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

Tailor to 2.5kg around the cape and on Tallow Beach. Some good jew on the beaches. Good flathead around the Belongil and bream around the cape.

David Keevers, Coastal Fishing Tackle 02 66 857 133

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Mandy from Dave’s Bait Shop says there have been quite a few jew in the river at night and in the morning, mainly on soft plastics. The odd bream from the walls and beaches. A few tailor up at Broken Head. Outside for some nice snapper in close. I did hear of a sizeable red (over 6kg as I recall) taken from South Wall as well as some good jew when the big seas were on.
Not much has been happening at Evans Head, with strong winds and big seas all week making it true diehard stuff. Blackfish around the walls when the seas are rough. A few bream and flathead also in the river and there’s a chance of some bream up towards Broadwater Beach and maybe a jew. Should be a few nice reds on the close reefs when the blow settles.

Dave’s Bait Shop 02 6686 2481
&
Tony Zann

t.zann@fishingmonthly.com.au

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Big winds and equally big seas have killed the offshore fishing
obviously and this won't improve for a few days. In the 'creek' the best news is that the flathead continue, especially in or around the entrance to the Broadwater. Be aware that these fish are on the move ... all the time... one day you might think you are onto a good thing and go back the next and you might be lucky to catch a fish. This has been the norm for about four weeks now. I fished this area last Friday arvo on the last of the run out, could not find a lizard and all of a sudden we saw bait being chewed, on the electric we moved in and enjoyed some of the best bream fishing on plastics we have seen for over two years. Lasted for better than an hour, just great fun. On Monday went up there with a crew and had a great time on the making tide and the crew boated and kept 8 great lizards to 65cm. Plus a late spawning bass which went 50cm and was released immediately. On Tuesday I returned with different anglers, to the same spot, same tide and did not turn a scale. There's been a few blackfish on the T Piece on the last of the run out tide but these fish are not around in numbers. Some jew on the breakwalls due to the heavy seas which I might add has moved a shitload of surface material off both the breakwalls ( the seas I mean). Fishing is spasmodic, and I can guarantee that we will not see a blackfish season again this year, this is a disaster, there is no other way to describe it.

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

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Offshore: Nasty, windy and choppy conditions have put a dampener on fishing but the hardy souls who braved the conditions have returned with snapper to 7kg from the inshore reefs although they should tend to slow down as the cold currents have really hit the Coffs coast.
Beaches: The gutters were swamped with last week’s heavy seas but are re-forming and are turning up good salmon with the odd tailor and bream.
Estuaries: Heavy seas have pushed some fish in with good catches of blackfish and bream in the lower reaches and the odd flathead mixed in.

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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At long last we have received a decent Winter blow although what a shame we didn’t get decent rain with it. This type of blow will stir up some great angling so get out into it.
Over the past week angling has been quiet with the weather keeping most indoors. Prior to the wind kicking in, the beaches were producing a few tailor, the odd bream and school jew, along with plenty of salmon.
Estuary fishing had picked up with at last a few blackfish showing up. Pick of locations has been the South Wall but a couple of bag limits including fish over a kilo were achieved up the Maria. A few nice bream on the rising tide at night, while flathead continue on offer.
Off the rocks, tailor remained solid, particularly from ledges north, whilst a few good quality bream bit during evening sessions. During the rough stuff, Shelley Beach produced the usual run of quality blackfish for those keen to brave the worst of the conditions. If this blow doesn’t stir the drummer action it looks like 2004 may be a repeat of last year’s disaster.
Offshore remains dominated by leather jackets but numbers are down a little from the plague over recent weeks. The better fish continue to come from 80 metres and wider. Once the seas settle, look for a sharp improvement in snapper, particularly from the closer reefs off Cathie and Plommer.

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

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Offshore: The big seas of last weekend are now settling down and the coming weekend should allow most craft to safely venture to sea. Those that got out last Saturday before the big blow reported some quality snapper and pearl perch from reefs wide of Boomerang Beach and up north at Five Mile Reef. Those that went south encountered the ongoing problem with leatherjackets biting off almost everything dropped over the side. My advice, head north.
Beaches: Very little to report other than most beaches have lost a lot of sand over the last two weeks to big seas. Tides aren't perfect this weekend unless you want to fish the high just after lunch.
Rocks: Drummer, groper etc. should be at their best following those big seas. Most rock platforms should now be relatively safe over the weekend coming.
Estuary: Plenty of visiting ABT fishos on Wallis Lake this week killing time before the Manning River event this weekend. Most found the local fish happy to play, but those returning for the grand final at the end of October could find the situation a little different. Mulloway continue to be caught in good numbers from the breakwalls. The blackfish season continues to splutter along with plenty of fish in the system but most proving hard to catch.

Lloyd Campbell, Great Lakes Tackle 02 6554 9541

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Estuary: Stacks of blackfish and bream just inside the heads around the Tubes. Not much rain run-off so the racks are still good for bream. Plenty of flatties still in the upper reaches of the Karuah and Myall. Good tailor off the jetty at Shoal Bay and Little Beach late arvos.
Rocks: Snapper Fishermans, Boat Harbour, Cemetery and it’s just fishable. A few squire Boat Harbour, Sunny Corner, protected areas. Heaps of blackfish Birubi, Rocky, Boulder Bay. Big tailor on One Mile, Fingal Head.
Beaches: Plenty of bream on Stockton, stacks of salmon and tailor. Bream on One Mile next to Middle Rock. A few good tailor in Fingal Bay.
Offshore: No one’s been out much for a week but there should be snapper in close around the Sisters, Boat Harbour and Edith Breaker. Should be a few jew on the Vs and The Tank. Kingies around The Sisters on trolled baits. Gibber for trag. Plenty of flathead on the drift 40-50m wide of the lighthouse.

Graham Duffy, Salamander Bait and Tackle 02 4982 0711

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We have experienced the real strength of winter this week but from most reports the fishing options remain strong. When these large seas abate the rock fishing should only improve with many fish such as drummer, luderick, bream and snapper coming in to feed on marine life that gets washed in by the large swells.
The fishing in Lake Macquarie remains quite strong regardless of some of the publicity it is receiving with bream, whiting, squid and some far more exotic species being caught last week. Mitchell King fished the hot water outlet at Eraring with his father and brother Stephen this week and landed a great cobia on a whole pilchard while another angler caught a 3kg big eye trevally. Others have caught good bream, luderick and tailor there as well. Elsewhere, Scott Katon and Ron Ashman caught a swag of bream in a morning on soft plastics and Bill Mullins continues to catch good numbers of winter whiting (trumpeter) on live bloodworms.
Bass fishing can be a hit-or-miss affair at this time of year but effort can sometimes reap rewards with Cardiff`s Tony Swadling catching and releasing a personal best bass that measured 54cm at Lake St Clair this week using a Atomic 2.5" paddletail soft plastic.
Good luck to all local bream anglers who will be competing in the ABT BREAM at Taree this weekend.

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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This is certainly shaping up as possibly our best tuna season in 10 years but locating the yellowfin can be a nightmare and is more a case of ‘will they find you’. Matt Elkan fished with Geoff Wyett out at Browns Mountain for various hook-ups on 15kg and 24kg to boat three good ’fin to 35kg. All fish were trolled up in comfortable conditions during an afternoon session.
Mick Lyons of Allie Hunter Charters landed a 24kg albacore while cubing and hooked a client up on a decent mako using threadline gear, only to have the airborne shark come down on the leader and earn its freedom. On the way out to the shelf Mick raised a beaky in the spread that spat one of the lures – it’s the most opportune time to hook the marlin/tuna double. Mick fished the bottom in rougher conditions for tailor, slimies, morwong, flathead, snapper and small makos so the fish are there – it’s just the conditions which are making it hard work.
Sydney Harbour has been hard work after all the rain but it’ll fire up again soon and all will be back on again.
Pete from Harbour and Estuary Charters in Pittwater has water as low as 12° to 14.8° and recommends drifting some live nippers or very fresh baits around the deeper holes. With most the fresh water on the surface and the salt below, most fish are looking for depth. It’s the time of year to head for a hairtail bash. Some reports are filtering through so get your glow-sticks out, fill the live bait tank and head up the Hawkesbury.

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

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Sydney Harbour has been a bit quiet over the past week. There have been a few schools of salmon and bonito working near the entrance of Middle Harbour and North Head. Try using as small a lure as possible and you will most probably do much better than just casting out very big metal lures. If you don’t get any touches even though the fish are feeding on the surface, allow the lure to sink for a few seconds. There have been a number of kingfish feeding among the salmon.
With the cold water and big seas over the last couple of days, it could be worth targeting bream, drummer and luderick off the rocks. I have found that a couple of days after the swell has abated the fish tend to come on the chew off the rocks. Don’t forget to berley with bread.
Last Saturday would have been a great morning to be on the water but it turned very sour by lunchtime. Sunday was even worse. I did have a couple of reports from anglers who braved the weather on Sunday. Joel Roberts fished at the base of the Como Bridge for two bream but not much else and Clive Whithers cast out plastics for flathead between the groynes at Kurnell, but to no avail.
Scotty Lyons reports that the fishing his been OK in Botany Bay, but you will need to get out on the water and fish just before the sun comes up. Scott has found that the fish go off the bite due to the clarity of the water. Silver trevally and bream are worth targeting along the breakwall in Yarra Bay and at the end of the old runway. Peeled prawns, fresh squid and pink nippers are the go. Scott has had his clients spinning with plastics but has managed to pick up only a couple of flathead. Darker shades in shad patterns are working best.
The water in the Georges and Woronora rivers has been very cold and has put the fish off the bite. If I was going for a fish this weekend I would concentrate my efforts on leatherjackets and luderick. Try Cattle Duffers and Picnic Point.
Port Hacking still has plenty of squid. You need a variety of colours in your squid jigs. A place worth trying for the land-based angler is the small wharf at the end of Wonga Road in Yowie Bay.
When you can get outside for a fish, and you can get through the leatherjackets, the reefs are holding some very good patches of snapper and blue morwong. Try The Peak, the 12 Miler, The Hump and Stanwell Park wide.
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 Thursday nights for $80. next class August 5. 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 on squirtworms and bloodworms in the channel off the caravan park; plenty of blackfish near the bridge on the southern side on weed and worms. Plenty of bream in Mullet Creek and Macquarie Rivulet, plastics OK but bait better.
Beaches: Salmon and tailor on Warilla Beach on the southern end on pillies and mullet. Port Kembla Beach great for bream on mullet and worms. Corrimal Beach for tailor on pillies and metal.
Rocks: Honeycomb at Port Kembla for good blackfish with bream in close on royal reds and ab gut. Berley up with bread. Bass Point has the odd drummer but there’s not enough swell to really stir them up. Southern side near the quarry is best.
Offshore: Nice mowies on Wollongong Reef on big green prawns. Nice snapper on Bandit Reef. Close to the islands they’re getting blackfish on green weed around Rabbit Island and good bream on the seaward side of Pig Island. Smaller reds around the Church Grounds at Shellharbour. No wide reports.

Garth, Deans Bait and Tackle, Windang 4295 1615

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Offshore: Still plenty of snapper with a lot of salmon, trevally and tailor.
Rocks: Heaps of pike for live bait and some jewies eating them. Snapper also turning up along with the salmon.
Beaches: Plenty of bream in the corners against the rocks, plenty of salmon and tailor in the washes.
Estuaries: Most are fairly quiet and the water is cold but there are good trevally in the Moruya River, some bream and estuary perch in Tuross Lake. Some big flatties in the Clyde.

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

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Pretty closed down but mowies and snapper offshore. Water is around 14° or less.
Beaches for a few salmon and tailor and groper and drummer from the rocks.
Estuary is pretty slow – you can see lots of fish in icy, crystal-clear water but you’ll have to work hard for them. Bega River has been fishing a little better and Coila Creek has a few bream on hardbodies.

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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