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.

Weekly report 9/11/07

I know that we need it, but I wish the rain would go away for a while, just so that I don’t get wet while I am having a fish. Even though the weather has been a bit suss latley I have had a few good reports come in. Nick from Engadine West Newsagency took his son (Aaron) out for a fish off the shore in Botany Bay and they managed to get a couple of san whiting on blood worms.

Aaron with his Botany Bay caught whiting.

Joshua Wilson from Lansvale (near Liverpool) in Sydney's South West reports that he was fishing in one of the creeks that comes off the Georges River and he has caught a variety of fish species over the years (Joshua is almost 15 years old). They are flathead, mullet, tailor, bass, eel tailed catfish, blackfish, Australian Salmon silver trevally and also some he couldn't identify.

About two weeks ago Joshua caught a 45cm Jewfish, then an hour or so later he caught an even bigger one! It measured 72cm long and weighed in at about 8 pounds (3.6kg).

Keep up the good work and keep those photos coming.

If you are going to fish in Botany Bay over the next few days you will need to try and fish the edge of the clean water. Especially after this rain we have been experiencing over the past week. Fishing around the top of the tide will get you into the cleaner water area. You could also try using chicken and mullet gut, strips of striped tuna, chicken in parmesan cheese and also have a steady stream of berley going.

Last week I was out at GoFish on NewLine Road at Dural giving a talk on soft plastics and lure fishing for kingfish, dusky flathead and mulloway. It was great to see so many people there. While I was there a fellow angler (Bill McLaughlin) came over and told me about a boat test he had seen on the web. Over the years I have done a number of boat test for magazines, but nothing like this.

When you get a chance you should have a look at this boat test. You will be amazed http://www.toughboats.com/index.cfm?page=5&subpage=RecommendATest

Bill also reported that he went for fish last Friday and didn’t do too well. He started from above the Berowra Ferry at 6.30am at the bottom of the tide, then fished around Joe Crofts bay

(3 spots). After no success then headed off to Bennett’s and Canada Bays, tried drifting over Flint and Steel reef, trolled around Lion Island twice. Drifted the up river side of Juno point for about 500 meters on the run in tide then finished at Kimmerikong Bay behind the oyster leases in 1 m of water on the run-up tide.

Bill used squid, whitebait, yakka’s, prawns, chicken gut, 5 different colored/ sizes soft plastics and acrylic and lead jig heads, berleyed up with cut up pilchards, slimy mackerel, mullet, fish cat food, stimulate pellets, tuna oil and even sprayed the lures with stimulate and fished until 3pm. Bill then asked me what he was doing wrong?

I replied back by saying he was trying too many different things at once.

Scotty Lyons from Southern Sydney Fishing Tours http://www.fishingsydney.com.au/ reports that December through to Easter is the peak fishing time for Kingfish in Botany Bay and the Port Hacking. So if you are interested in getting amoungst them early in the season there are only a few dates left on the weekends through the month of December. They are December 1st, 9th and the 22nd and 23rd these day will fill fast just give Scotty a call to book one so you don`t miss out.

Scott’s Fishing School has a few spots still free for this Monday night at Hunts Marine. This is 3hr class at Hunts covering all there is to targeting fish in Sydneys waterways. What bait, lures live bait, how to burley, types of rigs and all the right tackle to use when catching mixed species. I then follow this up with a full days fishing out on Botany Bay the day on the water is Saturday 10th 6am to 1pm cost $200.00 per person.

A couple of weeks ago Scott headed down to the snowy mountains this week with four keen anglers to have a shot at Trout fishing, The aim was trolling and fly fishing both in the streams and out on the lake and to be also guided by Steve Williamson.

First some leasons in fly casting and general fly fishing gear and to learn all there is in fishing for Trout the way they feed and there habits on the streams or out on the lake. Trolling produced some nice fish for the guys over there three days but the weather made fishing the streams a little hard but all in all a top few days in the snowy mountains.

Botany Bay over the weekend was a little quite but still found a few good fish to keep all happy Trolling produced Salmon along the Third Runway and Yarra Bay. Trevally around Trevally Alley but you will need to work for them. Bream off the Third runway and out into the middle of the Bay. The odd Kingie now starting to show but in smaller numbers, Remember that 65cms is now the legal size, The Kingies are in good numbers along the coast towards Wedding cake island. ScottI found quite a few good size sand Flathead wide from Coogee drifting. Spinning with soft plastics for Flathead we are finding the odd good fish with a little work.

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
Continuing on from last week, large amounts of Flathead are still getting caught on the outside of the Four and Six Mile reefs. They are mostly Tigers although there is some very good Sandies and the odd Gummy being taken around the moon. There have also been some exceptional fish out in the deeper water of the Twelve Mile Reef with large Morwong dominating bags.

Game
Warm currents have now pushed in and with that so have the schools of Tuna. Albacore, Yellowfin and Striped Tuna have all been regularly caught in the past few days with some of the Albacore ranging to 15 kg. These fish are within easy reach being taken just over the Twelve Mile Reef and along the edge of the Continental Shelf. Mako Sharks are also following these schools of Tuna although there has only been a couple of small 60 kg fish taken.

Estuary
As the moon phase moves towards the dark now is the time to start looking at going prawning. I know areas like Wallaga Lake and the Bega River have a lot of small prawn and it will be interesting to see just how large they are this dark. This also means good fishing where the estuary predators such as Flathead, Bream and Jewfish are now feeding more freely and there has been good fish taken in both Wallaga and the Bermagui River.

Freshwater
With all the warm weather recent reports from Brogo Dam is there a lot of fish on the chew and it is fishing well. Most fish have been taken on lures and are of a good quality.

Rock and Beach
Not a lot of reports from this are although what I did hear was a nice bag of Whiting was taken on Beach Worm near the entrance of Cuttagee Lake, there was a couple of Bream and Mullet mixed in with the bag also. Salmon and Tailor are around although not in huge numbers, Tailor however are congregating around the entrance of 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.

DVD REVIEW – Going Fishing with Lowrance with Steve Starling, Scott Amon and Mark Taylor.

Even tough this DVD states on the back cover that you would use this in conjunction with your own Lowrance unit. I have found that the information found in this DVD can be used across all depth sounders. I am currently running a Humming Bird 450DX down the back of my boat for trolling and bait fishing purposes and Lowrance 87 X up the front for when I am using my electric motor.

This easy to follow instructional DVD will take the mystery out of operating any Lowrance sonar and or GPS navigation unit and as stated earlier the information can be used to help you with most of your other depth sounders on the market.

Now what is actual on this DVD is the following: This is an intro, waypoint navigation, Viewing Sonar data, how to use the sensitivity, colour line and depth range properly. It also covers how and where to place your Transducer, how to enter waypoint and how to use the GPS features.

Along with this information you can also see Starlo’ s kingfish, Mark’s snapper and kingfish plus plenty more valuable information when using a depth sounder and GPS. When I first installed my Lowrance depth sounder I couldn’t wait to get out on the water and try it, but what I did was set up my boat in my garage and turned on the simulator, grab my book and played with the controls in the comfort of my garage.

I changed so many things on the sounder while it was in simulator mode to experiment with the controls I sometimes got my self so lost. But all I had to do was turn the sounder off and then restart back in simulator mode and start learning again.

Even if you don’t own a Lowrance sounder or GPS this DVD is well worth having in the 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 NCC are having another go at closing Fish Rock and Green Island commencing around the 16th November, this time they are targeting the government minister Ian Macdonald. Eco Fishers representative Ken Thurlow has a meeting with the minister a few days prior to discuss the recreational fishermen and local business views on this potentially disastrous decision. Please email your thoughts to my address below and I will forward them on to Ken Thurlow to support against this shut down.

Mixed results over the last week with the better catches coming from outside. Kingfish were around Fish Rock with some bigger ones to 10 kilo towards Rocks In Line. Grassy and Scotts are still producing good snapper and a few Pearlies. No reports from the FAD but the Dollies aren’t far away.

Fishing the river has slowed down with a few reports of a few bream along the Breakwalls with the odd silver trevally around as well. There has been some monster Flathead in the river taking small mullet and herring. Whiting are about feeding on worms. Most beaches are producing Whiting, Bream and Dart with some Salmon on Smoky and Gap beach.

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 in the estuary, flathead and whiting remain the dominate species as is usually the case at this time of year. Flathead can be found pretty well throughout the entire system with both lures and whitebait providing the better results. Best results on whiting continue to come from Lake Cathie, with daytime anglers throwing small poppers doing particularly well. Based on the participation rate of late from Lake Cathie alone, this could be the next big thing as far as estuary sport fishing is concerned.

For those fishing the darker hours, live prawns are the bait of choice, although live worms are also proving successful. Just on the prawn scene, this month has finally seen a few of these sought after crustaceans moving about, however by and large the average size is yet to reach that to make those with drag nets keen to get wet. Next moon however may be a different story.

On the beaches, some nice whiting had been offer before the seas burred up earlier in the week, with North Beach in particular fishing well. Along with the whiting, a few late season bream have been cruising the waves, along with plenty of salmon. Still no signs of any real tailor numbers, with mulloway a similar story. Whilst the big seas may put a dampener on things for a while, at least the southerly swells will hopefully keep the red weed away for a bit longer yet. Based on the signs to date, any assistance by mother nature on the weed front will be most welcome.

Little to report off the rocks, apart from the odd tailor and bream. Once the seas settle, chasing a late season drummer may well be worth the effort.

Offshore angling remains a little hit and miss affair, primarily due to the weather. However when conditions allow, good snapper continue to be taken from the closer reefs, whilst wider out has produced a few samson fish, teraglin and other mixed reef species. One lucky angler also scored a nice John Dory which is somewhat unusual for these waters. Whilst the NSW Fisheries FAD has yet to hold any real number of Mahi Mahi or other pelagics, GPS co-ordinates for those wishing to try their hand are: 31.24.567s – 153.04.725e, which is roughly in the same location as in past seasons.

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 27/10/07

Over the last week or two there has been plenty of fish about. Joel Peterson got amoungst a few australian salmon and tailor at the entrance to Sydney Harbour. Joel caught most of them on whole garfish and 6 inch Bass Assassin Twitches (Alewife). Joel also pick up a few bream and leatherjackets on his way back up Middle Harbour.

Col Roberts caught 6 sand whiting off Clontarff Beach during the week on live tube worms. Best time was the rising tide and early in the morning. With the high, high tides that we are currently experiencing you should work the back of the sand flats in Iron and Lane Cove Rivers. Berley Sand Worms are the go at the moment.

There have been plenty of bream caught in the upper reaches of the Parramatta River. Try working the rocky shorelines and at the base of the mangroves at high tide.

Offshore Long Reef has been producing a few snapper to 4 .6 kilos in 20 to 30 metres of water. You will need to cube with chopped up pilchards and use whole pilchards and garfish for bait. The small reef that is just off Manly beach is worth a shot for silver trevallya and amberjack.

Manly Point produce 6 yellowfin bream and 4 leatherjackets for Russell from Newport.

Further south in Botany Bay there are plenty of silver trevally, yellowfin bream, dusky flathead, flounder and tarwhine on offer. To get the best results you will need to anchor and have a berley trail going. Fish as light as the conditions will allow. When the tide is running very fast you can try using a number 2 bean sinker that is above the swivel. Have a 2 metre leader with either a prawn or nipper for bait. Cast out about 10 metres and then put the rod in the rod holder. The current and the sinking sinker will do the rest.

Dusky flathead casn be lured up while fishing over at Brighton, Dolls Point, Towra Point and Silver Beach. There are also schools of tailor, salmon and the odd kingfish working the bait schools in Yarra Bay. Blue swimmers are also coming in from these areas.

Dave Fletcher with a 91.5cm dusky flathead that was caught on a soft plastic.

The Port Hacking has started to fire on the bream, leatherjacket, luderick and silver trevally front. Make sure that you have a steady berley trail out the back of your boat.

October 21, 2007 - 10:06AM

One person is dead and another is in hospital after a boating accident on the Georges River at Sans Souci in Sydney's south. It's believed a five-metre runabout hit the pylon of the Captain Cook Bridge just after midnight, ignited and sank a short time later. A body was found at the scene and a 37-year-old man was taken to hospital with serious injuries. Rescue crews have salvage the boat later that morning. Any witnesses are asked to call Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.

Scotty Lyons from Southern Sydney Fishing Tours http://www.fishingsydney.com.au/ reports that the fishing school that he runs once a month can put you in the right spot, show you all the right rigs, the right bait and lures to use. Scott will also show you how to use burley and what species to target, how to find live bait like squid and yellowtail. Both of which you need when targeting kingfish and dusky flathead.

Scott will also teach you how to trolling up tailor, salmon, bonito and kingfish. He can also teach you how to use soft plastics for dusky flathead. Scotty runs the Fishing School at Hunts Marine at Blakehurst once a month and he follows this up with a full day on on the water. This is when you put the lessons learnt into practice and you will have a chance to target all that we have gone over in the Night class.

Wind wind and more wind. This can make the fishing hard in Botany Bay. Scotty recommends that you try for species like trevally, yellowfin bream and kingfish at places like Trevally Alley or you can try trolling up tailor in Yarra You could also try the end of the Third runway. Brighton is a good place to try out those soft plastics dusky flathead.

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.

Carl Dubois fished with Chris, Mick, Terry a while back for yellowfin bream in the Georges River and in Oyster Bay. The conditions were perfect and they had hoped for a great session, but for some reason, the bream weren't willing to play. They still managed a few between us though, with Chris getting the best of the day - a 32cm fork battler that had him in knots amongst some jetty pylons. Great rod work extracted the fish though and the performance was duly appreciated by us onlookers.Flatties were out in force though, with Mick and Terry landing half a dozen each on a variety of HB's and SP's. They also bumped into Buj and Andrew (9Ball) from KFDU (http://www.kfdu.com.au/) that had also cleaned up on the flatties by working HB's over the flats in the upper reaches of Oyster Bay.

Kingfish are taking Soft Plastics that are skipped across the surface.

There's been some great kingfish sessions off Clovelly lately and Carl joined a group of about seven like-minded yakker’s midweek to tangle with these mighty adversaries. Gatesy had been braining them over the last week and his best session was 9 legals in just over two hours, all caught on lures. Sensational fishing when you can get it.

Finally, Terry and Carl launched from La Perouse today hoping to find some schools of salmon near the mouth of the bay. There was no surface activity first thing in the morning, so we headed over towards Molineaux Point. This turned out to be an excellent choice as birds started working within Yarra Bay as we approached. Out go the lures and yeehah! Double hook ups are on the cards. Two tailor hit the decks and its grins all round.And so it was for the next two hours but Carl and Terry had to keep our eyes peeled to find the feeding schools. They'd come up for only 20 or 30 seconds and you had to be ready to cast as soon as you were close enough. At one stage we had a school nice and close and Terry had just hooked up on his metal lure when his SX40 he had out the back took off too! In the photo you'll see one rod between his legs with its tip bent down into the water while he's playing the other fish. Bloody show-off! One of the fish I landed coughed up what they'd been feeding on and it proved that my lure had matched the hatch perfectly.

They were hoping that there'd be a few salmon underneath the schools of tailor but today it wasn't to be. If you could manage to get your lures under the surface fish, the average size was a bit better though. Most fish were in the 35-37cm range; with my two best both going 40cm's. Not monsters, sure, but on light gear they're great fun. Terry and I probably landed over a dozen each and we easily dropped that many as well. As the sun rose, the schools busted-up less, so if you're planning on chasing a few tailor, nice and early is the way to go.

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
Over the recent week Tiger and Sand Flathead have dominated most anglers catches whilst offshore bottom fishing. Throw in plenty of big Morwong, a few Snapper and some Red Gurnard and the fishing couldn’t be better. Out, in around 50 metres due east of Bermagui is about as far as you need to travel at present.

Game
Water temps have reached 18 deg. on the edge of the Shelf and with it some Tuna have arrived. Recently 1 vessel caught 3 Yellowfin in excess of 30 kg while on the troll and following these fish seems to be a few Makos. Another boat caught 2 of these Sharks while berleying out over the Twelve Mile Reef.

Estuary
The upper reaches of the Bermagui River is producing a host of different species on either bait or lure. Flathead have been taking lures regularly in Rose Bay and some of the deeper holes while Blackfish, Bream, Trevally and Whiting are being caught along the Weed beds and over the flats on high tide using nippers.

Freshwater
Indifferent weather over the past week has made fishing for Bass in Brogo Dam difficult. Trolling is probably the most prolific way of catching fish there at present, although the bait fishos are doing ok producing their share. On a nice warm day both in the dam and below the wall will also produce fish on lures.

Rock and Beach
Schools of very small 5 cm Slimy Mackerel are hugging the coast line and following them are large schools of Salmon and Tailor. They have pushed these small bait fish in close to the entrance of Bermagui Harbour where anglers have been luring them with small metal imitation lures, with both species being of reasonable 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.

DVD REVIEW – Hooked on Snapper and Tuna with David Butfield.

If this is the first time you have been to my site don’t forget to have a look at the various sections. Don’t forget to send in those questions so that I can get back to you and my other readers.

This is another great DVD that both the novice and seasoned angler can get something from. Dave Butfield covers different techniques for rigging lures and baits for tuna, tecniques for targeting snapper, squid at night, how to use overheads and threadline reels. There are also techiques on how to troll dead baits, feathers, hard bodeied lures and jigging and acasting soft plastics.

All of the filming was carried out in SA and you visit places like Rocky and Green Island and Port Lincon. There is some great footage on light tackle fishing for snapper and southern blue fin tuna. One session when there is a 4 way hook-up.

Even though this DVD was filmed in SA you can take away many of the different techniques of rigging, trolling and jigging back to your home area. David has included 71 GPS spots for you to try out. There are 19 from SA, 8 from QLD, 29 from NSW and 15 from Victoria.

Even though there are a couple of sections in this DVD that seem to go on forever , over all this is a great DVD and it will get the heart rate right up there with those big tuna and snapper. Well worth having in the 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 NCC this week failed in a bid to impose 18 no-fishing zones including Fish Rock and Green Island. This is great news for the many fishermen who, without exception are happy to adhere to the existing restrictions around Fish Rock to protect the Grey nurse shark. I am sure it’s not over yet but let’s hope sanity prevails.

Mixed results outside over the last week where the fishing was a little tough. Snapper have been off Grassy again with floating slow sinking baits the popular method in about 30 meters. A few small yellowfin tuna have started to show up around Fish Rock taking small skirts or bibles lures. Jim Harrower landed a 2.66 kilo monster leather Jacket while Good Pearl Perch are out a little wider.

Fishing in the river has been slow with a few flathead and bream around but you need to work for them. There’s a few whiting up river taking live worms and nippers. There were some tailor around in the white water off the rocks while the seas were up last week. Good whiting are on Smoky Beach as well as the odd flathead off the North end while bream and dart are further along the Beach.

With only 8 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 over the last week, we have had numerous reports of good flathead catches taken from many locations in the Hastings ranging from the break walls to Wauchope. Whilst there have been plenty of good quality fish of around 1 to 2 kilos being taken, there has also been stacks of juvenile fish on the chew. Although at times annoying, this is a great sign for the future with these juvenile fish seeming to be getting thicker each year. Bream numbers remain reasonable especially upstream, with lures achieving the better results which is good news with the Sundowner Bream Classic just around the corner.

Elsewhere in the estuary, blackfish have been a little quiet however the word is that there are still a considerable number of fish throughout the estuarine system. On the whiting scene, we are seeing a gradual improvement in quantity and quality, and this trend should continue as summer draws nearer. Best bet at present would be around Blackman’s Point or up the Maria with either yabbies or worms.

Off the beaches, catches have been well above average for this time of year, with good numbers of bream still cruising the waves and whiting numbers and quality steadily improving. Best results locally have come from north beach, with live worms and pipis the both working well. For those inclined to travel, Crescent Head has been excellent for both species although the distinct presence of red is not a good sign. Let’s hope a repeat of recent summer seasons is not in store. Also on the down side, tailor remain scarce and mulloway even rarer, although there are still plenty of salmon for those who enjoy a bit of sport fishing from the sand.

On the rocks, drummer reports are now a little slow although areas around Diamond Head and Forster have been fishing quite well considering the time of year. Groper and blackfish however remain viable targets depending upon sea conditions and tide phases. On the tailor front, a few reasonable fish have been snared at first light however the numbers are simply not there at this time of year. Locally, Lighthouse again has proven the pick of locations, whilst Plommer and surrounds has also produced a few nice fish.

Outside reports have been reasonable with bottom bouncers scoring good mixed bags from most locations. The ratio of snapper and pearl perch in many ice boxes has been most pleasing to those involved, especially with reds to over 5 kilos and pearlies to around 3 kilos amongst them. Little to report on the pelagic front, although we can confirm the NSW Fisheries FAD has been redeployed for the season ahead. We will advise exact GPS co-ordinates in the near future although I believe it is in the same location as per recent seasons.

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 15/10/07

Over the past few weeks I have been asked what type of gear that I use when fishing for different fish species. So what I have done is put a short list together that may help you out.

These are the types of rods and reels that I am currently using
1. Drummer, Snapper, Groper and kingfish from the rocks.

Shakespeare Ugly Stik Gold GPS120A2 with an Alvey 650B spooled with 12 to 15 kilo line. NOTE: I HAVE CUT THE BUTT DOWN TO A LENGTH OF 150 MM.
2. Luderick,

Snyder Glass Mag Bream 13' -6" with an Alvey 6003 spooled with 6 kilo line

Or

Shakespeare Agility AG-SP1202LM with a Pflueger Echelon ECH060 spinning reel spooled with 6 kilo line.3. Whiting, Bream, Flathead from the beach.

Snyder Glass Mag Bream 13' -6" with an Alvey 6003 spooled with 6 kilo line

Or

Shakespeare Agility AG-SP1202LM with a Pflueger Echelon ECH060 spinning reel spooled with 6 kilo line4. Mulloway from the beach

Shakespeare Ugly Stik Gold GPS120A2 with an Alvey 650B spooled with 12 to 15 kilo line. NOTE: I HAVE CUT THE BUTT DOWN TO A LENGTH OF 150 MM.5. Spin combo for Tailor and Salmon

Shakespeare Ugly Stik Gold GPS120A2, 8 - 12 kilo with a Pflueger Contender 7570 spin reel with 12 kilo line. NOTE: I HAVE CUT THE SAND SPIKE OFF A PUT ON A RUBBER BUTT CAP.

Hope that this will help you out a bit in what type of tackle you should be looking at when you are next in at your favourite tackle shop.

Over the past 2 weeks I have been fishing in the Flathead classic at the Gold Coast, our team didn’t fair to well even though we did manage to get a 1.43cm jewfish and a 84cm flathead, (report to come in a couple of weeks) and having a break at Port Stephens.

Stephen Chang with a Mondran Barra that was caught on a Tropic Angler Green Tiger Floater hard bodied lure.

Botany Bay has been fishing well over the past week or two, with trevally and yellowfin bream been caught at the Hot Water Outlet, the Oil wharf, Bare Island, the end of the third runway, the drums, Sutherland Point, Towra and Dolls Point. You could also try trolling for tailor in Yarra Bay. The rocks off Kurnell has been producing luderick, tailor, bream, silver trevally and drummer on the rising tide.

Port Hacking is a little bit slower at the moment, but you can try trolling the drop –off at Lilly Pilly, Gymea Bay and the entrance to the Port Hacking and South West Arm for tailor, Australian salmon and the odd kingfish.

There are also plenty of leatherjackets and squid about in the Port Hacking. Try fishing close to the shore at the entrance to Yowie Bay and North West Arm.

Con from Drummoyne Bait and Tackle reports that Steven Bocchi bagged 2 jewfish from the Ryde bridge last Wednesday night while using Sydney Harbour prawns. They weighted in at 6.2 and 4.9 kilos. Searls Momument has been producing whiting to 43 cm for Ray Pellagrano. He has been using blood and tube worms and Ray reckons that you should fish the run-out for the best results.

Clarkes Point is still holding a few luderick, with anglers bagging fish to 750 grams. They have been mainly fishing the run-out tide and using fresh green weed. Tom and Jim frazer fished the wharf under the Iron Cove bridge for 3 silver trevally, 2 yellowfin bream, 3 dusky flathead, 1 sand whiting and 3 tailor. What a great catch and they were using blood worms, prawns and pilchards for bait.

Mort Bay has 6 spine and fan bellied leatherjackets. They are being taken on peeled prawns and nippers. The nippers have been out fishing the prawns 2 : 1. Elizabeth and Rushcutters Bays have been producing dusky flathead, flounder and the odd bream during the week. You will need to concentrate your efforts to the areas that have sand banks. Prawns, nippers and whiting bait have been doing the job.

Clifton Gardens has been fishing well for yellowfin bream, silver trevally, tailor and the odd australian salmon and kingfish. Try using prawns, squid, garfish and pilchards.

The Spit bridge has been a popular spot for squid. Some of the anglers have been landing up to 10 squid in a session. They have been using squid jigs from 1.5 to 2.0 in pink and orange.

Australian salmon schools are still moving around the harbour. Some of the fish have been around the 3 kilo mark. Try using small metal slicers, Bass Assain 6 inch soft plastiucs, surface poppers and garfish. Some of the anglers have also been getting a few kingfish from under the schools of feeding fish. So you may want to let your lure sink for a few seconds.

Kingfish have been taken in good numbers from the Wedding Cake Island that is just off the beach at Coggee. Try trolling lures or jigging a few slicers or soft plastics just off the bottom. Live bait will also produce good fish.

12 mile reef is producing morwong, tiger flathead, silver trevally, leatherjackets and the odd big kingfish. Try using large prawns, squid and whole or half pilchards and garfish. Long Reef has snapper to three and a half kilos. Try drifting off the jail for sand flathead, morwong and leatherjackets. Sound out the area and fish at the 38 metre depth.

For more information on what is happening in Sydney, why don’t you call into Con and Peter’s shop at 104 Lyons Road at Drummoyne. They also have a great range of Bass Assassin soft plastics and TT Jig Heads that are great when chasing Australian salmon, tailor and kingfish.

The Hole in the Wall Boat Ramp at Sylvania Waters.

This boat ramp is currently under going some major changes and will be out of operation for a couple of months. It will be great when it has been fixed up, but you will have to launch else where.

Scotty Lyons from Southern Sydney Fishing Tours http://www.fishingsydney.com.au/ reports that he has just locked a week in for next year for a week fishing in Weipa up on Cape York April 7th to the 13th this is prime time in this area. Your trip is based on the water so you can fish 24-7 if you wish we have two smaller tenders with 50hp for all your fishing and exploring. Fish the vast creeks for Barra, Jacks, Fingermark, Queenfish and Trevally, Fish the coral bommies for Trevally, Coral Trout and many more.

Each day is fished in a new area and there normally plenty on offer. This trip just needs six keen anglers to join us for a great weeks fishing. But be quick as this trip always fills fast. All details of the Weipa trip please give me a call 0418 169 439.Scotty also reports that Botany Bay this week is fishing rather well yellowfin bream and silver trevally around Trevally Alley. Scott reports the fishing will be a bit slow so you will need to move around a bit to find the fish and you will need to work for them this week. Try trolling just of Kurnell Point, as over the past week Scott has had two double hookups on Tailor. Trevally worth a shot on the anchor just of the point burley is needed. To make a booking call Scott on mobile 0418169439.

DVD REVIEW – The Best of Fishin’ Trip – The Whyalla Special – Snapper.

If this is the first time you have been to my site don’t forget to have a look at the various sections. Don’t forget to send in those questions so that I can get back to you and my other readers.

In this DVD Jason, Pete, Rod and Andrew head down to fish the PENS at Whyalla for those massive snapper with baitrunner and overhead reels. If it is big snapper that you are after this DVD won’t let you down. The guys manage to get 6 very large snapper over 2 days of fishing the PENS at Whyalla. Some of them are over 13 kilo plus.

The boys take you through a few techniques on how to use bait runner reels. After watching the DVD you will notice that they lay their rods almost parrellel to the water. This is gives the fish a better chance to pick up the bait and power off with it.

There are a few extra sections in this DVD, one on how to catch blue swimmer crabs, feeding the dolphins at a marina with whole pilchards and also getting into a few calmari and squid while out crabbing.

Over all this is a great DVD and it will get the heart rate right up there with those big snapper. Well worth having in the 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
apart from a few ugly days the conditions have been terrific for heading out and wetting a line. A couple of fisho’s ventured out wide for a few bar cod in water temperature around the low 20’s. Kingfish are around Fish Rock in good numbers but there not always on the bite. Long fin perch are about in 60 Fathoms. There has been reasonable snapper off Grassy in about 30 to 40 meters along with a few pearlies and a heap of red rock cod. The FAD is out there again about 50 meters off the original location.

Flathead are on the bite in the river and there’s been some monsters being landed. Theo Zirogiannis caught a classic 4 kilo lizard on soft plastic bait. Bream are about as well amongst the many little ones. There’s still the odd Blackfish about but this week should see the end. Whiting are biting on worms on the sand flats.

Smoky beach has been fishing well for whiting and bream with a few Australian salmon coming in. Good whiting have been caught off the Front Beach and inside the Jail Breakwall. Gap Beach has whiting, bream and the odd flathead off the north end.

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 in the estuary, flathead remain the star attraction with quality fish on offer from most parts. Good catches are now coming from areas further upstream, with the Maria and around Rawdon Island fishing quite well, although the lower reaches are still producing plenty of big lizards.

A few bream are still on offer around Limeburners and the coal wall, and with the waters clearing and warming considerably, look for the action to begin to pick up further upstream. Increasing numbers of whiting are also beginning to show in the Hastings with Limeburners and up the Maria now producing quality fish, with live worms or yabbies the pick of baits. Lake Cathie too has been fishing well for whiting as is usually the case when the lake is open. Blackfish however are now starting to slow considerably, however a few solid fish to over a kilo are hanging around Limeburners and the break walls for those putting in the time. For crabbing enthusiasts, mud crab numbers are picking up almost daily so now is definitely time to dust off the traps and dillies if you haven’t already done so.

Off the beaches, some solid bream remain on offer with the excellent run enjoyed over winter continuing well beyond expectations. Good numbers of whiting too are about, with their earlier presence this year no doubt due to the salmon numbers not being as prolific as in recent seasons. Whilst there are still plenty of these great sport fish still about, at least this season has seen somewhat of a balance return, where a variety of species can be confidently targeted during this time of year. On the negative side however, mulloway and tailor remain elusive and a few specks of red weed have begun to show up. Let’s keep our fingers crossed that the gods are kind and the inundation of recent summer seasons does not eventuate.

Off the rocks, still a few drummer on offer however the action has now begun to slow a considerably. However it is not unusual to see a cold strip of water hug the coastline at this time of year, and if this happens, look for another brief burst of activity from these tough brawlers. Tailor on the other hand have improved a little with some quality fish to over a kilo on offer from most headlands, with Lighthouse locally being the pick of locations. A few bream are also on offer although by and large the average size and condition has begun to diminish as you expect at this time of year. Blackfish numbers remain reasonable, whilst the odd groper is still on offer, with Diamond Head and Point Perpendicular the pick of locations.

Outside reports have been encouraging with snapper numbers solid from the closer reefs, a few kingfish and Sampson fish wider off Plommer, and still a few yellowfin on the shelf. Those making the trek out also report a few mahi mahi hanging around buoys and the like, which encouraging given the FAD should be back in place very soon. Paul and Carol from Aquatic Blue Charters have also been treating their customers to some great whale watching, with whale numbers at present excellent as these majestic mammals begin their journey back down the coast for the summer.

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 30/9/07

If this is the first time you have been to my site don’t forget to have a look at the various sections. I have just updated my web site with 7 new questions that have been sent in from readers and my answers back to them. I have also put up a new book and DVD review. So when you get a chance check them out. Also to wet your appeitite for a bit more kingfish fishing I have also included a review on the following DVD, Hooked with David Butfield.

What can I say. They fishing in Southern Sydney has been great over the past week or two. Botany Bay has silver trevally at all the usual spots, australian salmon, tailor and the odd kingfish can be trolled up along the edge of the third and old runways, yarra Bay, either side of the entrance to Botany Bay, Towra wide and along the coast down to Bate Bay.

Bate Bay has snapper, sweep, sand flathead, bream and trevally off the back of Shark Isalnd, Osbourne Shoals and the northern side of Jibbon bombora. If you work your way down to Marley Point you can fish for bream, snapper, trevally, morwong, leatherjackets, kingfish and drummer. The washes have been holding tailot and australian salmon.

The Port Hacking has plenty of luderick, bream, silver trevally, leatherjackets, squid, tailor and schools of frigate mackerel, kingfish and salmon working the deeper bays.

All and all the holidays will be a great time for fishing in the Shire if the weather keeps up like it is as the moment. Send me areport of how you go over the next week or so and include a photo and you too will be in with a chance to win this months Photo of the Month competition.

Mark Coyne, forma centre for St George with his biggest ever dusky flathead. These girls will start to show up as the water and weather starts to warm up.

Work on the Audley Fishway is completed.

The work on the Audley Fishway has finished and the contract was awarded to Civil Constructions Pty Ltd. “The Iemma Government contributing half the funding for the $400,000 project, which involves the construction of a rock-ramp fish ladder upstream from Audley Weir in Sydney’s Royal National Park,” Minister Macdonald said. “The ladder is 45 metres long, four metres wide and constructed using sandstone boulders and stone cobbles to reflect natural conditions. A series of pools will be created every two metres to enable fish to move between the freshwater habitat upstream, and the salty estuary below.

The Audley Weir has acted as a physical barrier to the movement of fish along the Hacking River for years; this Fishway will restore the natural biodiversity of the river, by enabling fish such as the Australian Bass to use the upper reaches of the river for part of their lifecycle.
Minister Macdonald said “the project would see the best available science used to improve biodiversity and fish stocks in Australia’s oldest National Park. It will bring a real lift to the riverine biodiversity values of the park, and the local catchment will be in better health as a result.”

The National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS), Department of Primary Industries, and the Sydney Metropolitan Catchment Management Authority have also contributed funding to the project. This includes $70,000 from the NPWS, which has also produced the environmental assessment review. In addition to the environmental benefits, the Audley fishway will be a focus point for innovative educational programs being prepared by the NPWS, who have recently relocated their Visitor’s Centre to a site near the fishway. Source: media release from Minister for Natural Resources.

The Hole in the Wall Boat Ramp at Sylvania Waters.

This boat ramp is currently under going some major changes and will be out of operation for a couple of months. It will be great when it has been fixed up, but you will have to launch else where.

Scotty Lyons from Southern Sydney Fishing Tours http://www.fishingsydney.com.au/ reports that he is just back from two weeks fishing northern Australia. What a trip great weather and top fishing. Scott fished the creeks and found barra, jacks and cod of all sizes around the mouth of each creek queenfish and trevally jumped all over a fast moving lure loades of fun. Trolling the many rocky headlands had them tangeling with mackerel, tuna and larger trevally and queenfish. Reef fishing with bait the species just to many to list.

On this trip Scott tried out the the Schneider High Performance Braid that he has used in and around Botany Bay with good results, but up north is the real test and it did the job better than he hoped for. Scott is very impressed a great product.

BOOK NOW FOR SCOTT’S TRIP NEXT YEAR JUNE 08. HE NEEDS SIX KEEN ANGLERS TO JOIN HIM FOR A TOP WEEKS FISHING IN THE FAR NOTH OF AUSTRALIA BE QUICK AS THESE TRIPS FILL FAST.

Next fishing school is on the 5th November + Full day out fishing.Next singles day is on the 7th and I need two anglers keen to join this group.

To make a booking call Scott on mobile 0418169439.

DVD REVIEW - Hooked with Dave Butfield

This great set of 3 DVD’s around 6 hours of fishing action brought to you by Dave Butfield from the Fishing show series called Hooked on Fishing. In these 3 dvd’s you will find groper fishing off the rocks at Long Reef in Sydney, massive GT’s at Exmouth, mulloway in Botany Bay, black jewfish in Darwin Harbour, Barramundi and threadfin salmon fishing at Darwin, how to target King George whiting in Adelaide, kingfish jigging off Terrigal, Flathead in the Logan River in Queensland and last, but by no means least blue eye cod fishing in the deep waters off Kiama on the mid south coast of NSW.

Dave starts off each segment with a visit to the local Tackle World shop to take you though the types of rod and reel combinations they are going to use. Also Dave will disgust with the owner or manager of the shop what types of terminal tackle, bait and lures they are going to use when chasing the particular fish species for that segment.

One thing that I also found with this set of DVD’s is that the target fish species are not the only fish caught while putting them together. There are many other fish species caught along the way.

These 3 dvd’s would be well worth having in your library even if you are a local or you are thinking of visiting the area, or even if you are a competent angler or just a novice. I am sure that everyone who views these DVD’s will pick up something of interest.

Carl from http://www.kayakfishingsydney.com/ reports that the morning dawned when he set off onto Botany Bay in search of a few more trevally. He moved along towards the end of the 3rd runway, staying just outside the markers, casting towards the runway wall. I only had two of the Gulp 3" minnows in lime tiger so he figured I'd use them up before moving onto the Pumpkinseed ones.Carl also caught a couple of Australian salmon, some silver trevally, dusky flathead and a small under sized kingfish.

For more on what happen during the rest of the morning why don’t you pay a visit to his web site at http://www.kayakfishingsydney.com/

Paul Martin from Rock Marine Bait and Tackle (rocksmarine@tsn.cc) reports that holiday makers to the Rocks area will be getting amongst a few fish both inside and out. That is if you are going to wet a line. Smoky Beach has been fishing well for good Whiting and Bream on live worms and pippies. Gap Beach has Whiting, Bream and the odd Tailor and Salmon. Rock hoppers are catching Drummer, Bream and the odd lonely Tailor or two, with a few Tuna off Hat Head.

The river is still producing good flathead and these fish are suckers for a large range of Plastic baits and lures. Blackfish surprisingly are still on the bite, finding the weed bait has been the problem. Bream are about in good numbers but the big ones are scarce. A few Jew have been landed over the last week. If you’re heading to Fish Rock expect to tangle with some King Fish or the odd Snapper amongst the loads of Bonito. Snapper have been off Grassy in close with a few Pearlies out wider while out of the same location the crew on “get it on” caught after a 2 hour fight a 50lb Cobia on 10 pound braid.

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 estuary, blackfish remain solid with good fish still available for those willing to put in the time. Both break walls and Limeburners have been the pick of locations. Bream numbers too have been reasonable despite the full moon phase, with Limeburners and the coal wall producing a few nice bags. Best results have been achieved on late afternoon sessions with either gut baits or yabbies. On the positive side, flathead numbers continue to improve almost daily with pretty well all areas downstream of Rawdon Island producing fish. The lower reaches of the Hastings have also begun to produce a few better quality whiting, although there are plenty of throwbacks amongst the better fish. No real reports of crabs as yet; however with the days slowly warming, from now on the action should improve considerably.

On the beaches, the terrific late season run of bream continues, with pretty well all stretches of sand from Crowdy to Crescent Head producing fish in varying quantities and quality. Usually by this time of year the bream run is well and truly finished, however for whatever reason this season just keep going. Along with the bream, some terrific whiting have begun to show up, with live worms as is usually the case, doing all the damage. If you are seeking a feed of these tasty critters, look to fish shallow sand spits particularly on a rising tide, with the smallest amount of lead given the conditions. On the tailor and mulloway front, little to report as has been the case for some time now; however it will be interesting to see if the current full moon phase produces an improved showing. For those seeking some salmon action, there are still plenty of fish about, with most deeper gutters yielding results.

On the rocks, drummer numbers remain steady with Point Plommer, Point Perpendicular and Diamond Head all continuing to yield quality fish. With many of the fish yet to spawn, you should be able to confidently chase a feed of pigs for a few more weeks yet. Also off the stones, a few tailor have shown up for those keen to rise well before 5.00 am, whilst the evening sessions in the lead up to the moon have yielded a few bream for those willing to put in the time. Still a few solid groper on offer for those willing to float a few crabs when the seas are flat.

On the offshore scene, the reefs of both Plommer and Lake Cathie have been producing a reasonable run of snapper to around 3 kilos, along with the increasingly common pearl perch and plenty of morwong. Flatties remain thick on the sand drifts in around 50 meters or so. On the leather jacket scene, the swarms are beginning to thin noticeably, however the odd patch is still hanging around the wider reefs, so don’t remove the wire supplies just yet. On the pelagic scene, yellow fin tuna are still around the shelf in good numbers. Those trolling skirts have also reported the odd bill fish encounter which bodes well for the season ahead.

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.

Darren from Bermagui Ocean Hut Fishing Tackle, Dive and Charter Fishing Service
mailto:%20(%20enquiries@bermifishinghut.com.au reports that fishing last week has been tough with plenty of fish showing on the sounder although not that interested in feeding. Mowies and Tiger Flathead are the main catch where you need to move constantly to find them and avoid the Leather Jackets. I suspect there should be some good Snapper in close off Goalen Head on this moon.

Cold water is still the major factor for those wishing to chase Game Fish. Some anglers have tried berleying for Sharks with no success and I doubt we will see any change in the Game Fishing until next moon or even later than that. There is a patch of water south of Sydney which is holding schools of Tuna, hopefully they will move south in the near future.

Things are warming up in the estuaries and the better areas are the upper reaches around the weed beds and over the flats, especially the Bermagui River. Anglers can expect Bream, Whiting and Luderick on bait as well as Flathead are starting to make an appearance for those who like to cast lures.

The cool water is still having an effect on the beaches where very little action is to be had. There are some Salmon and I suspect those wishing to go out at night may find a Gummy Shark on this moon. Pretty much the same for the rocks with a few Trevally and Leatherjacket showing, although generally quiet.

Warmer than usual weather conditions are indicating there could be an early spring and with this the Bass in Brogo may become active a lot earlier this season. At present there have been no reports on any regular catches of Bass within our area and I suspect it will stay this way for quite a few more weeks.

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

Weekly report 15/09/07

Over the past couple of months the Hawkesbury River has been fishing realyy slow, but there has still been the odd good catch come in. From Spencer to Pumkin Point the bream have been feeding up against the edge of the mangroves when the tides have been high. They have then moved out to the deeper to work the edges of the drop off’s. I have found that over the years when fishing the Hawkesbury River when there is a fair bit of run in the water you will need to fish with a leader of between 1 to 2 metres in length. This will get you away from those pesky catfish and onto a few bream and mulloway the Hawkesbury River is renown for.

Even though many of the Oyster lease have been pulled out you can still anchor up beside them and berley up a few bream. The rock walls and mud flats in the Berowra Waters area are producing bream and dusky flathead on the rising tide. Try using mullet and chicken gut, blood worms, pink nippers and half pilly tails.

The kingfish have start to increase in numbers in the Pittwater. Try the entrance to Carreel Bay and around Scottland Island. Live Baits and trolled Rapallas are the go. Scottland Island also has a few bream and luderick schooling up in the deeper water off the south –eastern side of the island. Plenty of berley needs to be used.

Sydney Kings have also started to show up with the schools of australian salmon around all the usual spots in the lower parts of the Harbour. Sow and pIgs would be a good place to start your fishing trip for dusky flathead, silver trevally and yellowfin bream. There are also a few luderick and leatherjackets being caught there as well.

If you are going to eat tailor after you have caught them. This photo here shows you how not to keep them. They need to be bled staright away and then put on ice, otherwise the fish will be like mush and won't taste the best.

If you are after a few leatherjackets in Middle Harbour you could try fishing the rocky shoreline in Bantry Bay.

Botany Bay still has plenty of silver trevally on offer. The yellowfin bream have been a bit slow, but they are starting to pick up. Australian salmon can be trolled up on lures on the southern side of the entrance to Botany Bay. Kingfish and snapper are being caught off the lighthouse at Kurnell.

The 50 to 60 metre mark off Maroubra is still producing good catches of sand flathead.

The Georges and Woronora Rivers have been a little bit slow over the last week, but there has been a couple of good reports come in from the old Woronora Bridge and Soily Point for luderick and bream. The odd mulloway has been lured up on soft plastics in the deeper water at the area called the Moons.

I have just updated my web site with 7 new questions that have been sent in from readers and my answers back to them. I have also put up a new book and DVD review. So when you get a chance check them out. Also to wet your appeitite for a bit more kingfish fishing I have also included a review on the following DVD.

2 Dans Fishing – The Kingfish Sessions

Best friends Dan Trotter and Dan Burgess have put together a very entertaining, educational and fun DVD on how to target kingfish with live and dead baits. There is also a small session on using knife jigs over an off shore just north of Sydney Harbour.

The DVD is aimed at anyone who fishes, be they beginners or die hard addicts. The DVD has over 2 and a half hours of content, 1 hour and 15 minute feature plus 1 and a half hour of extras.

There are five menu chapters detailing boat layout, bait-catching, knots, tackle talk and product ranges, plus and an awesome cooking segment brought to you by Manu Feildel and Damian Heads, 2 of Sydney's top chefs, even though I personally think that it (cooking segment) does go on a bit to long.

The 2 Dans take you through some great kingfish action while fighting them with handlines on springers, overhead rod and reels and the old trusty spinning outfit. There are some huge bust off’s, great action, terrific scenery and plenty of other fish species that were caught during the filming. Species like samson fish, snapper, silver trevally and cuttlefish.

RRP is $24.95, for more information go to http://www.fishermandan.com.au/or for trade enquiries contact Black Pete Marine on (02) 9907 7177

Carl from http://www.kayakfishingsydney.com/ reports that with the weather warming up that it means that those great Australian Bass are a realistic target again. Sure, you can still get them through winter, but those balmy summer days when they are smashing lures off the surface are pure magic! Carl called Mick Munns from East Coast Lures and he met him at Tench Reserve in the early morning twilight. Mick had a few new lures to show Carl and the twin blade spinners look absolutely sensational.

The reports from the Nepean have been good but they've been from way up in the gorge and we weren't planning on venturing that far in their kayak’s so they stuck close to the ramp and tried working the surface we various fizzers and poppers but there was no action on top. Give the water another few degrees and I'm sure they'll come on the chew.

For more on what happen during the rest of the morning why don’t you pay a visit to his web site at http://www.kayakfishingsydney.com/

Scotty Lyons from Southern Sydney Fishing Tours http://www.fishingsydney.com.au/ reports the weather was as good as it get out on Botany Bay last Thursday. The class started at the Hot water oulet, but again no results spinning with metals on first light this has been the same no for a few weeks but still worth a try. Trevally Alley was next and we scored a nice fish on the first bait but then they went of only catching three. They then trolled Yarra Bay and scored two tailor smaller fish around 40cms.Next headed to the bottom end of Yarra for one nice Flathead on a plastic.Scott’s next singles day is on the 7th of October and the next fishing school is on Monday the 8th 6pm to 9pm and the day on the water is Saturday 20th 6am to 1pm.

To make a booking call Scott on mobile 0418169439.

Paul Martin from Rock Marine Bait and Tackle (rocksmarine@tsn.cc) reports that the perfect spring weather last week has brought the fisho’s out on the water. Fishing in the river is on the improve with flathead up to 4 kilo being caught. The bigger ones have been off the Breakwall while the panners are in the shallower water towards Stuarts Point, Jerseyville and up to Smithtown.

Blackfish are still on the bite out of the clearer water but not in big numbers. Bream have been consistently good on a run out tide in the coloured water. Jew fish are about in fair numbers working well on plastics. If you like a feed of big dart and nice whiting head down to Gap Beach. While Smoky Beach has been fishing well for Bream and Whiting towards Hat Head. There’s plenty of Salmon all along the beach with the odd Tailor.

Most offshore fisho’s headed south to Fish Rock for good kingfish and some big snapper. Black Rock has had a few Reds as well. Grassy’s wider reefs in the cleaner water have been producing snapper to 4 kilo with some smaller Pearlies. Fisheries have advised the FAD will be back out in its old location at the end off the month in time for the dolphin fish run.

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 excellent run of bream continues, with fish to well over a kilo being taken from most locations within the lower reaches. The fish seem to be hanging around in numbers quite late this year, with the good rainfall of late no doubt assisting in this regard. Flathead continue to improve with good numbers of fish beginning to show up from most location. Best reports have come from Limeburners and Blackman’s Point; however Rawdon Island has also been worth a look. Both lures and bait have proven equally successful. On the luderick scene, the break walls are still producing quality fish albeit not in quite the same numbers as in recent weeks. Also in the estuary, some nice whiting are beginning to show up at several locations downstream of the Dennis Bridge. Live worms and yabbies have been accounting for the better fish, although don’t be afraid to use small soldier crabs if you can get them.

On the beaches, put simply the seas and winds have not been kind, with limited access to all but the more protected locations for some time now. Those who have persisted report the salmon are here in numbers, and as is usually the case, will take just about any offering, at any time of day and during any tide phase. Whilst perhaps not the most sought after species for many beach fisho’s, salmon at least provide plenty of entertainment and represent a terrific species to target for either kids or those simply new to beach fishing. All you need are either a couple of metal lures, or alternately pilchards or beach worms, and you are almost guaranteed to encounter a salmon or two if conditions at all reasonable.

Off the rocks, drummer reports continue to be quite good with most anglers continuing to manage a fish or two each outing. Point Plommer and surrounds continue to prove the pick of locations, however Miners locally has given a few solid pigs over the past week. Also off the rocks, the occasional good sized tailor continues to be encountered, with both Point Perpendicular and Diamond Head providing some nice fish. Bream numbers remain above average, with evening sessions producing the better results. The rough seas also saw some of the traditional luderick locations produce some nice bronzies for those willing to float a bit of cabbage in the suds.

On the outside scene, seas remain inconsistent courtesy of the winds as is often the case at this time of year. For those who have ventured out, there are reasonable numbers of snapper closer in off Plommer; however there are plenty of undersize specimens amongst the better fish. Leatherjackets remain quite thick in places, although by and large, the hoards have moved on. Flathead as usual remain an excellent proposition for those keen to chase a feed without venturing too wide

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.

Peter Mak is in the running for fishing photo of the month with a photo of a silver trevally and a leatherjacket his son caught while fishing down at Mallacoota on Father's Day.

They were fishing off the jetty next to the Tourist Information shed for about an hour. Peter caught a silver trevally on a 2 inch Gulp shrimp in New Penny colour while my son Joshuah caught the jacket on a small pinch of prawn on a long shank hook on a paternoster rig (something I learnt from my class) just off the jetty. Peter said the trevally put up a hell of a fight.

They were driving to Lakes Entrance from Eden when we decided to stop over at Mallacoota to have a look and see. The place looked great and we couldn’t resist a fish. They had the trevally and the leatherjacket on the public barbeque for lunch. They liked the place so much they hope to go back in future and do some fishing from a boat.

Darren from Bermagui Ocean Hut Fishing Tackle, Dive and Charter Fishing Service
mailto:%20(%20enquiries@bermifishinghut.com.au reports that fishing out from Beares Beach has produced some very good sand flathead for anglers not wishing to venture too far from home. The close in reefs in and around 20 - 30 metres of water are producing some small snapper and good morwong. Out wide of the Six Mile Reef large Tiger Flathead are dominating most catches.

Cold water is still the major factor for those wishing to chase Game Fish. Some anglers have tried berleying for sharks with no success and I doubt we will see any change in the Game fishing until next moon or even later than that.

The going out tides have produced plenty of blackfish for anglers fishing with green or cabbage weed. Best areas are the rock walls adjacent to Bermagui Harbour, the Bridge Pylons and out around the Bridge at Wallaga Lake. There are some dusky flathead moving in the Bermagui River and are being taken on lures in the deeper, wider bays.

Salmon and tailor are still pretty quiet along most of the beaches although there is a few nice Bream starting to hang around in the deeper gutters. Rock Fishing has been difficult due to the sea conditions and cool water; there has been the odd drummer and occasional groper although things are pretty quiet

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.

Weekly report 7/09/07

Ludurick and yellowfin bream have been on the chew in the Georges and Woronora Rivers. For the luderick you will need to get hold of some fresh green weed. The bream have been biting on mullet gut, strips of mullet, blood and tube worms and that ever reliable Chicken done in parmerson cheese.

For the luderick you could try the western side of Jewfish Point, Wearne Bay, the western side of the Monns, Soil Point, the southern side of Alford’s Point bridge, Picnic Point boat ramp, Cattle duffers and the wall at Chipping Norton. Now on the other hand for bream you could try the Milperra Bridge, the Moons, Lugarno, the Woronora Bridge, Bonnet Bay and Bottle and Glass Head.

If you are chasing silver trevally in Botany Bay and you are not getting any, you must not have a line in the water. When I was out last Saturday I could not get away from them. I fished the Oil Wharf, Monilex Point, Watts Reef, Sutherland Point, The Hot Water Outlet and the drums. It only took and hour and fifteen minutes to get 20 trevally between 35 to 40cm in length.

The author with a bream and a snapper that were caught on a pumkin seed 3 inch minnow in the Port Hacking.

Hopefully after the bit of rain we are experiencing at the moment the trevalyy will thin out a bit so the I can get to the bream and dusky flathead. While out fishing on Saturday I was anchored near a few other boats and we had this num nut come an anchor right at the back of us, directly in our berley trail with a sand anchor and a long length of chain. I suggested that he come up near us on the sand, but he told me he had fished hear for 20 years and nobody was going to tell him what to do as he already knew.

Any way to cut a long story short, he did manage to get a couple of trevally, but his anchor pulled. As he was drifting along the anchor got caught up well and truly. I reckoned he mucked around for 20 to 30 mintues trying to get it un stuck. I took a couple of photos and left. When I came back 30 minutes later he was gone and most of the boats that were still there were still catching trevally.

So much for fishing there for the last twenty years. I wonder how many sand anchors he has left there?

The sand flats in the Port Hacking are worth a shot for trevally, crabs, bream, flathead and mullet. There are also a few whiting and luderick feeding in the shallows at high tide.

Don’t forget to keep those phot’s coming in for the fish of them month.

Scotty Lyons from Southern Sydney Fishing Tours http://www.fishingsydney.com.au/ reports that the weather prove not to bad during the early part of the weather, but has turned a bit nastly latley. Scott had a kids day on the bay last Thursday and they managed to cacth a number of different fish species. They scored plenty of silver trevally in deep water Port Botany side of the Container wall and most fish were around 35cms, This is a good spot to try if the wind is blowing from the East.

The trolling is still very slow and the last few days I have tried many spots looking for tailor and only landing one. Spinning with soft plastics had us again into trevally around the Hot Water Outlet, these fish are smaller than on the other side of the Bay, but still loads of fun on light tackle and they just love small Squidgie wrigglers.Flathead spinning still patchy with only the odd fish coming in.Scotty also fished Yarra Bay and out along Cape banks again with no results this has been the same for the last three weeks.

These budding young anglers know how to get amoungst a few of those BotanyBay trevally.

An early week trip had them anchored in around 40metres for a shot at a few snapper, trevally, morwong and leatherjackets. They scored one nice snapper to about 37cms and a few sweep and a few nice leatherjackets before heading back to the flathead grounds just of Brighton, Spinning with soft plastics the boys hooked three one kept and two releaset all in all and good mixed day. If you would like to fish for snapper south of Port Hacking give Scott a call. They are now worth thinking about, September to December.

To make a booking call Scott on mobile 0418169439.

Paul Martin from Rock Marine Bait and Tackle (rocksmarine@tsn.cc) reports that it has been a bit of a wipe out this week for the outside fisherman with only a few braving the conditions. Fish Rock was fishing well for some nice Kings and respectable snapper in around the rock. Charter boat Gunrunner while dragging big baits for kings hooked a 160 kilo plus black marlin before it spat the hooks. Northern reefs were producing snapper and Pearlies. (Pearl Perch now have a bag of 5 and legal length of 30cm).

The blackfish have gone off the bite for a while. This would be due to the water having a fair bit of colour through it. There still biting their heads off a Hat Head so hopefully we have a few weeks before they disappear. Bream are feeding well along the Breakwall some around a kilo. Flathead numbers are starting to improve just in time for the Trial Bay Marine Flathead competition on the 16th September kicking off at 6am at the Boat Shed.

Australian salmon are still on the beaches taking pillies with the odd yellowfin bream and sand whiting on live worms. There are the odd tailor there for the Rock Hoppers along with bream, blackfish and some drummer.

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 beaches, tailor and mulloway numbers remain most disappointing however some excellent bream have been on offer which is a little unusual however certainly most welcome for this time of year. Live worms and pipis have been the preferred baits, with beaches to the north of Port producing the better results. Salmon numbers are thick in places and by all reports, the bulk of the schools are not too far off now. When they arrive, there will some terrific sport fishing action to be had; however those looking to score a feed of the more palatable species may have their work cut out. The real bad news for beach fisho’s however is that red weed has made an early appearance this year. At present there are only a few isolated patches here and there courtesy of the easterly based winds, however this does not auger well for the months ahead. Let’s just hope favourable conditions prevail to keep this scourge away.

Off the rocks, drummer numbers remain consistent with reasonable numbers of fish on offer for those willing to put in the time. Most local ledges are producing with Lighthouse and Rocky’s both yielding fish. The key as always is to be prepared to be mobile, and of course berleying heavily. When berleying, remember a little often rather than a lot infrequently will greatly assist in bringing the fish to you. The latter generally only results in brief periods of activity before the burley either fills the fish or washes away taking the school with it. Blackfish numbers too remain solid, with some bumper specimens being snared both locally, and around Point Perpendicular on both cabbage and cunjevoi. Bream numbers remain reasonable with still the odd bumper specimen about, particularly from Plommer, Crescent Head and surrounds. Tailor however remain patchy, although what fish are there are of excellent quality.

In the estuary, flathead remain excellent, as they have pretty well all winter. Whitebait has been the pick of the baits, whilst those throwing soft plastics continue to achieve considerable success. Bream numbers have been excellent, with evening sessions from the walls producing well despite the full moon. Gut baits as is often the case at this time of year have enjoyed particular success. On the blackfish front, both walls continue to fish well, with fish to around and over a kilo reasonably common. Lake Cathie has also begun the produce again in line with the water beginning to clear from the rain of recent weeks. A few solid whiting have also begin the reappear in the lower reaches of the lake after a being AWOL for a couple of weeks. In the absence of live prawns, worms and yabbies have been the morsels of choice.

On the offshore scene, snapper numbers and quality have been excellent, particularly from the closer reefs off Lake Cathie. Wider out leatherjackets remain difficult to avoid, however the good news is the quality is up and the numbers down a little. Makes the ratio of lost tackle to fish in the esky a little more acceptable.

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.

Peter Le Blang from Harbour & Estuary Fishing Charters has been sourcing another vessel for his customers to enjoy fishing from. The vessel that Peter has settled on is going through NSW Survey after being in QLD for the last few years. The make is a Fisher 7.9m alloy single hull vessel that will be in 2C survey shortly. The new vessel will allow up 6 people to fish Pittwater in comfort and will also allow us to target dolphin fish and reef fish if the fishing is slow in the river. It will also allow customers to choose the species that they want to catch or style of fishing they wish to do to catch them.

Anyway the last week has finally seen the water temperature rise to a health 17 degrees and the fishing has improved with it. Peter has not had the opportunity to catch any kingfish over the last week. The kingies have been a bit quiet in Pittwater but if you find the school of tailor that is in Pittwater the kingfish are in the same area.
The kingfish were around West Head and Barrenjoey Head on the run out tide but dolphins have ended that run of fish. At Barrenjoey Head a seal has shown up and if you do catch any fish he has zeroed in on them pretty quickly.

The best way to get a feed of fish in Pittwater at the moment is to either drift fish between the heads of Pittwater and in close to West Head there are a few flounder. The same drift will also see you catch flathead but you need to use big baits to deter the smaller fish. The better drift at the moment seems to be between Flint & Steel through to Lion Island and the drift from Umina Beach to Box Head. Both these drifts have produced larger flathead.

If you can find some structure in Pittwater such as Botham’s Reef there are trevally still biting. The fish size varies from 25cm to 45cm. Remember from September 3rd that trevally need to be 30cm in length and a bag limit of 20 applies. These great fighters have been responding well to burly and are devouring peeled prawns, squid pieces and whitebait. The best method has been to drift un weighted baits down the burly trail on light tackle.

Other fish that can be caught at the moment are luderick. Points such as Woody Point and Rocky Point are just 2 of the areas that are producing fish to 42cm. Local weed is the better bait to use but if you cant find any Mark from Narrabeen Bait & Tackle still had stock last time Peter checked.

Burly is needed to get these fish on the bite but it has been important to stop berleying after the first couple of fish are caught. Too much burly has attracted the dreaded Black Trevally or Happy Moments.

The better land-based areas to catch a blackfish are Bayview Wharf or Church Point Wharf (old wooden wharf).

Peter’s Winter Specials Have Started.
$330 For the CHARTER. 1, 2 OR 3 PEOPLE.
That equates to $110 each for a 3-person charter.
Book now and don’t miss out.
Special Has Been Extended to 30 Sept 2007.

For any further information call Peter Le Blang from Harbour & Estuary Fishing Charters on 0410 633 351 or just visit his web site http://www.estuaryfishing.com.au/

Steve Williamson’s from ‘LAKE JINDABYNE TROUT FISHING ADVENTURES’
Reports that the weather has been up into the mid 20’s and locals can’t believe just how warm it has been over the last couple of weeks. For August it was more like normal summer temperatures. Whatever happens it is now spring and the snow is not going to last long on the ground and with lots of luck the melt will end up in our lakes and hopefully stay there. Steve has been told that irrigators along the Murray River have had their water allocations cancelled for the season, which if true is bad for them but may be lucky for us. The big problem is that the Snowy scheme just doesn’t have an endless supply of water, we are at the bottom of the barrel now and we need the rain as much as anyone. I have been saying for months that the Murray Darling system is in big trouble and we must all pray they get some serious rain.

FISHERIES INSPECTORS ARE ACTIVE

Over recent weeks our Fisheries officers have been very active, checking licences and gear. This is a warning that it is not worth the fine, so make sure you purchase a licence. The money from your licence goes to a good cause – restocking, so even if you have left your current licence at home – buy a 3 day or a month and just say it is an extra donation to your sport!
For years Steve has been listening to anglers complain that they never see an inspector and the minute they do their job people complain. Don’t complain, just make certain you have your licence on you and you obey the rules! It’s easy! It is also not our job as a retail outlet to ask every customer if they have a current licence so don’t blame the tackle shops if you get caught.
For those anglers that fish with Steve on a guided tour – he pays an annual fee to NSW DPI fisheries to cover you, so you don’t need one.

NOTE – NSW FISHING RULE CHANGES

There have been a few small changes to the fishing rules for trout so please get a copy of the new guidelines and have a good look. The way I see it the main changes for our trout waters will be (remember this is my interpretation and you can let me know if I am wrong) -
Unattended lines will no longer be permitted in any non-tidal waters in NSW. The distance a fisher may be from an attended line will be increased from 10 metres to 50 metres and within line of sight. This means that on the dams you could put a bait rod out and then go 50 metres away and have a spin or fly fish! A maximum set time of 24 hours will apply for all fishing gear (e.g. hoop nets, yabby traps).

Bag and possession limits.
Previously, freshwater bag and possession limits only applied to fishers that were in, on or adjacent to waters. This will now be extended to include the transport and storage of freshwater fish to provide clarification and ease with compliance. This means that you could have you car checked at any place down the road and technically you could have your freezer checked to see if you have more that 10 fish in possession even if you are a local!
Bag and size limits

A bag limit of 5 will continue to apply in general trout waters. Now that means that Tantangara Dam is now only 5 trout which brings it in line with the other trout dams.

One rod and line will be permitted in artificial lure and fly and lure waters and general trout streams. This means that you can only carry one rod (assembled with reel) when walking down the rivers like the Eucumbene and Thredbo. You can not carry a spin and a fly rod with both ready for fishing. Two rods and lines are permitted in general trout dams. The current limit of 2 hooks per line will continue to apply in all notified trout waters except trout dams, where the number of hooks per line has been increased from 2 to 3 (where hooks are artificial lures or flies) to allow for loch style fishing.

So on the trout dams you can now use 3 hooks when using flies or artificial lures but you can’t use three hooks when bait fishing!

The prohibition on the use of gaffs to take trout will be extended to all freshwater species and waters. This means that a gaff cannot be used to take any fish in inland waters.
Remember these are only a few important changes as I see the rules. There are more changes and it will be up to you to check them out at DPI Fisheries web site - http://www.dpi.nsw.gov.au/fisheries/summary-bag

For the very best and latest information call into my shop.
Steve Williamson’s
‘LAKE JINDABYNE TROUT FISHING ADVENTURES’
PMB 5 Jindabyne NSW 2627 mobile 0408 024436 e-mail swtrout@airlan.com.au
SHOP – (02) 64561551 FAX – (02) 64561342