NSW basser Peter Phelps broke through for his maiden BASS Pro win with victory in the G.Loomis presented 3rd round of the 2012 Smak Lures BASS Pro Series on the Hunter Valley’s Lake Glenbawn on June 23-24.
St Georges Basin once again proved its popularity on the BREAM tour with a large and experienced field hitting the water for the last south coast BREAM Qualifier of the series.
Matthew Finney, (10/10, 4.52kg) a 34 year old bricklayer from Grafton, secured his maiden ABT victory at the Atomic Lures Tweed River BREAM Qualifier on June 16-17. Finney’s day two limit of 2.54kg propelled him from seventh place to take the win by nearly half a kilo.
With an influx of fresh water and large numbers of undersize bream the Tweed River round of the 2012 Daiwa Hobie BREAM series was going to take supreme consistency to take the win.
The next couple of months generally see the windiest conditions across the Tablelands. Combined with continuing frosts and cold nights it is probably not the most comfortable time to head bush. However with the right gear and an eye on the weather forecasts, you can still find a fish or two and not lose your fingers to frostbite in the process.
The pigfish are going nuts off the ocean rocks and the upper harbour reaches towards the entrance. Much like bonito, jewfish and many of the other species we catch on our coast, the pigfish can be very hit and miss. This season is a bulls-eye.
With only a month or so before the end to Murray cod and cray fishing season, it’s time for the hardened anglers to don the thermals and head out for one more crack.
With the chill of winter in the air, local anglers are rugging up and enjoying a pretty good run of popular cold water targets.
There’s not a lot of game fishing activity to report on around Coffs Harbour at this time of year, apart from the Lake Macquarie boat Ningaloo that passed through on its way north in early June and tagged five yellowfin tuna and a striped marlin. Clearly there are still some bluewater fish here for the truly dedicated, but for the rest of us, winter means a spot of snapper fishing in close, and some long overdue tackle and boat upkeep.
The temperature is low and the fishing has been a little slow. However, don’t give up just yet – there are still options for the dedicated and spring is just a month away!
As usual in early August there is one thing on most offshore anglers minds, and that is big, hungry snapper. I say it every year but how can you not when they are so popular and so good to target.
Among my favourites on the table are freshly caught calamari rings. They’re also a commonly requested contribution to friends’ barbecues when I ask if there’s anything I can bring.
Things are hotting up despite the icy winter conditions blowing freezing cold winds off the mountains, with solid numbers of southern bluefin tuna moving up the coast.
The end of winter is in sight and with it comes a sense of optimism from local anglers. There are good options still to be had this month so don’t sit in front of the fire thinking about it, get out there and experience good winter angling.
After a pretty dismal period of fishing of late, hopefully August is a time of change, triggering the typical winter species have kicked into gear and the fishing gets back to its normal self.
As with the rest of the South Coast, the challenge has been getting a good enough day weather-wise to get out there and enjoy the day on the water. Wind, rain and for those heading offshore, sea conditions have limited the amount of fishing done over the past month.
The past month has seen some really foul weather in the Mallacoota area. The rain has continued to fall but the real problem has been the terrible wind. As a result I have had to postpone charters because you just can’t enjoy yourself on days like that.
Despite poor conditions, over 500 competitors signed up for the 28th annual Lions Charity Greenback fishing competition.
The depths of winter can be tough to fish, weather is always the major factor in deciding when and where to fish. However some simple planning and picking the right target species can always see some red hot action in the cold.
Offshore anglers are having a great time as bluefin mania hits town. Both locals and visiting anglers are getting amongst them with some solid models being caught.
The rain has finally stopped and it couldn't have come soon enough if you ask me. All the local estuaries have received a decent flush with both Tuross and Narooma now getting back to something close to normal. With the fresh behind us some pretty good winter angling can be had.
If you only get to go to sea for snapper one month a year on the Clarence Coast, August would have to be the best time. There only ever seems to be one reliable month of weather here over the past few years and that is August.
Once again the weather has been a real issue and the cold mornings are certainly sorting the brave from the weak!
It’s been one of the coldest winters I can remember across Sydney and with so much rain, it’s no wonder all has shut down over the last month around Botany Bay and offshore.
Winter is still here and the aspirations of many keen anglers seemed dashed for yet another season. As tough as it has been, some quality cod have turned up at several locations along both the Murray and Edward rivers.
Winter is well and truly upon us in both the Riverina and the Snowy Mountains, and for those local anglers among us things are slow, but that is to be expected.
A subdued swell gradually lifted the boat as we made our final exit out of Middle Harbour and onto Sydney Harbour’s lower reaches. As we rounded Grotto Point we went from the relatively tranquil estuarine environment of Middle Harbour straight into near enough to full ocean conditions. A whole new ball game!
August can be a very enjoyable month for fishing the dams. The days are now getting longer and foggy mornings followed by relatively warm days and high barometer readings point to a good time to go fishing. In saying that this can be the month that we get the strong and cold westerlies that kick in and ruin the day.
The cool change in the weather had a big impact on the fishing in the Echuca area.
Although we’ve tested the ubiquitous Blue Fin 435 Wildcat before in Fishing Monthly, the opportunity arose to check out the ‘Limited Edition’ version of this boat. Fitted with all of the options that most keen anglers add anyway, this iteration of the boat will be available for a few months only (orders will be taken until the end of September) and ticks a lot of boxes.
