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

Top

Gone a bit quiet because it’s too calm and too clear. Still one or two big tailor and a few choppers, mostly at night. Good pearlies and snapper on the Four and the Nine Mile. The usual whiting and lots of fairly big dart from the beaches but they’ve been netting quite extensively. Lot of big blackfish around Lennox and Boulder Beach.

David Keevers, Coastal Fishing Tackle 02 66 857 133

Top

Matt at Dave’s Bait shop reports tailor of good size on most headlands and beaches with thick schools of frogmouth pilchards around Angels Beach worth a throw into with a lure, pilchard or gar. School jew in the river and around the walls, try squid, fresh occy or live bait. Bream improving in the river with some decent sized fish. Top end of North creek for some good mud crabs. Blackfish around Munsies and the Porpoise Wall. Not many outside reports but a few snapper on The 32-fathom mark.
At Evans Head we had a good run of tailor earlier in the week with Brad Tunsted scoring greenbacks to a whopping 5.6kg on poppers and a few schools of average choppers also doing their thing. The headlands and beaches have tailor working the schools of frogmouth pilchards. Some bream on the beaches with a run of whiting near the surf club as well on live worms. River is very clear but a few flathead and the odd whiting around on the low tide. Not much in the way of offshore reports but a few squire, trag and the odd cobia turning up.

Dave’s Bait Shop 02 6686 2481
&
Tony Zann

t.zann@fishingmonthly.com.au

Top

Glen is away.

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

Top

Excellent run of jewfish, tailor and bream along most beach gutters, with the northern beaches the pick (mainly because the netters can’t get on!). Jew to 19kg and bream to a kilo. Big tailor turning up in the gutters, especially those with rocky outcrops with fish to 4kg landed.
Offshore: Still quite a few spotties around with fish to 12kg very worthwhile. Plagues of undersize snapper but the odd good red.
Estuaries: A little quiet but things should change in that direction soon. A few luderick heading back into the rivers.

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

Top

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

Top

Off the beaches, tailor numbers have been excellent although in the main, the quality to date is more like the annual Christmas run with few fish above chopper size. Most beaches have been fishing well although the northern half of Lighthouse has been the most consistent. On the bream front, unfortunately very little to report to although the odd quality fish has been extracted from Lighthouse and North beaches. Looks like we may experience a late run of Winter fish similar to 2002. Mulloway have been a little quiet despite the amount of food available in the form of tailor and whitebait, but a few schoolies have been snared from North Beach over the top of the tide. A few salmon have also begun to show, no real numbers yet.
Off the rocks, tailor remain excellent with a few better quality fish. The Mid North Coast rock and beach championships last weekend saw several good fish brought to scale, including a couple around 3.5 kilos. Bream remain a little scarce but the odd few at Point Plommer. Drummer remain a little quiet although a few reasonable pigs have begun to show around Point Perpendicular and Lewis’s at Laurieton. Good numbers of blackfish remain a great alternative for those keen to throw a float from stones.
In the estuaries, bream numbers remain quite good indicating most fish have yet to leave for their Winter trip. Good reports have been received from Limeburners and Rawdon Island, with lures and baits doing well. Flathead numbers have remained reasonable with both the South and Coal walls producing fish, with whitebait and small blue pillies the baits of choice. Great reports on blackfish, with catches beginning to become a little more consistent and the upper reaches on the Maria and Limeburners reported to contain stacks of fish. Good numbers of garfish remain all around Pelican Island for anyone keen on some light line fun.
Plenty of muddies still available for those keen on working a trap or dillies. We have had several good reports from most usual locations, with one keen crabber calling the past few weeks the period he has seen for many years.
Offshore reports have been a little quiet but mahi mahi remain in excellent numbers for anyone throwing a lure or bait at any of the local traps or FADs. There haven’t been too many horses but the numbers have been as good as for some time, with most anglers having a ball on light to medium tackle. For bottom bashers, good numbers of snapper, pearl perch and small kings have been taken off Plommer, although we are hearing increased reports of leatherjackets from a few frustrated anglers who are yet to stock the boat with adequate supplies of wire and long shank hooks.

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

Top

Offshore: Reef fishing has slowed from the highs of previous months. Chinamen leatherjackets are in large numbers on reefs to our north and continue to bite off those targeting snapper, etc. Mac tuna are reasonably common in all areas. A few decent kingfish have been reported in the Seal Rocks area. Tailor are in big numbers on close inshore reefs.
Beaches: They have been slow to arrive, but quality tailor have showed up over the last week. Beaches to our south have out-fished those to the north. Salmon are becoming a regular by-catch for the tailor fishos. School mulloway are in big numbers just after dark.
Rocks: It was a secret, but the northern bluefin tuna have made an appearance, albeit a late one. Bream, tailor and drummer are in good numbers off the rocks and this represents the best fishing on offer at the moment.
Estuary: The last two weekends have seen the bream competition circuit do us over with two events. The bream are slowly recovering and will welcome recreational anglers this weekend. Mulloway have been on the chew off the Tuncurry Breakwall, as have the sharks after dark.

Lloyd Campbell, Great Lakes Tackle 02 6554 9541

Top

Estuary: Bream schooling up at the Boulders, Rocks Awash, Co op Wall, Anchorage Wall. Flathead in the back reaches of Karuah River and Tilligerry Creek. Jew Middle Island, Salamander wreck, Karuah bridge. Squid on the moorings and jetties in Shoal Bay and Little Beach. Blackfish Co-op wall, Tomaree at the Tubes and the Tomaree jetty.
Rocks: Tailor One Mile, Cemetery, Fingal Head. Pigs Boat Harbour, Rocky Honeysuckle. A few bluefin Tomaree and One Mile. Bream schooling up in the Grit Hole at Fingal, Skate Bay, Rocky.
Beaches: Plenty of tailor and salmon on Stockton. Travelling bream Stockton, One Mile, Fingal.
Offshore: Snapper in the Broughton shallows, Sisters, North Island and in the washes on Looking Glass, Cabbage Tree and Little Island. Stacks of flathead in 40-45 metres straight out the front. Blue morwong Uralla, The Tank. Trag on The Gibber, Uralla. Still mahi mahi on the FAD and the traps off Boulder Bay

Graham Duffy, Salamander Bait and Tackle 02 4982 0711

Top

With strong winds and a big swell running last weekend most anglers were restricted to the sheltered areas with Sunday offering the best opportunity to venture offshore. Many who have fished south from Swansea this week have found good numbers of small flathead and morwong as well as squire with whole bottle squid the preferred bait. Others who trolled feathers or metal lures were catching salmon, bonito and some large tailor. Better offshore catches are coming from Port Stephens with reports of snapper, mulloway and teraglin off Broughton Island. Let’s hope that the yellowfin tuna action which has been experienced off the southern Sydney canyons last week makes its way north so locals can try their luck.
In Lake Macquarie reports of good catches of bream, flathead and whiting from most points south of Valentine. The lake is very clear at the moment making lure-fishing for bream more difficult due to spooking fish. Most of the large flathead are being caught around the deeper points of the Belmont Bay to Green Point area on soft plastic lures or the popular whitebait and frogmouthed pilchards. Swansea Channel is offering good bream, whiting and tarwhine action with Salts Bay the most productive and catches of garfish are coming from near the island. It won’t be long before the luderick fishing should kick in with spots like Lucy`s Wall on the southern side of the Swansea very productive when weed can be found.
A new local charter operation has just begun with accomplished angler and experienced skipper Trevor Notley launching his new trailerable seven-metre aluminium boat last month. Sandy Bottom Boat Charters offers offshore and estuary fishing or cruising trips from Newcastle, Port Stephens or Lake Macquarie with all tackle, bait and lunch provided and for more information contact Trevor on 49570400 or 0412 317630.
If you have ever wanted to compete in a catch-and-release bream competition using only lures or flies, or learn what others are using, attend the free information night at Tacklepower Charlestown on Monday, May 31 from 6pm. With the Tacklpower Bream Pro being held on Lake Macquarie in mid-June, this night has been arranged by NSW Pro Bream to assist in informing potential competition anglers of previous successful techniques, areas, and tackle. Call the store on 4943 8780 to register your interest.
The second round of the Pro Bream competition was held at Foster last weekend with over 180 bream caught by 78 anglers. Local angler Russell Baberkuhl with 6 bream for 4.75kg received over $500 worth of cash and prizes for his first place and the largest fish was caught by Scott Lear of Wollongong with a 1.76kg monster. Well done also to Team Tacklepower which won the champion team award and, yes, I’m buying the carton for this achievement.

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

Top

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

Top

The late run of fine autumn weather continues to tempt anglers out on to the water, but as good as the weather has been for fishing, we badly need rain.
The water in all the estuaries is gin-clear and making it very hard to catch fish. With the westerly winds starting to kick in this will make it even more difficult to catch a feed.
Brisbane Water is producing some good quality blackfish in Erina Creek and Narrara Creek on the run-out tides but finding good green weed for bait has been a real problem. Down around Davistown, the blackfish have also been on the chew in Linton Channel. Blue swimmer crabs are still about, biting best up the Gosford end of the system at first light on mullet baits.
Some good size tailor have started to come into the main channel at The Rip Bridge on the run-out tide late in the afternoon.
Offshore fishing is suffering from the clear water as well but some good size reds have been taken out on the deep reefs this week. The water temperature is still holding at 20° and flathead, bream and those huge leatherjackets are biting on the shallow reefs south of Broken Bay. The good run of perch has come to an end with only small fish biting out on the 90-metre mark.
Rock fishos have found the going very tough this week with only the odd tailor and salmon falling to ganged pilchards fished late into the afternoon. Several small jewfish have been caught from Wamberal Beach this week. Mullet or fresh tailor fillets are the preferred baits, fished about 2 hours after dark, if you can stand the cold.

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

Top

A decrease in wind during the week, coinciding with some warmer sunshine caused a few species to shed last week’s frozen state and pursue a feed. Rock fishing awoke from the dead, providing good fishing with decent numbers and species. Louise Classon fished The Edge, chasing luderick in the wash, her largest fish was a kilo and she got 10 all up. Ernie Wilson landed salmon and flathead while Dave Pennings hooked 14 bream in the wash on very lightly or unweighted baits.
Offshore reports gathered more yellowfin momentum with hook-ups and sightings coming from beyond the shelf with 40kg being the average weight. Trolling and cubing were the preferred methods. Mick Lyons reports plenty of plate-sized snapper, morwong and flathead in 60m off Bondi with an abundance of extra-large leatherjackets to 70cm accepting all baits, with wire trace an absolute necessity.
Des from Hookem Cookem says South Head has salmon and trevally with slimies scattered throughout – lures, bait and fly are all working and even ganged hooks and pillies are accounting for plenty, which is most unusual this early in the season for these fussy pre-winter species. The yellow marker buoy inside North Head has provided rat kings and john dory for his clients but live bait catching can be quite frustrating. For a more casual approach grab your lightest lure stick and your favourite bream and flatty lures and head down to Bantry Bay in Middle Harbour. FOW staffer Bryan Lynch landed tailor and flathead during a morning session on Monday.
Pete from Harbour & Estuary Charters in Pittwater recommends Smiths Creek up in Cowan for a feed of bream or try Flint and Steel reef for big tailor and the odd salmon. Water temps have increased 1°-2º after last week’s major decline and a bit more sunshine with the upcoming big tides might just bring a bit more action our way.

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

Top

Mako Tackle
Gary Brown / Greg Mercedes 9600 6999

Top

Garth, Deans Bait and Tackle, Windang 4295 1615

Top

A few blackfish off the rock wall and a lot of salmon on most of the beaches. A few snapper around North Head and Durras.

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

Top

Estuary fishing well for tailor, bream and they’re still getting jewies.
Beaches for jewfish, salmon, tailor and bream.
Offshore: Good kings to 15kg at the island on jigs. Yellowfin, albacore and marlin still knocking around.

Darryl, The Ocean Hut 4476 2278

Top

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

Top