silvery body jumped out of the water got his blood pumping: a bright red tag signalling a big win in the NT’s Million Dollar Fish competition.

“I hooked up to the fish and my first reaction was to turn my head torch on, the first thing that lit up was pretty much a big silver body and a big red tag hanging out of it,” he said.

As part of the competition, 100 fish – each carrying prize money of $10,000 – were released into waterways for the competition, which began 1 October, alongside the one, elusive top prize.

It was only after he turned in his catch that Maurice discovered the red tag on his barramundi carried the million-dollar prize.

“I’m about to give you the best news of your life,” the NT’s chief minister, Lia Finocchiaro, reportedly told the man.

Maurice later called his mother and brother to share the news, adding he plans to do something “smart” with his winnings.

“I’m just happy to catch fish. I can’t believe I caught a million dollars’ worth of fish,” Maurice said during a press conference.

“Any barra is a good barra, especially the million-dollar one.”

“I feel like I’m in a dream,” he went on. “I don’t think I should be allowed to touch the money. Someone else might need to look after it for me. But 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.”

Maurice has become the second person in the competition’s 12-year history to win the top prize. A local man from Katherine, Keegan Payne, snagged a $1m fish three years ago.

The initiative is a program sponsored by Tourism & Events Northern Territory, meant to tout the region’s “world-class fishing experiences”.

The competition continues until 31 March 2027, with dozens of tagged barramundi worth a $10,000 bounty left to be caught in regions across the Top End, with 96 yet to be claimed.