Weekly Report 23/06/07

I don’t have much to report this week as I have been teaching down at Wagga Wagga and while down there I didn’t have time to even wet a line. So what I have done is put together a report from some of my mates who have been out getting amoungst a few fish. There are also the regular reports that I get sent from the guys north and south of Sydney.

Scott Lyons reports that after heading out after so much rain can be a problem, with the water being quite dirty and all the spots are that fished well now don`t. Botany Bay is rather dirty and this is its first real flush for quite a while, but the fishing was great. Starting at Trevally Alley its like nothing had change in the first two hours the boys boated eight nice yellowfin bream and a good bag of silver trevally, with most of the yellowfin bream being caught on the bottom, while the silver trevally were taking mid water baits on floating rigs. Try using pink nippers, peeled prawns and fillets of pilchards as bait. Scott reports that there has been no surface action yet, but this should start to change over the next week or two. There have bee a few dusky flathead been jigged up on soft plastics at Silver Beach and Towra Point.

Carl Dubois reports that he ventured out onto Botany Bay again, but after the weather the last few weeks it has really limited him to where I can fish out of his yak. The rivers around here are the colour of coffee and with so much fresh in them that it wouldn't be worth throwing a line in. Give it a few days without rain and it'll be ok and if the weather holds.

Luckily, the weather was fairly reasonable for a quick assault on the hot water outlet and once again Carl had the place to his self. Funny about that... Carl always starts with a few casts with surface lures just in case there are a few tailor hunting. After about 10 casts he switched to the Mojo SP and started working various depths trying to find a fish or two. Carl had the camera set up and about 15 minutes into filming he got a quick hit mid-retrieve. He paused then quickly twitched the lure. This fish went straight for the bottom and I called it for a kingie. Carl took his time so as not to pull the hooks and eased her up next to the yak then swung her aboard. Another kingfish came on board the yak about 10 minutes later. So that was 1 at 72cm and one at 75cm, plus a few tailor. The only problem with the tailor is that they shred the Mojo to bits.
Well, if the action keeps going like this, I'll make regular little trips to the outlet this winter. It's only 500 meters from the beach and you virtually park your car right next to the launch spot and only have to carry the yak 30 meters. The Tailor will be around all winter and fingers crossed; a few kingies will stay about, too.

Ron from Estuary Fishing and Tours (ron@estuaryfishingandtours.com.au reports that the fishing was great before the storms we had. They have been getting good size yellowfin bream, silver trevally, tailor, leatherjackets and a few Australian salmon fishing our winter spots around Lion Island and the headlands of Barrenjoey and West Head with plenty of burley and fresh Hawkesbury prawns (don’t forget to peel them), fresh squid strips and salted fish cubes. Ron uses mullet, but if I get any tuna or slimy mackerel they are good too.

Burley is the secret to catching plenty of fish in winter and when you go out with Ron he will tell you his not so secret burley mix. Anyway back to the fishing, down the Hawkesbury has been quiet, but Ron did have a couple of good weeks down at Little Wobby catching just legal Jewies which mostly went back and good size yellowfin bream to 38cm on fresh squid and Hawkesbury River prawns, other than that the mulloway have been pretty quiet with just a few hear and there and nothing much over 2kg.

There are still a few Kingies down in Pittwater, but not in the numbers we were getting last month. We are still getting some most days that we try for them and mostly on small yellowtail with a few Australian Salmon getting in on the act as well. The Australian salmon and tailor schools should show up soon and hopefully with the rain and return of the cold water that should change pretty soon.

Ron has only had a couple of trips out since the storms hit last week and that was on Monday 11th and Tuesday 12th June and it was very quiet fishing and the crap in the water was unbelievable. They saw pumpkins, chokos, a dead pelican and heaps of trees and rubbish and there were yachts washed up everywhere. The water was as dirty as it could get and the out going tide was flowing much faster than the tide table said it should have been which shows how much fresh water is going out.

One of Ron’s customers last month caught a Moses Perch at Lion Island on a prawn, they are usually only found in the Northern Waters of NSW, but sometimes stray south so you never know what you can catch. Fishing in Brisbane Waters has been good around the Rip Bridge for yellowfin bream and it won't be long before Ron is going to get the blackfish gear out again. This is due to the fact they are will start to run in the river soon. There will also be a few big yellowfin bream and whiting around the oyster racks. Ron also has hairtail trips on if you are interested later this month down Cowan Creek and he is hoping that it is a better year than last year for them.

For further information you can either call Ron on mobile 0407 661397 or have a look at his web site at http://www.estuaryfishingtour.com.au/

Darren from Bermagui Ocean Hut Fishing Tackle, Dive and Charter Fishing Service
mailto:%20(%20enquiries@bermifishinghut.com.au reports that the week gone has been pretty ordinary, but will be on the improve once the seas start to calm down. Darren reports that there has only been a couple of days that angler could get out wide, and those who did get out found water temperature to the 19 degree mark. The best fish of the week was a 92 kg yellowfin that was taken on a River to Sea Bibbless lure.

Snapper fishing is still excellent at present and it should be better as it leads up to the next full moon. The best areas are Goalen Head, Three Brothers, Lobster Patch and Four Mile Reef, how well these areas fish will be dictated by the amount of Jackets around. I suggest fish the inshore reefs for best results and out from most beaches in around 30 metres for Sand Flathead.

Due to the mini floods being experienced around Bermi at present fishing in the estuaries is likely to be difficult over the next week. Tailor may be an option around the edge of the dirty water at the entrance to Bermi Harbour; however I don’t expect fishing to be any good until the flood waters clear slightly. At long last Cuttagee Lake has opened to the ocean and could be well worth a look in the future.

Strong winds, rain and big seas have really disrupted the fishing on the rocks as well as the beach. Once conditions settle down the rock fishing should be excellent and the Drummer should be on the chew in good numbers. Hopefully we will see some good gutters created on the beaches and now with a couple of our lakes that have opened to the ocean fishing adjacent to these may be very good.

If you are planing a trip down Darren’s way check out his web site at http://bermifishinghut.com.au/aboutus.htm You could also give Darren and the boys a ring on (02) 6493 4688 to find out what is coming up in the next week or so.

Paul Martin from Rock Marine Bait and Tackle (rocksmarine@tsn.cc) reports that the wild and woolly weather again this week has made it uncomfortable to venture out past the Bar, but for those who did there were fish out there. One group of fisho’s got amongst big yellowfin, one at 50 kilo and another around 40 kilos out wide at the Canyons, but at the moment unless you have iron guts or take a pill. The Cobia slowed down this week off the Jail with a few coming in. Fisho’s that stayed in close of Grassy got some small snapper, morwong and one or two pearlies.

There has been a good run of yellowfin bream coming up from down south. So the rock hoppers would have been getting amongst a few fish. Tailor are about in good numbers of most ledges but early is best time to get them. Smoky Beach has been fishing well for bream and dart with the odd tailor coming in. Gap Beach has flathead and tailor off the North end, while Front Beach is still being netted for the travelling bream.

Finally the blackfish have started to bite with a few of the mulloway that have been caught coming in with blackfish in their guts. Green weed is hard to get at the moment, but if you try using blackfish heads or fillets for bait you too may get a mulloway. There are a few bream in the river along the breakwalls making their way up river. Flathead are around the rescue boats near the Tavern, there not real big but there mostly legal. Fisho’s around Smithtown are also getting good yellowfin bream and dusky flathead from up river. The shop still has discounted Shimano winter clothing on sale.

Doug Battye from Sydney was last months winner for photo of the month with is 22.6 kilo Cobia that he caught at South West Rocks while on holidays.

For daily reports and special call Paul on (02) 6566 6726.

Jason and Virginia Isaac from Ned Kelly’s Bait and Tackle jasned@ozemail.com.au reports that off the rocks, the swells of a couple of weeks ago have had the desired effect of scouring out many of the traditional ledges. Deep, well aerated and clean blue water has replaced the shallow sandy washes, which is just what rock hoppers like to see. As a result, tailor action has been as good as we have seen for several years, with pretty all ledges along the mid north coast producing quality fish. Both morning and evening sessions have been productive, with the average fish at present better than a kilo, and fish up to around 3 kilos common. Locally Lighthouse and Nobby’s have been the pick of locations. Drummer have also begun to fire, with Plommer and surround yielding good numbers of fish to around 3 kilos, whilst the local spots at Lighthouse, Miners and Rocky’s have also been productive. There is no better time than now to wield either some abalone gut or cunjevoi if you wish to tangle with some big bruising pigs. Also around the rocks, bream numbers have been excellent north of Port with Plommer and Big Hill producing well, whilst the more protected local gutters yielded some top quality blackfish during the bigger seas last weekend.

In the estuary, bream numbers have been excellent with the break walls producing top fish to well over a kilo during both evening and early morning sessions. Bag limit and double figure catches have been common, particularly by those using gut baits during evening sessions. Those fishing the North wall have also been enjoying some excellent tailor sessions, with pillies, gar and lures all working well. Blackfish have at long last began to show up with some degree of consistency, with both break walls beginning to fire almost immediately following the last weekends bit of crook weather. Further upstream, flattie action remains excellent, with lures and whitebait achieving the better results. Local angler David Swan also scored a surprise from the north wall in the form of a magnificent mangrove jack of over 3 kilos cleaned.

On the beaches, the big seas have been a temporary setback however those who have persisted have generally been well rewarded. North beach has been producing some top tailor and bream, with formations around the broken bit well worth exploring. The northern end of lighthouse has yielded excellent numbers of big late season whiting together with some top bream, whilst the southern end near Lake Cathie has seen some top tailor sessions when conditions allow. Once the seas fully settle, the action should be excellent, although don’t be surprised if the salmon turn up and significantly hinder your chances of bagging the more palatable species.

Offshore action during the past week has been limited due to the swells; however those who have managed close in outings report top results on snapper, with both traditional baits and plastics working well. And just to prove the summer or autumn scene has yet to fully expire, this past week has seen close in off Plommer produce longtail tuna, cobia, a marlin hook up and two Spanish mackerel of 19 and 21 kilos respectively. With plenty of bait still hanging around and the water temperature yet to fully drop, don’t be surprised if these pelagics hang around another week or two yet.

When you are next up in Port Macquarie call into the shop and have a look at their great selection of tackle and bait they have on offer. You could also ask Jason and Virginia for their daily report on what’s happening on the fishing front. Call them on (02) 6583 8318.

Weekly Report 12/06/07

Wow, what a few days it has been for the week off the east coast of NSW. Most anglers in their right mind would have stayed in doors for a few days until it settled down. But with saying that there have been a few anglers getting out there and getting a few fish. It has just been a matter of picking the right time and place to go. Robert Times from Shellharbour has been pulling in a few luderick near the boat ramp at Shellharbour. He has also been getting a few bream near the coal loader at Red Sands.

Peter Colds of Gerroa fished the boat ramp at Boat Harbour at Gerringong for 5 drummer, 3 luderick and 6 bream. All were caught on peeled prawns. Josh Batts fished the back of the bay at Little Bay near Maroubra for 5 bream on chicken and mullet gut.

Other places that you could try for bream, dusky flathead and luderick off the shore during bad weather like we have just had are the inside section of the Point at Kurnell, the section that is adjacent to Silver Beach, Hungry Point in the Port Hacking, Lady Jane Beach in Sydney Harbour and Little Manly Cove. All of these places seem to produce fish during and after a southerly blow.

Botany Bay and the Port Hacking are very dirty at the moment and will be for the next few days. For the best results you will need to coincide you’re fishing time to near the top of the tide. This will tend to give you cleaner water. I would suggest that you try using baits like stripped tuna, slimy mackerel, mullet, chicken and mullet gut and chicken done in parmesan cheese. Try anchoring near the drums. A berley trail is a must.

The Georges River should fire over the next week or so for yellowfin bream and dusky flathead and the odd mulloway or two. Try fishing the deeper parts of the river towards the bottom of the tide and the shallow section when the tide is nearing its peak.

Darren from Bermagui Ocean Hut Fishing Tackle, Dive and Charter Fishing Service
mailto:%20(%20enquiries@bermifishinghut.com.au reports that before the bad weather the snapper fishing has been excellent on most of the reefs with Bunga, Goalen Head area producing the best. Some nice fish have been captured on soft plastics over the shallow reefs on light gear. Sand Flathead were in good numbers out from most beaches and with them have been some nice Gummy Sharks, but you will need to wait until the seas settle down a bit to get out to them again.

The deeper reefs will have nice Morwong on them although they are difficult to fish due to the number of Leatherjackets. Burley trails are producing some fish although you are probably best to troll to find the fish before setting up your trails. Coming up the trails have also been some nice Makos and Darren did hear of a 160 Kg Thresher Shark being captured.

Still there are plenty of southern yellowfin bream in most of the estuaries that are open to the ocean and are being taken regularly on Tuna and Nippers. Out around Wallaga Lake Bridge there are still good schools of blackfish being caught on Green Weed, there are also lots of leatherjackets hanging around the bridge as well. In the harbour for the kids there are plenty of trevally, blackfish and bream feeding off the Tuna frames. Drummer are the main stay off the stones at present with the areas below the Blue Pool and south around Michael Lerner lookout which are being taken regularly on Abb Gut and Cunjevoi. Mixed in with them have been some nice bream and trevally plus the odd groper. Salmon are still prevailing on most beaches and can also be taken from the rocks. Bream are also frequenting the beaches and will respond well to burley and strips of Striped Tuna.

If you are planing a trip down Darren’s way check out his web site at http://bermifishinghut.com.au/aboutus.htm You could also give Darren and the boys a ring on (02) 6493 4688 to find out what is coming up in the next week or so.

Paul Martin from Rock Marine Bait and Tackle (rocksmarine@tsn.cc) reports that they too have had some ordinary long weekend weather, but the bigger seas didn’t stop some of the fisho’s venturing out side. There has been an unbelievable amount of Cobia on the bite off the Jail. Fish Rock has some fair kings along with a few mack tuna.

Doug Battye caught a 22.6 kilo cobia on a live yellowtail while on a week’s holiday before the bad weather hit.

Monster pearl perch have been caught out wide in 60 fathoms off Grassy Head. Last weekend there were still the odd spottie smashing the live baits. A few snapper have come out of the same location along with some cracker samson fish. Live Bait has been no problem to catch again over the last week.

Fishing the rocks has been productive before the foul weather for tailor, drummer and bream, while dart are thick off the ledges. Beach fishing has been slow with the north end of Smoky the best for bream and tailor with some good flathead coming in. Hopefully this current low weather pattern will churn the beach up for better results next week.

The river is slow again this week. This is the time of the year the Bream come in the river system but a high number of these are being netted before they can get here and until something is worked out with the beach haulers this will only get worse. Black Fish are along the Break walls in reasonably good numbers while the odd good. For daily reports and special call Paul on (02) 6566 6726.

Jason and Virginia Isaac from Ned Kelly’s Bait and Tackle jasned@ozemail.com.au reports that the beaches have been producing a few bream and the numbers have begun to improve noticeably, with Lighthouse beach and around Laurieton giving up a couple of excellent bags before the weed moved in. Tailor however continue to be a little on the quiet side, although there are enough reasonable quality fish around to keep you interested. Little to report on the mulloway front, although a few rumours regarding school sized fish around Lake Cathie have begun to surface. Best bet for all species is to be prepared to travel and look for the weed free locations. The old rule of thumb applies fish where the weed isn’t and you will generally find fish.

In the estuaries, flathead action remains excellent with good fish coming from most parts of the lower reaches. Reports also suggest there are excellent numbers of bream beginning to feed in the lower parts of the system, with the coming dark likely to produce solid results. Mullet gut and yabbies will be the baits of choice. Blackfish numbers are reasonable, however quality green weed remain in short supply. If you can’t get hold of any weed, cabbage is well worth a go, particularly around the break wall areas. Further upstream, still a few good muddies around for the keen crabbers, and by all reports, the crabs are in top condition and as full as possible.

Off the rocks, drummer numbers continue to improve despite the mass of sand although by and large, ledges to the south have produced the better results to date. The cooling of the water can have a considerable effect on the local pig population, turning them on like a switch, so now is the time to begin some serious prospecting. Locally, Shelley’s and Miners have been worth a look, although Lighthouse generally produces well early in the season. Tailor numbers remain solid with Point Plommer and surrounds producing some quality greenbacks, albeit not in consistent numbers. A few big winter bream are also around the washes, with evening and early morning sessions producing the better results, particularly around Big Hill and Plommer.

On the offshore scene, when conditions allow, snapper and pearl perch are both on offer, along with excellent numbers of tackle busting kingfish however the current remains a day to day proposition. The flathead grounds are also reported to be fishing exceptionally well, with the 50 to 55 metre mark producing an excellent class of fish.

When you are next up in Port Macquarie call into the shop and have a look at their great selection of tackle and bait they have on offer. You could also ask Jason and Virginia for their daily report on what’s happening on the fishing front. Call them on (02) 6583 8318.

Also don't forget to keep sending in those photo of the month photos. Look out for next weeks report for the winner in May 2007

Weekly Report 05/06/07

Sydney and Middle Harbour are still producing a few kingfish, both on lures and live baits. Kevin Potters from Manly fished the drop-off at Sugarloaf Point for 3 kingfish to 68cm, 4 bream to 750 grams and 1 dusky flathead. The kingfish were caught on live yellowtail and the other fish were caught on strips of stripped tuna. Tailor have been caught while fishing off the southern side of the Spit Bridge on the run-up tide using whole pilchards and garfish on ganged hooks. Leatherjackets and squid can be caught in the bay at Little Manly and the western side of the Sow and Pigs is worth a shot on the run-out tide for bream, silver trevally and the odd dusky flathead.

Further up stream in the Lane Cove and iron Cove Rivers the bream and dusky flathead have been feeding at the edges of the mangroves and rocky shoreline when the tide has been high. Try using pink nipper, peeled prawns and pilly tails that have been lightly weighted. The flats of Hen and Chicken and Five Dock Bays are worth a shot at high tide for bream, dusky flathead and whiting. You could also try worth the boat hulls in the same areas.

Botany Bay is alive with silver trevally. Ken Newman and I went out last Friday and managed 27 to 1.35 kilos. All were caught on peeled prawns and very little weight. The key to our success was that we were the only ones berleying with bread and pilchards. Small kingfish and tailor to 2.5 kilos can be caught at the Hot Water Outlet. The best time has been an hour after the sun has risen. Then the fish will go off the bite as the first rays of sun hit the water near the Hot Water Outlet. I have also found that the tailor will keep on the chew when the day is an overcast one.

Rod from Gabes at Gymea reports that there have been a number of mulloway to 6.7 kilos caught under the Captian Cooks Bridge. The best times have been about 3 to 4 hours before the sun sets. Bream are feeding in the shallow areas of Oatley and Oyster Bays on the rising tide.

The beaches off Cronulla and Wanda have been producing whiting during the day and tailor at night. You could also try fishing Garie and Stanwell Park Beaches. That is if you can put up with the chill. The Port Hacking is worth a shot for squid and leatherjackets along the shoreline of Deer Park. Dusky flathead are been caught in Gymea Bay on live poddy mullet and small yellowtail.

Soft plastic shads are the go for flathead that have been holding up off the boat ramp at the end of Swallow Rock Drive. Australian bass and bream have been caught by anglers who have been working the shoreline from the weir at Audley and up the Grays Point. Hard body lures and soft plastics have been doing the job.

I have enlisted the help of a number of tackle shops south and north of Sydney. These guys have taken the time to send me a report of what has been going on in their areas. So if you are up or down their way call in and say hello. I am sure that they will point you in the right direction to getting a few fish.

Jason and Virginia Isaac from Ned Kelly’s Bait and Tackle (jasned@ozemail.com.au) reports from the estuaries indicate there are plenty of bream and blackfish in the lower reaches, however the crystal clear water has seen the fish somewhat difficult to tempt. Best results on the bream have been achieved during the darker hours with live yabbies and mullet gut proving the better baits. Limeburners, the coal wall and both of the break walls are all worth a go. Those fishing around the weed beds at night with yabbies have also been scoring the better catches of blackfish. If we get enough rainfall to add a decent bit of colour to the water, look for the action during the day to really take off. Elsewhere in the estuary, flathead continue to be excellent and show no signs of slowing down, enhancing the notion they are a year round proposition, not the summer only species many have grown up believing. Whiting numbers however have dropped off considerably as generally occurs when the water begins to cool, however there are still plenty of active muddies for those still keen on chasing them.

Off the beaches, bream numbers and quality have begun to pick up noticeably, with kilo plus fish becoming common off most beaches over the past week. Following the current full moon phase, I would expect the bream action to be excellent. However on the tailor front, the news is not so good, with catches spasmodic at best. No doubt the calm seas and lack of baitfish have contributed to the choppers temporarily going AWOL. On the mulloway front, still no real signs of the school sized fish which are usually common at this time of year, however the odd better specimen is about for those willing to put in the time. Lighthouse beach has produced the better results, with local angler Mark Mooney scoring a couple of nice fish last week, the best which was incidentally caught on bream gear, going a terrific 26.5 kilos.

Off the rocks, tailor catches are consistent if not spectacular, with Point Plommer, Hat Head and around Lighthouse locally fishing well. Also encouraging are increasing reports of drummer despite the presence of plenty of sand, with this action likely to further gain momentum in line with the water continuing to cool. Time to dust off the Alvey and double strength hooks, and stock up with plenty of abalone gut for the next few months. Like the beaches, bream numbers and quality have improved markedly, with dawn sessions producing the better results as is usual with the full moon out at night.

Offshore fishing has been quite good for this time of year, with good numbers of pearl perch and a few solid snapper on offer close in off Plommer and Lake Cathie. On the snapper front, soft plastics continue to achieve excellent results, with many first timers surprised at both how easy and effective this method is. If you haven’t already given them a go, simply pick up a few from you local tackle store, ask for a quick pointer, and head to any reef preferably in 30 meters of water or less. You may be in for a pleasant surprise, with the quality of the results often far exceeding that from traditional bait sources.

Peter Le Blang from Harbour & Estuary Fishing Charters (http://www.estuaryfishing.com.au/) reports that the last couple of weeks have seen the water temperature drop to 18-20 degrees in Pittwater. This drop has not really affected the fishing though.
There are still kingfish in Pittwater but on occasions they can be hard to find. This is normal for this time of the year, as small pockets of bigger fish seem to start to take up residence in Pittwater. Getting them to eat your offerings is still simple enough if you can find what they are eating.

Peter’s records show that from June through to September the bigger kingfish seem to prefer small cuttlefish (kingfish M&M’s because of their crunchy outer shell). The next best bait is yellowtail closely followed by garfish and squid strips. This time of the year can be difficult if you don’t have a decent sounder or one that you can trust. For instance you need to be able to identify structure, baitfish and of course predators, including their size as well as position. A good sounder will give you this information and can be vital when down rigging.

Winter traditionally has cold water and Pittwater’s water temp will drop as cold as 14 degrees. Most people say that this cold water is a bit chilly for kingfish, but this is not entirely true. Most seasons we still target and catch kingfish in this cold water after locating them with our sounder.

Peter’s formula is:
Down rig your small kingfish M&M at the same depth as your predators. Small live squid (kingfish Tic-Tacs) will also work but quite often are eaten by leatherjackets and bream.
Stick with the found predator as it may take up to two hours for the fish to react and devour the live bait.
Keep the bait moving.
Fish structure in the bays on the run out tides.
By having fishing records you can look back at what has worked in previous years and try it again.

Last Friday Peter had two anglers, Carolyn Rosser and her son in-law Nathan Milliner; they managed to get 5 kingfish. They day started with us trolling rigged garfish on the downrigger with no takes or looks. They caught 4 squid in about 6 casts and we kept trying, as Carolyn had not yet caught a squid. After half an hour we started out to see if we could put Carolyn on to her first ever fish. The baits were set out on the downriggers and at Careel Bay deep amongst the moorings the first of our squid was smashed. Nathan was onto the first fish and after a spirited battle on the 15kg outfit a kingfish of 67cm was hoisted aboard. Nathan and Carolyn were ecstatic and it was Nathan’s first ever kingfish. A look at his face and you could tell that the adrenaline was still pumping through his system and kingfish fever was starting to take hold of this otherwise mild mannered quiet man. The baits were set out again and on the very next pass we were on again. Once again the small squid was hit and hooked up to a slightly better fish. Once again the fish fought hard and Nathan was becoming evermore confident. Within 5 minutes a 70cm fish was landed.

Carolyn was next up and being a mature aged lady was a bit apprehensive at trying to catch a kingfish as her first ever fish.
The next pass over The Big One saw us hooked up to a fish of 67cm and Carolyn after initially struggling, subdued the hard fighting fish and it was in the net after 5 minutes. Carolyn’s fish was special for me as I have been reporting for ABC Central Coast Radio for a fair while now and the fish was caught live on Radio. Carolyn was asked to talk on the radio about her capture and the excitement in her otherwise calm voice was priceless.

The areas to target bream are amongst the moorings from Newport through to Bayview. The bream in these areas are wary fish and bread burly is normally required to attract these fish from their holding areas. The best bait is fresh prawns or bread if the seagulls don’t get it. Larger flathead are still being caught along the river. Captures have come from both sides of the river with the points the common theme. These larger flathead to 75cm are eating live yellowtail. The Basin and Mackerel Beach areas have been also seeing these larger fish caught but the best bait has been mullet or whitebait. Both these areas are great for soft plastics fishing when targeting flathead and I am sure they will produce a few fish in the coming days.

Paul Martin (rocksmarine@tsn.cc) reports that Cobia were on the bite again this week with some nice fish being weighed in at the shop. Most of these were landed off the Jail Grounds with the biggest going 32kg and plenty around 20 to 30 kg. Fish Rock produced some pan size Snapper and the odd King Fish. Leather Jacket have been reported out wide in good numbers but not much else with them. Grassy and Scott’s reports have been scarce but for a few Snapper and Pearlies. The Boulders is still the place to get your live slimies and yellow tail. Good reports of Tailor off Smoky Beach this week with some real thumpers. Garfish being best of the baits.

Good Quality Bream are about but not in any numbers. Tailor are on Gap Beach on the North end while Front beach is being netted for Mullet so forget that and Back beach has been quiet. A much better week for the rock hoppers with some nice Tailor and Bream coming in off most ledges. Hat Head and Further South has been producing Northern Blue Fin and the odd Cobia of the rocks. Finally we have had schools of Black fish come in to the river, to quote one fellow the wall was black with them but they had no interest in feeding. Bream numbers are up this week with some quality fish being caught. Flathead have been working well off the flats taking fish baits live and strip bait. The shop still has discounted selected Shimano winter clothing on sale.

Darren from Bermagui Ocean Hut Fishing Tackle, Dive and Charter Fishing Service mailto:%20(%20enquiries@bermifishinghut.com.au) reports that Yellowfin are still around in good numbers allowing anglers plenty of opportunities to chase them. Mixed in are Albacore and Striped Tuna with some very respectable Makos showing up in burley trails. We are now on the moon and the number of Snapper are increasing especially on the shallow reefs. Good Bream and Blackfish are in most of the Estuary systems plus there is some good Drummer fishing to be had from the rocks.

As mentioned the shallow reefs down south around Goalen Head and the Three Brothers are producing good captures of Snapper. Most fish are being taken on bait, although there are a few anglers having good success jigging soft plastics. Out from the beaches Sand Flathead are still around in good numbers and mixed in is the odd Gummy Shark. With these calm conditions the Twelve Mile Reef would definitely be worth a look especially for Tassie Trumpeter.

Trolling and cubing are both very effective ways of catching Yellowfin with both working well at present. In the last week Tuna to 70 Kg have been taken with quite a lot of 30 - 40 Kg and an increasing number of 10 -15 Kg fish. Mixed in are some nice Albacore ranging to 10 Kg plus for those berleying there is the added bonus of quite a few Makos which seemingly are attracted by the schools of Tuna. There is a lot of Kingfish at Montague Island which are up on the surface chasing Sauries.

There is a large school of Luderick hanging around Wallaga Lake bridge, these fish are quite large and are being caught using Green Weed. In the Bermi River there is also good schools of Blackfish which again are responding to both Cabbage and Green Weed. Reasonable numbers of Bream are being taken on the incoming tide, mainly in burley trails using Striped Tuna for bait. There are plenty of Trevally in the Harbour to keep the kids amused and the best place is straight in front of the cleaning table where the Tuna frames are being dumped.

Calm seas in the past week have allowed anglers easy access to the Rock platforms. This has resulted in some very good captures of Drummer with fish reaching 3 Kg. Abb Gut and Cunjevoi are the best baits with the rocks around the Blue Pool being the better areas. There is still plenty of Salmon around both to be taken from the Rocks and the Beaches alike. Mixed in with them are some very nice Bream, quite a few Mullet and I should expect for those who want to brave the conditions that there should be some Gummy Sharks of a night.

Weekly Report 28/05/07

Friday and Saturday of last weekend I fished in the ABT Bream Competition on the Hawkesbury River. I would like to thank Chris Wright and Drew Griffith for having me along as a non-boater for the two days. I had a ball fishing and a couple of huge bust off’s amongst the racks with Chris on the first day and a few near misses while fishing with Drew on the flats, reefs and boats on the second day. I just missed out by getting into the top ten for the non-boaters by 140 grams (11th). For the full results you can check them out on the following link:
http://www.bream.com.au/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=280

Scotty Lyons ventured up the Georges River last Friday with a top lady angler Margaret Jack, who scored well with a few nice yellowfin bream from under the East Hills Foot Bridge, as well as plenty of smaller yellowfin bream for the day. Botany Bay has been firing on the yellowfin bream and silver trevally front, even though they are moving around a little. Scotty has found them around the end of the third runway, the drums, the oil wharf and Bare Island from the top of the tide to the bottom. You could also try working the north-eastern side of the breakwall called Trevally Alley. Berley is an essitential elemnt in getting them to come to the back of your boat

You could also try for yellowfin bream and dusky flathead off the runways and Towra point wide. Soft plastics and strips of mullet on the drift seem to be producing the best results.There are plenty of large yellowtail and cowayoung hanging around the drums.
If you prefer to go offshore there are still plenty of chinaman leatherjackets, the only problem is that the leatherjackets may keep on biting you off. I did get a report from Johnny that he and his mates have been catching plenty of leatherjackets off the rocks at Burning Palms. They have also been getting a few Australian salmon and tailor on whole pilchards.

Darren from Bermagui Ocean Hut Fishing Tackle, Dive and Charter Fishing Service
enquiries@bermifishinghut.com.au reports that the snapper seem to be increasing in numbers, especially on the shallower reefs out from the Brothers and Goalen Head. There are also some nice Morwong around as well with plenty of Sand Flathead out from most beaches in about 30 metres of water. The Jackets are still proving a problem so you may have to move regularly to avoid them.

Southern yellowfin bream are still being caught in the estuaries that are open to the ocean on the incoming tides. Darren suggests that you try using striped tuna used as both bait and burley to encourage these fish to feed. You can also find mixed in with them has been some very nice silver trevally and dusky flathead. Luderick are being taken regularly around Wallaga Lake Bridge and the rock walls of the Bermi River.

There are also plenty of yellowfin bream to be caught off the beaches. Try using pilly tails for the bream and whole pilchards for the Australian salmon. There are also a few rather large mullet in the surf as well. Off the rocks there has been increasing numbers of drummer with some very nice fish amongst them. Abalone gut and cunjevoi fished on a No. 1 to 1/0 hook with a small ball sinker has been accounting for plenty of these fish.
If you are planing a trip down Darren’s way check out his web site http://bermifishinghut.com.au/aboutus.htm and give him a ring.

Paul Martin (rocksmarine@tsn.cc) reports that many of the anglers up his way have had a cracker of a week with fantastic conditions and calm seas. Quality fish were caught both inside and outside. Black Rock and the Jail Peak areas have fished well for Cobia up to 20 kilo plus. Fish Rock has had some small kingfish coming in while blue and yellowfin are being caught in small numbers.

The flathead ground off the Lighthouse has been a popular location with some good results with some anglers getting their bag limits. Best baits have been strips of slimy mackerel and pilly tails. Spotted mackerel are still around Grassy, there not thick, but one of our visitors landed a nice 8 kilo fish. The reefs here are also producing fair snapper and pearl perch.

Smoky beach has fished well for tailor in the mornings with good numbers finally coming through. Bream and dart are also in the deeper holes. Gap beach has also fished well for tailor, while Back Beach still has some nice whiting to 600 grams coming in. There have been a number of reports coming in from the rocks; many of them are about the tailor that have been on the chew. Try down as far as Crescent Head. Tuna are worth a shot off Hat Head.

Better Bream have been caught out of the river with some quality dusky flathead. It’s still a waiting game with the luderick, with only the odd one being caught. Bass are on the move now with locations from Kempsey Bridge down to the Belmore River productive at first light and late afternoon. Paul also reports that they now have local garfish in stock. And they have a selection of discounted Shimano winter clothing now on sale.

Jason and Virginia Isaac from Ned Kelly’s Bait and Tackle jasned@ozemail.com.au reports the beach fishing is steadily improving and most beaches are holding fair formations, courtesy of a sustained period of quite calm seas. These calm seas have seen several massive schools of mullet travelling close in with the supporting cast of dolphins and sharks feasting on them. Lighthouse Beach has been producing some nice bream and a steady stream of tailor, while North Beach has fished well for both species as well as a few late season whiting. Mulloway have been rather quiet but the upcoming full moon should see catches improve.
Off the rocks, tailor remain excellent, with Lighthouse, Miners and Shelley’s all producing good feeds with Point Plomer and surrounds holding better quality fish. Last week local angler Craig Mulley weighed a terrific 4.65kg greenback and caught several fish not much smaller. Night anglers report increasing numbers of bream and the odd mulloway following the mullet or tailor schools.

In the estuary, bream numbers are improving and should be close to their best after the coming full moon. Flathead numbers remain excellent with quality fish on offer from all point between Wauchope and the walls. Whitebait and lures have produced. Blackfish numbers are reasonable. Still plenty of muddies about for those keen enough to brave the cool nights chasing them.
Offshore, some terrific snapper have been on offer with fish to around 3kg common. Many of these fish have been extracted from deeper waters, with the lack of current and calm days helping. A few good pearl perch have been taken from around the 85m mark, while up north some kings above 10kg have been testing the backs of those chasing them. With the odd patch of 23°-plus water, a few late season marlin and mahi mahi are certainly not out of the question.

Weekly Report 21/05/07

Nick the bus driver and his mates ventured out onto the Port Hacking on Friday in all that rain and wind. I was going, but I had to work. Nick managed to get an 880 gram bream while fishing the 35 metres drop-off at Lilly Pilly on the run-up tide. During the week I have a couple of reports come in from Ken who also fished the drop-off on the run-up tide. Ken managed to catch 2 yellowfin bream, 1 dusky flathead to 49cm and 6 silver trevally. All were caught on pilly tails.

Scotty Lyons and his good mate Glen headed out on Tuesday afternoon for a spot of luderick fishing in the deep waters of Yowie Bay in the Port Hacking River. After berleying for a few minutes Scotty hooked onto a solid fish that managed to brick him on the bottom. This same thing then happened to Glen. The next three downs saw them both hook into some solid luderick. Glen got another massive hit and a run. The fish was not a luderick, but is was a surgeon fish. In our new DVD “Port Hacking - The Jewel of the South” Scotty fights and lands a great surgeon fish and boy do they test out your luderick gear. They are also great on the plate.

At the moment the Port Hacking is holding a number of luderick, leatherjackets and squid. Try locating where the sand meets the weed beds and you will be in with a shot. For the leatherjackets and luderick you will need to have a small, but constant berley tail going.

The kingfish have slowed down a little bit in Botany Bay, but it is still worth the effort in putting out a live bait for one of them. Try fishing from the start of Silver Beach and through to the boat ramp at the end. This stretch of water has been producing luderick off the groynes and dusky flathead in and around the weed beds. There have also been a number of squid about as well.

Tailor, silver trevally and the odd Australian salmon have been trolled up on 6 inch Bass Assassin stick baits. Try trolling them at about 2 to 3 knots on TT Jig Heads. Offshore the close reefs have been lousy with small chinaman leatherjackets.

If you like fishing the shore in Sydney Harbour you could try Lady Jane Beach, Mrs Macquarie Chair and under the Harbour bridge for bream, trevally and tailor.

Paul Martin from South West Rock Marine (rocksmarine@tsn.cc) reports that most of his customers have had a quiet week with the conditions a little ordinary at the end of last week for the outside fisho’s. The guys fishing off Scott’s Head in about 60 meters are getting quality snapper and pearl perch, while Dennis Morton found the right spot for a few mulloway. Cobia have slowed down with just the odd one coming in from Fish Rock. This area is also producing a few kingfish, but there are no monsters amongst them.

There has been the odd straggler Spottie off Grassy, but most of them have all but gone. Once again live bait is hard to get around the buoys and the boulders. The tailor run should start soon, but Paul informs me that there are huge numbers around Crescent Head and Point Plummer. Hopefully they are on their way north. There are also reports of kilo plus yellowfin bream swimming with them.
A little closer to home local Phil Saul caught his biggest land based fish, a 24 kilo Cobia out of his secret location between the Rocks and Hat Head on a 65gm Raider metal. Off our ledges there have been a few tailor about with heaps of dart being caught. Bream are starting to come in the river with the best results for bigger fish coming in at night. Flathead are around in fair numbers but most are just legal fish. If you are fishing the Breakwalls Estuary Perch are around everywhere but don’t forget these must be released. Black fish are a little slow coming in this season but as always they will be here.