Weekly report 10/02/08

My next class will start on Wednesday the 26th of March at 7.00pm and run for 3 consecutive Wednesday nights. The cost will be $80.00 per person. To book in and pay you will need to either ring the shop or pay them a visit at

Absolutely Hooked
174 Merrylands Road
Merrylands
Ph (02) 9897 3474
Mike

If you can’t make that class I will be running another class starting on the Thursday the 10th of April at 6.30pm. The cost of $95.00 includes a fish barbeque and the class. To book in and pay you will need to either ring the shop or pay them a visit.

Windybanks Bait and Tackle
523 Pacific Hwy Mt Colah NSW 2079
Ph (02) 9477 1501
Annette and John

Ron Osman from Estuary Fishing and Tours http://www.estuaryfishingtours.com.au/ reports that he has been flat out over Christmas holidays and is only just starting to get a few days off. Ron has come across a report of the catch statistics of the professional fisherman from the Hawkesbury and Pittwater region off the Department of Primary Industries (Fisheries) through freedom of information.

Ron has never said a bad word against the pros because he didn’t know how much they caught but now he knows and it shocks him to think this is still going on week in week out and surely it can’t go on for to many more years before the Hawkesbury is totally out of fish. Anyway to the numbers and this includes Mesh netters which account for most of the fish and also Trappers, Trawlers and Beach Haulers with the Beach Haulers catching the majority of the mullet.

This if for the 2006 – 07 financial year, 24,200kg of bream (and at an average of 1/2kg per bream that’s 50,000 Bream being taken out in one year and that’s not including the small ones they feed to the pelicans or the dead ones they throw back.

Whiting is 15,000kg, Mulloway (Jewfish) is 5,200kg, Flathead 1,400kg, Trevally 4,700kg and the big one Mullet which is 230,000kg (no I didn’t write too many zeros on the Mullet that’s the number), then there is Blue Swimmers 1400kg and Mud crabs 1,250kg to my surprise there were only 260kg of Kingfish and there was also 700kg of Flounder.

Ron has only listed the bread and butter fish that he mostly fish for, but if you want the full list he will happily send them to you if you email him. The number of pros in the river has increased since they have been kicked out of Sydney Harbour by a lot, you can tell by the amount of traps around now and they come from the Hawkesbury, Pittwater and Brisbane Water and there are a lot more coming from Sydney and putting there boats in by trailer at Mooney in the Hawkesbury or Bayview in Pittwater and mostly work of a night time so they don’t get abused by fishos who are just trying to catch a feed.

Apparently Sydney Harbour hasn’t fished this good for 20 years since they got rid of them and Ron wishes they would find dioxins in the Hawkesbury so they would ban them from there too. When the fishing license first got brought in the government bought out a few trawlers licenses from the Hawkesbury River and the next day the trawler owners went and bought a license from the old bloke down the road who hadn’t used his license for years and made a very nice profit, about $50,000 so Ron is led to believe. If the government did there homework first they would have bought out the licenses not being used first for a lot less money, anyway that’s my rant for this month now to the fishing report.

Anyway now to the report, finally some surface action in Broken Bay with schools of tailor and smaller schools of Frigate Mackerel and bonito smashing baitfish. You just have to move around and find them and wait for them to pop up. Some days they are at the box and sometimes at Flint and Steel or right up in Pittwater near Scotland Island and other days been in front of Lion Island.

7 gram Gillies baitfish lures are the best he has come across, they are small but still weigh enough to get a good cast on them with 9lb line. Flatties are a very reliable feed this time of year with the sand banks in front of Lobster Beach being the best place to get some and we have caught them up to 80cm there all on soft plastics but if it’s a terrible day weather wise so is the Flathead fishing usually drifting in front of Patonga with bait will catch a good feed of Flatties too if you are down the Hawkesbury. Use Whitebait for bait because there is plenty of baitfish around at the moment. Bream and Whiting have been great one week and quiet the next and I don’t know why we are using the same baits and fishing the same spots with Hardies Bay one of the most consistent but the Little Beach on the eastern side of Patonga has been producing some Whiting to 42cm on Pink Nippers and Tube Worms with a few Bream and Flatties chucked in.

Blue Swimmers are still around with most days getting 6 to 10 in our traps and if you’re lucky you may get a muddy down the Hawkesbury, but he hasn’t targeted them in Brisbane Waters for a long time. Jewies are still a bit quiet but we usually catch a few when we target them but they are only about 2-3kg and taking fresh Squid or Slimy Mackerel fillets and the best spot has been down Mooney Creek or the road bridge at Mooney. We had a good 2 weeks on the Jew at the Rip Bridge in Brisbane Waters where they were there every day at the top of the tide for about an hour. We got them every day we were there on fresh squid but they were only 40-60cm but everyone was still happy and once the word was out there were lots of boats there for the tide turn.

Kingies are still very disappointing down in Pittwater and Broken Bay. We have caught them but not in numbers and mostly throw backs, bait hasn’t been a problem with plenty of Squid and Slimy Mackerel around West Head but the Kings have been quiet even around all the wrecks down in Pittwater which Ron finding more of every time Ron is down there but it still isn’t helping. Maybe next week they will turn up because they are outside on the 40m reefs and we have had our best ones come from West Head, Barrenjoey or the Box so it might just be a late season for them. The Frigate Mackerel are at Terrigal Haven too, but be prepared to fish shoulder to shoulder with everyone else and watch out for the Divers.

If you are after more information about Ron’s estuary fishing and tours you can either have a look at his web site http://www.estuaryfishingtours.com.au/ or email him at ron@estuaryfishingtours.com.au

Scotty Lyons from Southern Sydney Fishing Tours (http://www.fishingsydney.com.au/.) reports that it has been a little damp over the week or two, but the fishing all week was rather good. Early in the week Kingies were in good numbers around Cape Banks and they provided great action for Matt and Tina. This was there first shot at Kingies, Matt works in the fishing game at Explore Outdoors in Dubbo. Matt and Tina are both keen fresh water fisho`s so if you are in there area drop in and Matt will point you in the right direction for Cod and Goldern Perch in the area. Charlie caught this pair of bream while fishing with Scotty at the Sticks.

Bream are a standout at this time of the year Scott has found good numbers around the sticks and all the way back to Towra point just anchor any were between these to spots and fish with Nippers, Blood Worms or Peeled Prawns. If you anchor and all is slow just move about 100metres and try again, Both tides working well.

Try anchoring at the Drums for kingfish, trevally, dusky flathead and bream. Run-out tide seems to produce the better fish.The Oil wharf is fishing well for bream and trevally. Burley and fish the run out tide.

Matt from the Explore Outdoors shop at Dubbo caught this 76cm kingfish while flicking soft plastics around the Botany Bay marker bouys.

There was no report from Peter Le Blang from Harbour & Estuary Fishing Charters, but he has updated his website http://www.estuaryfishing.com.au/ all you need to do is click on the prices button to view the many available charters and different styles of fishing available or call 0410 633 351 or 9999 2574.

This dolphin fish was caught by one of Peter's clients while fishing off Broken Bay.

Darren from Bermagui Ocean Hut Fishing Tackle, Dive and Charter Fishing Service
mailto:%20(%20enquiries@bermifishinghut.com.au reports that there have been a number of great catches over the past week or two.

Reef
Although not great the fishing has been consistent with the highlight being the amount of Flathead around out from the beaches. These are mostly Sand Flathead, although the wider you go the more Tigers you will find. For other Reef Fish like Snapper. Morwong and Kingfish, Goalen Head is still the prime spot, producing in various depths of water.

Game
Over the past week there has been several marlin caught, although they hadn’t been in any great numbers. That was until Sunday when two of the local boats tagged 7 fish between them with a few visitors also catching a fish or two. There is still plenty of bait out there, in the form of both Striped Tuna and Slimy Mackerel to attract the large predators.

Estuary
The rivers and lakes have been consistent all along the coast with most Estuary species willing to feed. However as I put this together we are coping large rain falls which in turn may have an effect on the future fishing within the Estuaries. Providing we don’t get floods and just a good drop of rain we should see even better fishing in the near future.

Freshwater
A little cooler temps seem to have the Bass back on the chew in Brogo Dam. Fish are being taken more of an evening and early morning, although recently more fish are being encountered thru the daylight hours. Evenings are the prime time where the insect life is at its’ prime thus firing the fish to feed closer to the surface.

Rock and Beach
Camel Rock beach over the last week has seen some very nice Bream been taken on Beach Worm plus a few smaller Whiting and Mullet. Most of the Beaches and Rocky Headlands are showing signs of plenty of Salmon for those who wish to either toss a lure or bait. Tailor are still persistent around the entrance to Bermagui Harbour.

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.

VIDEO REVIEW 1 – Pure Fishing / Berkley with Adam (Mad Dog) Royter

RRP $19.99

If you have always wanted to get into fishing with Soft Plastics, then this DVD by Pure Fishing is a great one to have in your library. Adam Royter delivers the information that you need to make your soft plastic fishing more enjoyable, while at the same time helping you catch more fish.

I have watched this DVD a number of times and I keep on learning more things out of it. Adam takes you through how to tie different knots to join your line to the reel, end to end, leader and jig head on.

You will also learn how to cast, retrieve and fish for trout, bass, bream, flathead and mulloway. While at the same time being advised at what type and colour soft plastic to use.

While you are looking at Pure Fishings "Berkley Soft Plastics" you should also have a look at the Berkley Blue Water - The Gulp Experience.

So if you have ever thought, “I would like to have a go at fishing with Soft Plastics” This DVD will get you started. So once again AFN have brought out a great couple of books that would definitely be worth having in your library. Try your local tackle shop or call up Joy at AFN on (03) 9761 4044.

Paul Martin from Rock Marine Bait and Tackle (rocksmarine@tsn.cc) reports that the conditions last week were less than ordinary mainly due to our angry bar crossing. Boats got out at the end of last week to a green ocean with the water temp about 21 degrees. Cobia were in limited numbers with the best around the 20 kilo mark. Small Blacks were hard to find but there was some success from guys down rigging in about 30 meters. All looks promising with plenty of bait around and strong southerly currents bringing warmer water down. There were no spotties last week off Grassy to report but the odd nice Snapper came out of that area.

That dirty water just keeps coming down from the mountains with a couple of weeks still before we get some clear water. At the end of the Break Wall good Bream up to a kilo are coming in along with some big Flathead. One of our visitors picked up an 8 kilo Cobia around Jew Bite on dead bait while there were a few smaller Cobia around the Jerseyville Bridge. Whiting are on the bite around the shallow flats in the same area. Fisho’s playing with lures are smashing the Bream in the dirty water around any sort of structure, some are small but good fun if you’re waiting for the seas to calm down outside.

Whiting are on Smoky Beach, not in big numbers but they are quality fish. The odd Bream are coming out of Back beach on an incoming tide with a few Whiting as well. You need to pick your day but there are Tailor and Bream off the rocks and a walk down to the Lighthouse should be worth while.

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 in the estuaries the fishing has been quite consistent, primarily from the lower reaches. Flathead remain in excellent numbers with the coal wall and Limeburners producing the better results. Limeburners and Big Bay were also holding some solid bream, with night time sessions producing the more consistent results. Whiting have been a little quiet which is not unusual when there is a bit of colour in the water, however high tide sessions around the Back Channel and Pelican Island have been quite productive. If whiting are your preferred target, a trip to Lake Cathie with either worm or yabbies during the day, or better still, live prawns at night, will however be your best option. No news yet as far as mulloway from the break walls is concerned, however if the river really dirties up, I expect lure tossers will be out in force hoping for a more significant showing than the last few mild freshes have produced.

On the crustacean front, Lake Cathie has produced a more significant run of prawns this dark than we have seen for some time, although the general quality remains variable. I expect the next two or three darks will see the average quality improve significantly. On the crab scene, blue swimmers have been a little hit and miss as is usual when the river is off colour, however to date the fresh has not worried the muddies, with plenty of good crabs active right throughout the system.

Off the beaches, once again the swell has picked up and will make conditions awkward in the short term. Before the swell picked up, some reasonable formations were beginning to develop on both Lighthouse and North Beach, with bream and whiting the common targets. Best results have been achieved during the evening session with live worms as bait, although make sure you have plenty as the rays are particularly ravenous at this time of year. Still no real signs of tailor on the beaches as yet, although reports from further south indicate we may see improved numbers within the not too distant future.

Off the rocks, reasonable numbers of bream have been taken, with both Point Plommer and Lighthouse fishing quite well, particularly during evening sessions. Pick of the baits have been either mullet or tailor strips. Tailor numbers are quite reasonable, with Point Plommer and surrounds continuing to produce the better results locally. Also on the chew have been a few solid blackfish, with Point Perpendicular and miners locally giving up a few bronzies. On the land based game scene, no news yet as far as long tails are concerned, however a few small cobia have been reported from around Hat Head. This weekend sees a bit of a southerly predicted, so it will be interesting to see if this brings some much anticipated warm currents back onto the coastline.

On the outside front, results continue to be a little mixed, with plenty of warm water now here although it has yet to gain that real cobalt colour game fishers like to see. Bottom bashers have been achieving reasonable results with snapper to around 5 kilos and plenty of pearl perch on offer. Kingfish numbers have slowed a little however there are still plenty of rats around for those inclined to chase them.

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 27/01/08

It is great to hear from former students who attended my fishing classes that I run at Windybanks Bait and Tackle at Mount Colah and how they have improved their fishing. Peter & Tyler Morley (8 years old) had the chance to fish in the lakes area of Forster/Tuncurry whilst on holidays. Tyler managed to land a 77cm dusky flathead from the shore of a sand island. He did it using a full pilchard and with no sinker on 3 gang hooks size 4/O using 6 kilo mono-filament line. The outfit Tyler used was a Daiwa Procaster-V graphite rod and Shimano Symetre 2500FI reel.

Dave Steele had a great time fishing up in Yamba with his family and he managed to get around 30 yellowfin bream in about 40 minutes fishing. He kept 10 (see picture) and threw back about 20 more. Dave used G loomis rod, Shimano twin power 4000, 20lb braid down to 20lb leader small 0 ball sinker, thin wire gamy hook and peeled prawns. (the reason for high lb leader was that he was fishing along wall in boat.) Dave also managed to get a feed of mud crabs.

Carl Dubois and I competed in the Squidgy Bream Challenges up on Brisbane Waters last weekend. We have only fished there once before so we took some advice from a good mate of Carl’s who pointed us in the direction of some weedy sand flats and assured us we'd get stuck into the bream as the tide fell.Upon arrival, we could see another 3 boats working the area. We gave them plenty of room and starting working various SP's and surface lures, including a new one for Carl, a Towadi (and yeah, yeah, for you experienced guys, I know they've been around for ages...).

Only about 10 minutes into the fishing Carl landed his first. "Aaarrrgghhh!" 24cm's to the fork...bummer, as it has to be 25cm's, so back it goes. Soon after he get another: 23cm's this time. Both were legal fish as far as the fisheries are concerned but they're no good for these comps.I finally lands one that is 25cm's on the button. Carl picks up another one that's just under, then Carl gets a much better and he's a shoe-in at 29cm's. That's two in the well and its only 10am. The bite went a bit quiet after that so we decided to leave the flats for the other boats and try somewhere else.

While motoring around we passed a nice little lagoon running off into deeper water and Carl flicked a camo sandworm into the current. A 42cm whiting came on board, was photograph and let go. We landed the usual assortment of by-catch (flathead, tailor, flounder) and lost a few good bream, but we were never really in the running to take out the comp. To rub salt into the wounds, the guys that won the day were one of the boats working the same flats as us. They just hung around a bit longer and finally the bream went on the chew and they bagged out with their best 5 fish weighing in at 2.9kg's. Good on 'em, I say.

Carl with his 42cm sand whiting that was caught on a 6 inch Berkley Camo Sand Worm

Ron Osman from Estuary Fishing and Tours http://www.estuaryfishingtours.com.au/
reports that over the past two weeks the flatties are still there in numbers there are some to 40cm on the sand banks at lobster, but the bigger ones to 65cm are in the channel just past lobster. Ron has been drifting down the middle of the channel bouncing plastics off the bottom and moving out of the way when a boat comes through, most days they have caught 10 keepers in 2 and half hours and they have been over 50cm and some over 60 and mostly big females. Blue swimmers, bream and whiting have been a bit slow this week but Ron has still managed a few at Hardies Bay racks.

They also caught a few salmon while fishing for bream at Lion Island and there was a school of small tailor on the surface there on Saturday, good fun but no keepers, it is the first school of fish Ron has seen in Broken Bay except for slimies for about 2 months. Still heaps of slimies at Iron Ladders. The jews at the Rip Bridge have gone, but they caught a couple of small ones (50cm) at the Mooney Road Bridge.

If you are after more information about Ron’s estuary fishing and tours you can either have a look at his web site http://www.estuaryfishingtours.com.au/ or email him at ron@estuaryfishingtours.com.au

Scotty Lyons from Southern Sydney Fishing Tours (http://www.fishingsydney.com.au/.) reports that a charter out on the bay and offshore brought a little more than expected. One of his clients not only caught some bream and kingfish, he also netted a $100.00 note that was floating in the water. While catching bait one of the boys yelled out, “get the net quick”, as Scott raced to his side of the boat thinking he had a good bream on one of the bait lines, he pointed to $100.00 note just floating past the boat. That's one to remember. Scott told me he had to catch the rest of the bait as all the boys were looking for more floating money. (Botany Bay has it all).

The Wednesday afternoon trip, 4pm to 10pm the plan was catch bait, target kingies then onto the shallow grounds to target bream before heading back to one of the bridges to set a few live baits in the hope of landing another Jew fish or two. Bait no problems at the end of Yarra Bay, The plan was to stay in side the Bay as the sea was up and all of my spots around the mouth of the Bay were out of control, The rest of the trip was down hill from there, No Kingies, One nice Bream and no Jews one of the toughest trips I have in a long time had sorry boys.

The next day was a total turn around the sea had drop off and the day was plan to fish off shore so we filled up with live baits and headed out and scored quite a few good Kingies most fish around 6ocms with 5 nice fish 65th 70cms a top day on the water.

Peter Le Blang from Harbour & Estuary Fishing Charters has updated his website http://www.estuarfishing.com.au/ all you need to do is click on the prices button to view the many available charters and different styles of fishing available. The fishing offshore that Peter has experienced with a few mates last week was amazing. They started the day collecting live yellowtail and slimy mackerel at Broken Bay. The schools of baitfish were thick and within 10 minutes Peter was off to Longy to chase some dollies. The conditions were sloppy, but the big new boat handled it with ease and at a speed of 18 knots we were at the FAD in quick time.

Upon arriving they decided to have a run around with pushers to see if any fish could be found. The close by current line was our first target and on the first run they caught a 6kg dollies. The second run produced the same results so the livies were placed out. They moved no more than 50m before the first of many decent fish were caught. Alex was the first to catch a bigger model and by the 11am the guys had caught one fish that was a neat 10kg and another couple of fish that were just under the double figure mark.

The action lasted as long as the livies did and the guys landed 20 decent fish with only enough taken for an immediate feed. These bigger fish had even larger fish shadowing them all the way to the boat but refused to eat anything that was dangled in front of them. All the kept fish were females, which was a bit unusual and the bigger bulls that were following these fish were easily 15kg.

Back in Pittwater the fishing has been great one day but a shocker the next. The fishing has gotten to a point where it is better to fish Broken Bay at the moment. The fishing in Pittwater is patchy, but the fishing around the various headlands of Broken Bay has seen more consistent captures. Barrenjoey Head has seen some great fish lost and quite a few smaller fish caught. We have been targeting the Lion Island area with better results. The better baits have been slimy mackerel or yellowtail and by using the downriggers the fish can normally be found. There have been a few kingfish also caught at Flint & Steel so this normally means that West Head will have a few fish to be caught until the mesh netters get them.

In past years when kingfish have been caught at Flint & Steel it normally means that these fish are on the way into Cowan Creek to harass the many bait schools that are in the river. This is normally when fish can be caught at Cottage Point as well as Smiths Creek and the various points that have a fair amount of current. Live squid or yellowtail will catch decent kingfish in this system once they are located. The only problem with fishing Cowan Creek is that the waterway is so good for the fish. There are almost too many areas for these fish to hide.

Back in Pittwater there are a few kingfish to be caught but these are spoilt fish and on most occasions refusing to eat anything. Last Wednesday saw kingfish found on both the cameras and the sounders and they refused live squid, dead fresh squid, squid guts, squid heads, yellowtail, slimy mackerel, garfish, soft plastics of all varieties as well as hard bodied and metal lures. They really threw everything at them but were unable to trigger a bite. When you hold over feeding fish and can’t produce a bite you know that they are fixated on a specific prey and unless you match it you have no hope.

Bream are in Pittwater and can be caught around the moorings at Bayview and Newport as well as Barrenjoey Head. Barrenjoey Head on the ocean side has seen local’s fish near the traps and on more occasions than not come home with their bag limit. The fish are from 28cm through to 35cm and are thick at the moment. The better baits to use have been oily fish like tuna or pilchards. Fresh yellowtail strips are also catching a fair amount of fish. Burly is required and a Burly Bomb is the best way to get these fish onto the chew. If fishing in Pittwater for bream try using live nippers as this may see you catching some big whiting that are also about.

If you are thinking about getting into popper fishing for whiting in Pittwater, now may be your time. Towlers bay is the place to try as is Mackerel Beach and The Basin. Try using small poppers with cup faces in gold colours. Although this lure won’t guarantee you a whiting, if used properly it will certainly see you in with a great chance. The flathead are starting to show themselves along and over the sand banks in Pittwater. These fish are responding well to drift fishing with live yellowtail and even pilchards. Soft plastics are also accounting for a few fish and can be a very effective way to catch a feed. The areas to try are Mackerel Beach as well as Palm Beach and right up at Bayview and Newport.

Darren from Bermagui Ocean Hut Fishing Tackle, Dive and Charter Fishing Service
mailto:%20(%20enquiries@bermifishinghut.com.au reports that there have been a number of great catches over the past week or two.

Reef
Down south off Goalen Head there has been some excellent Snapper up to 4 Kg been taken as close in as 16 metres water depth. Most have been taken on bait however fishing with soft plastics has also produced and in doing so has seen some reasonably sized Kingfish also encountered. There is also plenty of Flathead to be targeted out to sea.

Game
Recent tournament at Batemans Bay didn’t produce the goods anglers were expecting with only a handful of Marlin being captured. However south out from Bermagui the Twelve Mile Reef is holding vast bait schools of Slimy Mackerel which in turn seems to have plenty of Marlin and Sharks following them.

Estuary
Still the estuaries are fishing extremely well with some of the systems south of Bermagui producing better. Southern Yellowfin Bream and Dusky Flathead are the most common catch although Whiting, Trevally, Blackfish and a host more species are all abundant. Whether it be bait or lure it is not hard to achieve a good catch.

Freshwater
A little cooler temps seem to have the Bass back on the chew in Brogo Dam. Fish are being taken more of an evening and early morning, although recently more fish are being encountered thru the daylight hours. Evenings are the prime time where the insect life is at its’ prime thus firing the fish to feed closer to the surface.

Rock and Beach
Due to the poor conditions Rock Fishing has been difficult although there are a few nice Tailor, Salmon and the odd Kingfish at the entrance to Bermagui Harbour. On the Beaches, shallow gutters are producing good catches of Whiting and bream with an odd Jewfish an occasional catch. Nearly all beaches are holding reasonable stocks.

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.

BOOK REVIEW 1 – GPS Handbook Revised – Fishing Marks Australia Wide by Jim Harmon & Fred Studden

RRP $29.99

The GPS Handbook Fishing Marks Australia Wide is an invaluable companion to all boating anglers. It is a complete guide on how to use and get the best from your GPS and it also tells you where you can fish around Australia.

Almost every angler who fishes on the water around Australia either uses a GPS or wishes they did. However, many users find mastering their GPS difficult. Fred Studden is one of Australia’s foremost angling electronics experts and in this GPS handbook he clearly explains just how to use and get the best from your own GPS.

Using these instructions the GPS enables the angler to determine their latitude and longitude out on the water to help them locate reefs, drop-offs, sand and gravel patches. It also will help you to be able to navigate to a special location you may have. This book has 2000 marks listed (offshore – Inshore – Bay – Estuary – river) and it would take you a life time to fish them all. Some you may already know.

BOOK REVIEW 2 – Fishing Guide to Western Australia by Kurt Blanksby & Frank Prokop

RRP $29.99

This edition contains updated fishing maps to give you the best and most comprehensive details on fishing in WA. The Fishing Guide to Western Australia is a complete guide to fishing Western Australia’s offshore, coastal and estuarine waters, including some of the most spectacular and isolated spots in Australia. This book is a when, where and how to catch various fish species and is outlined with detailed maps identifying specific fishing areas from the Kimberley’s down the coast and around to the South Australian border. There are also details of boat ramps and tackle shops included in this book.

So if you are ever going to do a bit of travelling, both of these books would be well worth having as reference books. I would suggest that you get yourself a copy of this book. So once again AFN have brought out a great couple of books that would definitely be worth having in your library. Try your local tackle shop or call up Joy at AFN on (03) 9761 4044.

Paul Martin from Rock Marine Bait and Tackle (rocksmarine@tsn.cc) reports that better late than never, we finally have some fish in close. Over the last few days, Cobia have been on the bite just off the Jail in some good blue water, feeding on live yakkers and slimies. There not huge at this stage but they are there in good numbers. Small Blacks are starting to show up around the 11 fathom reef with a few bigger Blues out wider.

The Fad is working well for Dolphin Fish with The Rocks Fishing Charter boat landing a 28 kilo Bull amongst some nice fish. Ken Lyons and Bob Laws fished out the front for a 22 kg Spanish mackerel and a nice Cobia head after a Shark had a feed. Fish Rock has had some cracker Kings around it while Yellow Fin are in good numbers between the Jail and the Rock. Grassy and Scotts still hasn’t started to fire yet with no signs of the Spotties.

Whiting are still being pulled out of Smoky and Gap Beach with the odd Bream as well. Front Beach towards Trial Bay has had some smaller Whiting. With the river slowly clearing up Bream have come on the bite. The popper phenomenon continues to lure some big Whiting amongst the shallows and sandy flats. Peter O’dell from Kempsey has landed some great Flathead up to 4 kilo while one of his Bream went 1.10 kilo. The oyster racks at Rainbow and Clybucca has been a hot spot using soft and hard bodied lures for Bream and Whiting.

Weekly report 14/01/08

Alex Bellissimo from http://www.bellissimocharters.com/ reports that he took Matt Haden (Australian cricket opener) out to Curl Curl Beach to learn how to get beach worms. It wasn’t long before they managed to get enough for a fish on Dee Why Beach to chase sand whiting. They managed to get enough for a feed. Also Craig and Jesse (son) Strachan fished with Alex off Warriewood rocks for 8 drummer to 2 kilos and 2 silver drummer to 1.5 kilos. They were caught on peeled endeavour prawns and bread was used for berley.

Jacob, a long time client of Alex caught yellowfin bream to 1.9 kilos, snapper to 1.5 kilos. Samson fish to 1.0 kilos and Australian salmon to 2.0 kilos while fishing with pilchards off Dee Why rocks. Now if you are going to try and fish this spot you will need to take plenty of care.
Alex Middleton fished with Alex and caught kingfish to 4 kilos of whole salted garfish off Long Reef.

If you would like to find out more about Alex Bellissimo’ s rock and beach fishing tours you can give him a ring on 0408 283616.

Mick from Yabbie Bait and Tackle at Taren Point reports that there are sand whiting being caught in the shallow areas of Woolooware Bay and the sand flats of the Port Hacking on tube worms. Also morwong, snapper, flathead and leatherjackets have been caught by anglers fishing off the Golf Ball at Kurnell in about 50 metres of water.

Nicole Crews from Engadine caught this 13lb snapper on 15 kilo braid while fishing with her husband (Jason) in Emu Bay near Kangaro Island in SA.

A couple of club members from the St George and Sutherland Shire Fishing club caught a Short billed Spearfish while trolling back in past the shelf near Browns Mountain. They also managed to get dolphin fish to 7 kilos off the FAD at Botany.

Jason Crews 9 kilo snapper that was also caught in South

Australia.

For more information you can contact Mick at his shop on 9542 7712 or just call into No 2 Toorak Avenue at Taren Point.

Carl and Terry managed to get amongst a few bass earlier in the week. They launched into the darkness at 4:30am. Just as it was getting light, they started flicking surface lures around. Terry had a couple of hits but no hook ups and Carl decided to change to one of his EastCoast spinners to see if some were down deep. The pair of them managed a couple of double hook ups. Terry was the champion today and landed another 4 beauties, the best going 37cm's.

Carl also had a fish in Sylvania and manage a nice mixed bag of 3 bream, 1 whiting and a PB flounder (from the yak) of 29cm's. All the fish were caught from under pontoons and jetties on various SP's: Gulp 2" Sandworm (Camo), 3" Minnow (Limetiger) and 3" Minnow (Mouldy Cheese). I also worked the moored boat hulls over and never even had a touch.

Peter Johnston fished for kingfish and managed to get a bag limit of kings. A couple of reports of snapper to 6.5 kilos came in from Windybanks Bait and Tackle. One angler caught 6 snapper to 6 kilos while fishing off Long Reef. All the fish were caught off the bottom.

Darren from Bermagui Ocean Hut Fishing Tackle, Dive and Charter Fishing Service
mailto:%20(%20enquiries@bermifishinghut.com.au reports that there have been a number of great catches over the past week or two.

Reef
Sadly the biggest drama for the Reef Fisherman has been the poor weather not allowing access to most of the reefs. When you can get there, there is good Snapper and Morwong out from Goalen Head plus out from most beaches there are good Sand Flathead and the odd Gummy Shark. There is also plenty of Tiger Flathead in 50 - 70 metres of water.

Game
Poor conditions have hampered the Game Fishing however on the better days there has been some lovely Marlin captured. The best to date is 230 Kg Blue Marlin plus a couple of smaller ones. There has been Striped Marlin to 100 Kg, Spearfish, Yellowfin Tuna, Striped Tuna with most of the action taking place east of the Twelve Mile on the edge of the Shelf.

Estuary
Fishing is booming in just about all of the estuaries with Wapengo being the pick. Just about every species is on the chew at present with Flathead, Bream, Trevally and Garfish dominating bags. We are also in the thick of a good Prawn run in Wallaga Lake where most people are able to access a couple of kilo of Prawns easily.

Freshwater
Brogo Dam is very warm at present, around 28 degrees surface temperature. This is putting the fish off through the day time however there has been some nice fish taken early morning and late afternoon. Below the dam wall, fish are holding in the deeper pools although again early mornings and evenings are proving best.

Rock and Beach
Due to large seas both the Rocks and Beach have been very difficult to fish. There has been some nice Whiting around the entrance on Cuttagee Beach, with a few Salmon there and on Barragoot Beach. Some nice Tailor have been caught in the suds around the entrance to Bermagui Harbour on both Pilchards and Lures.

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.

BOOK REVIEW 1 – Fishing Guide to Victoria’s Coastline (2007).

RRP $24.99

This is “A where to fish book” that has been published before back in 2002 by AFN. The latest edition has been put together by Bill Classon, Geoff Wilson and Lee Rayner. All of who are well known and respected authors who collectively have amasses close to one hundred years of fishing experience along the Victoria’s coastline.

Fishing Guide to Victoria’s Coastline (2007) is a highly detailed guide to the entire coastline of Victoria. Beginning in the state’s far east at Mallacoota, and running sequentially along the coastline through to Portland in the south-west. Included in this stretch of coastline are all bays and estuaries. There are very detailed maps of the areas and is complemented by information that has been gained from years of experience in fishing these places.

Other information included in this book are How, When and What types of fish species to fish for, best baits, times of the year, boat ramps, bait gathering areas and the vast amount of bait and tackle shops that are situated along the coastline and estuaries of Victoria.

When review any book I will completely go over it. Things that I am on the lookout for are the information has to be creditable (which this book has), the types of pictures and maps it may have, plus how it is set out.

Now don’t get me wrong, this is a great book, but once again I have found that of the 81 photos that have been used in the 2007 version, 33 of them where straight out of the 2002 version. To some anglers this may not matter to them, but I believe that a lot can be learn from photos and as I have stated before if a book is going to be revised there should be new photos and much more information included in the book.

The information in the 2007 version has bee increased and will be of a benefit to any angler who is going to fish in these area. They have included the new Marine Sanctuary’s and Reserves.

So if you already got this book it would be a great one to have in your library as you could learn so much from it, so much so that I am sure that it would improve your fishing if you ever ventured down to Victoria to have a fish or even if you already fish some of these spots already.

BOOK REVIEW 2 – Fishing Guide to Westernport by Paul Worsteling.

RRP $19.99

I have never met Paul, but after talking to a few anglers who have fished with Paul they have stated that he has a lot of knowledge of How, When and Where to fish in Westernport, but as Paul has stated in his acknowledgements he would like to thanks every angler and friend who has helped him with the information in this book. As Paul states “No one man has all the answers” so to the un named people who unselfishly gave this information Paul would like to thanks them again.

In this book all of Westernport’s famous species go under the microscope looking at places to find them, how to catch them and any specific tips that might put the numbers in your favour.

Western Port is then broken up into many specific maps, with each area been analysed for its full potential. No stone has been left unturned in an effort to find you more fish. There are 121 amazing GPS marks from around the Port and offshore that are being offered by Tackle world Cranbourne to download the full set of marks onto a new and existing Navionics map card (there is s small fee for this service)

The author has been fishing the Westernport for over two decades and literally knows it like the back of his hand.

So if you are ever down that way and are going to fish the Westernport area I would suggest that you get yourself a copy of this book. So once again AFN have brought out a great couple of books that would definitely be worth having in your library. Try your local tackle shop or call up Joy at AFN on (03) 9761 4044.

Paul Martin from Rock Marine Bait and Tackle (rocksmarine@tsn.cc) reports that
if it floats and it was big enough to go over the bar it was out there, after more than a week or two of huge seas holiday makers can get on the ocean for their fish fix. The FAD has been producing some nice dolphin fish with a few kings. There has been the odd marlin sighted around this area with only one or two hook ups. Frank Venezia was hand lining from his Jet Ski with the ever reliable Lively Bib less lure for a 7 kilo yellowfin tuna. Black Rock was working well for James Wilson and the boys for cobia, snapper and kingfish, while Fish Rock has mostly small kings with the odd snapper. All reports from up North were slow apart from some nice Pearlies out wide.

There are good gutters are along Smoky Beach after the big seas holding bream with sand whiting in the shallows. Back Beach has been fishing well for bream after dark while whiting have been on Front Beach in good numbers. Rock Hoppers are seeing good results with some thumper bream and the odd tuna in close.

With dirty fresh water and weed still coming down towards the mouth, the river has been tough to fish. The Break wall has been fishing well for bream on an incoming tide while nice dusky flathead are coming in around the shallows. Whiting are about but it’s tough in the dirty water. We have the clear whiting poppers back in stock that are magic on these fish.

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 on the offshore scene, the Golden Lure has been the focus of a couple of weeks ago week, with fishing finally kicking off on Monday following a long overdue break in the weather. Whilst this delay was certainly disappointing for both competitors and spectators alike, the good news is there has been plenty of action on the game fish scene. Results from early in the week have been excellent, with a variety of billfish to over 200 kilos encountered, along with some solid mahi mahi and yellow fin tuna. With the forecast for the rest of the competition looking reasonable, no doubt some excellent catches will also be enjoyed during the remainder of the week.

Elsewhere offshore, bottom bouncers too have been rejoicing with the receding seas, with safe passage at last viable following a couple of weeks of constant swell. Best results have come from those chasing snapper off the closer reefs, with both baits and soft plastics accounting for some solid reds to over 5 kilos. The reefs off Plommer have also produced a few solid kingfish as well as other mixed reef species, whilst those content to drift the flattie grounds have been easily achieving their objective of scoring a top feed.

A similar story off the beaches with conditions now at long last conducive to fishing the entire stretches of sand, not just the protected corners. As expected, there has been a significant amount of sand movement as a result of constant pounding, and it will take some time for the beaches to fully reform. In the interim, Lighthouse and North Beach both contain some large low tide gutters which have held a few early season tailor, whilst bream and whiting numbers from the close in wash have been reasonable. Live worms as usual have been the pick of baits. The upcoming week may well prove worthwhile for chasing a mulloway, as good results are often reported after a period of heavy seas, particularly if a good source of food like tailor, whiting or whitebait are present.

For rock hoppers, the swells have certainly created some top opportunities with bream, blackfish and tailor numbers all above average. Best results have come from Point Plommer and Hat Head, although locally Shelley’s and Point Perpendicular to the south have fished well. Still a few pigs about for those putting in the effort, although no real news as yet from a land based game perspective.

In the estuaries, the past week has seen solid rainfall upstream resulting a fair degree of colour once again coming down the Hastings. Whilst most likely this colour will be insufficient to fire up the local mulloway population, angling throughout the lower reaches will benefit. Bream numbers have been solid from the break walls, particularly after dark, whilst the daylight hours have seen stacks of flatties on offer every day. The dirty water has however tempered the whiting action from up around Blackman’s Point, however this should pick right back up again once some clarity returns. On the Lake Cathie front, at least the good rainfall has prolonged to opening for the time being. Late last week the constant swells saw the entrance shut for the first time in many months, although this week has seen it open itself up once again. Time will tell how much longer the opening has, although with the amount of sand build up just offshore, any opening time from here on should be seen as a bonus.

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 31/12/07

Well I hope everyone had a very merry Christmas and are looking forward to a safe and prosperous New Year. I've been out a few time between Christmas and the New Year and the results have been very varied. I have managed to get a couple of small jewfish from the Port Hacking on whole Hawkesbury River Prawns, bream, flathead, whiting and Australian salmon on a variety of soft plastics in the upper parts of the Port Hacking. I have also been out on the bay (trying to get away from the crowds) and managed to get a few silver trevally, dusky flathead, bream, tailor and Australian salmon.

Carl Dubois and Terry hit the HWO again and caught a few small kingfish on soft plastics. They also fished the drums and the oil wharf for a couple of bream. Terry had been out on the Bay earlier in the week and cleaned up on Aussie Salmon. These fish are there one day and then gone the next, only to be back again the next day.

Remember when using your local ramp, they will be crowded at this time of the year. So don't dilly dally when launching and retrieving your boat.

Molineaux Point has been jam packed with boats over the past few days, so you will need to get out early. I fished with a neighbour up the road and even though there were a few boats at Monoilex Point we did manage to get a few bream, silver trevally and heaps of slimy mackerel.

Scotty Lyons from Southern Sydney Fishing Tours http://www.fishingsydney.com.au/ reports that last week the weather has just about hit us from all directions, Rain, Wind and sunny patches along with a little cold water current the fish have shut down, I have worked hard most outing to put fish in the boat, Scored one nice Kingie around 70cms from a mooring drum on a live bait.

Trevally are around the drums in the middle of the Bay but only in small numbers there are lots of Slimmy Mackerel hanging around the drums as well. Bream are slim pickings I have found a few along the Third runway and in the Middle of the Bay and just wide from Towra Point along with a few Whiting. Also scored a few Flathead while anchored for Bream on plastics.

Early Morning trolling has produced Tailor and Salmon in Yarra Bay. The water is just starting to clear up so next week is looking rather good, The surface action should return as there is loads of bait fish around and the good water will turn turn the kingies on and the Bream will follow.

Well a few days without the bloody wind blowing was great Friday Saturday and Sunday and the fishing was rather good, The water was still a little dirty after all the rain and is slowly clearing up so the Kingies should be back, I did find a few over the last few days all around 60cm and lost a good fish right at the boat on Sunday that sucked in a Nipper on light tackle.

Trevally in good numbers on Friday, Saturday but had trouble on Sunday around the drums but then the Mackerel moved in and all hall hooked up, Big Mackerel to, top bait and top tucker cooked fresh, Well I like them. Bream a little slow but found a few in the middle of the Bay on Nippers and worth spinning this area for Flathead as we caught a few on Plastics. Nathan had the boat with a crew and found Tailor around Watts reef.

So if you would like to catch a few fish every time you are out on the water the fishing School can show you how just give me a call 0418 169 439.

Darren from Bermagui Ocean Hut Fishing Tackle, Dive and Charter Fishing Service
mailto:%20(%20enquiries@bermifishinghut.com.au reports that there have been a number of great catches over the past week or two.

Reef
Most of the reef complexes have got good stocks of fish with species varying from Flathead to Morwong, Snapper and Perch. Up around Montague Island King fish are showing up in reasonable numbers and look to be on the improve. Sand Flathead are also out from most beaches and are easily obtained in 28 metres of water.

Game
We have now had our first Marlin of the season caught and this trend looks like continuing. There are still schools of Albacore and Yellowfin Tuna being regularly encountered. Various Shark species are also frequenting the area and things are looking real hot on the game scene for the next couple of weeks.

Estuary
As we start to lead into the dark of the moon the good news is the amount of prawns in most of the lakes. This also has the fish all fired up making for good angling for most species. Flathead and Bream are especially in good numbers around the Bermagui River and Wapengo Lake with many other species also on the chew.

Freshwater
Brogo Dam is producing mixed results mainly due to the varying weather patterns. When anglers strike a good hot evening or still morning the fish are being taken regularly on both lures and bait. Warm steamy still evenings are producing best when the fish are feeding on the insect activity.

Now is the time after some recent rains to start looking at evening fly activity over the flats in both Eucumbene and Jindabyne. Water levels are staying consistent due to the little rain we have had which is allowing fish to feed in the shallower water. Trolling and bait fishing are also producing good results in most of the alpine lakes.

Rock and Beach
Recently there has been lots of large Tailor especially around the entrance of Bermagui Harbour which are being taken on both lures and bait. Mixed in have been some terrific Salmon which are frequenting the beaches as well as the rocks. Whiting and Bream have also been in good numbers on most beaches, being taken on beach worm.

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.

BOOK REVIEW – Steve Cooper’s Snapper Secrets 3.

Steve Cooper has been catching snapper for more than 30 years in Australia, New Zealand and beyond. His fascination with and depth of knowledge of the habits and manners of snapper will become apparent when you read this book. As the title states this is the third snapper book that Steve has had published through AFN. All of which I have.

Now if you already have Snapper Secrets 1 and 2 you will find a very similar resemblance to Snapper Secrets 3. There are sections on life cycle, food, migration, tagging, tackle, rigs, bait, boat and land based fishing, fishing with artificial, keeping records. Charter operations and places to go in Queensland, NSW, Victoria, South and Western Australia.

I don’t want to seem negative here, but as a reviewer of books I need to let you know that of the 150 photos that are in Snapper Secrets 3, 60 of them have been used before in Snapper Secrets 2. Now to most anglers this wouldn’t make a difference, but I for one like looking at the photos, mainly because I can pick up a lot from just looking at the photos. Also the Location section (which has 240 GPS marks in it are the same in each book), so if you are looking for new GPS marks don’t bother.

Then on the other hand if you haven’t already got this book it would be a great one to have in your library as you could learn so much from it, that I am sure that it would improve your snapper fishing.

Once again AFN have brought out a great book that id definitely worth having in your library. Try your local tackle shop or call up Joy at AFN on (03) 9761 4044.

Paul Martin from Rock Marine Bait and Tackle (rocksmarine@tsn.cc) reports that
there has been a fair bit of dirty water coming down from the upper reaches of the river which is making it a little tough to find fish. Some nice yellowfin bream have been hugging the walls around Jerseyville, as well as dusky flathead and whiting on the flats. The Break wall has been fishing well for yellowfin bream and the odd GT but the jewfish anglers are still struggling. Flathead have been coming out of Spencer’s creek, Stuarts point and Rainbow Reach.

Paul has had reports of a few mangrove jack around the charter boat moorings. The beaches are still producing good whiting with Smoky the pick of the beaches. There have been some nice sand flathead coming in out of the drop offs. Bream and sand whiting are off Gap beach.

There has been some warm water coming in closer now that hopefully will produce the sports fish we are famous for. Legal dolphin fish are around the FAD with some yellowfin tuna to 6 kilo in a little closer. Fish Rock is loaded with rat kingfish with a few good snapper around Fish Rock and Black Rock. Grassy and Scotts have been slow with better results out in the deeper water. Expect a high presence of inspectors on the water during the holiday so check your safety gear and take care on the bars.

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 in the estuaries, the recent rains have added a fair degree of fresh to our rivers which is always welcome. Bream have responded well to the added colour, with plenty of solid fish taken from the lower reaches, particularly around the coal wall and the lower section of Limeburners. Flathead too have been excellent, as they have been for some time now, with both baits and lures working well. Best results have continued to come from around Blackman’s Point and Rawdon Island, although the break walls are always worth a look when the river is dirty. Blackfish numbers remain reasonable throughout the lower reaches, however as has been the case for a few weeks now, results are somewhat patchy from day to day. Whiting numbers on the other hand are down significantly as often is the case when the river is dirty; however expect a sharp increase once some warm and clean water begins to push back upstream.

Sometimes it is so hard to get away from those soft plastic stealing leatherjackets. Tackle shops must love them.

On the beaches, conditions have not been kind, with larger than desirable swells and constant winds combining to erode the vast majority of formations and generally make life somewhat difficult. Best results have come from those fishing the more protected corners, with whiting and bream the primary species. Live worms have been the bait of choice. Whilst conditions have not been ideal for chasing tailor, there has been a significant increase in bird activity which is a sure sigh of the presence of baitfish. Furthermore, with the majority of the salmon schools now on their way down south, the chances of picking up a few tailor are looking somewhat brighter than they have for several months. The other great news for beach fisho’s has been the distinct lack of red weed in comparison to recent years. I hope I’m not tempting fate, but the combination of good rainfall and the absence of prolonged nor easters appears to have had the desired effect of keeping the weed away. Fingers crossed it will remain this way for the rest of the summer season.

Off the rocks, tailor numbers are improving which is good to see. Whilst the numbers are not significant as of yet, there have been some solid greenbacks on offer which is a little unusual, but of course most welcome, at this time of year. Bream numbers remain solid as they have been pretty well all year, whilst those chasing blackfish during the bigger seas have been reporting solid catches. Still a few pigs around for those willing to put in the time seeking the few remaining washed out gutters. No news as yet on the pelagic scene, however with the warmer currents gradually moving both south and closer to the coast, from now on you will see the land base game and high speed spin addicts begin to dust of the gear for the summer action ahead.

On the offshore scene, things are looking up with some warmer water now beginning to filter down from the north, although the conditions on most days have been challenging to say the least. On the pelagic front, marlin encounters are becoming more frequent when you can get out and chase them, which is good news with the golden lure not too far away now. Bottom bouncing in close has produced some nice snapper, pearl perch and a few small to medium kingfish when the currents have been reasonable. Plenty of solid offshore flatties to around 60cms have been on offer from around the 55 metre mark straight off the bar for those simply keen to score a great feed

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 18/12/07

Well, where do I start. I have found the fishing over the past few weeks to be great. I have managed to get silver trevally, yellowfin bream, snapper, sand whiting, mulloway, kingfish, tailor, australian salmon, flounder, leatherjackets and even the odd luderick or two.

The Pittwater has been producing kingfish, silver trevally and bream on the run-out tide. Places to try are Scottland Isl;and, the entrance to Carrell Bay abnd the flats at the back of Palm Beach. Palm Beach is producing australian salmnon, tailor and bream on the rising tide. Try using whole yellowtail for the mulloway and whole pilchards and garfish for the salmon and tailor. There have also been a few bream and whiting caught off the beach on beach worms.

Bream have been feeding around a few of the rack in Mullet Creek and there has been a few rather large dusky flathead been caught in Cowan Creek on live yellowtail.
Bar Point and Bar Island are worth a shot on the run-up tide for bream, mulloway and dusky flathead. Hawkesbury River pranws, nipper and bllod worms are the go for bait.

This is how they launch and retriev their boats over at Norfolk Island.

Sydney Harbour has plenty of silver tevally, bream and kingfish on the chew. Try fishing Sow and Pigs, Bradley’s Head and Luna Park. Work the drop offs into the deeper water. Lane Cove and Iron Cove Rivers are producing the odd yellowfin bream, there has also been a few kingfish being caught under the boats.

Botany Bay has silver trevally, yellowfin bream and dusky flathead on offer. You will just need to work the areas that have clearer water. Pink nipper, peeled prawns and bllod worms are the go for bait. Kingfish, tailor and Australian Salmon have been trolled up on the Kurnell Peninsular side of the bay.
I was over at Norfolk Island for work last week, but I only managed to get a couple of hours fishing in. This is a shark that was caught off the nrothern side of the island. I did manage to hook, play for about 10 minutes and loose some giant silver trevally. Estimated size of about 15 kilos.

Scotty Lyons from Southern Sydney Fishing Tours http://www.fishingsydney.com.au/ reports that a few days without the bloody wind blowing has been great. Friday, Saturday and Sunday and the fishing was rather good, but the water was still a little dirty after all the rain and is slowly clearing up so the Kingies should be back. Scott did manage to find a few over the last few days all around 60cm and lost a good fish right at the boat on Sunday that sucked in a Nipper on light tackle.

Trevally in good numbers on Friday and Saturday, but had trouble on Sunday around the drums, but then the slimy mackerel moved in and all the crew hooked up to some big slimy mackerel. These are great bait and top tucker when cooked fresh. Well Scott likes them.

Bream a little slow, but found a few in the middle of the Bay on nippers and worth spinning this area for dusky flathead as we caught a few on soft plastics.

Friday Nathan had the boat with a crew and found tailor around Watts reef and a few tailor and Australian salmon in Yarra Bay trolling.

Wednesday morning and the bream had moved from the sticks so Scott deceide to head to the Third Runway and boat a few not a big run but plate size fish, The wind was still blowing from the south at 15 to 20 knots so it was one of those days. Trevally save the day at Kurnell Point on the run in tide, a kingie proved to be a little tough today as the water was dirty from the rain we have had in Sydney of late.

Wednesday afternoon trip proved rather good with Bream from the third runway on the end of the run out tide, We then caught a few live baits and headed towards Kurnell Point to fish for Kingies after trying Trevally Alley with no results but still no Kingies in the dirty water, this weekend might be the same but should improve soon once the weather improves.

Scored well on Trevally around Kurnell point again and all were a good size up around the 750to 1kg. Just on dark we headed to the Bridge to target Jew Fish all looked good once we anchored and the wind had drop off, Slow to start but we we finished with a nice Jew of 65cms around 3kg that took a live yellowtail at about 10.20pm good way to finish a big day on the water.

So if you would like to catch a few fish every time you are out on the water the fishing School can show you how just give me a call 0418 169 439.

Darren from Bermagui Ocean Hut Fishing Tackle, Dive and Charter Fishing Service
mailto:%20(%20enquiries@bermifishinghut.com.au reports that there have been a number of great catches over the past week or two.

Reef
Flathead are the dominate catch offshore on the bottom. Both Tigers and Sand Flathead are around in good numbers, the Tigers are most predominant out in 50 metres plus while the Sand Flathead are closer in out from most beaches. There are some nice Morwong around and a few Snapper although not in great numbers.

Game
Yellowfin are featuring as a regular catch for anglers trolling over the Continental Shelf. Fish have been averaging around the 25 Kg with the odd bigger specimen being encountered. Trolling is producing most fish and by doing so is also producing many Albacore Tuna and there has been a couple of Marlin hooked but not yet captured.

Estuary
Just about every species you could think of you would like to catch there is happening at present. Recent rain has got the estuaries fishing as well as you could ever expect. Wallaga Lake has plenty of Prawns in it which has the fish on the chew while the Bermi River is fishing well all throughout. Large Flathead and Bream are being the dominate species while there is plenty of other species to keep anglers occupied.

Freshwater
The 2007 BBB has been run and done last weekend under difficult conditions. There was lots of rain making the comp difficult although the competitors still managed 296 fish to 38 cm. The dam level is well over 100% capacity which due to the recent increase in water levels has made fishing difficult. Most impoundments within the Monaro area are on the increase due to recent storms. Fishing is extremely good for which ever form you wish to choose. This meaning trolling on the lakes, bait fishing from the banks, or fly fishing whether it be in the lakes or streams.

Rock and Beach
There are plenty of schools of Salmon moving along the coast at present providing good angling on most of the beaches that have reasonable gutters. Also on these beaches Southern Yellowfin Bream are moving around and can be captured on beach worm or striped tuna. Whiting and Mullet are also being taken on worms in some of the shallower gutters and are of good size.

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.

BOOK REVIEW – Australian Fishing and Lure Encyclopaedia

Over the years AFN have brought out a number of Lure Encyclopaedia’s (which I have every one). Lures and How to use them was the first one. It started back in 1991 when a group of anglers decided to conduct test on 265 different lures to give you a lure description and size, trolling test results, best boat speed, lure action, some diver comments and a clear picture of each lure. This meant that if you had a lure in your tackle box and you didn’t know what it was and what it did you would most probably find it in this book.

Since then AFN brought out Lures in Depth (1995) which had more information and many more lures. 661 to be exact. They gave you lure description, size, some weights, the depth the lure would go to when trolled, speed range and boat speed, lure action, some diver comments and a clear picture of each.

Then they brought out Frank Prokop’s Lure Encyclopaedia (2004) with 1065 lures that where put through the same test. Now AFN have update the Australian Fishing and Lure Encyclopaedia (2007), still with 1065

Lures, but with plenty more information on How, When and Where to use them. It has a state by state guide, knots and rigs; Australian fish guide, bait rigging, lure and fly fishing, beach and rock fishing, plus much more.

Once again AFN have brought out a great book that id definitely worth having in your library. Try your local tackle shop or call up Joy at AFN on (03) 9761 4044.

Paul Martin from Rock Marine Bait and Tackle (rocksmarine@tsn.cc) reports that they are struggling to get good conditions outside so it’s going to be bumpy out there. If you are heading north expect Snapper and Pearlies out in the wider reefs, in close is full of Red Rockies and other nuisance fish. Heading south has been productive with good kingfish around Fish Rock with some around the 8 kilo mark.

Local Troy Eddy and his mate Julius from the Central Coast had their best session down there with Troy hooking a 5 kilo plus snapper from Black Rock on a 65gm Raider metal lure then fished Fish Rock for kings and snapper. Dolphin Fish are around the FAD in fair numbers.

Those small Cobia are still lurking along the Break Wall attracting the interest of the early morning fisho’s on the wall. Some nice bream and flathead are coming out of the same location. Whiting are on the flats in the shallows attacking worms, nippers and those poppers I have been raving about. Smithtown, Kinchela down to Jerseyville have been quiet with the water very dirty. Flathead and whiting are coming in towards Stuarts Point.

If you like the solitude of fishing the 14 or 15 kilometres of Smoky Beach now is the time with sand whiting so thick you won’t have a chance to appreciate the view. We can dream but you should get a feed anyway. Find a nice gutter and you should find Bream and Dart. Front Beach has had some Whiting towards the Jail.

With only 1 week till Christmas the shop will lay-buys for that perfect Xmas Gift.
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 in the estuaries, flathead continue to star however whiting numbers too remain excellent. Best results on the lizards are now coming from further up the Hastings, with whitebait, prawns and lures of all types each proving successful. Both break walls and the coal have also produced a run of large females, with a disappointing number regretfully destined to disappoint on the plate. The sooner regulations are in place to prohibit this annual breeder removal program from the walls, the better. For the whiting, beach worms and yabbies remain the pick of the baits, with Limeburners and around Blackman’s producing the better results.

To date, the Maria has not fired as well as anticipated, with the consistent flow of dirty water no doubt contributing to the better action being confined to the Blackman’s Point end. On the bream scene, numbers remain above average, with lure tossers in particular enjoying good action, with surface fizzers and the like now beginning to come into their own. Blackfish remain scattered and are simply a day to day proposition, with a feed rather than a bagful the best realistic result. Plenty of muddies and a few blue swimmer crabs are also about for those keen on a feed of these tasty crustaceans.

On the beaches, conditions have been challenging which is not unusual for this time of the season. One day you will have some nice warm water kissing the coastline, with whiting and bream numbers quite reasonable. The next however often sees one of the last pockets of cold water being pushed southward, and in it, most species significantly shut down, except of course the remaining schools of salmon whose appetite is endless. Once these cool pockets of water have disappeared, look for more consistency with the whiting and bream action, as well as an increased presence of baitfish. Once this happens, tailor numbers should improve noticeably, hopefully in tandem with a reasonable showing of mulloway.

Off the rocks, the odd tailor has shown up with Lighthouse and Blueface locally producing a few reasonable fish, whilst Plommer and surrounds have fared a little better. At present, the bite is brief with a pre dawn start, of an after dark session a must. On the drummer front, there is still the odd fish about, however the diehard pig chasers tell there is plenty of water between them. Cunjevoi has been achieving the better results. On the land based game scene, little to report locally as yet, however keen LBG addicts are quietly confident of a much improved season for bluefin, cobia and even Spanish mackerel.

Offshore reports have been quite good as far as bottom bouncing is concerned, with snapper to over 5 kilos on offer; whilst pearl perch, kingfish, big flatties and other mixed reef species have features in most boxes. As has been the case for some time now, the majority of the better quality reds are falling for soft plastics. On the pelagic front, the currents are consistently warming each week, however as yet the colour has not turned that deep cobalt hue game fishos are looking for. When that happens, look for a significant increase in the mahi mahi, marlin and other pelagic numbers.

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 26/11/07

A very good mate and wife of mine are over in Peru visiting their daughter and son-in-law. Now Richard is a very keen angler, and like me will have a fish where ever we go. Richard sent me a couple of photo’s of a type of sole they catch over there from the beach. The locals call them "lenguado" - they are a type of sole that lives / feeds in the surf along the west coast of South America. These took a liking to a 3" soft plastic (Berkley Realistix) worked off rocks into 4 to 6 feet of water over sand. The big one was 6 to 7cms thick posing several kilo's of muscle to tire out and work into a rock gully so you Richard could get a hand to it and lift it out of the surf. Richard said it was great fun on 8lb line and they taste delicious. So far he has caught about a dozen, although only two have been so big - most are a handy plan size. Richards reckons it’s a pity we don't get them like this in Oz.

The Gold Coast Fishing Club has finally posted up the results of the 2007 Flathead Classic that I competed in for the second year in a row. Last year we made the top 20 (17th). This year we managed a respectable 27th out of 121 teams

Flathead Classic 2007 Results

Champion Angler Senior: Brett Howell (2055pts)
Champion Angler Senior Runner-up: Ross McCubbin (2024pts)
Champion Angler Junior: Joel Gartner (832pts)
Champion Angler Junior Runner-up: Jake Neilson (488pts)
Longest Flathead Senior: Chris Strathford (90cm) - Day 1
Les Bower (90cm) - Day 3
Longest Flathead Junior: Joel Gartner (71cm)
Longest Bream: John Siggs (34cm)
Longest Mangrove Jack: Michael Phillips (43cm)
Longest Estuary Cod: Robert Payne (48cm)
Longest Mulloway: David Fletcher (143cm)
Longest Trevally: Rowland Zwart (64cm)
Longest Tarpon: Wayne Lodington (60cm)
Longest Whiting: Charles West (33cm)
Longest Tailor: Justin Kenzie (48cm)
Most Metres Senior: Brett Howell (19.69m)
Most Metres Junior: Joel Gartner (7.3m)
Most Fish: Brett Howell (45 flathead)
Total Number of Flathead caught 2693

Top 20 Teams

1. Team Atomic (5444)
2. Team Sands (4148)
3. Team Dog (3702)
4. Team Benowa Tavern 1 (2629)
5. Team 4BC (2515)
6. B B Ms (2409)
7. Team What The (2206)
8. Croc Hunters (2022)
9. The Enemy (1974)
10. Team JAM (1892)
11. Team Bush n Beach (1792)
12. Team G Loomis / Sunline (1739)
13. Plastics Paranoia (1709)
14. 3 brothers (1692)
15. The Jig-olos (1668)
16. Team Pig Lures (1660)
17. Team Hinterland Marine (1643)
18. Drop Shots (1627)
19. Dusky Dominators (1624)
20. Cloud 9 (1615)

Scotty Lyons from Southern Sydney Fishing Tours http://www.fishingsydney.com.au/ reports that one of his customers caught a blue morwong caught Tuesday at Henry Head on a Nipper . Last Sundayproduced a few kingfish and they are now a great chance as Scott has scored a few quality fish of late. Bait has been a little hard to fine on some days but if you put in the effort the results will come.
Trevally are in smaller numbers but most fish are of a good size, The drums, Oil wharf seem to be the spots worth trying, Trevally Alley a little slow.Trolling is producing the odd fish and the next day all quite Most fish that I have trolled up this week I have found down around the Third Runway, but is hot and cold. Bream are now staring to show along the end of the Third Runway and across the Bay, Best results are closer to the river mouth as the Bream near the Third Runway are a smaller run, Nippers or gut for bait. Spinning with soft plastics slow only the odd Flathead taken no real hot spots to list.

So if you would like to catch a few fish every time you are out on the water the fishing School can show you how just give me a call 0418 169 439.

Paul Martin from Rock Marine Bait and Tackle (rocksmarine@tsn.cc) reports that
The good weather has brought the fisho’s out in force to take advantage of the fantastic conditions. It’s still a little slow outside but with the water temperature out at the FAD at 24 it’s only a matter of time before it fires up. Not much off Grassy in close the better fish are in about 35 meters. King Fish have been in huge numbers around Fish Rock but most are under size. Small Snapper are coming out of the same location. There have been some reports of good Snapper and Pearl Perch out on the wider reefs. The current has been light which may have slowed things down over the last week.

The hot spot last week was Smoky Beach with Whiting in terrific numbers along the beach, most are legal fish taking live worms. Gap Beach is also producing good Whiting. There are a few Bream on the Beaches as well as big Salmon and Dart. The Rock Hoppers have battled again with one fish’o getting 5 fair Tailor in a session, and reports of a few Bream and Salmon.

The river is still clear even after all the rain we had and most guys are struggling to get a feed. Flat head are still the fish target with the odd Bream coming in as well. Whiting are on the flats, biting on live worms. If you want to try something different on these Whiting the Rebel Pop-R clear popper is like a magnet to metal. A couple of small Cobia have been caught in river along the Breakwall with the odd GT.

With only 10 weeks till Christmas the shop will lay-buys for that perfect Xmas Gift.
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 good rainfall we have enjoyed has had a significantly positive effect on angling throughout our estuarine systems. Last Fridays nights deluge alone saw a reasonable amount of fresh come down stream, and as a result, angling has picked up noticeably. Bream numbers were up in the lower reaches particularly around the break walls. Live yabbies and gut baits were particularly successful, although competitors in the Bream grand final too enjoyed improved rewards on both soft plastic and hard bodied lures. Flathead numbers have also been excellent with basically any location downstream of the Dennis Bridge producing good numbers of quality fish. On the flip side, whiting numbers have quietened down as is often the case with the river dirty, and the fresh was insufficient to fire the mulloway up off the break walls. For those keen on chasing a few crabs, the muddies should be on fire following this fresh, whilst a few positive reports on blue swimmers have begun to filter through.

On the beaches, the consistent seas of last week has seen most formations somewhat flattened. Although this makes life difficult in the short term, as I have said on many occasions, you don’t necessarily need a significant amount of structure on a beach to attract and hold fish. Quite often, a beach with just the occasional formation here and there will yield better results than a beach with a myriad of formations from one end to the other. You just need to be prepared to move around and seek sections that look different, whether that involves a small sand spit, hole or gutter. On the positive side, before the weather set in, some nice bream and whiting were on offer from both Lighthouse and North Beach, along with plenty of salmon thrown in for entertainment value. Still no news on the tailor front, although with the salmon run due to taper off shortly, a few choppers should hopefully grace our shoreline in the coming weeks.

Off the rocks, a few more tailor are now on offer although by and large catches are spasmodic as is the size, with most bags seeing a mixture of choppers and the occasional good fish. Night time anglers continue to pick up a few reasonable bream, with Big Hill and Racecourse both producing fish. The odd pig is still around for those willing to put in the time; however the season is rapidly drawing to a close with the waters now begin to warm noticeably.

Little to report from an offshore perspective, with this past week once providing only reasonable conditions at best. A few snapper and flathead have been snared from close off Plommer, whilst wider reefs to the north continue to give up the odd king, pearl perch and other assorted reef species when the current is reasonable. No real action as yet on a pelagic front, however the waters are now beginning to warm nicely. Once that greenish tinge disappears and the currents bring more of cobalt stuff down, look for our summer pelagic scene to begin to fire.

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.