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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NO REPORT

Joe
BP Discount Fishing Tackle Brunswick Heads (02) 66851268
brunswick-fishing@netspace.net.au

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Blowing its head off but there are some good tailor on Seven Mile and around Broken Head; also some lingering salmon. Quite a few jew around 10 on big soft lures under the lighthouse and down Seven Mile way. Big trevally around the Wire under the lighthouse. Heaps of blue pillies in the water. Some bream, flathead and nice whiting from most beaches.
Nobody’s been getting outside because of the northerlies.

David Keevers, Coastal Fishing Tackle (02) 6685 7133

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Bruce at Dave’s Bait Shop says whiting are the biog movers, coming on nicely in the clear conditions on bloodworms, especially at night. Flathead getting bigger and still plenty of smaller males around a kilo for a feed. Mud crabs coming on thick and fast but no sign of blue swimmers yet. Up towards Pimlico and Wardell for school jew to 5kg.

Beaches for whiting and dart with the odd stray tailor and salmon.

Offshore: A few snapper and mixed reefies on the wider grounds but that looks out of the question with the winds.

At Evans Head it’s been blowing strongly onshore for most of the week so any action at all has been very early in the day. Some quality whiting on Airforce and Chinamans beaches and a few showing in the river, along with some fair flathead. Offshore hasn’t worked out and it probably won’t this weekend, except maybe on Sunday with a huge amount of luck.

Dave’s Bait Shop (02) 6686 2481
&
Tony Zann

t.zann@fishingmonthly.com.au

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NO REPORT

Paul Kneller
Big River Bait and Tackle, Maclean (02) 6645 1834

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Excellent snapper in very shallow water. Water temp is around 22°.
Lower estuaries fishing well for small flathead as they wait for the females. Reasonable bream also in lower creeks.
Beach gutters are slowing down as the rising water temp is sending the salmon home.

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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In the estuary, flathead continue to improve daily with reasonable numbers of fish beginning to show up from most locations. This trend will continue over the coming weeks as the water warms, and the food and the flatties become more active. This is also when the big breeding female fish inundate the lower reaches. Remember, while a big flattie may appear a trophy specimen, the eating quality of fish over 2 kilos is poor to say the least. All flatties of this size and larger are female and the loss of breeding potential when these fish are removed is significant. With the Hastings now a Recreational Fishing Area, the future of this, and for that matter many species, rests solely in the hands of amateurs.

Also in the estuary, some reasonable whiting are beginning to show up at several locations downstream of the Dennis Bridge, with live worms and yabbies by far the best baits. Bream remain quiet. Best results in the clearer conditions continue to be achieved with soft plastics and hard-bodied lures. We have also heard of a few flounder, which further indicates the summer season is now under way. Blackfish continue to be quiet with even the keenest exponent having to really work for average results.

On the beaches, red weed remains an issue and I wouldn’t be surprised to see it get a whole lot worse before it gets better. Some nice bream over a kilo have been taken although not in big numbers, together with an increasing few whiting. The trick is to find a place where the weed isn’t. Tailor remain elusive at best but it shouldn’t be too long before the summer run of choppers begins. Plenty of salmon still about providing top sport fishing. Love them or hate them, there is no denying that the big salmon provide a great battle. School jew remain a viable option for night anglers but stingrays and other assorted vermin are beginning to reappear.

Off the rocks, tailor remain quiet although a few fish have been snared on daylight. A few bream have been extracted around Plommer, with John and Michael O’Brien getting some quality fish last weekend. Drummer continue to be quiet but a few anglers continue to manage a fish or two each outing. Also off the rocks, some good groper continue to be taken, with Point Perpendicular and Diamond Head producing.

This past week’s erratic weather has made offshore access awkward, with quite a few days of unviable conditions. Snapper continue to fire quite well, mixed with increased numbers of sweep and other assorted reef species. Ocean Star has continued to find the snapper, with fish plenty of quality fish to around 4 kilos. John also mentioned there is a mile of juvenile kingfish around. Water remains a tad cool around 17° to 18° and pelagic activity is minimal. The NSW Fisheries FAD continues to hold mahi mahi.

Jason and Virginia Isaac, Ned Kelly’s Bait and Tackle 6583 8318

cjisaac@ozemail.com.au

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Offshore: Catch of the week goes to Greg, who was trolling a Raider just off Latitude Rock and caught an 8kg Yellowfin Tuna. Who says you have to go to the shelf? The reefs, particularly those wide of Seven Mile Beach, are fishing well for snapper according to Justin from Ocean Quest Charters. A drift over The Pinnacle will guarantee a few small kingfish.

Beaches: Whiting are being reported in increasing numbers from most beaches. Salmon are still being caught in the Seal Rocks area.

Rocks: Reports from the rocks have been few and far between, no doubt in part because of the recent weather. Unusually large numbers of big bream are said to still be around.

Estuary: Late last week, just after the full moon, we had quite a bit of mulloway action from the breakwalls. This has now slowed, which seems out of character considering the recent rain has coloured the lake on the run-out tide. These conditions would normally see the mulloway biting their heads off. Despite this we have a prawn dark starting at the end of the week which should see the estuary fishing well. Plenty of holiday makers have enjoyed reasonable bream, whiting and flathead fishing.

Lloyd Campbell, Great Lakes Tackle 02 6554 9541

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Estuary: Trumpeter whiting throughout the bay. Bream on the breakwalls, racks and snags. Flathead moving down from the upper reaches. Mud crabs also starting to get about.
Rocks, beaches: Salmon everywhere. Bream along Stockton, school jew on Stockton about 8km down. Squire on Boat Harbour rocks, tailor from most headlands. Squid in the calmer bays.
Offshore: Blowing now but there were squire inn the shallows around Broughton Island, squire and bream around Cabbage Tree, flathead over the gravel and trag on the Gibber. Kings around the islands and Fingal light.

Graham Duffy, Salamander Bait and Tackle 02 4982 0711

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With the strong winds, rain and large seas last weekend most angling was restricted to the enclosed waterways with rock, beach and offshore anglers disappointed. Lake Macquarie has seen a huge increase in boat traffic over the past week and from most reports the fishing has been patchy. Flathead, bream and some big sand whiting have made up most of the catches with some large flathead falling to mullet strips and whitebait near the islands of the channel. Bream and whiting were caught on live bloodworms. Once the sea settles the squid should continue from the entrance to Swansea Channel and the hot luderick bite from Lucys Wall has not slowed.

The best of the local fishing remains in Newcastle Harbour and the arms of the Hunter River with excellent catches of quality bream and flathead coming from Fullerton Cove on soft plastics and live bloodworms. Chris Russell and Grant Mackenzie fished upstream of the Stockton Bridge and caught bream and flathead from the rock walls and oyster leases of the cove using Berkley Minnows and Squidgies. Apparently Macca gave his mate a fishing lesson. Others using prawns caught bream throughout the river with some fish to 1.5kg coming from the Hexham area.

The Glenbawn Classic went ahead despite the rain with a reduced number of nearly 190 anglers from all over NSW competing for a large pool of prizes. Over 130 bass, 65 golden perch , silver perch and catfish were presented for measuring, then released to fight again. Male champion angler was Lindsay Ward of Muswellbrook, female champion was Dianne Scarlett of Yass ,junior champion went to Dylan Ward of Muswellbrook and the Muswellbrook team Hard to Beat proved that way to win the teams championship. If you have ever wanted to compete in a catch-and-release lure and fly only bass competition then register for the Glenbawn round with NSW Pro Bass tournament director Chris Craig.

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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I went bottom-fishing off Terrigal on Tuesday in 80m for squire, mowies and assorted other stuff. Later one of us caught a 70cm jewie. Later inshore we saw Dean Hayes catch a john dory.

Wamberal Lagoon is open now and heaps of bream have been moving into the normally landlocked waterway. There was some fantastic fishing during the week. Old guys were catching 40 or 50 and taking them all home – and they’ll be the first ones to complain next year. All the young guys are chucking them back so the old dudes sitting on their buckets can get them. They’re the same old codgers every year and they don’t give a stuff abut bag limits.

A few flatties showing around Brisbane Water with Half Tide Rocks the pick of the spots.

Joel

Freddys Fishing World (02) 4367 5555
Shop 1/ 229 The Entrance Rd Erina

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One solid day of heavy rain over last weekend was enough to bring a few fish on the bite and stir things up a bit. The rather large swell that coincided made offshore fishing hard work but plenty of guys did well in closer on the local reefs. John Newlands hooked reds to 2kg at Long Reef. Trevally of similar size and morwong were plentiful, with pillies the bait of choice. Andrew Parkes fished 1.5km off Bluefish Point on Tuesday for trevally, morwong and nannygai. Nearer the stones he found a massive john dory taking a livie and plenty of rat kings, just undersize.

Those Harbour salmon copped a thrashing over the long weekend and are the most boat-shy I’ve ever seen. The existing schools are rapidly diminishing in size due to the ‘drive-over factor’. Some big squid are still being caught, and yakkas are still obtainable in the deeper locations.

Up the other end of town, Pittwater charter specialist Pete Le Blang says a pod of dolphins is nightmaring the local salmon schools behind Lion Island, creating plenty of on-edge fish, including some larger tailor beneath the surface. A 2° water temperature incline earlier in the week has flounder taking baits drifted around Barrenjoey on the flats and some super big squid are still accepting jigs cast over the weed beds. Pete has sighted some hoodlum kings at various spots. They’re not quite on the eager chew as yet but it won’t be long.

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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Lake: Still plenty of flathead near the entrance on prawns and whitebait. Nice bream around the bridge pylons on peeled prawns. Garfish near the caravan park on bread or worms. Good flathead around Primbee on big lures.

Beaches: Plenty of salmon and some tailor, try the Windang Surf Club and Warilla Beach with 40g metal lures. They’re also falling to live yakkas off the island. The rain has stirred the water up with good bream at Beakie Bay on royal reds. Blackfish near Port Kembla Hill 60 on cabbage, and weed if you can find it.

Offshore: Consistent mowies on Wollongong Reef, with squire on Bandit and the Church Grounds at Bass Point. Out wide for makos. Water is starting to warm.

Garth, Deans Bait and Tackle, Windang 4295 1615

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Beaches: Bream and flathead are biting well on most of the beaches with the odd whiting and luderick showing up. It’s worth a trip down to the beach with a few lures in the arvo after work – I’ve been catching anything from two to 20 flathead including a couple of 60cm models. With the odd bream and luderick making up the by-catch, it makes for a good afternoon.

Rivers: The Clyde is coming back with estuary perch up the back of the river and in the afternoon you can see hundreds of these rising to the surface to slurp insects off the top. It’s a great time for surface poppers and while these aren’t the biggest of perch, they’re great fun on the surface. The bream are also starting to move through the river, mainly around the entrance and the racks still. There have also been quite a few tailor in the river and the odd salmon under the bridge.

Speaking of salmon, the Moruya River still has big schools but you have to work for them. Don’t just try two or three lures and decide the fish are impossible to catch. It could take five minutes or 30 minutes to crack the code but once you do, you’ll hook up on every cast.

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

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Offshore: Albacore still going well and the bottom is good for snapper, mowies, splendid perch and longfinned perch, with good catches of all of them.

Estuary is fishing well for pretty much everything, flatties kicked on bream going well, salmon, tailor, whiting, trevally. Not much in the channel yet but it shouldn’t be long.

Beaches for salmon, tailor, whiting and bream.

Darryl, The Ocean Hut (02) 4476 2278

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Darren Redman and Mark Rose,
Bermagui Ocean Hut and Charter Booking Service, (02) 6493 4688

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