Julie/Graeme, Anglers Warehouse Tweed Heads (07) 5536 3822
anglerswarehouse@shopsafe.com.au
Wayne, Kingscliff Bait and Tackle
Matthew/Charlie, Deep Sea Fishing Charters

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Water gin-clear with heaps of mackerel, especially up at Brunswick. A lot of small pearl perch around Julian Rocks, with a few spotted mackerel to 4kg. Heaps of big tailor coming from everywhere, beach gutters, rocks and bommies. Broken Head to Suffolk Park for huge whiting and some dart to 570g.

David Keevers, Coastal Fishing Tackle 02 66 857 133

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River: School jew around Burns Point with some good bream as well down to the mouth. Good flatties and bream along the Porpoise Wall. North wall for tailor and the odd schoolie after dark. South Beach down to Broadwater for good bream and tailor. Tailor off the headlands up to Lennox.
Good snapper and mackerel from the inner reefs. Lennox Point for Spaniards. Report courtesy of Dave’s Bait Shop.
I haven't spent much time at Evans Head this week but Neil at Evans Head Sports and Marine says there are some good bream and flathead around the river mouth, bream and tailor on Airforce beach and offshore, snapper around Red Hill and mackerel on South Reef

Dave’s Bait Shop 02 6686 2481
&
Tony Zann

t.zann@fishingmonthly.com.au

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Glen Porter, 6646 2017
The Bait Place 6646 2017
ports@reeltime.com.au

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Plenty of mackerel with Bundagen, Macauleys Wide, and Arrawarra North the best spots, with fish to 30kg common. The northern end is also turning up large cobia. Good snapper on the inshore reefs with fish from 6-8kg. A run of bluefin around the rocks for the LBG addicts with a couple of mackerel, inshore water temp staying right up there.
Beach gutters have returned to normal after the heavy seas with a good run of bream, the odd tailor and jewfish. Good jew particularly from the deep-guttered beaches like Sapphire, Korora Bay and sections of Bundagen.
Estuaries: Still a little dirty but the big tides this weekend should see anglers getting among some nice bream.

Peter Russell, Fish Tackle Australia 6652 4611
motackle@midcoast.com.au

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Mark and Denise Bird and Paul and Michelle Martin
Rocks Marine Bait and Tackle 6566 6726
rocksmarine@dodo.com.au

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Star performances over the past week on our local beaches, with plenty of school jew as well as reasonable catches of most other species. On the schoolie scene, North Beach has held a myriad of formations at most points between the wall and Queens, with most producing at one point or another. Beach worms are the bait to carry although the odd fish has been taken on tailor slabs. Bream have been reasonable although the better catches have been taken during daylight hours. Look for the night action to lift now the moon has waned. Tailor remain a little patchy with the upper end of North Beach and around Lake Cathie producing the odd session, although the action is not consistent. Whiting remain reasonable with Lighthouse continuing to produce the better results.
In the estuaries, flathead have been quite solid, with the lower portion of our estuary, including both break walls giving up quite a few quality fish. Bream are on the improve and should be well worth chasing with a good dark coming up this weekend and onwards. Limeburners and the Maria continue to produce some nice whiting although numbers are down a little on what was about prior to our fresh. Look for this action to pick up again for a few weeks at least until the cold stuff begins to kick in. Blackfish remain patchy although we are hearing increased reports of good numbers being taken from the weed beds at night on yabbies.
Muddies are still going well but blue swimmers have gone a little quiet prompting a few crabbers to pronounce the season nearly over. This may be a little premature as good numbers of swimmers were taken almost all thought last winter by those willing to put in the time. Early prawn reports from Lake Cathie are encouraging with most managing a feed of varying size. Next week should be pick of the dark.
Off the rocks, drummer reports continue to slowly filter in with a few sneaky fish extracted from Shelleys and Miners, whilst Big Hill and Plommer have also given up a few solid pigs. Tailor remain a little patchy although Lighthouse has given up the odd good fish for those willing to rise with the sparrows. Bream are reasonable and with good conditions now upon us, expect results to lift considerably. Little to report from a land-based game scene, with the bluefin yet to really show up. May often produces ’fin and current and water temperatures remain favourable.
Offshore reports have been quite mixed with John from Ocean Star enjoying a few sensational days, and having to work hard for a feed on others. John reports a few solid samson fish are still about, albeit not quite as thick as in recent weeks. Snapper and pearl perch remain active. Dean Rumbel landed a top snapper of 8.8kg cleaned and Clive Stewart snared a ripper of a cobia over 22kg.

Jason and Virginia Isaac, Ned Kelly’s Bait and Tackle 6583 8318
cjisaac@ozemail.com.au

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Offshore: Since Good Friday the sea and weather conditions have been fantastic, as has the reef fishing. Five Mile has been the pick of the spots with 15kg-plus kingfish taken on live baits as recently as Thursday. Samson are being taken in numbers never before seen on our reefs. If you prefer snapper, pearl perch or even morwong they are on offer if you can get past the samson. Bonito are still in big numbers and make ideal cut baits. Striped marlin remain wide of the 80-fathom line. Last weekend saw some quality Cobia caught.
Beaches: The best of the tailor and bream are yet to show. Tides this weekend should improve your chances providing you get up early.
Rocks: Same sad LBG tale as in recent weeks, that is, no northern bluefin tuna. The best of the bream have been found off local headlands, as have some big drummer.
Estuary: The breakwalls have again provided some quality mulloway. Live bait has been easily caught on site. Bream to 1.5kg are common throughout the estuary. Flathead are enjoying the warm weather and are active and happy to crunch any lure you may care to try. Mullet are schooling in the lower reaches and no doubt the next change in the weather will see them run to sea.

Lloyd Campbell, Great Lakes Tackle 02 6554 9541

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Estuary: Flathead still rampant Shoal Bay, co-op marina, Corrie Island, Karuah River on soft plastics in perfect water. Jew Middle Island, Salamander wreck, co-op, Rocks Awash, Oakey. Few good flounder on the bar. Stacks of blue swimmers Tilligerry, Snapper Island, Tahlee, Pindima.
Beach: Big run of travelling bream to 1.5kg anywhere from about 7km down Stockton Beach. Good whiting, flathead and jew around the wreck. Football fields of salmon and they’re getting bigger and bigger. Whiting Fingal, One Mile, Kingsley. Mullet are running so anywhere they’re schooling is worth a shot for a jew.
Rocks: Blackfish Cemetery, Boulder Bay, north side Fingal Island, Gantry. Tailor and salmon on all headlands, salmon Sunny Corner. Still a few bluefin on Tomaree LBG, One Mile Head. Stacks of mack tuna and bonito. A few pigs turning up Pig Pen, Boat Harbour, Rocky and Honeysuckle.
Offshore: Plenty of tailor on the troll across the front beaches, Cabbage Tree. Stack of bonito there, too. Snapper in the shallows around Sisters and Broughton. School jew to 15kg on Gibber, Bulahdelah, The Vs and The Tank. Trag on the Gibber, Uralla. Stacks of small mahi mahi on the Minefield, better quality to 15kg on the FAD. Big blue marlin on the edge of the shelf, striped marlin as well.

Graham Duffy, Salamander Bait and Tackle 02 4982 0711

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Perfect fishing conditions over the Easter long weekend allowed anglers the opportunity to target their chosen fish. Most of our beaches, breakwalls, rock platforms and wharves had large numbers of locals and visitors trying their luck and all boat ramps were very busy.
Lake Macquarie is producing some great catches with the bream and tailor over the last week exceptional. Large schools of tailor have been present throughout the lake with Belmont Bay to the drop-over and rocky point near Eleebana holding fish over the weekend. Most anglers troll the edges of the school using metal lures or weighted feather jigs to catch a feed but my preference is to drift nearby and cast soft plastics or small metals.
Extra-large bream have been caught on bait with fish to 2kg from the channel. Taylor Katon and Ruby Armstrong caught some nice bream on fresh prawns from the northern area of the Lake and ultra-keen local Rob Irons caught and released a 3.5kg silver trevally while luring for bream in the lake.
Our beaches continue to offer good tailor and salmon with the Redhead to Blacksmiths stretch also offering good numbers of flathead and some large mulloway. All the mulloway reportedly caught fell to ganged pilchards with fresh squid or fish slab baits going untouched.
Offshore anglers caught mixed bags with bonito, tailor, kingfish and flathead welcomed catches but large numbers of sergeant bakers an annoyance.
The next Tacklepower free information night will be held on Wednesday April 21 from 6pm at our Charlestown store and will cover the methods, tools and techniques required to successfully catch dusky flathead on soft plastic lures. Seats are strictly limited so secure your place by calling into either store.
This weekend is the start of the NSW Pro Bream series with the first round being held on the Hawkesbury river at Greenmans Valley. More information is available from your local tackle store or by calling Chris Craig on 02 4973 3373.

Jordan Armstrong,
Tackle Power Fishing Stores,
Jordan@tacklepower.com.au

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Peter Sanderson, Fisherman's Warehouse (02) 4945 8922
enquiries@fishermanswarehouse.com.au

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Brisbane Water: Plenty of nice bream on lures hard and soft with fish from 30-40cm and plenty of them. Nice tailor on ganged pillies at The Rip bridge with quality flathead taking poddy mullet.
Beaches: Plenty of big salmon on pilchards late in the afternoons. Bonito off Avoca rocks.
Offshore: Most action on the wide reefs, perch, squire. In close the water is cooler and mostly rubbish fish.

Gary Oxley Coastline Bait & Tackle, East Gosford ph/fax 4325 4255
kathgaz@bigpond.com
http://www.coastlinefishing.easysites.ws

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Sydney Harbour has turned on some extraordinary things in the last week, including a very large seal that has taken to the waters of North Harbour around Manly. Currently this seal is quite friendly but do not feed this critter, especially as it may attempt to board small boats and its bulk could easily sink one. It may well have come in to the area to feed on the schools of slimies that have popped up in North Harbour. Plenty of this fantastic bait can be found in pockets of the harbour and they are relatively easily berleyed up. Most of the fish are in the 20-30cm range, ideal for taking out to the mahi mahi, or just trying your luck for some of the bigger kings inside. Alex Bellissimo landed an 11kg king during the week off the rocks. Des Toms’ Hook’em Cook’em Charters reports Harbour fishing has been a little on the mixed-bag side, with plenty of mainstay winter fish such as john dory, big bream and trevally being the major catches. Middle Head seems to be a fair bit quieter than it has over recent weeks, with most fish now in the Harbour proper. The troll around North Head has thrown up a few decent size salmon and some bonito for his customers, mostly to slightly larger lures around the size of Rapala CD-9s. Start around Old Mans Hat and work around the point. Plenty of big mullet have also been spotted, the recent rains having flushed them out into the more open parts of the harbour. This can only mean one thing: Plenty of Jewfish must be lurking about nearby. A night fish with some live mullet or fresh mullet strips tossed in around the deeper holes near Dobroyd Point should put you on the track to one of those elusive big jewies.
Offshore, Mick Lyons of Allie Hunter Charters has been targeting plenty of mahi mahi. Most of the FADs and marker buoys are holding fish, though some are biting more readily than others. Live yakkas are doing the trick but if you can get hold of some slimies, all the better. Most of the fish are around 1-3kg. Kings have been nailing the yakkas closer in around the rocks, especially around Bluefish Point. Most of the kings have been 60-70cm, but if you have the patience to sit out with a very large live bait for a long time, fish up to a metre are there for the taking.
A couple of lucky boats notched up four yellowfin between them out wide in the recent Sydney Game Fishing Tournament. The fish weighed in at around 60kg. Closer in and the gravel reef grounds have been fishing well for flatties and morwong. The morwong especially have been of good size.
Pittwater Pete (Le Blang) of Harbour and Estuary Charters has been taking kings from inside Pittwater and around to Barrenjoey. Look out for surface activity (baitfish, birds and boils) to get yourself into a school. Live yakkas or squid are doing the trick. Big sea mullet are schooling out amongst the moorings and around marinas in Pittwater, which is allowing the kings to cruise in and help themselves. Getting a live bait out around one of these schools is a brain-tearing bust-up waiting to happen. There are plenty of flatties to be had on the sand flats all around the bay, including into Pittwater and Brisbane Water. Start by searching out the western side of the bays. Don’t forget the crab traps, as plenty of blue swimmers still abound. Throw the traps out as you leave and you can come home to a feed no matter how the day’s fishing went.

Darren Thomas
Fish Outta Water 9949 9488
fishon@uunet.com.au

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Mako Tackle
Gary Brown / Greg Mercedes 9600 6999

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Garth, Deans Bait and Tackle, Windang 4295 1615

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Offshore: Kingies have gone a bit quiet but a charter skipper says the snapper have been pretty good. Tonnes of salmon and sharks inclose. Local Justin Lake got a 280kg bronze whaler and someone got an 800kg tiger off Ulladulla.
Rocks: Salmon, snapper, tailor, pigs and the odd blackfish from the rocks with plenty of bream as well, best spots Bawley Point, Malua Bay.
Beaches towards Broulee and Moruya for hordes of salmon and little bronzies. Tailor and bream on the corners of the rocks. Jewies to 32kg caught on the beaches around Durras.
Estuaries: A few nice flatties in the Clyde on lures. Kevin Gleed has tagged around 100 black bream in the past few days.

Rodney Stockman,
Harry’s Bait and Tackle
ph 02 4472 4393, fax 02 4472 3405

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Estuary: Stacks of flatties to 5kg, mainly on plastics and livies. Also in the smaller lakes. Heaps of bream, big whiting and big mullet. Wagonga and Merimbula both have jewies on live baits of a night.
Beaches: A nice swell to 12.5m triggering the tailor and salmon.
Outside: Pretty quiet on the billfish front but the water is still around 20°. The odd kingie and a lot of bonito around the island. Albacore turning up out wide.

Darryl, The Ocean Hut 4476 2278

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Darren Redman and Mark Rose,
Bermagui Ocean Hut and Charter Booking Service, 6493 4688

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