Hot fun in the run

David Poulton | November 09 »
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Whiting like this will be hungry and eager to smash surface lures this month. this fish took a Bassday Sugapen.

All that rain in Autumn seems like a distant memory and now we are talking about a dry
s
ummer and extreme bushfire warnings.

It’s a good thing the sea never dries up and estuaries receive the tidal flow – I’m glad I’m a coastal angler not an inland one.

This month we’ll see some pretty decent high tides with a few above 1.8m. I love these high tides because they enable you to target fish in the shallows and deep in snags on flooded banks which are normally high and dry.

When these areas get flooded I get excited, because I know the fish are looking for food they normally don’t have access to.

It means more surface fishing and with developments in surface lures in recent years, more species are susceptible to these tactics.

Whiting have been the most popular in recent times but when estuary fishing, nothing stops your heart quicker than seeing a monster flathead smash a surface lure in shallow water!

If you’ve ever surface-fished for Murray cod or barra then it’s pretty similar and when a big flattie feels the hooks, it goes nuts, making for a great experience all round.

The other bonus of these high tides is the variations in the tides. I’ve quoted countless times the old saying ‘no run, no fun’ and with the variations reaching around 1.5m at times this month, some good tidal flow will be experienced.

areful positioning in the tidal flow will see you enjoying some good bags of fish.

If you’re using bait then whiting in the deep holes will be good. Try around the mouth of the Maria River and up around Dennis Bridge when the flow is on.

Bream will be tough going in the lower reaches this month during daylight hours because the water will more than likely be very clear.

But after dark it will be a whole new ball game.

ith plenty of baitfish in the river, the bream will come out after dark and will be good targets for bait fishos along the walls.

Best baits will be strips of mullet, peeled prawns and whitebait. Small ganged hooks for the whitebait and mullet strips will be best to secure decent fish and keep the pickers at bay.

Luderick have been prolific.

n a recent outing into Big Bay I found the weed beds in an awful state with very few bream and hardly any flathead, but the luderick were in plague proportions.

his particular day I saw a lone dolphin chasing what I suspect to be luderick in around 60cm of water. If the weed beds grow back this month, anglers will also be able to cash in on this bonus and snare a few luderick for themselves.

From the rocks and beaches this month, the early hours or after dark will be your best options.

If you don’t want to travel far for a fish after dark, give Town Beach a whirl around 50m to 100m from the southern breakwall on high tide.

It’s not really a daytime spot because you could have some trouble with surfers and swimmers but after dark, this can be a great spot for whiting, bream, mulloway and flathead. There’s a deep gutter that runs for around 300m at the top of the tide.

Rock fishing could be hit and miss since tailor numbers have been poor and drummer very few and far between.

Big seas earlier in the year and the numerous floods have caused havoc with the rocks and the cunjevoi and a whole host of other aquatic life that draws in fish. Hopefully this month things will bounce back and the rockhoppers will get a chance to catch some good tailor, bream and luderick.

KINGS OFFSHORE

The offshore grounds this month should produce some good catches of kingfish.

lready good schools of rat kings have moved in and hopefully this month we’ll see a few bigger models. Those bouncing the bottom have still been getting a few good pearl perch and snapper with the southern reefs proving the most productive grounds.

his month I’d expect the fish to move further offshore.

With water temps on the rise, mahi mahi, tuna and marlin will come into play for the game anglers.

If you’re heading off Port Macquarie then don’t forget to log in with the VMR, Port Macquarie’s call sign is VMR 271.

Whatever type of angling you do this month, stay safe and take it easy.