Fishing Monthly - Latest Fishing Reports - Updated Weekly

Fishing Monthly - Latest Fishing Reports - Updated Weekly

These reports are updated weekly.
Last Edited: Friday, 28 May 2004

Quick Jump Links:
Byron Bay, Ballina, Yamba, Coffs Harbour.
South West Rocks, Port Macquarie,
Forster, Port Stephens, Hunter Area,
Newcastle, Central Coast, Sydney Northern.
Sydney Southern, Wollongong,
Batemans Bay, Narooma, Bermagui.
Archived Reports, Weather & Tides.

COMPILED WEEKLY BY TONY ZANN IN EVANS HEAD:
e-mail: t.zann@fishingmonthly.com.au

Tweed Heads

River: Lots of blackfish starting, Boyds Bay and most rocky points towards the mouth worth a look – North Wall, Spur Wall, behind the hospital. Nice school flathead, with water still up around 22°, hospital, Seagulls and golf club areas working well. Try lures, white pillies, frogs. Bream around the river mouth and behind the hospital around the cotton trees on the bottom and top of the tide.
Beaches: Nice tailor Cabarita, Hastings and Black Rock, better fish on gar and cut bonito. Dart and whiting in the holes. Worth a throw around the headlands for surf bream and school jew on beach worms.
Offshore: The odd nice snapper around Fidos and Nine Mile with fish around 7.5kg and some bust-offs. A 15kg cobia on the back of Fidos on Friday morning on a live yellowtail. Little current but with so much bait, wahoo and Spanish a possibility.

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

Byron Bay

Millions of tailor everywhere along with some big flathead up around Black Rock. Good snapper outside on the Four Mile and the Seven Mile. No jew to speak of but there are acres of big tailor around the lighthouse and Tallow Beach. Acres of pilchards and mullet and plenty chasing them.

David Keevers, Coastal Fishing Tackle 02 66 857 133

Ballina

Bruce at Dave’s Bait Shop says bream are improving in the lower river and there are still flathead and whiting hanging around. Blackfish going very well Munsies, Porpoise Wall, The Gap and the north and south walls. A few small jew up to Wardell with bigger fish around the walls on live bait. Some tailor on most beaches and headlands. Outside for some good reef fish out wide on The 342 and The 48 but the mackerel have disappeared.
I’ve been in Brisbane most of the week but Neil at Evans Head Sports and Marine says there have been good bream and tailor on Airforce Beach, gar and bream around the walls, good flathead and whiting in the river and some good bream and tailor around Snapper Rock. Outside for some snapper and trag, nothing very big.

Dave’s Bait Shop 02 6686 2481
&
Tony Zann

t.zann@fishingmonthly.com.au

Yamba

Glen is away.

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

Coffs Harbour

Windy conditions but some mackerel still turning up in close. A number of snapper coming in from the rocks at the moment.
Estuaries fishing quite well for bream and flathead while the beaches have tailor, bream and school jew. Beach gutters near rocky outcrops or the mouths of estuaries have been the most productive.

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

South West Rocks

We have had a week of southerly winds which have made it a little uncomfortable out past the bay. I think we have all been spoilt over the last few months.
The outside scene has been fairly ordinary. Last week there were some good catches with Glenn Brown from Stuarts Point landing an 8kg spotted mackerel and an 18.5kg Spanish off Grassy. John See landed a 3.8kg trag and Bob Gardner got a few Spotties with one going 7.4kg. The charter guys are getting some kingfish around Fish Rock and around the 60-fathom mark on the bottom, and pearlies on most reefs north. Samson fish are off the wide Grassy grounds
The river is fishing OK with some good bream up to a kilo coming in. There are heaps just on legal size so when in doubt throw it back and they will be around for a lot longer. Blackfish are still only being caught in small numbers. Reports of whiting in the river, while the flathead have gone off the bite and are a little slow.
Off the rocks this week I have reports of school jew and good tailor under the Lighthouse and up to the Jail. Apart from these, bream are still available off most locations. We are all waiting for the tailor to run again in numbers, they can’t be too far away.
The beaches are very quiet at the moment with Smoky Beach producing some bream and dart with the occasional whiting. Good dart on the Gap Beach. No reports on how Back Beach is fishing but should be OK for bream up towards the wall.
There are only a few days to get your entry forms in for the Kempsey Toyota Fishing Classic on May 22 and 23. This competition is getting better each year, and so are the prizes. Forms are available from our shop, Charlie’s Corner, the Seabreeze Hotel, and the Country Club. Over $20,000 in Prizes up for grabs.

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

Port Macquarie

In the estuary, flathead numbers and quality remain solid, with most locations in the lower reaches producing well. Blackfish remain a little patchy although by all reports, the estuary is loaded with fish, with plenty more heading in from around our headlands. Once these fish begin to feed more consistently, catches should be excellent. A similar story on the bream front, with a few encouraging reports, particularly by those fishing at night. Many of the larger fish visible during the day in the clearer waters remain a little shy to traditional bait methods. In these instances, soft plastics or hard bodied lures can prove successful and may be well worth a try.
This coming dark should also see a significant increase in the action around the lower reaches. Stacks of garfish are also hanging around the back channel area for those keen to snare a great feed or some great bait.
Off the beaches, tailor remain a rather frustrating target with many pillie- and lure-tossers scratching their heads as to where the tailor have gone. Morning catches have been patchy at best and evening hauls very sparse indeed, but this will improve in the short term. Bream have begun pick up quite nicely, with catches from North and Lighthouse beaches containing some quality fish over a kilo. Again, this week will see optimum tidal conditions and a big improvement. A few school jew from North Beach and few better quality specimens around Diamond Head.
Off the rocks, tailor remain reasonable at best, with Lighthouse and Plommer producing the odd haul. I have had several reports of brief sessions being cut short by marauding bluefin but by and large the LBG addicts have enjoyed little success. Drummer remain encouraging for so early in the season, with increasing numbers of well-conditioned fish being picked up by those putting in the time. Bream numbers are continuing to improve.
Outside action remains quite reasonable with plenty of mahi still hanging around the FAD and traps. Bottom-bashers are still doing battle with fickle currents but for those persisting, good snapper and pearl perch continue to come in from the reefs of Plommer, while the flattie grounds are providing an excellent alternative for those keen on a good feed. Water temperatures remain reasonable and while the game season is drawing to a close, we have had a few reported marlin sightings for those keen on some late-season sport. Jason and Virginia Isaac, Ned Kelly’s Bait and

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

Forster

Lloyd Campbell, Great Lakes Tackle 02 6554 9541

Port Stephens

Big seas all week, howling westerly and pretty rotten.
Estuary: Jew to 12kg both sides of Middle Island on livies. Bream schooling The Boulders, a few flathead Shoal Bay, Little Beach. Blackfish to 1.5kg on co-op wall. A few bluefin blowing up in the bay.
Beaches: Travelling bream moving on Stockton Beach, jew at The Wreck, Hawks Nest Beach and Yeagon. Plenty of tailor on Box and Zenith.
Rocks: Pigs active Cemetery Point, Sunny Corner, Rocky, Boulder Bay. Bream schooling up in Skate Bay and Honeysuckle after dark. Tailor One Mile Headland.
Offshore: Snapper Little Island, Sisters, North Island, Mungo. Heaps of tailor across the front of Tomaree, still bluefin there too if you can get past the sharks – hammerheads and whalers. Flathead on the drift three miles north of Broughton. Big Chinaman jackets on The Gibber, school jew to 10kg on The 21, Inner V and The Gravel.

Graham Duffy, Salamander Bait and Tackle 02 4982 0711

Hunter Area

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

Newcastle

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

Central Coast

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

Sydney Northern

An early taste of what’s to come during the week with very nippy winds and cold, clear water making angling for any species much harder then expected. I did manage four trips during the week for not many fish and through no lack of trying. Most spots had little or no activity, even with a heavy berley trail. Bream and trevally were resident at Harbour locations as were stray larger tailor.
Pittwater mornings have been more successful than any night sorties with bream again the only semi-clean players. Morning sessions have found tailor at Mackerel Beach with the odd frigate popping up. Hoodlum kings have been sighted and targeted to no avail with all the usual methods, only one hook-up reported on a peeled prawn and light tackle. Blue swimmer crabs have gone into hiding as have squid and yakkas at night but day trips are much more successful.
Offshore conditions played up on the weekend with Saturday being the only fishable day. Yellowfin have showed up wide of the shelf and are averaging 40 kg and blue and striped marlin have been encountered in the lure spreads. With the yellowfin arrival, mako sharks aren’t too far behind. Mick from Allie Hunter Charters hooked two on Saturday, 170kg and 120kg.
Sydney Harbour is showing distinct signs of seasonal changes with most fish appetites in limbo but still plenty of fish to be caught, you just have to work harder. Harbour kings are still prevalent with most bait grounds attracting rats – keep your lures handy as hooked yakkas have been aggressively followed up, particularly around the Wedding Cakes, Dobroyd and South Head.

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

Sydney Southern

The westerly winds have created havoc in the last week for beach and rock anglers, so much so that the swell was up to about three metres, making fishing from most places on the rocks very dangerous. It would be best to wait until the swell dies back a bit and then fish in the sheltered corners of the beaches. Places to try would be Greenhills at Cronulla, Stanwell Park Beach, Maroubra and Bondi beaches at their northern ends. Those north of the Harbour you could try the beach at the entrance to Narrabeen Lakes and Palm Beach. Whiting, bream and the odd flathead can be caught during the day and at night you could try for greenback tailor, salmon and mulloway.
Once the swell has died back to where it is safe to fish off the rocks you should be able to get amongst a few drummer and bream. Best baits are royal red prawns, abalone gut, cunje and bread. You will also need to berley and bread and chicken pellets are definitely the best. Luderick are also a very good target after there has been a bit of a swell. The rocks south of Garie Beach in the Royal National Park are worth a shot. You could also try the rocks at Kurnell and at the back of the hospital in Little Bay.
If you are after bream you could try the Sow and Pigs, the markers off Shack Bay, the northern side of the Spit Bridge, Luna Park wharf on the run-in tide and Pier 1. Best baits have been bloodworms, nippers, mullet strips and chicken breast rolled in parmesan cheese.
Kingfish are still being caught by those putting in the time and effort to catch live squid. The Spit bridge, the pylons at the entrance to Rose Bay and wide of Watsons Bay wharf are good places.
The Gladesville Bridge is worth a try for bream, flathead and odd mulloway. You will need to have a bit of run in the water to get your bait more active. The fish will then belt the bait rather than pick at it.
Most of the wharfs and rocky walls in Sydney Harbour, Botany Bay and Port Hacking are still producing some very good catches of six-spined, fantail and Chinaman leatherjackets.
Scotty Lyons fished the end of the runway and Bare Island for bream, kingfish and a few flathead. The bream were caught on pink nippers, the kingies on strips of squid and the flathead were lured up on plastic shads.
The end of the third runway is also producing stud tailor after dark. Whole pilchards have been the best bait. Live yellowtail will also get you a few fish as well. Captain Cook Bridge is worth a try on the north side on a run-up tide for mulloway and bream.
There are plenty of luderick and sand whiting in Port Hacking. Places to try are the Ballast Heap, Lilli Pilli and the end of South-West Arm. Green weed or cabbage for the luderick and either blood or beach worms for the sand whiting.
When you can get out and fish the Twelve Mile and the Plonk Hole you will get morwong, Chinaman leatherjackets, snapper and kingfish. To get the best out of these places you will definitely need braided line.
The bonito have thinned out a bit but if you can get out there and troll around a few Christmas tree lures you will usually pick up enough for bait. Bream have been feeding along with tailor and snapper in some of the washes off Kurnell point. Care needs to be taken when fishing these washes from a boat. I tend to use a 3.6-metre rod and 6 to 8 kilo line on a Alvey 550 reel. You can get much more casting distance than with a threadline, especially when you don’t use much weight.
If you see cuttlefish shells in the water on the shore, you will need to gear up for snapper, which love to eat them.
Fishing classes
Classes at Mako Tackle on how, where and when to fish the waterways of Sydney from the shore and boats will run for three consecutive Tuesday nights for $80. Email me at gbrown1@iprimus.com.au or phone 0422 994 207 or next time you are passing the shop come in and book.

Mako Tackle
Gary Brown / Greg Mercedes 9600 6999

Wollongong

Lake: Bream at Mt Warrigal on hard-body lures and baits, try Mullet Creek snags with Serg lures, small minnows in pink and fire tiger. Natural colours in soft plastics have been best. Berkley boat harbour has bream on prawns and nippers off the wharf of an evening. Flathead still in the channel along with lots of luderick around the road bridge and the southern back channel.
Rocks: Drummer and bream at the southern sides of headlands including Barrack Point, Warilla, Bass Point and Kiama Blowhole. Tailor and salmon on the northern wall at Port Kembla and Hill 60.
Beaches: Whiting at Mystics and Fishos at Port Kembla. Windang has bream around 800g on mullet fillets.
Offshore: Still hordes of leatherjackets but if you get below them you’ll find sand flathead at Windang Wide and Towradgi Sands. Bellambi bombora on the west side and One Tree Reef, Wollongong, productive for mowies and snapper to 2kg.

Garth, Deans Bait and Tackle, Windang 4295 1615

Batemans Bay

Estuary: The Clyde is slowing down but the other systems seem to have a few good bream. Blackfish have been coming on from the rock walls.
Beaches and rocks: salmon and tailor everywhere along with some big yellowfin bream. The odd snapper of a morning and the occasional jew of a night.
Offshore: Water is still around 22.5° and there are still a few marlin out there. One of the charter operators picked up a few albacore in 40 fathoms, a good sign.

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

Narooma

Darryl, The Ocean Hut 4476 2278

Bermagui

Wild and woolly weather but one of the boats ventured out briefly on Thursday for one marlin but he returned by 10am. Hopefully seas will settle for the Canberra Yellowfin Tournament this weekend. Plenty of yellowfin last weekend and some good shows of marlin as well. The water is there and so are great fish but no one can get out to it.
Estuaries: Pretty much shut down apart from a few tailor and bream.
Beaches for the salmon but they’ve been a bit wild to fish.

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

Archived Weekly Reports

Year 2004 Weekly Reports
05/01/2004	09/01/2004	16/01/2004		30/1/2004
06/02/2004	13/02/2004	20/02/2004	27/02/2004
05/03/2004	12/03/2004	19/03/2004	26/3/2004
02/04/2004	08/04/2004	16/04/2004	23/04/2004	30/04/2004
07/05/2004

Year 2003 Weekly Reports

07/01/2003

10/01/2003

17/01/2003

24/01/2003

31/01/2003

07/02/2003

14/02/2003

21/02/2003

01/03/2003

07/03/2003

14/03/2003

21/03/2003

28/03/2003

04/04/2003

10/04/2003

17/04/2003

24/04/2003

02/05/2003

09/05/2003

16/05/2003

23/05/2003

30/05/2003

06/06/2003

13/06/2003

20/06/2003

27/06/2003

04/07/2003

11/07/2003

18/07/2003

25/07/2003

01/08/2003

08/08/2003

15/08/2003

22/08/2003

29/08/2003

05/09/2003

12/09/2003

19/09/2003

26/09/2003

03/10/2003

10/10/2003

17/10/2003

24/10/2003

31/10/2003

7/11/2003

14/11/2003

21/11/2003

28/11/2003

5/12/2003 12/12/2003 19/12/2003 29/12/2003

Year 2002 Weekly Reports
04/01/2002	11/01/2002	18/01/2002	25/01/2002
01/02/2002	08/02/2002	15/02/2002	22/02/2002
01/03/2002	08/03/2002	15/03/2002	22/03/2002	29/03/2002
05/04/2002	12/04/2002	19/04/2002	26/04/2002
03/05/2002	10/05/2002	17/05/2002	24/05/2002
01/06/2002	07/06/2002	14/06/2002	21/06/2002	28/06/2002
05/07/2002	12/07/2002	19/07/2002	26/07/2002
02/08/2002	09/08/2002	16/08/2002	23/08/2002	30/8/2002
06/09/2002	13 /09/2002	20/09/2002	27/09/2002
04/10/2002	11/10/2002	18/10/2002	25/10/2002
01/11/2002	8/11/2002	15/11/2002	22/11/2002	29/11/2002
06/12/2002	13/12/2002	20/12/2002		30/12/2002

Year 2001 Weekly Reports
25/1/2001
01/02/2001	08/02/2001	15/02/2001	22/02/2001
02/03/2001	09/03/2001	16/03/2001	23/03/2001	31/03/2001
6/04/2001	12/04/2001	19/04/2001	26/04/2001
3/05/2001	10/05/2001	17/05/2001	24/05/2001	31/05/2001
7/06/2001	14/06/2001	21/06/2001	28/06/2001
5/07/2001	12/07/2001	19/07/2001	26/07/2001
3/08/2001	10/08/2001	17/08/2001	24/08/2001	31/08/2001
7/09/2001	14/09/2001	21/9/2001	28/9/2001
5/10/2001	12/10/2001	19/10/2001	26/10/2001
2/11/2001	9/11/2001	16/11/2001	23/11/2001	30/11/2001
7/12/2001	14/12/2001	21/12/2001	28/12/2001