Fishing Monthly - Latest Fishing Reports - Updated Weekly

Fishing Monthly - Latest Fishing Reports - Updated Weekly

These reports are updated weekly.
Last Edited: Friday, 5 August 2005

Quick Jump Links:
Byron Bay, Ballina, Yamba, Coffs Harbour.
South West Rocks, Port Macquarie,
Forster, Port Stephens, Hunter Area,
Newcastle, Central Coast, Sydney Northern.
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

Beaches: Lot of tailor around Cabarita, Hastings Point and Kingscliff. Good class of bream around the headlands with the odd school jew and a mass of dart of all sizes.
River: School flathead and the odd bigger fish have moved in up as far as Seagulls. The bream have thinned out a bit but the blackfish are still chewing at any rocky point – take your pick.
Outside: Some nice squire inclose with odd knobby, some nice squire and parrot with pearlies from 30-40 fathoms – if you can get through the leatherjackets.

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

Brunswick Heads

Outside: Snapper, jewfish and parrot fish with a few pearlies and heaps of leatherjackels around.
Rock and beach: Good tailor on New Brighton Beach at night. Tailor on South Beach down a little towards Tyagarah. Bream on the all local beaches. Bream inside the South Wall.
Estuary: Bream and blackfish around the boat harbour. The construction company has made access to the Spur Wall very hard with the building of the new bridge. Nice flathead and an odd jewfish up the river near Kings Creek.

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

Byron Bay

Pretty quiet, with no tailor weighed in, which is unusual. A lot of big dart on Tallow Beach and a few jew from the gutters and headlands. Leatherjackets have thinned out a little offshore but the water is really clear and fairly warm.

David Keevers, Coastal Fishing Tackle (02) 6685 7133

Ballina

Mandy at Dave’s Bait Shop says there are some nice bream off the beaches and the salmon are still around in fair numbers. Tailor have been scarce apart from a few patches here and there. The odd jewfish coming from the walls, mainly on lures.
Bream are through the river in fair numbers with the odd nice flattie starting to show up.
When you can get outside there are leatherjackets galore out wide and a few snapper in close.
Some nice beach formations at Evans Head with the odd quality whiting, some rather good bream and patches of salmon. Blowing 20 knots Friday at 3pm but expected to settle Sunday. Looks like some bait has finally turned up in the bay with masses of gannets working. Lack of bait has made the tailor fishing very slow although there’s been the odd school jew from the beaches and rocks.
Offshore has been a bit ordinary apart from the occasional hit of quality squire and the ubiquitous leatherjackets out wider. Bream and the occasional flathead around the bridge.

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

t.zann@fishingmonthly.com.au

Yamba

Rocks and beaches hit-and-miss apart from salmon. Tailor have been very patchy but there are plenty of school jew kicking around in the washes.
Estuary: The bottom end of the river around Middle Wall has gone a bit quiet but there are hordes of boats at Browns Rocks. Flathead starting to show between Harwood and Maclean.
Offshore for the usual snapper and some brilliant pearlies over the gravel in around 20 fathoms. Some good tuskies around, too.

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

Coffs Harbour

Offshore: Still good snapper from the shallow reefs including an 8.2kg fish from the stones last Sunday on crab bait set out in search of a drummer or groper. Also fishing well for rat kings, big samson, some nice pearl perch and a few mahi mahi showing up.
Beach gutters have settled down with the formations near the headlands and estuary mouths the most productive for tailor, salmon and the odd big bream.
Estuaries difficult to fish with gin-clear water. Presentation and stealth are the keys for some large bream in the lower estuaries. Also nice to see the return of the luderick to the creeks.

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

South West Rocks

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

Port Macquarie

On the beaches, things are looking pretty good with great night and early morning tides and plenty of fish-holding formations on most beaches. Good bream continue to come from Lighthouse and North beaches with plenty of salmon. Lighthouse has also produced a few tailor but catches remain patchy at best. A few school jew from North Beach and around Lake Cathie and the tides this weekend should see a continuation of this action.
In the estuaries, blackfish numbers have been reasonable with a few fair bags taken from the breakwalls, Limeburners and the Maria. Some sessions proving successful and others yielding little apart from the odd undersized fish. Flathead have slowed a little but still the odd good fish. Bream numbers are up on bait at night and lures by day.
Off the stones, drummer continue to be steady if not spectacular, with Rockys, Lighthouse and Blueface for a few solid pigs. Lighthouse continues to produce a few tailor but size has been marginal. Good bream have been taken by those fishing at night. A few solid groper from around Shelleys and Point Perpendicular.
Outside conditions have been excellent with bottom-bashers scoring some nice bags of small to medium snapper, pearlies, samson and other reef species. Leatherjackets are still present in places, although are not in the plague proportions encountered last year.

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

Forster

Offshore: Trag captures late last week and over the weekend were a highlight. The reefs fished well for those that went out late and fish through until early evening. The snapper and pearlies on offer are adequate in size but not outstanding. Conflicting reports came from Seal Rocks where one angler would report great kings and reds and another schools of sweep. One boat working wide hooked and lost at the boat a medium size yellowfin tuna. The boys on Dreamcatcher had a brief encounter with a mako.
Beaches: Go rock fishing!
Rocks: The rocks from the southern end of Seven Mile Beach have been loaded with bream, some monster tailor, drummer, blackfish and the spearfishos tell me lots of mulloway in the caves. Janies Corner is still producing drummer.
Estuary: Bait fishos are still reporting plenty of large bream, particularly in deep, fast-flowing water. Breakwall action has been below par. Blackfish were late this year but are now available in the regular haunts. While not the most heavily targeted fish, mullet are said to be in good numbers around The Step.

Lloyd Campbell, Great Lakes Tackle 02 6554 9541

Port Stephens

Estuary: Plenty of bream on the co-op wharf, blackfish at the Anchorage, co-op, Tubes Tomaree. Good trumpeter whiting on the Middle Grounds at Corrie Island. Flathead around Cromarty and the Corrie short cut.
Rocks: Been a bit of a stir-up so there should be a few snapper off the rocks. Blackfish, pigs and bream at Rocky, Sunny Corner and Boulder Bay.
Beaches: Salmon as ever on Stockton, tailor on Box, try Middle Rock at One Mile for a few bream.
Offshore: Big snapper last weekend – John Morris 11.4kg cleaned off Mungo; Bobbie Apps 6kg at Cabbage Tree and 5.5kg at Little Island; Craig Astley 7.5kg off the back of the bommie at Fishermans. Stack of big sand flathead just inside The Gibber; Dally and Bean got 27 to 2kg on live pencil slimies. Stacks of jackets on The Tank and 40 fathoms, nannygai at the Outer V. Kings to 15kg on Allmark Mountain.

Graham Duffy, Salamander Bait and Tackle 02 4982 0711

Newcastle

Before beginning this week's report I would just like to say hi to one and all and look forward to helping you in any way I can when you drop by. As Pete mentioned in the last report he is away at Broughton Island ‘competing; in the 'Fillet & Release' tour. From all reports, the fishing hasn't been as great as expected but there is still time for him to redeem himself. With the water so cold at the moment, its no wonder that not a great deal has been happening around the traps.
Flathead are still around in Lake Macquarie and soft plastics are doing the trick with the Squidgies a popular choice, as are PowerBaits (on special at 4 packs for $30).
Luderick are there to be had in the usual spots such as Lucys Wall and in front of the Coast Guard tower at Swansea Heads. Other places close by are producing a few quality fish but not in great numbers. Remember that it’s always great to catch a feed of fish but there is no need to bag out today if you are going to repeat the dose the next day. Yes, there are a lot of fish there, but if all the spawning fish are taken before they have had the chance to spawn then following seasons wont be so great. Glad I got that off my chest.
Offshore, The Farm, in particular the southern area, produced the goods last weekend. Those kingfish that could be stopped were up to a metre long and around 8kg. Those that couldn't be stopped were above 10kg. Snapper were everywhere and the best baits were squid and pilchards. Leatherjackets were still a problem, particularly on the North Farm, and it appeared that mid-water algae didn't put the fish off.
Redhead produced bream, tarwhine and morwong, mainly on prawns. Down around Catho, salmon and trevally were in good number while Doctors Reef at Wybung produced kingies.
If the weather keeps most of us inside then Swansea Channel has good whiting and bream at the moment with live bloodworms the best bait. Whatever you get up to this weekend, enjoy yourselves.

Jan.

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

Central Coast

Kingies, kingies, kingies until the wind on Wednesday but it looks like settling again later in the weekend. Before this it was non-stop jigging action all day on fish to 8kg and last weekend there were masses of boats all catching them. A lot of current on the inshore reefs with few decent reports off Terrigal apart from some squire and mowies. Small makos have started making their annual appearance.
Masses of salmon off Avoca and Winny Bay and big drummer from the rocks.
Estuaries: Good flathead in Brisbane Water at the top of the tide on bait and plastics. The Hawkesbury pretty quiet apart from a few bream around the racks and in Cowan Creek.

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

Sydney Northern

It must be the warmer weather, because it’s sure not the warmer water that is turning fish back on this week. For some strange reason frozen kingfish have been taken all week, and not just the bigger offshore reef varieties, with plenty inshore as well ranging from ‘rats’ to 90cm versions. Tailor and salmon are also slowly moving in around Sydney and a few can be found off a couple of ocean headlands as well as in Pittwater and the Harbour. Pittwater Pete Le Blang has landed six kingfish in the past four days but the only drawback is that they are not biting all day, and only seem to come on for two 10-minute periods around the change of the tide. The kings are very lethargic and are a long way from their summer fighting abilities. Most have come on trolled live squid with the very occasional yakka being hit and only then because of the general lack of squid in Pittwater this week. It has taken as much as four hours to catch one.
Trevally can be found on most of the headlands inside the bay, and can be brought around the boat with a good berley trail. though there are a few really nice flounder around Drifting is out of the question at present, due to shocking quantities of brown algae that cover your line and bait and stop the fish getting access.
The Harbour itself is a bit slow, though there is an increasing number of tailor and some sporadic salmon holding around Middle Head. Most of them have fallen to trolled bibbed minnows. A little activity has been spotted between the Heads by Des Toms of Hook’em Cook’em Charters. On a few different days, schools of fish have been seen making an appearance, swirling on the surface. It did seem like these fish might be kings as the surface commotion was at a minimum but they could equally have been a school of salmon slurping bait off the surface. Every time they were approached they would spook and bail for the bottom.
Offshore has been patchy with a few reports of close-reef kingies, some gravel-bed snapper and plenty of bird and bait action further out (though no predators). Currents have made snapper fishing a bit of a chore lately, running hard one day and nothing the next, but conditions have still been good enough at The Whale and off Long Reef in the last few days to ensure some plate-sized fish were landed. Kingy jigging has been just as up and down, with the current again the major issue, but fish are being landed to about 15kg and in some number.
The beaches are still holding their own with schools of chopper tailor and a few salmon moving up and down and holding around headlands, especially at Dee Why and Curly. Sharks are also making their winter prominence, with Queenscliff a hotbed of late for small bronzies. Signs are good this week for an evening jewy fish as well.

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

Sydney Southern

Mac's Bait Bar Just outside Botany Bay around Bate Bay there have been good reports of flathead taken on the drift on squid and pillies. The biggest problem outside has been the leatherjackets, so try not to do the same drift twice as that will only increase the chance of catching them.
Watts Reef has had a few trevally on squid and prawns.
The Oil Wharf and Hot Water Outlet have had the odd bream but you must berley and be patient. I went out last Sunday and berleyed and waited for one hour for my first bream but then caught another eight in the following hour – that's only because I was patient.
Tailor have also been on the boil off Dolls Point. Spin metal lures into them or troll Christmas tree lures past them.

Mitch, Mac's Bait Bar
428 Princes Hwy Blakehurst
ph 02 9546 1341, mobile 0411 661 911.

Wollongong

Lake: Lots of fun with blackfish on squirt worms on the southern side of the channel, pump squirties at western side of Bevans island. Western end of the bowling club wall for blackfish of an evening. Bream late in the day on a falling tide on worms and strip baits
Beaches: Minamurra entrance and MM Beach for bream. Deeper gutters on Windang and Coniston beaches for salmon to 2kg.
Rocks: North side Hill 60 for jackets and bream, east side of Windang Island for pigs and bream, Barrack Point north side and Bass Point for blackfish on weed and cabbage. Most Breakwalls like Bellambi and others for calamari on jigs and bait.
Offshore: Snapper to 2kg common in the shallows out to 30m. Salsmon schools on the move, try Gap Island. The South East Grounds and Minamurra Reef worthwhile for bottom bouncing for trevors, mowies and tiger flathead.

Garth, Deans Bait and Tackle, Windang 4295 1615

Batemans Bay

Offshore: Snapper a bit hot and cold, slowing down to the south especially but still a few in close around Durras. Mowies aplenty and some big ones among them. Plenty of pike everywhere, might be worth a livie. Usual salmon around the headlands.
Rocks and beaches: Very calm and clear water worth trying for a groper though there have been a few salmon and some big pigs in the washes you can find. Still a few snapper off the rocks with plenty of small fish and the odd one to 6kg.
Estuary: Water has cleared and a few baitfish moving into the Clyde. Good flatties around the entrance. Moruya River for trevally and tailor.

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

Narooma

Offshore: Not many have been out but a charter on Friday got a load of southern bluefin to 80kg. Still snapper about but the algae inshore is making it tough.
Beaches, rocks: Salmon and tailor on the beaches going well in front of the open lakes. Pigs from the rocks with a few bream as well.
Estuary: A few lizards in the shallows and bream around the racks with silver trevally on plastics as well. Fish hard and you’ll get a feed.

Darryl, The Ocean Hut (02) 4476 2278

Bermagui

Offshore: A few yellowfin to 50kg seen last weekend chasing sauries in 200-350 fathoms. A few small bluefin bit the water has turned over and slimy but should clear before long. Snapper, mowies and tiger flathead on the reefs.
Beaches aren’t fishing quite so well but still good catches of salmon and tailor if you can find a school – search about.
Estuary: A few tailor, trevally and bream in the harbour with a few blackfish on weed. Heaps of big blackfish in Wallaga Lake off the bridge on a falling tide. Come in and we’ll tell you where the weed is!

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

Archived Weekly Reports

Year 2005 Weekly Reports
7/01/2005	14/01/2005	21/01/2005	28/01/2005
4/02/2005	11/02/2005	18/02/2005	25/02/2005
	18/03/2005	25/03/2005
1/04/2005	8/04/2005	15/04/2005	22/04/2005	29/04/2005
6/05/2005	13/05/2005	20/05/2005	27/05/2005
3/06/2005	10/06/2005	17/06/2005	24/06/2005
1/07/2005	8/07/2005	18/07/2005	22/07/2005	29/07/2005

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	14/05/2004	21/05/2004	28/05/2004
05/06/2004	11/06/2004	18/06/2004	25/06/2004
02/07/2004	09/07/2004	19/7/2004	23/07/2004	30/07/2004
06/08/2004	13/08/2004	20/08/2004	27/08/2004
03/09/2004	10/09/2004	17/09/2004	24/09/2004
01/10/2004	08/10/04	15/10/2004	22/10/2004	29/10/2004
05/11/2004	12/11/2004	19/11/2004	26/11/2004
03/12/2004	10/12/2004	17/12/2004	24/12/2004	31/12/2004

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