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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Outside: A few snapper still being caught outside this week and good-size jew being taken out wide. Lots of tailor being trolled up around Seagull Rocks.
Rock & Beach: Big bream around the South Brunswick Wall and tonnes of mullet coming in and out of the river must mean that there jewies hanging around. Apart from that, things are quiet.
River: A few nice whiting being caught but all of them are well up-river. Some really good flatties up to 4kg have been taken this week.

Craig Wraight
BP Discount Fishing Tackle, Brunswick Heads
ausie_28_red@yahoo.com.au
Phone (02) 66851268

No current on the Four Mile with snapper and pearlies going well. Heaps of bait schools, big yakkas and big blue pillies. Good-sized tailor and jew around.
Broken Head has some nice bream and tailor. Big whiting persisting on the beaches, mainly around the Belongil and Grays Lane, where there are also bream and tailor.

David Keevers, Coastal Fishing Tackle 02 66 857 133

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Bruce from Dave’s Bait Shop says bream are slowly improving through the river, especially at night along the Porpoise Wall. Flathead hanging on reasonably well. Blackfish the big movers around the Porpoise Wall, the ferry and Prospect Bridge. Some decent jew through the lower river on livies and soft plastics. Also jew around Wardell bridge.
A southerly poking up so there should be some good bream and tailor in the washes around the walls. Some tailor to 3kg kicking around.
Outside was fishing well for snapper and mixed reefies on the wider reefs with the odd squire on the close reefs.
At Evans Head it’s been the calm before the storm, the storm being the Evans Head Classic which begins today (Jul 9) and runs for eight days. Unless you’re a competitor I suggest you give the place a wide berth – unless you like sharing the water with around 800 anglers! Not much to report on the crappy neap tides late in the week but some nice school jew were caught from Airforce Beach to Broadwater Beach last weekend and earlier in the week, along with some encouraging catches of snapper and jew from the inshore reefs, along with a few cobia. Tailor have been pretty quiet around the rocks but I reckon if you’re game enough to fish the night high tide in the wee hours you’d pick up a greenback or two on cut baits or gar and maybe a jew.
Patchy blackfish in clear water around the walls, bream at night and some very nervous flathead in the river about to get the kitchen sink thrown at them!

Dave’s Bait Shop 02 6686 2481
&
Tony Zann

t.zann@fishingmonthly.com.au

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Fishing is quiet. Tailor are scarce, bream and blackfish in the estuary are also very quiet. There are a few lizards around but they seem to have dropped off, too. Not a good report for anglers but everyone that I have spoken to this week gives the same reply ... this is not a good sign... it must get better.
There have, however, been some quality jew on the Yamba breakwall and a few very small schools of blackfish have been sighted out there, too. Haven't heard any encouraging reports from offshore.

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

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Very cold water creeping up the coast is keeping the salmon supply plentiful. Good tailor with the odd bream turning up in the beach gutters with good bream and luderick moving into the estuaries. Flathead a bit quiet but you’ll find them with perseverance.
Offshore conditions are very sloppy with strong westerlies but the inshore reefs are turning up some nice snapper and usual reef fare.

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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What would we give for a dose of really crook weather and a bucketload of rain!
This past week, and for that matter, the vast majority of the 2004 Winter, has seen anglers doing it fairly tough with most putting in plenty of effort for generally below-par results. I have heard numerous long-term fishos proclaim this as the poorest season they can recall for beach, rock and estuary angling. While many have come up with theories why this year has not produced, the answer is simply: drought on the land, drought in the sea. Until we do receive a decent drop of rain, it looks like anglers will just have to refine their skills and chase a little harder.
Off the beaches, tailor have been reasonable with North Haven and around Lake Cathie producing a few solid fish to over a kilo, with best results just on, or after, dark. Bream remain sparse at best. A few solid mulloway have been snared, with tailor proving more effective bait than worms for a change. Good numbers of salmon are still on offer although the average size is a little down on past years. Strange as it may sound, this is a positive sign for this species. When netting ceased on the South Coast several years ago, the following seasons saw only the better fish travel this far up the coast but we are now seeing more and more juvenile fish making the trek. I’m also led to believe the smaller specimens make far better table fare than the 3kg-plus models.
Off the rocks, tailor remain reasonable while the odd bream has been extracted during dawn sessions. Blackfish remain a viable option for those floating a piece of cabbage. Little to report locally of drummer but Diamond Head and Hat Head have been producing the odd flurry of activity.
In the estuary, blackfish remain inconsistent but the odd encouraging report has been filed from locations not generally fished. Flathead continue to be solid for this time of year, with the quality of the fish excellent. Bream remain elusive with the water so clear but should prove a viable night time target during the upcoming dark. The crabs appear to have bundied off for a while, with the cooler water seeing the solid late-season action come to a grinding halt.
Offshore results continue to be dominated by leatherjackets, particularly for those venturing out to around 80 metres. Make sure you have plenty of wire on board. In closer, a few nice snapper and pearl perch continue to be on offer, with several fish to around 4kg over the past week and one delighted angler bagging an 8kg red last weekend. Great to see the pearlies becoming a regular feature of ice boxes, regardless of whether you have the capability to fish wide or close.

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

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Offshore: At this time of year we should start to think about yellowfin out wide. While they are yet to show, commercial boats are reporting southern bluefin off our section of coast. On one shot a commercial tuna boat caught mahi mahi and southern bluefin in the same waters – go figure! Closer in reports of trag in excess of 5kg keep coming in. Medium sized reds are also common. Leatherjackets remain a problem.
Beaches: Seven Mile Beach struggles to produce the best of the bream and tailor fishing. Big salmon are common, particularly on beaches to our south. A run of small mulloway is under way.
Rocks: Small kingfish are still being caught around Charlotte Head. The drummer fishing is as good as it gets. The best of the blackfish remain outside the estuary and are commonly being caught from rock platforms.
Estuary: Mulloway have been regularly taken from the breakwalls with Storm Shads in the Bluegill pattern the preferred weapon. Very clean water continues to make bait and lure fishing a challenge. Last weekend I ventured well up our river systems and found quality bream happy to take plastics. A 2” Atomic Fat Grub in brown crawdad/gold outfished everything – yes, even Berkley Power Minnows.

Lloyd Campbell, Great Lakes Tackle 02 6554 9541

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Bit of rain brought the temperature up but now the wind has kicked in and it’s cool again.
Estuary: bream off the racks at Soldiers point, blackfish on the breakwalls. Tailor off most of the inside beaches and rocks at dawn and dusk. Trumpeter whiting pretty solid throughout the port.
Beaches: Stockton down 5km and to the wreck for good bream. Salmon everywhere with some tailor as well. Jew off Samurai.
Rocks: Fishermans, Boat Harbour for good squire and reds up to 7kg. Blackfish of Rocky and Bribie, tailor off most headlands.
Outside: Snapper in the shallows around Broughton, in the washes around Little Island, Cabbage Tree. Kingies at East Head at Broughton, tailor around all the islands, off Fingal especially. Flathead on the drift over Gunsight.

Graham Duffy, Salamander Bait and Tackle 02 4982 0711

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

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Many species eased back off the bite throughout the week, possibly due to water temperature, clarity or even the Annual Fish Outta Water Shimano Stocktake Clearance Sale – even fish love a bargain.
Conditions offshore were quite average over the week. Mick Lyons of Allie Hunter Charters reports yellowfin captures to Sydney game boats Gambit and Ambition. The fin averaged 40kg with Ambition landing a 60kg. Both boats fished Browns Mountain on the shelf. The bottom-bashing brigade hauled trevally, morwong, leatherjackets and tailor from Long Reef to the 12 Mile. Some very good size blue eye cod and gemfish have been caught from the deeper water out wide as well.
Pete from Harbour and Estuary Charters in Pittwater says john dory are around most boat moorings and certainly worth having a slow-moving live bait in the water. Tailor schools are patchy and occasionally stay deep for hours – just watch for the birds.

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

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The weather may have been great in the early part of the week but the fishing in Botany Bay has been extremely hard. I was out last Monday on Botany Bay with a mate and his neighbour and we tried every trick in the book. We had pink nippers, chicken in parmesan cheese, fresh mullet, live squid, pilchards, salted bonito and Hawkesbury prawns. The fish that we did catch (two bream, one flathead, one kingfish and five squid) where caught before 10am. We then made a joint decision to go and have a look outside, as Adam had been out on Saturday and lured up a few salmon. We ended up catching 20 salmon and one lone bonito, which was released, along with 10 of the salmon. There were at least five schools as big as footy fields working between the headlands off Maroubra Beach.
Scotty Lyons fished Botany Bay on Tuesday with a group of clients and he also struck it very hard. Scott’s group caught a few silver trevally, a couple of bream, three flathead and one kingfish. Best places to go have been Bare Island and the oil wharf on the run-out, Towra Point at the top of the tide and the middle of the bay for bream on the run-up tide.
On Wednesday Scott ventured south of the entrance to Botany Bay and managed six bonito, five undersized kingfish, a few small trevally and a bucketload of Chinaman leatherjackets.
The Georges River has been fishing much better than the Bay over the last week. George Peters fished off the southern side of the Como Bridge on the run-up tide early on Sunday for five bream, two flathead and seven whiting on bloodworms or chicken in parmesan cheese. If you haven’t tried the chicken in parmesan, you are definitely missing out on a great bait. If you would like to know how to prepare it could send me an email.
I was talking to a couple of guys who regularly fishing both the Woronora and Hacking rivers for luderick. They said there were plenty in the Woronora River but it was very hard to catch any in the Hacking, even though there were plenty to be seen. I suggested that they try using some cabbage from the ocean rocks, as this does make the difference sometimes.
Sand whiting and bream are worth a try in the South West Arm of Port Hacking. Anchor up, berley and fish as light as possible.
A couple of weeks ago I had the opportunity to fish with Matt from Top Spin Sports Fishing Charters in Berowra Waters. Matt wanted to show me some places he takes clients to chase bream, flathead and mulloway. Even though Matt has been running his charters for only a short time he has a wealth of knowledge for those who would like to learn more about fishing with soft and hard lures. Check out www.topspinsportfishing.com.au.
Sydney Harbour is worth a try for bream, silver trevally and luderick on the out-going tide at Sow and Pigs. Best baits have been fillets of pilchards, pink nippers and strips of yellowtail or mullet. For the luderick get fresh green weed or some cabbage off the ocean rocks. John Rose caught three john dory while fishing with live mados near the marina in North Harbour, then moved to the deep water of Clifton Gardens to get one more.
At Goat Island it is worth casting a few plastics around for bream but you will need to keep an eye on the boat traffic.
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

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Lake: Whiting in the channel going well under the road bridge and on the foreshore towards the entrance on worms and nippers. Bream around the channel markers on plastics and bait. Try Mt Warrigal and Hooker Creek also for bream. Bowling club wall for blackfish on weed.
Beaches: Windang South, Warilla and Coniston for flathead on pilchards. South Shellharbour and Seven Mile at Gerroa for tailor and salmon.
Rocks: Northern sides of headlands preferred; try Windang Island, Hill 60 and Bellambi Point for drummer and bream.
Offshore: Snapper increasing on the shallower reefs. Use squid and pillies. Flathead drifts on Minnamurra and Towradgi.

Garth, Deans Bait and Tackle, Windang 4295 1615

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Outside: The water is down to 13.5° with visibility to 11 metres and it’s hard to catch fish. Salmon and the odd snapper being caught. Down around Malua Bay and towards Moruya there are plenty of salmon off the beaches. Off the rocks there are plenty of pigs but they’re hard to find because there are so few washes in the calm water. Blackfish and a lot of bream are working around the rocks in big numbers. Plenty of squid getting about so it’s a good time to stock up for the snapper season.
River is quiet apart from the odd school jew.

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

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Offshore: A few snapper and mowies with the occasional flathead.
Estuaries fishing quite well, Bega River and the inlet both producing. Big flathead in the inlet along with good tailor.
Tailor, drummer and groper off the rocks and a lot of salmon on the beaches. Estuary 16.5° at the front and 17.5° up the inlet.

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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