Forster Report

The assist hooks on surface lures will increase your hook up rate. Sometime foul hook up rate as well.

15/3/2024

We have definitely entered into Autumn now and we are beginning to see an obvious shift in some of our fish species, particularly within the estuary.

Up until recently, Flathead have been very easy to find and catch for both bait and lure anglers, however, this week has been very difficult for anglers chasing a feed of Flatty tails with anglers commenting that they either can’t find any fish at all or that they can only find small, undersized fish. This change is not unusual for this time of the year and you will find that the Flathead fishing will start to get better and better further up-river as we move through Autumn. Instead of fishing the ‘clear’ water down around the mouth of the estuary, try moving up to areas such as Coomba Park, Regatta Island, ‘The Cut’ or up the Wallamba River, you will find the fish eventually!

On the flip side, the mighty Bream are now making their presence felt throughout the lower reaches of the system with some absolute monsters coming from the rockwalls and Oyster Leases. Targeting these hard fighting fish is relatively easy, you can pick just about anywhere with a bit of structure (if you can also find an area which has a bit of an ‘eddy’ or backwater where the current is hitting structure and bouncing off that is perfect)and simply float a lightly weighted bait or small soft plastic down along or into the structure, watch your line and as soon as you see it move off you know you have a fish on! Chasing big Bream in harsh terrain is very addictive and such good fun, you will be amazed by how hard these little guys can pull! Anglers continuing to fish the weed bed areas are also still finding plenty of solid fish up to about 35cm and we can expect these fish to hang about up there for another couple of weeks before they all push down towards the ocean.

The rockwalls become a hive of activity throughout March and April with a lot of angling attention becoming focussed on them as fish move about and congregate to spawn. Along with the Bream, Luderick also ‘run’ to sea and settle on the structures that exist in and around the mouths of our estuaries. There are a few keen Luderick anglers that have already dusted off their gear and so far the fishing is looking promising this season.

Targeting Mulloway is always a great option during Autumn, with the amount of fish moving in and out of the estuary these beautiful big fish love to settle within the rock walls and gorge themselves. So far we are yet to see many bigger fish however the number of small ‘soapies’ is nothing short of amazing!

Hitting the local beaches has been a bit of a struggle of late. Wind, big seas and weed have made fishing very difficult. Those anglers that have managed to find clean gutters that have been calm enough to fish are still definitely finding fish though with some quality Tailor, Bream and Whiting making up most catches. Diamond Beach to the north has been producing some cracking Mulloway, however it has been a bit rough to fish over the past few days, hopefully the fish will still be there once things settle again.

Local rock fisho’s have been feeling much the same as their sand loving counterparts with many trips cancelled due to the prevailing conditions. The washes have been fishing good though for Bream, Tailor and Bonito along with the odd Drummer and Snapper. It’s definitely worth soaking a livebait or throwing a larger lure about at the moment, you just never know what might be swimming past at this time of the year!

The local offshore fishing scene has been all over the place. The biggest determining factor by a mile has been the weather, windows of opportunity have been somewhat fleeting which has made it very hard for anglers to get a feel for what’s happening out there. Boats that have headed out in search of Snapper and other demersal species have done much better by heading south, the reefs to the south have been holding some great mixed bags of Snapper, Trag, Pearl Perch and Flathead. Reefs to the north are still holding a few good Snapper but they seem to have become very patchy again now which would have made for some frustrating fishing had it not been for the by-catch that has been encountered up there. Just about every boat that has headed north has either caught or hooked some great Cobia while fishing for Snapper, I’m not sure that I have ever heard of so many Cobia caught! There has also been some very solid Mulloway coming from the shallow inshore reefs along with plenty of ‘bite offs’ so make sure you pack that wire each trip!

1/3/2024

Goodbye Summer! We have had some very typically ‘summer’ days over the past week or so, hot and very windy on most afternoons! These conditions have been fantastic for spending days on our beautiful estuary fishing, swimming, and snorkelling. Unfortunately, the same conditions have made for tricky conditions along our coastline and offshore, we have had some cracking windows of opportunity though which have been very productive for most anglers.

Wallis Lake is an angling wonderland over the warmer months. You can easily launch your boat (or stay landbased) and remain within 1km of the centre of town and have the most amazing fishing session. Flathead continue to fish unbelievable good for most anglers, ensuring you are fishing the run out tide is a huge key to success however you can also find loads of fish up on the top of the tide if you adjust your techniques slightly. If you hit the water and have to fish the high tide, look for the shallow grounds that have a bit of structure and a decent amount of water moving over them, the fish will be laying here waiting to ambush prey as it moves about the shallow sand flat. Instead of fishing a heavy jig head that will ‘get to the bottom’ drop you lure weight down (or go unweighted) and fish just under or on the surface and you will be amazed by how many fish materialise out of the sand to engulf your soft plastic, alternatively you can also throw stickbaits, bent minnows or shallow diving hardbodies over the same areas.

For bait fisherfolk, that run out tide is definitely a better choice and the fish are smashing all sorts of baits including Prawns, Mullet and Bonito Strips, Pilchards and even chicken strips! If you fish in and around a bit of structure like an Oyster Lease you will also run into some very solid Bream, we are starting to see some absolute monsters coming from the lower reaches of the system now as they start to move down and get ready to spawn over the coming months.

The flats and weedbeds further upstream are also fishing well for Bream with huge numbers of fish holding in certain areas waiting to smash small surface lures or crankbaits. While I haven’t seen any really big fish from up that way lately there seems to be loads of 25-35cm fish getting about which make for some really good fun when they are fired up to enough to hit the surface!

Local beaches have been all over the place due to the recent weather, unfortunately each bout of strong NE/E wind has been horrible for water quality with loads of red weed filling up the gutters on most beaches. So the challenge has not been just finding good gutters, it’s been finding good gutters with the least amount of weed in them! Those anglers that have managed to fish some clean water are still finding some great Whiting and Bream with the odd Mulloway mixed in.

Our offshore fishery is very had to beat over the next few months, absolutely anything is possible out there! The wind has made things a bit tricky, particularly for anglers hoping to run into a pelagic fish or two, however there has still be a bit of action out there with plenty of Cobia sneaking about. We are yet to see much action on the Mackerel front, while I don’t doubt that there is the odd fish about, you are most likely to be harassed by hundreds of Bonito and give up before you see one!

Snapper have been fishing really well all over the place. Boats have been hammering some really nice fish to the north while those boats that have headed south have been coming back with nice mixed bags of Snapper, Trag, Pearl Perch and Pigfish. I absolutely love this time of year for chasing big ‘Reds’ on the shallow inshore reefs, while everyone is so keenly fixated on the pelagic species the Snapper are feeding hard underneath them!

16/2/2024

Anglers in the Great Lakes area have had a bit of a frustrating couple of weeks, our weather has been all over the place which has made getting out for some consistent fishing very difficult! Those that have read the weather forecasts and managed to pick the nice windows have still found plenty of fish both inshore and offshore so with a bit of luck the NE and SE winds will give us a bit of a break so that we can all get amongst some red-hot angling action over the weekend!

Our amazing estuary is still by far the best angling option and is fishing very well for just about anything you can think of! We have had some huge tides lately which have been great for sneaking up into the shallows in search of a big Flathead. It’s amazing how many anglers are now confidently throwing lures up to (and over) 230mm long, and it’s even more amazing to see how many huge fish are being landed, cared for properly and successfully released. Well done to all of you legends out there for smashing your Flathead PB’s and looking after our fish! On the backside of the big tides have been some really nice run out periods which have been producing loads and loads of smaller Flathead, the number of 35-40cm fish out there is just insane this year and they are belting just about anything you want to throw at them, providing you are using a lure in the 5-15cm range and fishing the run out tide you will almost surely secure a decent feed of fish. Mullet strips, Bonito Strips, Pilchards and Hawksbury Prawns have been delivering the goods for the bait fisher-folk with some cracking Bream falling for them as well in around the Oyster Leases.  

We are now in prime Sand Whiting time, the flats down around the bridge are still on the quiet side of things but moving up the system a little bit and focussing your efforts on the flats consisting of a bit of broken ground/weed should see you getting into the better fish. Their smaller relatives, the Trumpeter Whiting are still on the go, though they have thinned a little and you may find that you will have to move about to find the schools. The last good report I had was from up around the area referred to as ‘The Wires’.

Local beaches have been all over the shop lately as they have been hammered by winds from all direction and some solid swells. While the wind has been consistently littering the shoreline with masses of red weed, if you can find some clean water to fish you are in for some great fishing. We have seen some really nice bags of Whiting coming from both 7 Mile and 9 Mile Beaches (I would imagine other beaches are producing fish as well), the fish are loving Beach Worms and Pipi’s and you can expect to land a few Bream, Dart and Flathead as well. A couple of anglers fished 9 Mile earlier in the week with some Prawns for bait and ended up with 9 nice Flathead up to about 65cm. For those wishing to soak a Pilly or toss some lures about, the Tailor are almost endless down at Jaineys Corner/7 Mile with most fish coming in at around 45-50cm.

Land based anglers have now well and truly entered into the annual purple patch of fishing, the golden window where anything is possible! With good amounts of bait sitting along most ledges and some fairly good water quality, hitting the stones over the next couple of months will give you a really good chance at landing a nice pelagic fish or two. Along with our typical pelagic species, there are also plenty of Tailor, Bonito and small Kings cruising about which can be great entertainers while you wait for something better to come along.

Now to the basket case that has been offshore fishing of late! The weather has kept most boats high and dry over the past couple of weeks, however with some fairer conditions over the past few days we are starting to get an idea of what’s about out there. On the Snapper front, things seem to be a little slow in the shallows with only a few fish landed that I know of up towards Snapper Rock, boats have had much better luck out in 50-80m with those reefs in 60m proving to be particularly productive for tasty mixed bags of Snapper, Trag and the odd Pearly. The inshore reefs are starting to kick into gear when it comes to pelagics now so make sure you pack some wire next trip, while we have not seen any Mackerel (or proof of lol) we are starting to see good numbers of Cobia so the toothy buggers won’t be far off hopefully.

This year we are seeing a drastically different Marlin season to last year, it is only early days still but by this time last year some boats were well and truly into double figures already, this year we are only hearing of one or two fish being landed each week so far. With some better weather hanging about for the remainder of the week, I would expect this to change and we should see the little blacks fire up a bit more!

2/2/2024

Wallis Lake continues to produce some great Flathead fishing, as long as you are focusing your efforts on the bottom 1/2 or so of the system (towards the mouth) and covering some ground throwing soft plastics, vibes or hard bodied lures about you will find plenty of good fish. This week has been great for the larger fish with loads of 60+cm fish reported as well as more than a few monsters up over the 90cm mark!

Sand Whiting have been about in force up on the flats over the past week as they have been taking advantage of the nice high tides to get up in the skinny water to hunt for Worms, Prawns, Shrimp and just about anything else they can chase down. A really easy way to score a tasty bag of Whiting is to anchor up (or drift along) on the edge of a likely looking sand flat with baits of Worm or Yabby. This technique is dead easy, super effective and will see you landing a great bag of Whiting, Bream and Flathead. If you are into your sport fishing, hitting the same areas with small poppers and stickbaits is amazing fun and a great way of finding the better quality fish, take note of how many huge Flathead you spook as you move about, it might be worth throwing some bigger lures as well!

The weed beds, sand flats and rivers are holding some great Bream which have been eager to belt small diving hard bodies and surface lures. Anglers floating baits in around the Oyster leases and rockwalls are also starting to see some big Bream and this trend should continue over the next month or so as the big brood fish start to prepare for their annual spawning migration. From the end of March through until the end of July is just so much fun along our rock walls!!!

Local beaches are alive with fish, we have received some great reports from beaches all over the place with the beaches down around Pacific Palms and Seal Rocks fishing particularly well. Hitting a gutter on a nice high tide with a piece of Worm or Pipi is a sure-fire way of landing some great Bream, Dart, Whiting and Flathead. For those wanting to chase something a bit bigger, 9 Mile, 7 Mile and Diamond Beach to the north have been producing the odd school sized Mulloway which have been falling for baits of Bonito and Worms. Unfortunately, those fishing Squid and Fish baits will have to contend with more than a few annoying Sharks and Rays in between the Mulloway but the effort is definitely worth it!

Local rock ledges are starting to get busy again as the warm currents that we have had lapping the coast start to deliver all sorts of pelagic fish. If you dedicate yourself to hitting the stones regularly and figure out how it all works, absolutely anything is possible over the next couple of months!

Offshore action has been fairly consistent of late. Snapper have been a little patchy but have fished well over the past couple of days. There are some cracking fish holding up in the shallow stuff but you will need to fish these areas nice and early and be as stealthy as you possibly can to avoid spooking the fish. Out a little further, the 20-30m grounds are finally starting to deliver a few fish after what seems like an eternal quiet period. These areas should only get better over the coming weeks, they often fire up when the inshore pelagic fishery kicks into gear. On the pelagic front things are yet to really kick into gear, there are definitely a few Marlin about but for most the good old Mahi Mahi has been about as good as it’s got. Those boats fishing a bit wider than the FAD have found some amazing fish up to about 12kg however those fishing the FAD have struggled to find much over about 80cm with most fish being undersized. There have been a few bite offs reported out there already by anglers fishing the inshore reefs so make sure you take a bit of single strand wire out with you as you just never know what might turn up!

12/1/2024

Wallis Lake has been insanely busy since the school holidays kicked off, luckily the vessel traffic and noise does little to slow the fishing down (it does make it hard for anglers though sometimes!). Flathead sit at the top of most anglers’ lists over the summer months, and for good reason as they are fun to catch, relatively easy to fool and taste amazing. If you’re a keen angler but haven’t ventured into the world of artificial lures and baits, right now is the perfect time to have a crack. The good old Flathead will eat just about anything thrown their way over the next couple of months be it a 2” Soft plastic or a 10” glide bait. The single biggest factor in successfully mastering the art of lure fishing for Flathead is understanding your tides. For most, particularly if you are new to it, try to target them on a run out tide and fish the edges of sandflats, weedbeds and rock walls. If you fish the right tide, at the right area and work your lures nice and slow you should have not problems in scoring a tasty bag of fish. If you prefer soaking a bait, drifting strips of Mullet, Bonito or Pilchards has been working a treat and you are likely to pick up a few solid Bream with the Flathead.

For those wishing to target some Bream, your best options are to head upstream. The weedbeds and sandflats are holding good numbers of fish with some really nice fish mixed into the schools. Reports from up the rivers have been few and far between, possibly due to how hot the water has been up there.

Sand Whiting have been fishing ok for those with a good understanding of where to go up the system a bit. The flats closer to the mouth of the estuary are holding fish, but most are undersized or barely legal. If you make your way upstream and start hitting the flats up as far as Regatta Island, Lani’s and even Coomba Park you should find much better sized schools of fish waiting to smash your surface lures or baits. The smaller Trumpeter Whiting are still about in decent numbers but you may find them a bit tricky to locate as they seem to move about almost on a daily basis! Once you find them though you should have no dramas in securing enough for a tasty feed.

Reports from the sand are a little thin on the ground at the moment, mainly due to the amount of weed that is present up and down our coastline. Despite the weed, there are still plenty of fish sitting in the gutters so those anglers that have the ability to put the time in to find some clean water have been rewarded with some great Bream and Whiting along with the odd Mulloway. We have also seen some really solid Tailor over the past week or so (mainly on the beaches down south) which have been landed by anglers targeting Mulloway.

The local rock ledges are slowly starting to come to life with decent amounts of bait starting to turn up along with the hordes of hungry Bonito. While we are yet to see any larger pelagics move through, absolutely anything is possible from now on! For anglers happy to get out there nice and early there have been some amazing Snapper cruising about with fish up to 8kg keeping anglers on their toes along with a few stories of much bigger ‘unstoppables’!

Getting offshore throughout January can always be a little hit and miss, and most reports of late have consisted of some fairly tough going. Boats fishing super shallow early of a morning are finding plenty of fish but the bite window is very narrow with sessions coming to a grinding halt by about 7:30am. The deeper reefs out in 30-80m that have been so consistent up until now are still producing good numbers of Trag of an evening but are fishing quite slow during the day with spatterings of pan sized Snapper, Pearl Perch and Trag.

Heading a little wider is definitely worth the extra km’s, once you hit about 110m the water temperature and quality improves and so does the fishing with some very nice Mahi Mahi and Marlin getting about. The demersal fishery is also more consistent out there with some great Kingfish, Pearl Perch, Nannygai and Bar Cod sitting on the reefs waiting for an easy feed!

22/12/2023

things are ticking along nicely and all of our summer estuary species are in full swing. Flathead are by far the most sought after species and there are loads out there waiting to smash your lure offering or tasty piece of bait. The better fishing still seems to be up the system a little, areas such as Lani’s, Coomba Park, Regatta Island and The Cut seem to be holding huge numbers of good table fish (40-60cm fish), while the areas closer to the mouth such as The Paddock, The Bridge and the rock walls are still the areas to fish if you’re after that big trophy fish. The fish have not been fussy at all when it comes to lure type or colour, the biggest factor by far is tide. We have some fairly cool ocean water hitting the lake with each incoming tide so you need to try to be aware of where that cool water is, the water coming out of the rivers is super warm (up over 30 degrees!) so if you can find the happy place in the middle that’s not too hot and not too cold you will find the feeding fish!

Bream reports have been limited to those anglers fishing down around the bottom of the system (close to the mouth), the weed beds, flats and rivers should be fishing well now but I haven’t heard anything this week. Anglers soaking baits down around the Co-op, rock walls and Bridge have been having a ball on the Bream with plenty of 20-30cm fish getting about along with the odd much bigger model. These fun little fighters are great for young anglers or beginners and they have been eager to eat just about any type of bait you can think of but have been feeding better around the high tide.

Trumpeter Whiting seem to have thinned out a bit in the estuary over the past week or so, there are still a few being caught by those anglers that are happy to move about to find them but they are nothing like they had been up to now. They are a funny species that will often move about over the season so I would not be surprised if they pop back up in big numbers again before the season is over. Sand Whiting on the other hand have been very good throughout the ‘middle’ of the system. Anglers fishing the shallow flats areas around Wallis Island, Jonnel Park/The Cut and Coomba Park have been landing some really nice big bronze fish and they have been loving Beach Worms, Yabbies and fresh Prawns.

Anglers chasing a feed of Crabs have been having some great fun over the past couple of weeks. Blue Swimmers are about in really good numbers to the south of Wallis Island and if you can get a trap placed in the right spot there are also some really nice Muddies getting about. If you are crabbing just be mindful of the rules and regulations and please only keep what you need, there’s no need to keep as many as you’re legally allowed to if they aren’t all going to be eaten!

Local beaches have been producing a few fish but are yet to really kick into gear and hit their straps. Finding a decent, weed free gutter is the biggest challenge, once you manage to find a good looking gutter you are in with a good chance at landing a nice mixed bag of Whiting, Bream, Dart and Flathead. With a bit of luck the Southely winds we have had over the past few days will clean things up a little and increase the inshore ocean temperatures which should see our coastline fire up a bit more.

Getting offshore has not been an easy task of late, the winds just haven’t been in our favour! However, those anglers that have managed to take advantage of the better weather windows have found some really good fishing. The shallow stuff is holding some very nice Reds for anglers hitting the water and early (or late), a floated pilly, strip of mullet or lightly weighted soft plastic are all very good options at the moment, one technique isn’t working better than any others. Moving out a little, those reefs in 35-60m are producing a bit of a mixed bag consisting of pan sized Snapper, Trag, the odd Pearl Perch and Flathead. A couple of boats ventured wider again and while no one managed to run into any pelagics the water is perfect out there so anything is possible. Instead, one boat took advantage of being out wide and dropped baits to the depths coming home with a respectable bag of big Pearl Perch, a couple of Bar Cod and some Nannygai.

1/12/2023

I can’t get my head around how fast the last 12 months has gone, it only seems like yesterday that we were preparing for the crazy Christmas period last year! The good news is that this means that we are once again well and truly into the insanely fun Summer fishing season, the season that can be a real struggle from a weather perspective but oh so rewarding from an angling perspective!

Wallis Lake is an absolutely amazing fishery over the Summer months. There are so many options it’s not funny and there is nearly always somewhere to fish regardless of the prevailing weather conditions. The number one option for a huge majority of anglers is the mighty Flathead as these fish can be targeted very easily using lures or bait and can be caught all over the place. Walking the bank on a run-out tide tossing a few soft plastics about is great fun, clears the mind and almost always will see you scoring a nice bag of Flatties! This past week we have received some cracking reports from as far upriver as Darawank, Coomba Park and the Cooloongolook River but we have also seen some huge fish landed right down close to the mouth of the system with a couple of fish up over the magic metre mark! Lure choice has not seemed to matter too much, you could ask 20 anglers what their ‘go-to’ Flathead lure is and you would probably get at least 15 different answers, however if you run with an imitation Prawn profile or 3-4” flick bait/paddle tail you are in with a very good chance. Unfortunately bait fisho’s are struggling a little to find numbers of fish and this is absolutely normal when it comes to Flathead, they really do love to ambush their prey so you might find that you need to downsize your sinker size and really focus on your presentation to make your offering look as natural as possible…

On a positive note, for those anglers sticking to the good old bait, there are plenty of big fat Bream getting about that will be all too happy to gobble down you’re Flathead offering! We have seen some stonking big fish coming from the rock walls recently along with the odd Snapper mixed in (one reportedly going close to 8kg). Numbers of fish further up on the flats and in the rivers seems to be on the improve and there are some bigger fish in the schools now which is good news, with Cicada’s and Prawns on the go, now would be a perfect time to get out and try to fool a few fish on a surface lure, you just can’t beat surface fishing!

Trumpeter and Sand Whiting are both fishing well once you track down the schools. Sand Whiting reports have been interesting, the clear water close to the mouth has only been producing small numbers of legal fish with loads of undersized models about, but if you move away from the clean sand and clear water there are loads of big fish in certain areas. Look for yabby beds on broken ground and you will find plenty of big solid bronze fish which are insanely fun to catch and great on the plate!

Beach reports have been exactly as they should be given the weather we have had over the past couple of weeks. Unfortunately, East/Nor-East winds are not a beach anglers friend and make things very difficult. Most beaches have annoying amounts of weed on them so the first mission is to find a clean gutter to fish, the second issue is the cool water temps that the easterly winds blow in, fish are cold blooded so cold water means slow fish that are not too hungry…. However, despite the tough conditions we have heard of some great Bream being landed down on 7 Mile Beach along with plenty of Dart and the odd Whiting. With a few days of Southerlies on the way things should pick up a little by Sunday/Monday I think.

Reports from anglers getting offshore have been all over the place, one minute the offshore fishing is the biggest waste of time you could think of and the next it’s amazing with an endless amount of fish out there! It’s very hard to work out the difference in people’s experiences and I guess a big part of it comes down to good old lady luck, however one thing that does stand out is getting on the water nice and early. It doesn’t seem to matter if you are fishing in 10m or 60m of water at the moment, the best bite time by a mile is right before/on dawn or into the evening. Trag numbers have been crazy out there lately with boats easily bagging out on most reefs out past 40m, some boats have also added some great table sized Snapper to the mix but others have only managed to find smaller fish.

Pelagic species remain relatively quiet, however we have a few days of southerly winds coming up so with a bit of luck we will see the return of some Mahi Mahi over the weekend and you just never know when a Marlin may show itself, it could be anytime from now on!

17/11/2023

Yet again we have had a couple of weeks consisting of a lot of wind! At least we are heading into the weekend on the back of a solid southerly which should deliver some nice clean water to our coastline in place of the very cold dirty rubbish have had to contend with this week.

Regardless of the wind, the amazing Wallis Lake always has an angling option. The good old Flathead are almost a certainty over the next few months, and they have been fishing great of late. In around the leases known as The Paddock, up around Lani’s Holiday Park and over at The Cut have been good spots for getting a nice feed of 40-55cm fish, if you’re more interested in tracking down something a little larger, try throwing large hardbodies over the shallows on a high tide or fish a live Herring or Yellowtail down along the rockwalls and near the bridge on the run out tide. Locals living up the Wallamba are still seeing plenty of fish right up high in the river but these fish will thin out over the next few weeks as they make their way downstream for Summer.

Trumpeter Whiting continue to fish well but they have been a little tricky to find this week, those boats that put the effort in to find the fish had no trouble getting their numbers up, don’t be afraid of going out and actively finding the fish! Sand Whiting are really starting to get up and move about with a bit more purpose on the sand flats now, those of us that enjoy the thrill of throwing surface lures for these silver speedsters are really starting to enjoy our high tides now. If you prefer bait fishing, simply pull up on a good looking sand flat and toss out a well presented bait of Worm, Yabby or Prawn and you will find plenty of action.

Getting out onto the weedbeds to the south of Green Point at this time of the year can be really good fun, Bream school up in huge numbers and it’s not unusual to have sessions consisting of near ‘fish a cast’ type scenarios. While I haven’t heard of many big fish down there yet, the fishing has still been super fun with the odd mega Tailor mixed in to keep you on your toes!

There have been a few big Kingfish cruising about with the odd one landed down around the rock walls, these fish are very cagey and hooking one can take hours of effort. Soaking a live bait is the most successful method and you can expect to see plenty of bycatch in the form of Mulloway and Flathead, you may even snag something a little more exotic such as a Mangrove Jack, Estuary Cod or even a Golden, Giant or Silver Trevally!

Local Beaches had been fishing well up until the water rolled over and went cold and black! Whiting, Dart and Bream had all been about in good numbers with the odd Tailor, Salmon and Flathead mixed in. With a bit of luck this southerly that we have had today will clean things up and we will see some good fishing return. Reports from the stones have been super slow of late, however this weather change should get things happening. The wash zones in close will be full of tasty morsels and the Drummer, Bream, Luderick and Snapper will all be in there feeding as hard as they can while they can!

Getting offshore has been very difficult this week, it has also not been overly appealing with dark, dirty cold water lapping our coastline. The best reports this week have come from those anglers fishing the reefs out past about 50m which have fished well for Trag and the odd Snapper. Prior to the  NE winds destroying our water quality, we saw some cracking Mahi Mahi locally, the FAD and trap bouys produced plenty of fish up to about 12kg. Hopefully these fish will have retuned now on the back of today’s Southerly winds and we can enjoy chasing them over the weekend!

3/11/2023

We have had a very frustrating few weeks, the wind just won’t give us a break! The estuary remains the best local fishing option, the fish in Wallis Lake are nice and active and there are plenty of options out there.

Flathead sit at the top of many anglers’ lists right now and for good reason as there are loads out there and they are well spread out throughout the system. I have had great reports from as far south as Tiona and as far north as the Discovery Holiday Park at Darawank. Unfortunately, bait fishermen are still struggling a little to find numbers of fish, your best bet if you do prefer to fish bait is to ensure you are fishing the run-out tide. The fish are much more active once the tide falls and the water gets a bit of colour in it, drifting baits of Pilchard, Whitebait or Mullet Strips along a drop off should see you getting among a few.

If you are proficient in lure fishing the world is your oyster when it comes to Flathead, if the tide is high or coming in, move up into the shallows and throw surface lures or shallow diving minnows, this is often the time that you will get belted by that ‘fish of a lifetime’ as the big fish move up into the shallows to feed. If the tide is dropping, fishing the edges and drop offs with 3-5” Soft Plastics or vibes is super effective and probably the best way to get a decent bag of fish for the table.

There are still some cracking Bream holding in the structure down the bottom of the system (towards the mouth), there are some huge fish sitting in ‘The Paddock’ and I have also heard of fish up over 40cm coming from the rock walls this week. I am seeing some nice bags of fish coming from the weed beds a little further up and after hearing the Cicada’s recently I would say the rivers are set to fire at any time!

Sand Whiting have started to become more active now and are proving to be a worthy target on each high tide. The shallow flats up around Lani’s and down off Taree St (between the Wallamba and Jonnel Park) have been fishing great for both lure and bait anglers with some very nice 35-40cm fish hitting the decks. Trumpeter Whiting are ticking along nicely across the usual spots with ‘the Wires’ area fishing particularly well this week. The fish have been a bit picky at times but will almost always fall for a bit of Beach Worm or a Gulp soft plastic worm.

Beach reports have been tough of late, wind and swell have made things difficult. There are definitely some quality fish moving along our sandy coastline now though with Bream, Whiting, Dart and Mulloway all on offer. Tailor numbers are still hanging in there too and these fish don’t mind the rough stuff so they are one species that you can target fairly easily when conditions are not great for the other species. Reports from the stones have been very thin on the ground lately, there are some great Bream still getting about along with the odd small Snapper and Tailor but that seems to be about it….

Reports from offshore have been fleeting at best due to the very average weather that we have had of late. There have been a few boats sneaking out when they can though and the reports coming back in are pretty consistent. The bottom fish have been great with some solid mixed bags of Snapper, Trag and Flathead hitting the decks out in the 40-80m stuff, most reports have come from up North. There have been some cracking Snapper getting about, if you are lucky enough to stumble across a big aggregation of Snapper and find yourself landing lots of fish up over the 60/70cm mark, please stop and think about just how much fish you need to keep…. It’s been a little disheartening to see esky lids unable to close due to how many big fish have been loaded up in them on some boats.

We have had some good water coming in on each southerly weather event so it’s no surprise that there has been the odd Mahi Mahi getting about. Who knows what else might be cruising past out wider, if you’re keen to get a pelagic fix it definitely wouldn’t be waste of time to go out for a look!

13/10/2023

Wind wind and a bit more wind has been the status quo for the past couple of weeks, it’s far from unusual for this time of the year and most anglers are used to it happening most years but that doesn’t make it any less annoying! On a positive note, there are plenty of fish about, particularly in the estuary, so if you can get out early and beat the wind you will enjoy some great fishing.

The Flathead fishing has been amazing within Wallis Lake lately, there are loads of fish spread all over the place and plenty of big girls on the move if you are keen to chase that trophy fish. It doesn’t seem to matter if you’re fishing the rivers up near the fresh or the rockwalls down near the mouth, you are a good chance at finding a Flathead just about anywhere. By far the easiest way to score a nice bag of ‘lizards’ is to flick some lures about, think about throwing on a 3-4” Soft plastic or soft vibe style lure and target drop offs and weed edges on the run out tide, you are almost guaranteed to get results with this combination! If you prefer bait fishing, drift the same areas with Whitebait, Prawns, Pilchards or strips of Mullet and you should run into a few fish.

Unfortunately, the Bream fishing has been a bit tricky to figure out, finding numbers of fish isn’t hard at all, finding the better sized fish is where the difficulty is! There seems to be fish spread all over the place but a distinct lack in many fish up over 30cm. The best bet for the larger specimens still seems to be way down low on the rock walls or in ‘the Paddock’ complex of oyster leases. This is not all that unusual for spring, the fish are still settling back down after their winter spawning run, we should see the river and flats fishery pick up over the next few weeks.

Local Luderick anglers continue to enjoy what has been a fairly drawn out season down along the rock walls, while the fish are not quite as thick as they were, there are plenty of big fish schooled up in the bottom ¼ or so of the estuary.

This years’ Trumpeter Whiting season has really kicked off with a boom over the past couple of weeks with boats reporting some great catches on most days. The fish are taking all sorts of baits from Worms and Yabbies through to more unusual things like strips of Tailor! Sand Whiting have also kicked into gear now and while they are not super active on the surface bite, those anglers drifting a bit of worm or yabby have found some very nice fish.

Despite the horrible winds of late, there have still been a few anglers hitting the sand in search of a feed. The Tailor season was an absolute cracker this year, loads of fish and a great average size has made for some very happy anglers. While the bulk of the fish have moved on now, there are still some very nice fish to be caught for those wishing to put the time in, fishing the low light times is the best bet with big slab baits or pilchards working well once the sun sets. Soaking a worm in the gutters is always a good option during spring and it’s hard to be a tasty mixed bag of Whiting, Bream, Dart and Flathead! Reports from the stones have been non-existant of late really, for those wishing to have a crack there is the odd Kingfish about down south but this time of the year is generally fairly lean when it comes to rock fishing.

Getting offshore has been a hard ask of late with the incessant winds that we have had to deal with. Those early morning windows of opportunity have been fleeting but definitely worth hitting if you have the chance with some great Snapper fishing to be had in close. The shallow bite window is still fairly narrow with some great fish to be caught right around dawn and dusk, outside of these times you are much better off heading out into the deeper stuff to chase a nice mixed bag. Reefs out in 40-80m continue to deliver some great fish; Snapper, Trag, Pearl Perch and Flathead are all fishing consistently well with Trag being a stand out among the species. I have also heard a few whispers of some early season Mahi Mahi out there so make sure you pack a few lures just in case!

29/9/23

How good has the weather been lately!!! And the best part is, it’s only going to get better over the weekend. Things have been ticking along very nicely on the fishing front with many anglers enjoying some amazing spring angling action.

Estuary fishing is awesome at this time of the year, anglers have so many options to pursue it’s not funny. Flathead numbers are really good throughout the lake and well up into the tributaries, most fish caught have been on the smaller side of town but there are some great table fish hanging up the Wallamba and down around Turn Island and the Fisherman’s Co-op. The big girls are starting to stir now and its well and truly time to start hunting the shallows with big surface lures, plastics and glide baits.

Bream reports have been a bit of a surprise this week, by now we are normally seeing a bit of a reduction in numbers down around the rockwalls, instead I have had some great reports from down the front of the system consisting of plenty of solid fish up to about 40cm. Floating strip baits down along the rocks and among the fishing vessels near the Fish Co-op is always a very productive way to target Bream and most fish have been falling for baits of Mullet, Bonito, Yakka and Chicken (but just about anything will work really). We are also starting to see the surface fishing come to live up the estuary, the first run of Prawns is a good indication of when to start trying the surface offerings, all you need to do is drift over or along a shallow sand or weed flat, cast as far as you can and work your lures back over the shallows. Once you get the hang of it you will learn how different species react to the lure, if it’s a Bream or Flathead following the lure try extending the pauses between each ‘pop’ or ‘walk’ and you will almost certainly hook up!

I am hearing of more and more Trumpeter Whiting turning up which is great (and tasty) news. At the moment the fish are fairly spread out but are of a decent size. Their bigger cousins, the Sand Whiting are also becoming more active with a few sneaky reports of good-sized fish hitting surface lures on the nice high tide, this warm weather we are having will really get things firing in the shallow sand flat areas.

This month is a bit of a special one locally on the fishing calendar as it is the time that we get to experience some absolutely insane Kingfish action. During the second half of September and all of October we are lucky to have schools of big Kings congregating in and around our amazing estuary system as they go through their annual spawning routine. While we have resident Kingfish permanently sneaking about the estuary, the couple of weeks has seen a noticeable increase in the number of fish about. It is time for anglers to dust off the heavy gear and have a crack at what I personally believe is some of the best and toughest fishing you can do!!!

 Local beaches continue to produce some great Salmon and Tailor action however the Tailor have definitely slowed up considerably with a lot of anglers only managing to find decent numbers of fish by fishing baits after dark. Luckily the number or Bream, Whiting and Dart taking up residence in the better formations is more than enough to make up for the dwindling Tailor numbers. The have been great mixed bag reports coming from all over the place but the northern half of 9 Mile and 7 Mile Beach have both been fishing well.

Reports from the stones have been few and far between this week. There are still a few clued in anglers that are enjoying some great land based Snapper action down south, there have also been reports of pan sized reds coming from the ledges much closer to town. There have been some nice little washes persisting along the coast for much of the week which have been producing loads of solid Bream as well as the odd Drummer and Groper. It seems insane to be writing but we also still have pods of Tuna hammering about the coastline, so if you are keen to put the time and effort in you just never know what may happen!

Reports from offshore have been interesting this week. While the odd fish has been found close to home, those anglers that have done the kilometres have found the most success with some reefs up north holding insane numbers of 60cm+ fish. Unfortunately, the really shallow stuff is still not happening, while you will find the odd fish really early and late in the day, the majority of the action is still out on the deeper reefs. I did receive one report from a sneaky local boat that went wide earlier in the week, they had an absolutely cracking day fishing in 200m returning with a healthy bag consisting of Kingfish, Snapper, Pearl Perch and Bar Cod.

14/9/2023

How awesome is Spring!!!! The weather has been on the improve over the last week and the coming weekend is looking amazing. Anglers love Spring and for good reason, the fishing options are endless out there and with improving conditions things will only continue to fire up over the next couple of months.

Flathead continue to improve down the bottom of Wallis Lake and they will only get better as things continue to warm up. We have seen some very big fish landed down on the rock walls and back near the Fish Co-op all of which have fallen for live baits. Throwing big hard bodies in and around the sand flats has also been working great, September is often the month where you might not get a huge number of fish but the ones you get will be very nice fish and worth every bit of effort. If you are chasing a feed of tasty Flatty tails, heading a bit further up the river is still the best option, think about targeting areas such as Coomba Park, Regatta Island, The Cut and up the Wallamba River.

Bream have well and truly spread throughout the system again now with some nice fish starting to come from the shallows weed and sand areas in the southern half of the lake. Casting shallow crank baits and small soft plastics is the easiest way to fool these fish and you will get the odd one on surface now that the Prawns have started to move about. If you are bait fishing, stick to fishing the Oyster leases, bridge pylons and rock walls where you can expect to run into plenty of solid fish so be ready to go hard if you want to get them out away from the structure!

Whiting reports are yet to fire up, I have heard of a few nice fish coming from the flats on worms and Yabbies but they are still fairly thin on the ground. We have seen the first commercial Prawn catch hit the Fish Co-op this week so the surface activity should start to kick in real soon.

Local beach anglers have enjoyed an unbelievably good winter fishing season with an almost endless supply of solid Tailor and Bream for months on end. While we have seen the Tailor numbers taper off a little, there are still some really nice fish about, particularly for those anglers fishing baits into the evening. If you fail to find any Tailor, the Bream are almost a guarantee and you just never know when a Mulloway might come along to surprise you! It’s been good to see the first Dart for the year turn up and it means that those tasty Summer Whiting wont be far behind them.

Anglers persisting with the stones are still seeing a decent amount of pelagic action, the abundance of Pilchards, Whitebait and Sardines has meant that our usually seasonal species such as the Longtail Tuna have decided to hang about a bit longer! While the fish have only been within casting distance on fleeting occasions there are some really solid fish in the pods, the biggest I have heard of lately was 26kg! While waiting for a Tuna, the wash zones are still holding some great Tailor, Bream, Luderick, Drummer and the odd Snapper.

Our offshore waters are alive with activity and there is no shortage of fish out there waiting to be caught! Bait balls are abundant and predatory species such as Longtail Tuna, Mack Tuna, Bonito and Tailor are all hungrily following them everywhere they go. It’s amazing to think that you can go and have a look from one of the headlands to see where the fish are before going to get the boat and drive out to catch them! On the demersal front, Snapper are still fishing very well, particularly out in 30-80m. Unfortunately the shallow grounds are still not firing, they are holding fish and you will most likely manage to land one or two solid ones but that will be about it before they fully shut down at sun up. Those deeper reefs eluded to earlier are also holding some big Trag and Leatherjackets (so pack some wire lol). A few boats have headed wide for a deep drop over the last couple of weeks and while they all managed fish, the overarching reports were that every mark out there was plagued by Kingfish! It’s not a terrible problem to have but it makes getting to the Pearl Perch and Bar Cod very hard….

11/8/2023

Things are really starting to feel a lot like spring out there! I don’t think I’m alone in saying that I am absolutely loving these warm days (although it does feel a bit weird given it should be a little more ‘wintery’), and with plenty of fish getting about there really isn’t any reason to not go fishing!

Our estuary is chugging along perfectly and there have been loads of fish caught lately. The Luderick are about in huge numbers and there are a lot of big fish mixed into the schools. The big bronzies that like to sit along our rock walls have really had anglers on their toes, short bite times and a bit of fussiness when it comes to bait choice has made the fish a little difficult to fool. Anglers using fresh Cabbage Weed and Weed Flies have been faring the best by far so if you’re keen to have a go for some big Luderick get to the beaches and track down some Cabbage first. Further up into the Oyster Leases around The Paddock or Wallis Island you will find the fish a lot easier to fool, particularly if you fish on the run out tide.

There have been some monster Bream caught lately with plenty of fish up in the high 40cm’s coming in on the rock walls. The fish have been far from fussy when it comes to bait but something like Mullet, Chicken or Bonito that holds onto the hook for a while is always a good option. Fooling these big blue nosed beasts has not been so easy for the lure fisho’s though, the fish are in a post spawn state now and with the super clear water that we have they are much more calculated in their actions than they were a month ago. In saying that, if you fish a nice light outfit with light braid and leader (4-6lb) matched up to some super light jigheads and small plastics you will almost certainly get a few fish. I haven’t heard much from further up the system this week, however the flats and weedbeds should really start to fire up with this warm weather, definitely worth heading up for a bit of a look!

Local Flathead are really starting to move about now and reports of good sessions are filtering through every day, the majority of the better reports are coming from a little way up the river still but there are more and more fish being caught down along the rock walls and around the bridge each day. Hitting the jetties and rock walls down around the Fish Co-op with a handful of soft plastics is very easy fishing and you will almost certainly land a handful of nice 50-70cm fish with a really good chance of snagging that trophy fish that we all dream of.

Not a lot has changed on our local beaches, nearly all of the beaches are still fishing really well for big Tailor. It’s been a great season so far and the fish should hang about for a little while yet. While you can snag the odd fish throughout the day, in order to give yourself the best chance at really getting stuck into them, try to fish either really early in the morning or late in the afternoon through until about an hour after it gets dark. Those low light periods are when Tailor really fire up and will smash your baits or lures on every cast! There are still some good Bream sitting under the Tailor in the gutters as well as the odd Mulloway.

Reports from the stones have been a little thin on the ground of late, we really need a good bit of swell to get the Drummer fired up and also to clean out the huge amounts of sand that has built up in a lot of places. In saying that, those anglers that know of spots that only need a little bit of swell to get churned up are finding a few nice fish, particularly those that have also tossed a good bit of burly into the suds. Along with Drummer, there is also some great Luderick, Bream and even Snapper getting about.

The weather has been really nice for heading out over the bar lately, on the fishing front things have been somewhat testing for a lot of anglers but there are definitely plenty of fish out there. With regards to Snapper, the single biggest factor at the moment is water clarity, the shallow inshore reefs are ridiculously clear which means that the fish are very wary of anything that shouldn’t be in their environment. What does this mean for us anglers? It means we need to fish in low light or darkness, use as light a line and leader as we dare to, and our bait or lure presentations need to be perfect. Boats choosing to head out onto the deeper grounds are faring much better with good numbers of fish schooling up on reefs in 40-90m. These same reefs (particularly up north) become loaded with Trag once the sun sets with boats some boats ‘bagging out’ in a matter of minutes! Heading to the wider deep drop grounds has been worth the travel time of late with plenty of solid Pearl Perch, Cod and Kingfish about and you never know when you might run into a pod of Yellowfin Tuna or some Striped Tuna out there!

28/7/2023

Wallis Lake can be a bit of a tricky place to fish in winter when we have prevailing SW/Westerly winds and super clear water. If you choose to fish the lower reaches of the system (towards the bridge) you can expect to find two main species – Bream and Luderick. Unfortunately, the Luderick have become very patchy over the past week, while anglers are still managing to get a few fish (some switched on fishos are still seeing their bag limit most days) most are having to work fairly hard to find the feeding fish. The better results seem to be coming to anglers choosing to use a synthetic ‘Weed Fly’ offering which tends to stand out in the water a bit more than the real weed.

Bream remain relatively solid down around the rock walls, bridge, and Oyster Leases, particularly for those fishing with bait. Lure fishermen are finding them a little more testing though, the clear water makes fooling them especially hard and it is in these conditions that you really need to be fishing as light as you possibly can to get the bite. A lot of the fish will have finished breeding now so they no longer have the need to hold tight on the structure down around the mouth, over the next few weeks the fish will start spreading out again and most will head back up-river where they will spend the warmer months. So if you are out in the boat it might be worth checking some of the Oyster Leases and weed bed/sand flat areas in the middle of the Estuary.

Flathead are definitely a worthy target still in Winter, however you need to be fishing the right areas in order to find the numbers of fish. Most Flathead spend the cooler months a fair way up the river so think about starting to fish from Wallis Island up (ie to the north, south or west of Wallis Island). The better reports lately have been coming from the flats down around Coomba Park and up the Wallamba River where the fish have been taking most small soft plastic offerings, 3-4” Paddle Tails seem to be working particularly well in darker ‘motor oil’ and ‘Bloodworm’ type colours.

Local Beaches have been very busy of late, we have had huge schools of Pilchards moving along our coastline and it only makes sense that there has also been loads of hungry predators hot on their tails. There’s little that excites an angler more than having a look at a beach only to find a balled up school of bait with birds and fish working it! Casting metal lures or stickbaits/poppers into the bust up will see you getting among some solid Tailor, Salmon and possibly even a Longtail Tuna. For those wishing a slower paced outing, soaking a bait in a nice gutter should reward you with a nice mixed bag or Bream, tailor, Salmon and possibly a Mulloway.

Rock fishermen have been happy to see a little bit of swell this week after what has been a long spell of flat conditions. The wash zones have been fishing well for mixed bags of Black Drummer, Bream and Luderick along with the odd pan sized Snapper. The better sessions have been had by anglers using a bit of burly and it doesn’t seem to matter too much what bait you choose to use with fish being caught on Prawns, Crabs, Cunji and bread/dough. There are definitely still a few pelagics about for those wishing to give it a crack but you will most likely just find loads of Tailor and Bonito!

Reports from offshore have been hugely varied lately. While most anglers have been managing to ‘get a feed’ most trips, there has not been any real stand out sessions. Snapper have been very spread out with fish coming from all over the place, while the bigger fish have all been holding in close, better numbers of fish still seem to be out in the slightly deeper stuff. A few boats have ventured out wide in search of deepwater ooglies and they have all found plenty of fish, ground starting out around 115m through to 400m has been holding plenty of big Pearl Perch, Bar Cod and Kingfish.

7/7/2023

Wallis Lake is in full Winter mode now with the fishing very much locked into a few key species. The lower reaches of the system (close to the mouth) are teeming with quality Bream which have been great fun for the landbased anglers fishing the rock walls and around the Bridge. These fish are in spawning mode at the moment and seem to be eating anything they can sink their teeth into. If you are keen to have a go at chasing these brawlers try to plan your session around a tide change, about an hour either side of hight tide is perfect, and remember to always fish as light as you possibly can in both sinker/jighead weight and line weight.

Anglers chasing Luderick have had a bit of a funny week, targeting the big schools of fish sitting on the southern rock wall seems to be the best option and there have been loads of fish caught there of late. Elsewhere throughout the system the bite seems to be very narrow even when you do find the fish, good areas to try include Breckenridge Channel, the ‘L-Wharf’ near the bridge in Forster, the jetties near the Fish Co-op, the bridge pylons and Wallis Island. If you do manage to crack the code with these winter beauties, please be respectful of both the fish and the regulations, there is no need to be greedy at all and if we all only keep what we need we will be able to enjoy the best sport in the world for years to come!

Other species that have been keeping people busy over the holidays include some very tasty Leatherjackets, some cracking Silver Trevally up to about 50cm, plenty of school sized Mulloway and of course the odd Flathead. If you are a boat owner and are keen to chase more than the odd Flathead, head upstream a little and you will find plenty. You can basically head in any direction as long as you are further upstream than Wallis Island, just head up to a likely looking area and start covering some ground with small soft plastics (2.5-4”) and you will run into plenty.

Surf fishing has been great so far this year with loads of Tailor holding on most beaches. The fish have been taking lures really well (sometimes throughout the day) but will hammer any bait offering once the sun goes down. The deeper gutters are still fishing ok for Bream and the odd Flathead, and if you fish these areas with bigger baits into the evening you have a very good chance at hooking up to a Mulloway.

The local rock fishermen have been having an absolute ball lately with plenty of options on the cards, while there hasn’t been a whole lot of wash to fish, the Black Drummer have definitely been on the chew (especially with a bit of burley) with plenty of solid Bream and Luderick mixed in. Big Tailor and small Kingfish are still about in good numbers to the south and if you are lucky you might just get one last shot at a late season Longtail Tuna.

Offshore fishing fared well over the recent full moon period, I think the overcast conditions dampened the effect of the moon enough that the fish didn’t shut down to the extent that they normally would. The shallow grounds up north (5-20m) are holding some great fish and seem to be fishing particularly well in the afternoons. Unfortunately, the reefs out in 25-45m are still a bit hit and miss with boats only reporting a few just legal Snapper mixed in with loads of undersized fish. The wider inshore grounds (50-100m) is by far the best bet out there with consistently good mixed bags coming from down south, these deeper reefs have been holding some great Snapper and Trag along with the odd Pearl Perch. The reef edges have also been delivering some very nice Flathead which is good to see as these tasty treats have been a little hard to find lately!

22/6/2023

Wallis Lake can be a little tricky to fish in a stiff SW/W wind (not to mention unbearably cold) but there is nearly always a sneaky spot out of the breeze somewhere! On the Bream front the bite has been a little finicky this week, for some reason the fish have only been feeding hard for a fairly brief period just on the tide changes. This bite time is very typical for Bream but you can normally still pick up the odd one outside of these times. With bigger day time tides next week I would anticipate that they will become a lot more active. The bigger fish are still all holding down around the mouth of the system and up as far as about Wallis Island, the flats and rivers are still producing fish for sure but the size up that way is a lot smaller with the better fish just nudging the 30cm mark.

Flathead anglers have really noticed a shift lately with barely any fish being caught down close to the mouth, there are still some monster fish hanging about in these areas but they are very sluggish and somewhat ‘shut down’. For the best flathead fishing you will need to sneak up the system a bit, try hitting areas such as Regatta Island, The Cut, the first third or so of the Wallamba River, the flats south of Coomba Park/Green Point or even down as far as the flats close to Pacific Palms.

What’s going on with the Luderick???? I have been hounded with this question over the past couple of days, up until about 3 days ago anglers were having a ball on these bronze bruisers but since then they seem to have disappeared and the ones left have almost stopped biting. Like the Bream, I would suspect that the bite time has just closed in a little and with better tides these fish will turn on again. Having said that, if you are after a few fish for a feed you will absolutely find enough, you just may have to move about and put a bit of time and effort in to finding them. Go for a walk at high tide and see where the fish are, you don’t need a school of a thousand to fish so don’t be afraid to fish where people aren’t, these fish move about and could settle absolutely anywhere!

There are some nice Tailor (up to about 65cm) cruising the estuary up around The Cut, Wallis Island and Coomba Park so if you find yourself struggling to get some fish on the deck go for a bit of a troll about with a metal lure or hard bodied lure and you should snag one in no time. Once you find where they are you can keep trolling or just drift and cast lures for a bit more fun.

Reports for the beach have been unreal with loads of solid Tailor hitting the sand along with some great Bream and the odd Mulloway. 9 Mile Beach is holding big numbers of fish with Tailor eagerly smashing lures throughout the day. If you are keen to chase the bigger fish, try casting a larger lure to get their attention, you will be amazed at how large you can go, just think Kingfish lures and you will be on the right track.

Local rocks have been a testing place to fish of late due to the lack in swell, while there are Drummer about they just won’t feed without a bit of wash. Luderick and Bream numbers are great though which will keep you entertained and there has been more than a few really nice Snapper turning up in the burley trails.

Conditions have been great for getting offshore lately, consistent westerly winds have kept the ocean very flat in close. The fishing has been all over the place but most anglers have been finding enough to keep them keen. The shallow water Snapper are slowly improving as we move into Winter, while we are yet to see much from up around Dennis Shoals, the grounds in around Snapper Rock and Blackhead have been fishing pretty well, particularly of an evening. The middle ground out in 20-40m  is still very hit and miss with a fish here or there but nowhere near as good as we would like to see for this time of year. Reefs out in 45-80m have been the most consistent by far with loads of Trag and pan sized Snapper on offer as well as the odd Pearl Perch, Flathead and Pig fish. Moving further afield, the deep drop anglers have been having a ball with loads of big Pearl Perch and Bar Cod hitting the decks along with the odd Snapper, Nannygai and Leatherjacket mixed in.

 2/6/2023

Our estuary has been on fire over the past couple of weeks. The winter fishing pattern is really starting to settle in now and we have started to see some big numbers of Bream start to enter Wallis Lake and settle in the lower sections of the system. With the nice high tides first thing in the morning, now is a great time to get out for a walk to see where the fish are, you will be amazed by how many fish are sitting in tight to the rock walls and under the moored boats/along the jetties. The clear water is perfect for sight fishing, just flick a lightly weighted small soft plastic into the school and wait for it to disappear, once it’s gone lift the rod and go hard! You can do the same with unweighted baits too, it doesn’t really matter what bait you use just float it into the school of fish and you will be onto a fish before it gets to the bottom!

Local Luderick anglers are well and truly out and about now and most are finding a few fish. The bite seems to be much better on the run in tide and the fish are taking a range of baits as well as the good old synthetic weed flies. While Luderick can be found all over the place, the better numbers seem to be schooling up along the northern rock wall and down around the Fish Co-op.

Flathead are definitely still there for those wishing to chase a tasty feed, you will have to move about to find the fish but for numbers you are best off heading upriver a little with the bottom of Wallamba River fishing particularly well. For land based anglers confined to the area down near the mouth of the estuary, staying mobile is the key to winter Flathead fishing, while the majority of the fish have headed upstream there are always stragglers that seem to hang down the bottom for longer (or for the whole of Winter). Covering ground while throwing 3-5” Soft plastics on the run out tide will give you the best chance, make sure you fish nice and slow and keep that lure in the zone for as long as you can!

The winter beach fishing season is off to a cracking start with loads of great reports filtering through this week. At the top of the list has got to be the mighty Tailor which seems to be schooling up on all of our beaches at the moment. 7 Mile is still probably the stand out beach but this may also just be due to the fact that this beach sees the most angling activity as I am also getting plenty of reports from up around Diamond Beach and Redhead, as well as Tuncurry and even One Mile! Lures are definitely out fishing baits of a morning and evening however the really big fish are hammering baits once the sun goes down. Bream are well and truly on the move and there are huge numbers of fish sitting on certain beaches, try fishing corners of beaches to start with as it is often the gutters towards the ends of the beaches that they will school up, at the moment there are great fish to be caught at Jaineys Corner as well as the southern end of One Mile Beach. While the good old Bream will smash just about any bait offering you choose, if you fish Worms or Pipi’s you have a much better chance at scoring some amazing bycatch in the form of large Whiting and possibly even a Mulloway (it will also give your bait a chance at getting past the Tailor sitting up high).

Local rock fishing anglers have been loving a nice early start to the winter season with some really nice Drummer, Bream and Luderick getting about as well as the odd Groper and Snapper. Finding a decent bit of wash close to town has been a bit hard over the last few days but the rocks down south have been consistently fishable. Hitting any headland and throwing metals or surface lures about has been great for chasing some Tailor and there is still the odd Tuna sneaking about so you just never know what might turn up…..

Reports from offshore have been all over the place, some anglers have returned to port defeated and downtrodden after hours of fishing hard for a few fish while other boats have returned buzzing with excitement and carrying a box full of awesome table fish! Those in the second scenario, celebrating an awesome days’ fishing, have all got one thing in common, they have all been fishing out wider than about 50/60m. The deeper reefs have been holding some really nice mixed bags of fish including some very respectable Pearl Perch with a couple of big 5kg fish coming in over the past week. Unfortunately, the 20-40m ground has been very slow for most, hopefully this will change once we get past this full moon though, it’s about time the shallow stuff started working! The super shallow stuff has been producing the odd cracker ‘Red’, but you need to be fishing very hard into the wash zones to get any action and once that sun gets up its all over!

5/5/2023

Estuary fishing continues to cruise along nicely, Flathead are being caught throughout the system with some particularly good fish coming from down around the rockwalls and Oyster Leases near the bridge. At the same time, the number of fish caught up around The Cut and up the Wallamba River has also been great, the majority of the fish up that way seem to be a bit on the small side but you will definitely find a feed if you fish through them.

Stories of monster Bream are coming in thick and fast now and the numbers of these big, blue lipped, gear destroying fish will only get better over the coming few weeks. Just about any piece of structure is worth a shot when it comes to Bream and they will smash a huge variety of baits and lures. The biggest thing to remember when it comes to Bream is presentation. If your baits or lures don’t look natural enough these fish are much too smart to fall for them, think about fishing as light as you can (in both sinker and line weight), ensure you cover your hook well with bait (leave the very tip of the hook exposed and that’s it) make sure your soft plastics are straight and swimming right and use a decent lure scent! Once you get these simple things right catching these wily old fish is a piece of cake!

Luderick reports are starting to filter through with some nice fish coming from up around Wallis Island, closer to the mouth of the estuary there are decent numbers of fish starting to settle but they are lacking in size. With a bit of rough weather on the way next week we should see some better fish coming into the rock walls soon hopefully.

We are seeing a huge number of small Mulloway throughout the estuary at the moment particularly along the rock walls, these are a very special fish and it’s amazing to see so many of them schooling up. If you happen to catch one please be aware of the legal size and bag limits, and do your best to release them as quickly as possible. If we look after these juvenile fish we will have an amazing fishery in another few years!

Beach fishing has been a bit of a frustrating game over the past couple of weeks, reports filtering through have been very hit and miss with a lot more ‘miss’ than there has been ‘hit’! With the good run of Tailor that we had a month or so ago, anglers have been keen to get into them, unfortunately they seem to be sitting on the headlands and inshore reefs though now with only the odd one coming in to the sand, this will change though and I would say the back side of the swell that is forecast for next week should fish really well for the bigger ‘Green backs’. Bream and Whiting have been strangely quiet on the beaches too this week, hopefully they will fire back up after a bit of a shake up next week.

Reports from the stones have been a little thin on the ground this week, there have been some great Tailor getting about the washes along with the odd Kingfish and Cobia. With some good swell on the way it’s time to dust off the Drummer and Luderick gear, these ‘bread and butter’ specialties love a bit of rough, cold weather and will be feeding hard once the sea pounds the coast next week. Please be sensible and safe if you’re going to chase these fish, while you do need a bit to wash to get them, they’re not worth risking your life for!

Conditions have been sublime for offshore fishing for much of the past week. Unfortunately, the fishing has left a lot to be desired for some boats though and with a full moon in play this may be the case over the weekend, particularly for those chasing Snapper in close. Those that have managed to find the most success have headed out in search of some Pelagic action, there are still some very nice Mahi Mahi getting about. While most fish have come from the FAD, there has also been the odd fish cruising about over the inshore reefs. These shallow areas are also still holding the odd Mackerel, Longtail Tuna and the always unpredictable Cobia. If you are keen to stick with the demersal species despite the moon, think about giving the shallow stuff a miss (unless you are fishing at night) and head out to 35-80m or more. You will find the fish sitting in the deeper water much more likely to feed.

21/4/2023

Wallis Lake continues to fish fairly well despite the recent rainfall. Bream are now beginning to take centre stage as they start to stack up throughout the lower reaches of the system. Areas such as The Paddock, the eastern side of Wallis Island and the rock walls are all holding some great fish and will only get better over the next few weeks. The weed beds have continued to hold some nice fish which have been taking hard bodies well but these fish will soon be on the move as things keep cooling off.

Flathead are still fishing fairly well with good numbers being caught from all over the place. The rivers are slowly improving again with more and more reports coming from up around Lakeside Resort, unfortunately there seems to be more small fish up that way than anything else but the better fish will move up there as we move through Autumn. For quality fish it’s still hard to go past the bottom 1/3 or so of the estuary (near the mouth) where there are still plenty of fish up in the 50-70cm range to be caught, particularly if you gather a handful of Herring to use as live bait.

One thing worth mention that most anglers are really excited about is the number of small Mulloway that are in the system, Wallis Lake and its tributaries are holding huge numbers of these special little fish and if we look after them when/if we catch them we will have a really good fishery for years to come! Please take the time and effort to make yourself familiar with the rules and regulations regarding size and bag limits, please don’t keep undersized fish and only keep what you need!!!!

With a little bit of swell lingering for much of the last week, reports from the beach have been a little thin on the ground. The Tailor that had been so good along 7 Mile seem to have moved somewhere else momentarily (the headlands have been holding some great fish!) but they should return once things settle again. Beaches close to town have been producing some great Bream and Dart along with the odd really nice Whiting and Flathead.

Local rock fishermen absolutely love this time of the year. The options really are endless and range from soaking live baits (if you can find some) for big pelagics or casting lures for Tailor, through to potholing likely looking washes in search of some Drummer, Bream or Luderick! All of these are worthy of some effort and all of them can produce some red hot action over the next couple of weeks.

Heading offshore for a fish can be a bit confusing in Autumn mainly because there are so many different kinds of fishing you can do! Our annual pelagic fishery is far from over and there are still some great fish to be found up on the shallow reefs and out at the FAD, the Mahi Mahi have been nothing short of amazing for the last two weeks with lots of good fish caught.

As things cool our focus will shift to chasing big Snapper in the shallows and there have already been some cracking fish getting about however, they are still a little spread out so expect to have to cover a lot of ground with a lot of casts before you get any numbers up. The reefs a little further out are fishing a bit better and while they are not holding numbers of big fish, there are plenty of nice pan sized fish to be caught out in 30-80m with the odd Trag, Pigfish, Flathead and Pearl Perch mixed in.

7/4/2023

Our estuaries undergo a huge change over the Autumn months with many species on the move as they prepare to spawn. The recent weather will only push these species’ migration along and we are already seeing loads of Mullet and Bream starting to make their way down towards the mouth of the system. Anglers love the Autumn Bream fishery and many have already started to take advantage of the number of big spawn run fish that have settled on the rock walls and in the Oyster Leases down near the bridge, to target these fish, the easiest method by a mile is to lightly weight a strip bait of Mullet or Bonito (or just about anything else!) and float it down into or along a nice bit of structure.

Those chasing the good old Flathead have continued to find plenty of fish despite the rainfall, the fish did slow a little earlier in the week and a lot more fish are being caught at the start of the run out tide now rather than the end as the fish follow and prefer the warm ocean water that enters the lake over the cool run off water coming down with each low tide. This is also the reason that the better sessions have all come from areas fairly close to the mouth of the system, the fish have really pushed down again in search of clean, warm water and food!

Plenty of anglers love hitting the rock walls in search of a nice Mulloway for Easter and its definitely one of the best times of the year to have a crack, while there are loads of fish there at the moment, finding the bigger models is a bit of a challenge as there seems to be a million school sized fish waiting to smash your lures and live baits!

Local beaches have been a tough gig this week, the weather has made it all but impossible! Prior to the weather going bad, there had been some great Tailor and Bream on the beaches down south and this should be the case once things settle again. Given the recent rough weather, reports from the stones are a bit thin on the ground this week. Those that have managed to hit the rocks have found some cracking Tailor as well as the odd Tuna, Cobia and small Kingfish. Soaking a crab, bit of Cunji or peeled Prawn in the washes has been productive for ‘bread and butter’ species with plenty of Bream, Drummer and Luderick about.

Getting offshore around Easter is always productive! There are loads of options out there and you are almost guaranteed to come home with a good mix of fish. The bottom fish are definitely better up to the north, reports from the south have been tough with the better fishing coming from right down around Seal Rocks. The grounds up north have been fishing well for Snapper in most depths with reefs in 10-40m holding the  better fish. Deeper reefs are fishing very well also and you can expect to come home with a mixed box of Snapper, Trag, Pigfish and Pearl Perch if you hit the stuff out in 40-100m.

With nice warm water still hitting our coastline, it’s no surprise that the Pelagic fishery is still charging along strong. There are still enough Marlin sneaking about to make it worth the effort and the FAD and fish traps are holding loads of Mahi Mahi! The inshore reefs are also still producing all sorts of silver speedsters so it’s definitely a good idea to pack some wire on your next trip!

24/3/2023

Our local weather in March/April is pretty hard to beat I reckon, the days are still nice and warm but the nights have cooled a little, winds tend to be well behaved and rain is never far off….. This, coined with the fact that our coastal waters are beautiful and warm (and full of fish life) means that we see a lot of fishing activity!

The estuary has seen a lot of action over the past two weeks with such good weather and most anglers have managed to get a nice feed. Flathead remain very active and in good numbers, once again the majority of the fish remain down towards the mouth of the system and can be easily caught by flicking about your favourite Soft Plastic or Vibe Lure. The big tides we have had this week can make things a little difficult due to the stronger currents but if you fish with a little more weight on the run out tide and try to get away from the main channels you should have no dramas in finding the fish.

Bream are still abundant further up into the rivers and out on the weed beds in the southern half of the system, however the big blue-nosed fish are really starting to school up along the jetties near the Fish Co-op and the break walls now which gets me a bit excited for Winter Breaming!!!

There are still small patches of Trumpeter Whiting holding on, however if you choose to look for them don’t expect to fill your bag limit, they are all but done for the year now. Sand Whiting on the other hand have been very active this week as they have been up in the shallows taking advantage of the big tides we have had to gorge themselves on all of the tasty morsels that they can’t normally get to. Loads of food, warm water and a bit of rain has seen some huge 40+cm fish landed which is awesome to see!

School Mulloway have been haunting the breakwalls in great numbers this week, those anglers fishing the night tides seem to be finding the better quality fish….

This week has been very nice for wetting a line just about anywhere along our coastline. There have been a lot of anglers hitting the sand and they have been rewarded with great bags of Tailor, Bream and the odd Mulloway. Tailor have been fishing well on most beaches, however the better quality (50+cm) fish have mainly been coming for the beaches to the south. Like normal, dawn and dusk are the peak Tailor bite times, in fact you will be lucky to land any outside of these hours.  Whiting have been very quiet this week however anglers have been happy enough to be catching some quality Bream and Flathead in their place.

There is loads of activity right up and down the coastline at the moment. The water is good, the bait is thick and there are plenty of predators on patrol! Right now is the perfect time to try your luck at finding one of the many pelagic fish that call our rocks home over Autumn.

We have had some absolutely perfect days for offshore fishing lately, the sea is calm and flat and the days are clear and warm! The pelagic fishery is simmering along nicely with plenty of Mahi Mahi out at the FAD along with the odd Mackerel, Cobia and Marlin hunting the inshore reefs. The bottom fish have really started to play the game now with some great Snapper fishing to be had on just about any reef in any depth of water, while we have not seen many big fish lately there seems to be an endless supply of nice table sized fish up to about 3kg. Trag have been great out on the deeper reefs and the average size is very good.

We have a bit of rain coming over the weekend but the forecast is looking amazing to get out for a fish over the next week or so! Get out there and enjoy the best time of the year…..

10/3/2023

Generally speaking, daytime fishing missions are pretty tough going during full moon periods and while things have been a bit quieter this week, the fishing has been pretty good considering. The biggest thing you will find when the full moon is in play is that the bite period for a lot of species is much narrower and more tide dependant.

In the estuary, Flathead are still charging along very nicely. The single biggest factor to finding a nice bag of Flatty tails is to concentrate your efforts on the run out tide of an afternoon. Fishing the morning for Flathead will still see you finding a couple of fish (particularly if you get up into the shallow stuff) but to get into some numbers you need to wait for that tide. As is nearly always the case, covering ground throwing artificial offerings about is by far the most productive technique and make sure you don’t head too far upstream, there are huge numbers of fish down towards the mouth of the system so I would be sticking to the east of Wallis Island.

The local Bream are on fire out there, we have had a huge number of fish make their way down into the structure in the bottom of the lake and hitting the Oyster Leases on the top of the tide is very productive! You can fish the leases with both bait and lure, either will work well. If you are bait fishing just make sure you fish unweighted or lightly weighted baits into the structure and you will get plenty of action. If you prefer to actively search for fish and throw lures, think small soft plastic profiles, and take risks with your casts, if you’re not landing withing 10cm of the leases you probably won’t find hungry fish!

Local beaches are fishing really well and are producing some great mixed bags. Soaking a bait in a likely looking gutter on any of the major beaches will see you land some solid Whiting along with the odd Bream, Flathead and Dart. Those wishing to fish early or late in the day also have the chance to have a crack at some very nice Tailor which seem to be hanging about on the longer beaches, while they’re not huge fish, most are up in the 35-45cm range which is great for this time of the year.

We are all still waiting with great anticipation for the land based game season to kick into gear in earnest, there has definitely been the odd fish about but they are still few and far between and getting decent baits has been a big obstacle! Like always, those anglers that put the time in will be the ones that score the fish….

I love getting offshore in March! Even with the full moon in play, the fishing has continued to be very good out there over the past week. While the Marlin bite has slowed considerably on what it was, there are still loads of fish getting about. There has been some patches of insanely good water out there so it’s no surprise that there has been the odd Wahoo and Yellowfin Tuna mixed in with the Marlin and Mahi Mahi. Mahi Mahi have really hit their peak now, the FAD is holding plenty of legal sized fish but if you want to find the bigger models you will need to search a bit wider or find a random fish trap buoy or piece of floating debris to fish. The inshore reefs to the north are holding huge amounts of bait, the Mackerel season is due to kick in at any moment so make sure you pack some wire!

Those anglers wishing to ignore the pelagic action have struggled a little with the full moon, however there has still been a few Snapper getting about. The larger fish seem to be hiding somewhere else though with not many fish over about 50cm hitting the decks. Fishing the evenings or early mornings has been great for Teraglin and most of the fish have been of a great size. Unfortunately the Flathead have been very tough going out there again, for the best chance of nailing some nice sandy’s try to fish reef edges as the fish that are about seem to be sitting in tight to structure…..

24/2/2023

We are entering into an awesome little patch of weather and fishing now, my personal favourite time of the year! The days are nice and warm, the nights are a bit cooler, and the water is clear and warm…. From a fishing perspective, absolutely anything is possible and all types of fishing are worth pursuing.

The estuary is clear and warm and teeming with food. Warm water and an abundance of food means that there is also a lot of predator activity and its these predators that we all love to chase! Flathead are still fishing very well throughout the system, the better sessions have definitely come from down towards the mouth of the system with anglers throwing artificial offerings about on the run out tide faring particularly well. For anglers preferring to take a more relaxed approach by drifting with baits; Bonito, Mullet, Whitebait and Herring are all working and you can expect of land a few nice Bream in between the Flathead.

Bream reports have been very good of late from across the board. The lake and rivers are producing some quality fish up to about 38/40cm, the fish are taking all sorts of lures but if you can hear the chorus of the Cicada it’s definitely worth throwing a surface lure about, you just can’t beat surface lure fishing! Reports of solid fish coming from the Rock Walls and Oyster Leases are slowly increasing and this trend should only ramp up over the next few weeks as the spawning fish move back down the system, with a bit of luck we won’t flood this year and the fish will get to undertake a ‘normal’ spawning run.

Interestingly, we have had a few anglers starting to chase an early Luderick and so far reports back are very encouraging. While there are still not many big fish getting about, numbers of fish caught are great which should be a good sign of what’s to come as we head into Autumn.

Whiting are by far the most challenging of all the regular estuary species at the moment. The tasty little Trumpeter Whiting are still about but the numbers have dwindled significantly and their distribution is very sporadic with fish only being caught in ones and twos randomly anywhere between Green Point and The Paddock! Sand Whiting have been fishing the same with anglers having to move about a fair bit to find the better quality fish, bait fishing has been the best option for the Sandies as lure anglers have been left very frustrated by their reluctance to strike at surface lures.

Local beaches are fishing well for a variety of species. It’s been really nice to see some solid Tailor over the last couple of weeks and the best part is that anglers have found them on all of the more popular fishing beaches from Seal Rocks to Diamond Beach! Whiting and Bream are still sitting in most gutters and they are suckers for a bit of Worm or Pipi. School Mulloway keep on keeping on with fish up to about 8kg fairly common for those anglers keen to fish the evenings and early mornings.

It’s no secret that hitting the stones at this time of the year is worth the effort, the nice warm currents that have been pushing down the coast deliver with them all sorts of pelagic goodies. So far the bait has been sitting just a bit far out and the predators that feed on it remain offshore a little way with it. Having said that, things change on the water very quickly so you just never know what tomorrow might bring…..

Fishing offshore is super exciting at the moment with all sorts of possibilities floating about. The inshore Marlin bite has been nothing short of amazing this year with crazy numbers of fish caught. Mahi Mahi have improved a lot over the past couple of weeks, the FAD and fish traps seem to be holding a much better number of fish in the 60-90cm range with a few up around the 1m mark mixed in (as well as a million 60cm Kingfish).

Reports from anglers chasing demersal species have been very mixed. One angler will come through and report some insane fishing action and then ten minutes later an angler will be in whinging about how few fish are offshore! I have absolutely no answers as to why this might be, the more positive trips have definitely been over the last week or so and they have been fishing anywhere from 10m out to 50m. The biggest positive regarding the bottom fishing over the last couple of weeks has been the return of good numbers of Sand Flathead down south, while these tasty little fish may not be everyone’s cup of tea, they are an amazing box filler and have saved many a lean day at sea!

10/2/2023

This Summer season has been absolutely perfect so far – clear, sunny skies, hot days and beautiful warm water! There has been plenty of action out on our waterways and most anglers are reporting some great fishing.

Wallis Lake continues to produce some great Flathead fishing for the majority of anglers. As long as you are focusing your efforts on the bottom ¼ or so of the system (towards the mouth) and covering some ground throwing soft plastics, vibes or hard bodied lures about you will find plenty of good fish. This week has been great for the larger fish with loads of 60+cm fish reported as well as the odd monster like Matty Britza’s 102cm beast!

Sand Whiting have been about in force up on the flats over the past week as they have been taking advantage of the nice mid-morning high tides to get up in the skinny water to hunt for Worms, Prawns, Shrimp and just about anything else they can chase down. A really easy way to score a tasty bag of Whiting is to anchor up (or drift along) on the edge of a likely looking sand flat with baits of Worm or Yabby. This technique is dead easy, super effective and will see you landing a great bag of Whiting, Bream and Flathead. If you are into your sport fishing, hitting the same areas with small poppers and stickbaits is amazing fun and a great way of finding the better quality fish.

The weed beds and rivers are holding some great Bream which have been eager to belt small diving hard bodies and surface lures. Anglers floating baits in around the Oyster leases and rockwalls are also starting to see some big Bream and this trend should continue over the next month or so as the big brood fish start to prepare for their annual spawning migration.

Local beaches are alive with fish, we have received some great reports from beaches all over the place this week. Hitting a gutter on a nice high tide with a piece of Worm or Pipi is a sure fire way of landing some great Bream, Dart, Whiting and Flathead. For those wanting to chase something a bit bigger, 9 Mile, 7 Mile and Diamond Beach to the north have been producing some great school Mulloway which have been loving baits of Bonito and Worms. Unfortunately you will have to deal with a fair few pesky sharks and rays in between but the effort is definitely worth it!

Local rock ledges are starting to get busy again as the warm currents that we have had lapping the coast start to deliver all sorts of pelagic fish. If you dedicate yourself to hitting the stones regularly and figure out how it all works, absolutely anything is possible over the next couple of months!

Offshore action has been very consistent of late. We have been super lucky with water quality and ocean currents this year which has seen a huge number of game fish visiting the area. If anyone would like to have a crack at chasing an inshore Black Marlin, there will never be a better time than now! Along with little Black Marlin we have also had some great Mahi Mahi action with the better fish up around the 10-12kg mark. There have been plenty of ‘bite offs’ reported out there this season already so make sure you take a bit of single strand wire out with you as you just never know what might turn up.

Bottom fishing has been a bit flat over the past week, most probably more to do with the full moon than anything else. Fishing of an evening or early in the morning is definitely the best option with some great Trag and Snapper out on the reefs in 35-60m, unfortunately we did have a few days earlier in the week where this depth was all but unfishable due to the heavy current that was running but that has eased now. Unfortunately the biggest let down of late has been the good old Sand Flathead, for some reason these tasty bag saving fish have been very elusive on the usual grounds with anglers only finding decent sized fish in tight to the reef edges.

20/1/2023

I want to start the latest report by saying a huge thankyou to all of the (mostly) awesome visitors that we have had in town over the School Holidays, while some locals might struggle with how busy our little towns get, the majority of us absolutely love it and hope that you had a great stay! We have been so lucky to have had some very nice weather this year, not too much rain or wind and amazing water quality so it’s no surprise that there has been plenty of fish caught lately.

Our estuaries continue to deliver some great fishing for most anglers. The Flathead fishing remains insanely good with huge numbers of fish being landed, while there are a lot of smaller fish in the schools, you will find plenty of nice 40-60cm fish which are perfect for a feed. Those trophy fish that we all love to chase have been super hard to tempt over the last week, anglers that have persisted with throwing the larger presentations have managed to land one or two fish each session but the action is nothing like it was a couple of weeks ago.

One species that has been a bit of a frustration for many lately is the Sand Whiting. While there are good numbers of these silver speedsters cruising the flats, getting them fired up enough to hit a surface lure has been tough. All you can really do is make sure you cover plenty of ground and move about to find the feeding fish, there is no point hammering casts over the same area because you can see fish there if they’re not feeding, I can guarantee that there will be a few areas on each high tide that will be on fire, you just need to find them. Alternatively, if you want a ‘fool proof’ approach to snagging a bag of Sand Whiting, pump some Yabbies or get some Beach Worms and fish those same flats/edges, these fish will always be keen on gobbling up a well-presented worm or yabby bait!

Bream anglers have been finding some very nice fish all over the estuary lately. The upper reaches of the Wallamba and Coolongolook rivers are holding some solid fish, unfortunately they haven’t been overly keen on surface presentations, but small soft plastics have been proving irresistible! The rock walls are also producing some great fish which have been more than happy to eat just about any bait offering, especially if you fish about the top of the tide.

The local beaches have finally started to produce a few decent fish! Hitting any of the bigger beaches with a handful of Beach Worms or Pipi’s should see you landing plenty of Dart and solid Bream along with the odd Whiting and Flathead. If you are up nice and early and feel like covering a bit of ground throwing metal lures there is still the odd Tailor about and most of them are around the 30-40cm mark which is a good size for this time of the year. As of yet there is very little to report from the stones, we are finally starting to see a bait of bait getting about in close so with a bit of luck the predators won’t be far behind.

The local offshore fishing scene is absolutely buzzing at the moment, the water outside is warm, clear, and loaded with game fish! Insane numbers of Black Marlin have been landed on most days with the odd Striped Marlin and Wahoo mixed in. With the wind coming out of the south once again, the water is set to remain good for a bit longer and there are loads of fish still being caught right up to the Gold Coast so we are all crossing our fingers for a long game season.

For those wishing to chase some reef fish, things have been a bit hit and miss over the last couple of weeks. Those anglers that manage to get out on the water nice and early are definitely faring the best, particularly if you are fishing any ground in 30m or less. The slightly deeper reefs (40-80m) are producing plenty of Trag along with the odd Snapper and Pearl Perch.

6/1/2023

Happy New Year! The beautiful towns of Forster and Tuncurry have been buzzing with activity over the festive period with loads of holiday makers flocking to the area to take advantage of one of the most beautiful regions in Australia! Our beaches and waterways have been absolutely perfect and the weather has been relatively well behaved so far.

On the fishing front, despite being insanely busy, the estuary remains the most productive option. At the top of the angling options is the mighty Flathead which can be caught throughout most of the Lake. By far the most successful method of chasing a few Flatty’s is to cover a bit of ground throwing some lures about, try to target areas of broken ground such as Oyster Leases, patchy weed beds, rock walls etc and if you can fish the run out tide you will find a lot more action than the run in tide. Lure choice is not overly important, the fish will happily take all sorts of different things in the 3-6” range however white coloured lures seem to be working particularly well for most.

If you prefer the relaxed approach of soaking a bait, drifting the same areas with baits of Whitebait, Mullet or Bonito Strips, Prawns or Pilchards should see you landing a decent mixed bag of Flathead and Bream along with the odd Whiting, Leatherjacket and Flounder.

Trumpeter Whiting continue to fish extremely well with some great catches coming from the usual spots as well as the main channels much closer to the mouth of the estuary. The larger Sand Whiting continues to be a bit funny with some anglers reporting some amazing action while others struggle to find any at all! The better Sand Whiting reports seem to be coming from up the system a bit so if you struggle to find many fish down around the bridge don’t be afraid to move up and try areas like Lani’s, Dago Island, Regatta Island, Jonnel Park etc.

Bream reports have been somewhat mixed, the lower reaches of the system have been fishing really well for those anglers fishing bait, the rockwalls and Oyster Leases around ‘The Paddock’ have been holding some huge fish which are great fun on the light gear! Unfortunately reports from anglers chasing Bream further up the system have been somewhat lacklustre, the weed beds and flats are holding a few fish but nowhere near the numbers we would normally expect in January! The upper reaches of the tributaries are fishing a little better with some really nice fish falling for surface lures and small plastics, with a bit of luck the surface activity should increase over the next week or two.

Local beaches and rock platforms have been very quiet of late. Hitting the beaches with some Worms at high tide is by far your best bet and you will almost certainly find some Whiting and Bream, unfortunately the numbers of fish just seems to be down at the moment. Hopefully the recent southerly change and subsequent improvement in water temperature and quality might kick something into gear!

Offshore fishing has been very good over the Xmas/New Year period. Demersal species have been spread all over the place with plenty of Trag and Snapper hitting the decks from the reefs out in 40-80m. The shallow grounds up north have also been producing some great Snapper action with plenty of fish up to about 5kg being landed. With a full moon tomorrow, you can expect the shallow water fishing to go a bit quiet until about the middle of next week so it might be worth heading wide first thing rather than trying the skinny water.

On the pelagic front things have really hit another gear over the past week or so with loads of Black Marlin cruising about in close. Finding bait is incredibly difficult out there but those boats that put the work in and find the bait have had no dramas converting baits into fish! Unfortunately the FAD is still only producing the odd legal Mahi Mahi with the majority of fish well undersized, it’s definitely still worth checking out though if you are out that way as you just never know what might turn up!

23/12/2022

Merry Xmas!!! From all of us here at Great Lakes Tackle, thank you for your support throughout what has been a bit of a testing year. While it was good to see decent rainfall this year it’s also been good to see it ease up a bit over the last couple of weeks!

The local estuary fishing is still powering along, Flathead can be found in great numbers all over the place and there have been some absolute crackers caught recently. It really doesn’t matter if you are on foot or in a boat, moving about flicking 3-6” soft plastic lures will almost definitely see you bagging some great fish (one customer caught 45 in 1hr20mins yesterday!). If you’re on the water at high tide, try getting right up into the shallows and throw some shallow diving or surface hard bodies about, you will be amazed by how many huge fish sit in knee deep water! The run out tide is fishing particularly good, indeed on some days it is absolutely essential. If you would prefer to soak a bait instead, try drifting with Whitebait, Prawns, Pilchards, Herring or strips of Mullet.

The local Sand Whiting have been very active and with nice high morning tides occurring daily for the next week, things can only get better! These big Summer fish can be targeted really easily with surface lures or by drifting baits of Worm, Prawn or Yabby up over the sand flats. If you drift off the shallow stuff and into the deeper water you are a very good chance of coming across a school of the smaller but much tastier Trumpeter Whiting, particularly if you are fishing up around Lanis Island Holiday Park, Regatta Island or The Cut.

Bream numbers are still holding firm throughout the lower reaches of the system with some very healthy fish coming from the rock walls and Oyster Leases. The weed beds to the south of Wallis Island have big schools sitting on them however most fish are only small.

Local beaches have been a little patchy so far this Summer, some anglers have been reporting great mixed bags of Whiting, Bream, Dart and the odd Flathead while others have been struggling to lose a bait. There is still the odd Salmon and Tailor cruising about however not quite in big enough numbers to make it worth targeting them in earnest, if you are hitting the sand maybe have a couple of exploratory casts with a lure first up just to make sure….

We generally don’t hear a lot from the stones at this time of the year however if you are keen to put in some time there has been a few pan sized Snapper sneaking about, getting lines in the water early (or late afternoon) and using a bit of burley will make all the difference. There is still the odd angler hitting the washes searching for Drummer and while there is one or two being caught the average size is only small, the same washes may also be worth prospecting for a Tailor as well and you never know when a cheeky Kingfish might pop up to smash your lure and bury you in the stones!

Offshore reports have been somewhat varied this week but mostly positive considering the weather has been far from favourable. The deeper reefs are still fishing better than the shallower grounds with those reefs sitting in 60-80m producing the best results. Bags have consisted of all manner of species but Snapper, Trag, Pearl Perch and Flathead have made up most catches.

Pelagic action is still simmering along nicely for this time of the year. Marlin reports are yet to surface however there should be the odd one floating about out wider. There are a few Mahi Mahi floating about out around the FAD but most are undersized, with the average fish barely hitting 50cm, there are also loads of small Kingfish out there which can be fun on the Bream gear!

9/12/2022

The twin towns of Forster and Tuncurry are really starting to get a buzz on now as we edge closer to the end of the School year and the Xmas Holiday Break. For many anglers the warmer months are ruled by the estuary systems as they are full of activity and hungry predators, they also offer enough protection from prevailing winds that there is always somewhere to fish regardless of what the days’ weather brings.

At the top of the list of species to chase most will find the mighty Flathead and its these fish that are definitely the centre of attention in Wallis Lake at the moment. There are loads and loads of Flatty’s getting about and there have been some great sessions had by anglers fishing all over the system. The better catches still seem to be coming from those areas to the east of Wallis Island but there are also plenty on offer right up the Wallamba as far as the Discovery Holiday Park as well as down around Coomba Park. The areas down around the breakwalls, bridge and leases you can see from the bridge are holding loads of big fish so if you’re keen on chasing that trophy fish throw some big plastics, hard bodied lures or live baits around these areas and you are almost bound to run into more than a few good fish.

The big tides we have been experiencing of late have been perfect to target fish on surface up in the shallow stuff. Big Sand Whiting and Bream love getting up into knee (or ankle) deep water on big high tides to gorge themselves on Prawns, Shrimp, Baitfish, Crabs and just about anything else they can find! Hitting these areas with surface lures between 70mm and 120mm is sure to get some attention and the action is often non-stop with big fish literally lining up to hammer your lure! As far as where to target these big silver speedsters, just about any shallow flat will be holding fish at the moment but if you can find areas consisting of broken/patchy weed you will find the better quality fish. There have been some great reports coming in from around Lani’s Holiday Park, Twin Islands and even down around The Cut where the Wallamba comes into the main system. Fishing the same areas with a live Yabby or bit of Beach Worm will also yield some great results and is a much more relaxing way to fish the flats!

The smaller but tastier Trumpeter Whiting continue to fish really well with anglers reporting some great catches, reaching the bag limit of 20 of these little beauties can be very easy when they’re biting well so please make sure you are aware of how many you have caught as well as the difference between these fish and their bigger relatives the Sand Whiting.

There have been some great Bream reports coming through over the past couple of weeks with Wallis Lake and Smiths Lake both fishing awesome. The balance seems to have finally shifted and there appears to be more fish now sitting back upriver where they should be at this time of the year. The weedbeds and flats in the southern half of the system are fishing awesome with fish belting surface lures and small crankbaits with gusto.

Reports from the sand and rocks continue to be a bit light on. There are still some nice Tailor cruising the gutters down south along with the odd Bream and Whiting. You will have to fish early or late to find the Tailor though as the bite seems to be very short right around those periods of dawn and dusk. The stones are producing some great Bream, Groper and Drummer as well as the odd Luderick, and for those wanting a bit of fun on light tackle there are plenty of ‘rat’ Kingfish getting about.

The recent winds have made heading offshore frustratingly difficult! Those boats that have managed to sneak out have found more than enough fish for a feed. Snapper had been about in good numbers on the shallow grounds out to about 30m up until this week but the full moon seems to have slowed them up a little. The deeper reefs out in 40-80m are holding great mixed bags of species with some cracking bags of Pearl Perch being landed along with Trag and Snapper. The water locally has come up to about 21-22 degrees now with some warmer patches out wide and to the north of us which means there nearly has to be the odd pelagic getting about out there!

11/11/2022

How about this weather! We have waited a frustratingly long time, but it would seem we have finally moved out of the doldrums and into some nice Spring weather. With warmer temperatures forecast for the coming week, things should really start to kick into gear on the fishing front, I noticed yesterday that the Cicada’s had started singing which for any river or lake angler is music to our ears!

The estuary remains the best local fishing option, the fish in Wallis Lake are nice and active and there are plenty of options. Flathead sit at the top of many anglers’ lists right now and for good reason as there are plenty out there and they are being caught all over the place. I have had great reports from as far south as Tiona and as far north as the Discovery Holiday Park at Darawank. Unfortunately, bait fishermen are still struggling a little to find numbers of fish, your best bet if you do prefer to fish bait is to ensure you are fishing the run-out tide. The fish are much more active once the tide falls and the water gets a bit of colour in it.

If you are proficient in lure fishing the world is your oyster when it comes to Flathead right now, if the tide is high or coming in, move up into the shallows and throw surface lures or shallow diving minnows, this is often the time that you will get belted by that ‘fish of a lifetime’ as the big fish move up into the shallows to feed. If the tide is dropping, fishing the edges and drop offs with 3-5” Soft Plastics is super effective and probably the best way to get a decent bag of fish for the table.

Fishing the flats yesterday down towards the mouth of the estuary, I was amazed by how many huge Bream were getting about. Any bit of broken ground/rubble/oyster rock was surrounded by 10-15 solid Bream. You can imagine how quickly I tied on a surface lure to get in on the action! The nice clear water that has pushed in with the recent tides has done wonders for the local Bream and they seem to be feeding hard over the top of the tide. The rock walls are still holding some reasonable fish however most of the better fish have moved up the system now and seem to have settled on the flats and Oyster racks between ‘The Paddock’ and ‘The Cut’, this middle part of the estuary is full of solid fish that are super active. Floating unweighted baits into just about any bit of gnarly structure is a sure-fire way of getting your arms stretched! I am seeing some nice bags of fish coming from the weed beds a little further up and after hearing the Cicada’s yesterday I would say the rivers are set to fire at any time providing we don’t see too much rain in the near future….

Even though the water is still a little on the chilly side, the Sand Whiting have started to become more active now and are proving to be a worthy target on each high tide. The shallow flats up around Lani’s and down off Taree St (between the Wallamba and Jonnel Park) have been fishing great for both lure and bait anglers with some very nice 35-40cm fish hitting the decks. Trumpeter Whiting are ticking along nicely, still not in full swing by any means, but most anglers are finding enough to make it worth their while. With these tasty little treats proving to be a bit fickle, it pays to take a few different bait options out with you or at least pack the Yabby Pump in case they turn their nose up at the baits you have!

Beach reports have been extremely varied this week. There are definitely some quality fish moving along our sandy coastline with some great Bream, Whiting, Tailor and Mulloway landed during the week. Unfortunately, sandy sessions have mainly consisted of only a few fish each trip with the better sessions all happening a fair way to the south of town. Reports from the stones have been very thin on the ground lately, there are some great Bream still getting about along with the odd small Snapper and Tailor but that’s about it….

Offshore fishing is often a bit ‘funny’ this month and is proving to be exactly that at the moment. I was stoked earlier in the week to finally see a good fish from the shallows and started to get a bit excited until the angler that caught it told me how dead quiet the fishing was in close except for this one solitary beast that would have been about 8kg. Once again it’s the deeper reefs that have been producing the majority of the fish, along with some nice eating sized Snapper, bags have also consisted of the odd Pearl Perch, Trag, Flathead and Pigfish.

I did hear some whispers earlier in the week of some Stripe Marlin action out wide from this area, while it’s the first we have heard of pelagic action here it’s not all that surprising considering the way the currents have been behaving out there….fingers crossed it’s the start of a crazy season filled with fish!

28/10/2022

I can’t explain how happy I am as I write this knowing that we are heading into an awesome weekend full of sunshine, warm temperatures, and light winds! While we will have to contend with the hangover from the latest rain event for a few more days in the form of a very dirty run out tide, all in all the fishing has been very good and there are plenty of options for the weekend.

Wallis Lake is once again very much a ‘high tide fishery’ with the water quality diminishing drastically on the run-out tide. There have been loads of Flathead getting about out there and they’ve been caught all over the joint from the racks down the front near the bridge right up to Lakeside Holiday Park on the Wallamba and down on the flats towards Tiona and Coomba Park. While the odd fish is falling for a drifted bait, by far the best way to chase a few Flathead at this time of the year (or any time of the year!) is to use lures. There are loads of lure options out there these days and they literally all catch Flathead, fishing during the week we found great success on the new Nomad Madscad 65 up on the flats and just about any Prawn imitation plastic worked slow along the drop offs and weed edges. While I have not heard of a lot of particularly big fish being caught, there are loads of fish in the 35-50cm range. Anyone that has been in the water this week would know it’s still a little on the chilly side, by far the biggest tip at the moment is to slow it all down, fish are cold blooded and the water is cold so they need plenty of time to commit to your lures…. You really can’t pause for too long at the moment!

It was so nice to see the Bream still fairly active down towards the front during the week, often by now the majority of the better fish have made their way back up to the weed beds/sand flats or rivers but it would seem the constant rain is keeping some of them down the bottom of the system which is great news for any land based anglers. The weed beds are definitely kicking in as well now and I have had a few reports of some decent bags of fish being taken on hadbodies and the odd fish on surface.

Trumpeter Whiting remain a little scattered up the lake and may well remain this way until we get some more stable weather conditions, anglers are still managing to find enough for a feed but they are taking some effort to hunt down! I’m stoked to be able to let you know that our summer favourites, the mighty Sand Whiting have really started to fire this week with a couple of anglers getting some cracking fish on surface at high tide. Throwing small stickbaits and poppers on light gear at high tide during the warmer months of the year is about as good as fishing can get I reckon!

Local surf fishing reports have been a bit of a surprise package this week. Thinking that any form of beach fishing would be off the cards I was blown away to hear of how amazing the Tailor have been off the sandy stretches to the south. 7 Mile Beach and Cellito Beach have both been producing great numbers of really solid fish in the 2-4kg range (up to about 80cm). All of the reports we received were form anglers fishing lures but the fish have been hitting all sorts of things from 40g Metals through to 180mm stick baits and poppers! There have been loads of small Mulloway hanging in the gutters along 9 Mile Beach along with some nice Bream and the odd Whiting. All in all, beach fishing is actually cruising along very nicely for this time of the year! I have nothing to report from the stones this week unfortunately which is far from surprising given the conditions we have had and the time of year, there should still be the odd Drummer getting about in the suds along the plenty of solid Tailor and the odd Kingfish.

The local offshore fishing scene has only really just re-started after a solid couple of weeks’ worth of bad weather (6 months of bad weather really)! Early reports are a little mixed but things seem to be similar to what they have been for much of this year, that is that the shallow grounds are a bit on the quiet side while those reefs out in 35m or more are holding good mixed bags of Snapper, Trag and the odd Pearl Perch. It will be interesting to see how things go over the next few days, I would love to hear that the shallow stuff has kicked in again, feels like forever since we saw a good fish in water under 20m!

Have a great weekend, enjoy every bit of this sunshine.

14/10/2022

As much as some days don’t feel like it, we are slowly moving closer to Summer, the days are getting longer and the temperatures are getting warmer…… As things continue to warm, our aquatic environments become a hive of activity with masses of Prawns, Crabs and fish all on the move and looking to feed/breed which is perfect for us anglers!

The estuary fishing has been head and shoulders above all other fishing options of late. The range of species on offer and the quality of the fishing has been outstanding and nearly all outings have resulted in plenty of action. The tasty little Trumpeter or Winter Whiting have arrived in decent numbers now and a few boats have settled into their almost daily routine of heading out early and getting a feed. You may need to move about a bit to find them this early in the season, but the better results are coming from the stretch of water between Lani’s and Green Point. I haven’t heard of any fish from up around ‘The Duckpond’ yet but it would be worth checking out the water up around Regatta Island. Sand Whiting are yet to fully kick in but they shouldn’t be too far off, we have had a few reports of fish being taken on surface lures but most fish caught have fallen for Yabby, Prawn or Worm baits.

Flathead anglers continue to find plenty of fish throughout the system and the average size is improving week by week. Soft plastics have been accounting for the majority of fish, anything from 2.5”-6” will work with Prawn imitations and paddle tails proving to be particularly effective. Unfortunately bait fishermen are generally struggling a little to find decent numbers of fish, the best option seems to be drifting weed edges and drop offs with Whitebait or Pilchards. 

It’s been good to see some decent Bream starting to come from the weed beds down the back of the lake over the past week, the fish are definitely still spread out but seem to be slowly re-settling back upriver a bit now. Hitting the Oyster Leases on a high tide is still a really good option, particularly if you are bait fishing. With a bit of burley you will attract loads of fish to the boat and they will hammer just about any unweighted bait offering, just make sure you have your hook fully covered so that the fish can’t see it! Along with loads of Bream you can expect to land some awesome bycatch such as Trevally, Leatherjacket, Flathead, Whiting, Snapper, Tarwhine and maybe even a Kingfish.

Rock and beach reports have been very slow over the past couple of weeks. Fishing the beaches has been a tough gig due to the weather and sea conditions, those anglers that have toughed it out have reported good numbers of Bream still about as well as the odd Tailor, Flathead and Salmon. Unfortunately Whiting are yet to show up in decent numbers, fingers crossed they wont be too far off though. Rock fishermen have been particularly quiet, apart from some really nice Tailor, the action has been a little on the slow side…..

Getting offshore for a fish has felt like an impossible task lately, the wind, sea and weather in general has been nothing short of atrocious! I’m happy to report though that the fishing offshore has been great for those boats that have managed to sneak out. Snapper numbers are really good out there and have been caught in all directions. Unfortunately reports of fish from the shallow reefs are still few and far between, anglers are having to fish out in 35m before they start to see any fish of quality. Fishing early in the morning or into the evening has been worth the effort with some great Trag getting about and the reefs out the front and down south are still producing some cracking Pearl Perch. I did get a report through from one boat that cruised out to check how the FAD was travelling and while they found some decent water there were no Mahi Mahi hanging about yet, they shouldn’t be too far off though with some good fish already caught not far to the north of us.

30/9/2022

Once again we are heading into the weekend surrounded by rain and hammered by strong winds… I can’t remember ever being more frustrated from an angling point of view! On a positive note, the weather is forecast to settle from about Sunday and its looking good for at least the first half of next week.

The Lake continues to transition into its Summer season and has proven to be a little hit and miss for anglers of late. By far the best species to target has been the mighty Flathead which has been about in good numbers throughout the lake. The better areas have been a little bit up river such as the back of Wallis Island/Coomba Park, south of Green Point and up around ‘The Cut’ and Regatta Island. These areas seem to be holding the better sized schools of fish and the average fish is a nice table sized 40-45cm. Anglers soaking live baits closer to the mouth of the river have had some monstrous fish engulf their baits with fish up around the magic meter mark seeming to be somewhat common. I have a feeling that once this weather settles and we see the days warm a little bit more we are in for a cracking Flathead season!

Bream can be a funny fish to chase at this time of the year, they seem to pop up all over the place and it can be hard to figure out what they’re doing. Most fish are on the move and making their way back up to the rivers and weed beds, we have had some great reports from anglers hitting the flats in the bottom section of the lake with some great bags of fish landed on small crankbaits.

Trumpeter Whiting reports are slowly filtering through, but the fishing is still very slow on these tasty little treats, and you will find yourself having to move about a bit to find them in any decent numbers. The Sand Whiting are becoming more and more active up on the flats but it’s still a little early for any real surface action yet so you will have to resort to soaking some yabbies or worms if you are keen on securing a feed of these silver speedsters!

Reports from the beaches and rock ledges have been very quiet of late which is no real surprise considering we are in a bit of a transitional period. Some anglers have managed to find the odd Whiting but most catches on the beach are still being made up of Bream, Dart and the odd Tailor. For rock fishermen, the unsettled weather we have hanging about now will make for some perfect conditions to get in there and chase some Drummer. These hard pulling fish absolutely love a good wash and will feed hard while there is food about. We have also seen some nice pan sized Snapper landed this week by those anglers keen to put in the time to find them.

 Offshore fisher-folk have been doing it particularly hard recently, scoring decent weather windows to get out for a look has been very difficult and, for a lot of anglers, the fishing has been very inconsistent! The shallow reefs remain super quiet, there are some Snapper in there but the average size is only small. Your best bet is to move out past the 35m mark and search about out there, you will find some much better schools of fish to hit and you can expect to come home with a healthy mixed bag of fish including Snapper, Trag, Pearl Perch, Flathead and possibly even a small Bar Cod or two.

26/8/2022

The end of Winter can’t come soon enough this year, I think I can vouch for all anglers when I say that we are sick and tired of the weather that we have had this year! With a bit of luck the forecast for the weekend will hold and we should score a few nice days to get out for a fish.

Local estuaries are alive with activity at the moment and as we head closer to spring its feeling like we might get a really good Spring/Summer fishing season this year. Luderick anglers continue to catch fish after fish throughout the bottom of the estuary, these fish have been insane this year and they don’t seem to be diminishing in numbers or size any time soon! Both rock walls, the bridge pylons, ‘The Paddock’ and Breckenridge Channel are all fishing great and holding good number of fish.

Bream continue to be caught very consistently from throughout the system, the rock walls are still producing the better fish and this trend will probably remain for at least another few weeks before the bigger fish head back upstream. The flats and weedbeds are starting to come to life now with plenty of baitfish and decent sized Prawns kicking about, it only makes sense that there is also a noticeable increase in the numbers of hungry predators such as Bream, Flathead and Whiting getting up into the shallows looking for a feed! This weekend should be perfect for getting up into the warm shallow areas to do some early prospecting with big bent minnows and surface lures, I think you will be surprised by just how much is going up already in these areas and I can’t wait to see how this years’ flats season goes!

Local beaches have been a little hit and miss of late, the run of Tailor that we enjoyed earlier in Winter has well and truly slowed up now, however there are still a few nice fish getting about for those wishing to fish early or late in the day. 7 Mile is still producing plenty of Bream and the odd Mulloway up around the 8-10kg mark and there has also been a few stonking big Whiting landed during the week.

Rock fishermen have been having a ball lately with the persistent unsettled conditions ensuring that there has been a steady foam ball present along much of our coastline. Black Drummer have been fishing great off most headlands and ledges and with a bit of burley you should be able to score a nice feed with ease, baits of Prawn and Cunji have been working best. Mixed in with the Drummer have been some nice Groper and plenty of good old Bream!

Once again getting offshore has been frustratingly hard of late so there has only been a few reports coming in. Unfortunately, the shallow water stuff continues to be a bit on the quiet side, whether this is simply because very few boats have had a chance to do it properly or because the fish aren’t there we will never know, however this weekend should see a few boats giving it a crack so it will be interesting to see what pops up. By far the best Snapper reports have come from those reefs up north sitting in 35-45m with one boat scoring a particularly good day up there in 35m that consisted of a lot of good quality fish up to about 80cm. The wider grounds are also producing nice mixed bags of Snapper, Trag and Morwong as well as the odd Pearl Perch and Pigfish.

August 12, 2022

Rain rain go away!!! Once again we are heading into the weekend on the back of some very annoying rain. The forecast for the coming week is looking promising though which is good news and should hopefully see us hitting the water and enjoying some of the great fishing that is on offer at this time of the year.

The cold SW winds that we have felt for much of the week kept a lot of anglers off the water, fishing Wallis Lake can be very uncomfortable and tough going when this is the prevailing wind however there are definitely options and plenty of fish about for those keen enough to rug up and give it a crack. Bream remain very good for much of the system with just about any of the washboards, leases, rock walls and jetties anywhere to the east of Wallis Island holding some great quality fish.

Flathead continue to tick along despite to cool weather, the majority of the fish are still sitting up the system a bit but there are also still some really nice fish being caught by anglers chasing Mulloway and Bream down towards the mouth of the estuary. Over the next few months we should see more and more action on the Flathead front, however you can expect to also see a big increase in the number of smaller fish mixed into the schools, fishing for a feed of Flathead during August and September can be very frustrating as you often need to catch 5 undersized fish before you find a good one!

Local Luderick anglers are having an absolute ball this year, the fish are numerous, and the average size is insanely good! The single biggest factor if you are thinking of chasing a few Luds is to plan your trip around the incoming tide. There is a definite bite window which starts as the first bit of clean water pushes in and slows up once the tide is about ¾ full.

Local beaches are still fishing quite well for Bream, Tailor, Salmon and the odd Mulloway. Finding the Tailor has not been easy for a lot of anglers over the past week or so, finding a good bit of wash and fishing close to dawn and dusk seem to be key factors and bigger hard bodied lures seem to be getting a lot more interest than small metal lures or Pilchards. Bream numbers are still fantastic on just about every beach and can be caught very easily on Beach Worms, Pilchards or strips of Mullet/Bonito.

Fishing from the rocks during August can be very fruitful, as long as there is a decent bit of wash in and around the holes, you can expect to see plenty of Bream, Luderick and Black Drummer on the chew. Certain areas are also fishing well for Snapper up to about 4kg, sometimes the key to successfully landing a feed of ‘Reds’ is to set yourself up with a good burley trail and be patient! Sending out live baits or casting larger poppers and stickbaits at the moment could see you hooking into a hard fighting Kingfish (or Tailor lol), I have seen a couple of cracking fish this week that came from the stones not far from here.

Reports from offshore have been a little thin on the ground of late, the weather and seas have kept a lot of boats grounded and restricted fishing options to the areas closer into shore on most days. Once anglers have hit about 30m, the SW winds have just made it too hard to fish. Those boats that have managed to fish in close or pick the decent weather windows are finding plenty of Trag and Snapper out in 40-70m while anglers fishing in the shallows have managed to run into some very respectable Snapper. Unfortunately, we have a full moon to contend with over the next couple of days which might kill the shallow water bite, however the forecast is looking good for heading out a bit deeper for a look so it will be interesting to see what anglers find over the weekend!

29/7/2022.

How nice is that Winter sunshine! While the forecast over the next week does contain the odd shower within it, at least we are not set to experience any more torrential rain for a little while…. This is great news for anglers as it means we should get a really good chance of getting out and stuck into some of the red-hot Winter fishing action that is on offer at this time of the year.

Wallis Lake is still feeling the effects of recent rains, however it is also starting to clear up very nicely on each incoming tide. The fishing action over the past couple of weeks has been amazing in the estuary with plenty of fish on offer. Luderick remain stacked up in huge numbers on just about any piece of structure sitting to the east of Wallis Island. Reports of exceptional ‘fish each drift’ type sessions have been filtering through from all over the place and most fish are of a really good size. The same areas are also holding some cracking Bream with plenty of fish up over the 40cm mark falling for lightly weighted strip and gut baits.

For those wishing to chase a tasty feed of Flathead, throwing soft plastics or vibes up around The Cut has been super productive, there has also been a few nice fish up towards Lakeside Village on the Wallamba River. Amazingly we are still seeing some solid Flathead being caught on live baits down around the mouth of the system, hearing of sessions consisting of fish up to 90cm is awesome for this time of the year and just goes to show that these fish are far from a ‘Summer only’ species!

Fishing on the local beaches during Winter can be hard to beat, it can also be insanely frustrating and cold when it doesn’t work! Luckily for most local anglers, hitting the sand has definitely been worth the effort of late with healthy mixed bags of Bream, Tailor and Salmon a regular occurrence along with the odd Mulloway, monster Whiting and Silver Trevally.

Rock hoppers have been finding things very hot and cold over the past couple of weeks. On days where the weather, swell and tide all line up perfectly the Drummer fishing has been nothing short of insane with loads of fish hitting the ledges, however the bite is turning off at the drop of a pin as soon as the swell becomes too calm or the tide isn’t quite right for particular spots. The better sessions have definitely been had by those anglers that have put the time into creating a nice bit of a burley trail, sometimes it might take half an hour or more of chumming in the wash but at least it gets the fish feeding. The other advantage of a bit of burley is that you will often also end up with a bigger variety of fish, along with the tasty Black Drummer there have been some nice Groper, Bream, Luderick, Trevally, Snapper and even Whiting landed this week.

Once again, cool weather and rough conditions have kept a lot of boats on trailers over the past week or so. Those anglers keen to take advantage of the brief weather windows or with boats big enough to handle the seas have managed to sneak out and find some great fish though which is a great sign of things to come if we score a decent run of weather. The run to the wider grounds has not been overly comfortable lately, once you get past 60m the sea has been very unsettled to say the least, however the long haul has been worth it with a few boats having cracking sessions out on the Kingfish and Bar Cod. Closer in, the better bags of fish have all come from the 30-60m reefs with anglers scoring tasty feeds consisting of Snapper, Trag and Pearl Perch each trip. Unfortunately, we haven’t heard any reports from the shallow grounds for the last week or so, however this time of the year is generally very productive in on the shallow reefs up north, you may have to fish early or late in the day and put up with some blisteringly cold trips in the boat but you are almost guaranteed to find some cracking fish waiting to engulf your soft plastics or floated baits!

The forecast for the next few days looks amazing, hopefully it holds! Get out there and wet a line, there is loads of fish out there waiting for you.

July 15, 2022

When is this weather going to give us a break! I don’t think I can remember a School Holiday period that has consisted of weather as bad as we have just had and unfortunately I think we are going to see this frustrating pattern continue for a little while yet.

From a fishing perspective, the amount of rain that we have had is far from ideal and has dramatically changed our waterways and fishing opportunities. Within the estuary, the main challenge for anglers is finding the areas holding ‘clean’ (or should that be Green) water, fishing the incoming and top of the tide is all but essential now. While there is still the odd Flathead about, catches have been dominated by three species: Bream, Luderick and Tailor.

If there is one species that doesn’t mind a bit of rain it’s the good old Bream, particularly at this time of the year when they are already congregating throughout the bottom of the estuary. We have seen some amazing fish caught from down around the rock walls and in and around ‘The Paddock’, fish up around the 40cm mark have been relatively common and they are all in really good condition as they have been gorging themselves on all the bits of food that have been flushed out with the rain. The easiest way to chase some Bream right now is to drift some lightly weighted (or unweighted) baits down along the rocks or Oyster Leases and hold on. With the water clarity remaining very poor, leader size doesn’t seem to matter so much so it may be worth thinking about fishing up around 10lb or even heavier to improve your chances of landing that fish of a lifetime!

Local Luderick anglers have been amazed at how quickly these fish have bounced back after the heavy rains that we have experienced over the last two weeks. Breckenridge Channel, ‘The Paddock’ and the rock walls are all holding great numbers of big ‘Bronzies’ which can be caught with relative ease throughout the top of the tide. The fish are taking any green weed offerings as well as artificial weed flies however the bite stops very quickly as soon as the dirty run off water makes its way down the river on the run out tide.

Fishing the stones has been very productive of late with all the typical Winter species on offer. Fishing the washes with Cunjevoi, Prawns, Crabs or even Bread has been producing some nice catches of Drummer, Bream, Luderick and Groper. There are plenty of solid Tailor also sitting in and around the wash zone as well as the odd small Kingfish.

Local beaches have continued to fish well this week and most stretches of sand are producing good catches of Tailor and Bream along with the odd Salmon and Mulloway.

Getting offshore has not been an easy task lately however there has been a few windows of opportunity mixed in with the rough conditions and those anglers that have managed to sneak out have generally been rewarded with some consistent fishing. The better fish still seem to be coming from the deeper inshore reefs (40-70m) which seem to be holding plenty of Snapper up to about 70cm along with some nice Trag and Pigfish. Unfortunately, there has been the odd report of the dreaded Leatherjackets turning up which can make fishing these deeper reefs a bit tricky! Now that we are on the back of the full moon that we had on Thursday there should be a huge improvement in on the shallow grounds, we just need the weather to hold out long enough for boats to get out there and check them out.

The forecast is looking great for the next couple of days so get out there and enjoy some great fishing before we get hit with the next round of bad weather!

July 1, 2022

Unfortunately, it looks like we are going to have a bit of a wet start to the school holidays, with a bit of luck we should see some much nicer weather from about next Wednesday on. On a positive note, the fishing has been relatively productive for most anglers this week and there are plenty of options out there waiting for you!

Wallis Lake is holding some great fish at the moment and we have had good reports filtering through from all over the place. Luderick have schooled up in very good numbers along the southern rock wall and throughout most Oyster Leases down the bottom of the system, there’s also a few nice fish starting to head up Breckenridge Channel now which may be worth a look if you don’t like to fish on the rock walls. Finding weed has been a challenge, however the fish will readily take an artificial weed offering, particularly if they are sitting in a spot that sees a good amount of current.

Bream reports have all been centred about the lower reaches of the estuary this week with some very healthy fish being landed from down around the Fish Co-op and along the rock walls. The moorings and cleaning tables situated down along Point Rd have also been holding some absolute monsters and if you don’t mind getting your feet wet, walking over to Turn Island is always a good option. As is always the case, those anglers that fish the lightest in line weight and sinker weight are the anglers that usually see the most action!

Moving up the system a little, those anglers who have focussed their attention on the flats and drop-offs around Coomba Park, Regatta Island and The Cut have found good numbers of Flathead up to about 70cm as well as the odd Bream, Snapper and small Mulloway. Interestingly, there have still been plenty of ‘Lizards’ sitting down towards the mouth as well so don’t be surprised if you see the odd one while you are chasing a bag of Bream.

Local beaches have been amazing to fish this week, the lack of swell has made the Tailor fishing a little harder but there are still loads of fish about and you will find fish on just about any beach. I have not seen any really big fish this week and the average size has possibly decreased a little but most fish are still in the tasty 35-45cm range and they are in great condition. If you manage to get a bait to the bottom or switch to soaking a Worm or Pipi, there have been some nice Whiting, Bream and Flathead on the beaches down south and you just never know when a Mulloway may be cruising past!

With relatively calm seas prevailing for much of the week, finding a decent bit of wash to fish off the stones has been hard but there has still been the odd Drummer and Groper getting about and the coming swell over the next few days should really fire these fish up. Throwing lures about off the headlands has been a great way of chasing some bigger Tailor and there has been the odd Kingfish about which can be a bit of a handful on the Tailor gear!

Getting offshore has definitely been worth it this week, reefs out in 45-70m have been producing some great catches of Trag and Snapper along with the odd Pigfish and Pearl Perch. Flathead have been holding in good numbers just off the reefs out wider and there have been some really good sized fish in the mix. Unfortunately the shallow grounds up north have not been overly productive, those boats that have managed to score a feed on reefs in 20m or less have had to exercise a lot of patience and use a good amount of burley to get the fish going. Heading the other way and making the long trek down to Seal Rocks has been fruitful this week with some nice Kingfish and Snapper coming from in close, if you are keen to chase some quality Kings on stickbaits, right now is the time to get down there to chase them.

June 17, 2022

It’s so nice to be writing a report after so many consecutive days of near perfect Winter weather, while the mornings have been super chilly, the days have been clear and sunny which has seen a lot of people hitting the water to chase a few fish.

The estuary continues to fish really well. This week has seen a noticeable increase in the number of Luderick settling back in the system, the rock walls, Oyster Leases you can see from the bridge, Breckenridge Channel, and the shoreline up around Wallis Island have all been absolutely stacked with fish and there are some brutes sitting within the schools. The fish are not too fussy and are taking a variety of weed baits as well as the ever-reliable wed flies.

Bream have been interesting this week, while the majority of fish are still very much hugging the structure situated down around the mouth of the estuary, there are quite a lot of fish sitting back up in the rivers. These fish seem to be a bit on the skinny side which may indicate that they were fish that ‘ran’ out to sea during the flooding rain that we had earlier in the year.

If you are chasing a feed of tasty Flatties this time of the year is perfect for it providing you have a boat. While the Bream all move down towards the mouth of the estuary, the mighty Flathead do the opposite and move up into the ‘middle’ and upper areas of the system. The Wallamba River is holding loads of nice table fish with the odd one there up to about 70cm, you will find them fairly easily on most drop offs and deep bends of the river and they can be fooled easily with a 3”-4” Paddle Tailed Soft Plastic or Vibe style lure. There have also been great numbers of fish in around The Cut and up around Regatta Island, I would also say that the Cooloongolook River is fishing well for them too.

 The local beaches saw a bit of solid swell over last weekend which made it very difficult to fish, however now that the sea has settled the fishing has really kicked back into gear quite nicely. Tailor remain the stand out species and can be found on just about every beach in the area, the fish are incredibly healthy this year and most fish seem to be between 35-55cm which are perfect for the table. 7 Mile and Diamond Beaches have produced a lot of small school Mulloway which is great to see, hopefully we can look after these majestic fish a bit better over the coming years than we have in the past! The surprise this week off the beaches has been the amount of solid Flathead that have been caught, Flathead are definitely not what we would expect to see coming from the surf beaches in Winter and to hear of 50-70cm fish is just weird!

Reports from the stones have not been in abundance this week however those anglers that have hit the ledges on the backside of the swell that was about earlier in the week have managed to find some nice Drummer. Bream and Luderick are also still hiding in the washes in good numbers and for those casting lures or floating pilchards, there are some cracking Tailor cruising about.

Offshore fishing has not been the easiest form of angling this week. A full moon coinciding with unsettled seas kept a lot of boats at home and those that have headed out have definitely had to work for the fish. Snapper are about in decent numbers up north on reefs sitting in 25-60m however most fish are only small with not many fish over about 1.5kg hitting the decks. The same reefs are holding loads of Trag of an evening and the average size of fish is pretty good for those wishing to get an easy, tasty feed. One species that doesn’t seem to be too affected by the moon is the mighty Kingfish, we are seeing more and more reports of these hard fighting fish coming from the inshore reefs of late and they should only get better as we move through Winter and into Spring.

June 2, 2022

What a wild, Wintery week we have had here in the Great Lakes area! The freezing cold wind has made it very difficult to get out for a fish and anglers have really had to pick their spots and target species carefully.

With the windy conditions anglers keen to fish the estuary have had to stick to the more protected areas, even then it has not been all that nice out on the lake. Luckily there are loads of Bream schooling up down around the mouth as they start to go through their annual spawning routine. Throwing small soft plastics or lightly weighted baits down along the rock walls is a sure-fire way of finding some great fish and you can expect to see plenty of by catch mixed in including Flathead, Luderick, Tailor, Salmon and Trevally.

Luderick numbers have been good again this week down along the rock walls and Fish Co-op, the recent cool weather should really kick these fish into gear and it won’t be long until the schools of big ‘Bronzies’ come in.

Once again Flathead catches have been very good for those anglers still targeting them. Fish sitting down towards the mouth of the estuary are still quite active, Glenn from Yep I’m On Fishing had a ball throwing surface lures about last weekend, he landed loads of fish which were all very healthy and of a cracking size. There are also plenty of fish making their way up into the tributaries now, small soft plastics and vibe style lures are working very well on these fish which are schooled up in good numbers up around Regatta Island, Coomba Park, up the Cooloongolook River and throughout the Wallamba River.

Local beaches continue to tick along nicely, unfortunately 7 Mile seems to have slowed up a little on the Tailor front but it did produce a very nice Mulloway earlier in the week as well as plenty of big fat Bream. 9 Mile and Cellito Beaches are holding great numbers of Tailor and the fish are super chunky and most are up over 45cm.

Most rock fishermen have now well and truly moved out of warm water pelagic mode and have instead begun to focus on the typical Winter species of Drummer, Luderick, Bream and Tailor. The ledges down south have been producing loads of solid Tailor up to 75cm, the fish are taking just about any lure type but throwing larger poppers and stick baits seems to be bringing the better fish undone.

Reports from offshore have been somewhat thin on the ground this week and for good reason, that westerly wind has been absolutely brutal and we did have a bit of a sea on out there for a few days which made for very uncomfortable conditions. Those brave anglers that have managed to push out have definitely found some good numbers of Snapper on the shallow grounds up north, there is the odd big fish among them but most schools seem to be consisting of beautiful eating fish up to about 2kg. I only received one report from out a bit wider and while that boat did manage a few Trag and Flathead they said that they came back in close fairly quickly because of the strong westerly winds. The next week or so looks promising from a weather point of view so we should have a much better understanding of what’s going on out there by this time next week hopefully.

May 20, 2022

Most of this week has consisted of sublime Autumn weather, unfortunately that has now deteriorated into some cold and wet conditions which are forecast to hang about for most of the coming week. Luckily, for those anglers keen to rug up and whack on the rainwear there are some fantastic fish about out there waiting to be caught!

The estuary is always fun to fish during Autumn, absolutely anything is possible and every species you can think of is on offer. Bream continue to fish well throughout the bottom of the system, we did see a bit of a lull during the full moon period that we just passed through but the fish are well and truly back on the bite again now. The weedbeds further up into the lake have been a bit of a surprise package of late, there have been some really nice fish up there hammering small soft plastics and shallow cranks with the odd fish up over the 40cm mark and plenty of mid to high 30’s.

Flathead just keep on keeping on and they are a great species to target over a full moon as it doesn’t seem to affect them in the same way that it does other species. Anglers fishing up the Wallamba River have had a ball this week, the fish are loving 3-4” soft plastic lures with the Keitech Easy Shiners proving to be unbeatable! There have also been good numbers in around The Cut and up around Regatta Island, and for those fisho’s keen to fish surface, a few anglers have still been managing to entice the big girls that hang down around The Paddock into launching out of the water as they belt bent minnow and stick bait style lures.

The local Luderick fishing is slowly simmering away and seems to be getting better by the week, while the huge numbers of ocean run fish are yet to come in and settle on the rock walls, there are still decent numbers of fish hanging about. The fish are taking most offerings at the moment and if you are struggling to find weed or cabbage, imitation weed flies are working great as well.

Local beaches struggled a little over the full moon but have started to produce again over the last couple of days. Tailor are about in great numbers on most of the major beaches, you may have to move about to find the best gutters but once you find the schools there are some great fish on offer. Sitting under the Tailor have been some chunky Bream and if you can find some good water in the corners of the beaches down south you may even hook into a few hard pulling Black Drummer or Luderick.

The rocks have been fishing great over the past week. There are loads of fish cruising up and down the coast now and the washes have been holding some great Drummer, Bream, Luderick and Tailor. We did see a couple of nice Longtail Tuna landed through the week and anglers have been seeing plenty of action out a bit wider (often just out of casting distance!) so you never know what may come along if you decide to soak a livebait or two.

We have been lucky this week to have had some great conditions for heading offshore. The local Snapper have been somewhat patchy (particularly over the full moon) but there have been some really nice fish getting about in the shallows for those anglers keen to put in the time, finding a decent show of bait is the key, like always if you can find the food you will find the predators! The wider reefs have been a little bit flat this week, plenty of small Snapper have been on offer but that has been about it. Now that the moon has started to wane, the fishing will kick back in out there and while the weather may be a bit wet for the weekend, Sunday should produce a few fish I think.

May 6, 2022

The estuary is fishing very well at the moment and has really shown that it has entered into its ‘Winter’ season now. For anglers, those of us that are keen on sticking down around the mouth of the system need to start thinking about chasing species such as Bream and Luderick (and possibly even Trevally, Mulloway and Kingfish) as these species continue to stack up and grow in numbers along the rock walls, bridge pylons and through the Oyster Leases. Luderick are starting to fish quite well down around the Fish Co-op and on Tuncurry breakwall, numbers are steadily on the rise and there are some very nice fish among them and they seem to be taking any weed or weed fly offering.

Flathead are still a reliable target within the estuary despite the change in seasons, those anglers that have moved a little way up into the system are finding really good numbers of fish and the average size is still great with plenty of fish up between 50-70cm. 3-4” Soft Plastics and Soft Vibes are working wonders out there with areas such as the Wallamba River, Regatta Island, The Cut and Wallis Island all worth checking out.

Surf fishermen are enjoying some great fishing at the moment, there are some great Bream and Tailor hanging about on most beaches. The sandy stretches to the south are definitely holding the bigger Tailor with anglers throwing larger stickbaits and poppers finding most of the better-quality fish.  

The local stones have seen a fair bit of activity over the last week and most anglers have found a bit of a mixed bag out there waiting for them. For the land based game enthusiasts, Longtail Tuna and Cobia are absolutely still about however the reports are very few and far between so expect to put some long hard days in if you want to get results. Throwing lures can be a very productive way to fish the rocks at this time of the year, there are nearly always Tailor, Salmon, Bonito, Mack Tuna and the odd Kingfish cruising about. Soaking a slab bait, piece of crab or Cunji can be a rewarding way to pass the time on the rocks as the weather cools and there have already been some great sessions on the ‘bread and butter’ specialties that are Drummer, Bream and Luderick.

Heading offshore over the past week has been productive for most boats, particularly those choosing to head north. The shallow grounds fished really good early in the week but seem to have become a little tough over the last couple of days with a very short bite window revolving about the low light hours. A little further out, reefs in 40-60m are holding good numbers of Trag (even in the daytime), the odd Pearl Perch and plenty of pan-sized Snapper.

We are still seeing a flutter of pelagic action for some lucky anglers with some cracking Spanish and Spotted Mackerel being landed along with the odd Cobia, however the bites are very few and far between and with news today of cooler water temps the fishing will only get harder for these warm water loving species….

April 29, 2022

It just seems crazy to think that Easter has come and gone and that we are not heading into May already! The good news is that our awesome Winter fishing season is about to really kick off in earnest which means lots of big Blue Nosed Bream, stonking Snapper and Black Drummer!

Wallis Lake continues to feel the effects of the seemingly endless rain event that we have endured over the past few months, despite the colour in the water, the fishing is still cruising along fairly nicely. Bream numbers are beginning to really stack up throughout the bottom of the system with some great fish caught this week from the rock walls and down around the bridge. If you really want to target these big, smart fish there are a few simple things that you need to remember. Firstly, the lighter you can fish in both line weight and sinker size will have a huge impact on how many fish you catch. Fishing a nice light line translates to more hits for one very simple reason, its thinner and harder for the fish to see, the downside of going thinner and lighter is that it is a lot harder to pull the fish out from the gnarly structure that they love to hang about! Finding the happy medium between bites and bust offs is the trick and this will vary from angler to angler but you will definitely see those anglers using 4-8lb leaders hooking many more fish than those fishing 10lb and up… Secondly, presentation is key. Whether you are fishing bait or lure, your presentations have to look ‘natural’, these fish are insanely smart and if they can see too much hook hanging out of your bait or if your soft plastic isn’t quite swimming right they won’t even think about eating it!

Flathead reports have been somewhat varied this week, a handful of anglers are still targeting fish down around the bridge and rock walls and they all reported the same thing this week, the fish are there in great numbers but they are just not as active as they have been up until now. Even anglers that have pitched live baits in front of these big girls have not been able to get many eats, unfortunately this trend is set to continue as we head into winter…. For numbers, there are a lot more fish sitting further up in the system, areas such as ‘The Cut’, in around Lani’s, Regatta Island and even up as far as Minimbah upriver are all holding great numbers of fish with plenty of legal sized fish among them!

Beach reports have been consistent this week; Bream and Tailor! Most beaches have been producing both species in decent numbers and there are some absolute horses about on the Tailor front for those wishing to hit the sand early.

Reports form the stones have been very quiet this week. There are some great Bream and Tailor cruising the wash zones along with the odd Kingfish. Those chasing Pelagics have not seen a great deal of action apart from the good old Mack Tuna and Bonito, with the number of sharks that have been spotted from the ledges it’s probably a good thing that no Longtail or Cobia have been hooked as I am almost certain that they wouldn’t have been landed anyway!

We scored some great weather to head offshore this week, reports coming back in have left a bit to be desired for most, however there is definitely some quality fishing on offer out there. Those anglers that fared best were those that chose to ignore the temptation to chase a pelagic instead choosing to focus on Snapper in the shallows. The shoals up north and the inshore reefs down around Seal Rocks/Pacific Palms have been producing some particularly red hot sessions with loads of big 70-90cm fish being landed and many more that just couldn’t be stopped! The fish seem to be taking just about anything but small jigs and soft plastics have proven to be particularly effective.

Boats that stuck to their guns and headed out in pursuit of pelagics did have some success with some nice Spanish and Spotted Mackerel landed as well as plenty of Cobia landed over the weekend, however the hits were few and far between which made for some very long days on the water!

April 15, 2022

The Easter long weekend is always a big one for anglers on the mid north coast of NSW, not only are we all eager to get out on the water to see if we can provide a great feed of fish for our families on Good Friday, but anglers are also super keen to get out to make the most of what is one of the best times of the year for fishing. 

Holiday makers that are used to turning up to the Forster/Tuncurry area and being greeted by glistening blue water have been somewhat reluctant to hit the estuary for a fish due to the seemingly never-ending flow of brown, dirty water that has taken over Wallis Lake as a result of the recent rainfall. However, their confidence has been quickly boosted once they get one session under their belt as the Flathead and Bream fishing has been very good.

Flathead just keep on delivering, particularly throughout the lower sections of the system. Drifting with baits of Mullet, Bonito or Whitebait is working well however those anglers flicking artificial offerings about have been catching the majority of the fish. As far as where to fish, absolutely anywhere is the easiest answer as we have had some great reports coming from most corners of the system, for numbers of fish it’s hard to go past areas such as ‘The Cut’ or up around Regatta Island while the better sized fish (and there has been loads up over 70cm this week) have all been coming from down closer to the mouth…

With the full moon shining bright over the next few days we can expect the Bream to go a little quiet until probably about Wednesday next week, the better fishing will be of an evening as the fish take full advantage of the moonlight. The Oyster Leases, Bridge Pylons and rock walls down closer to the mouth of the estuary have all been holding some really good fish which have been eager to smash just about any bait offerings with Mullet, Bonito, Whitebait and Chicken proving to be particularly effective!

Hitting the sand has not been an easy task for much of this week, with the persistent swell that we had lingering about the sweep on most beaches was just too strong. Those that managed to find a sheltered, fishable area still found plenty of fish with some great mixed bags on offer consisting of Tailor, Bream, Whiting and Salmon. The forecast is looking much nicer for the weekend, it should be perfect for hitting the sand for a play on the beaches!

The local rock ledges have been frustrating this week, the swell made fishing very difficult and somewhat dangerous on most days. There are still some great Cobia and Kingfish getting about as well as big Tailor, Mack Tuna and the odd Longtail. Hopefully the weather stays calm and clear for a little while now so we can all have a proper go at finding some consistency!

There are plenty of fish offshore at the moment, the hardest thing this week has been waiting for the seas to calm enough to get out! Those that fished early in the week up north had an absolute ball on big Snapper in the shallows, I’m not sure I have heard of so many ‘unstoppable’ fish being hooked in single sessions. There were also some very nice Cobia landed by anglers fishing live baits along with the odd Spotted Mackerel. Unfortunately, the situation with the Mackerel remains a bit funny, there are definitely fish about but at the moment they are not playing ball with only a few fish caught over the week. I think we will see things improve over the next week or so if we can hold onto some decent weather and no more rain!!!

April 8, 2022

Once again we are heading into the weekend with our local weather being dominated by clouds, rain and wind, I can’t remember a period in my life that has consisted of such a long stretch of unsettled, wet weather! Luckily we have not experienced anywhere near the amount of rain that those to the north and south of us have and our local waterways are very resilient and will often remain super productive no matter how ‘dirty’ or ‘fresh’ the water is.

Estuary fishermen are still managing to find plenty of fish to chase out on Wallis Lake. Bream reports remain very good throughout the bottom of the system with the rock walls producing some particularly good fish over each high tide. Strip baits of Mullet or Bonito are working great as are the good old whole Whitebait, remember to fish as light as you can in sinker weight and it’s a good idea to run your sinker straight down to the hook when fishing in rocky areas as it tends to be a bit less ‘snaggy’….. It was also good to see a few better fish from a little further up on Thursday, there hasn’t been much action at all up on the weed beds and in the rivers since the rain started falling!

Flathead just keep on keeping on! I always find it amazing to hear the variety of Flathead reports that come through during the Autumn months. In a single day I often hear ‘I have been fishing for Flathead for 3 days and have not seen a single fish’ along with ‘how amazing are the Flatties out there, I must have caught 50 over the past two days!’ Trying to figure out why there is such a big difference in anglers’ outcomes is often puzzling but there’s definitely a couple of things that stand out. The more successful anglers outside of the Summer months will often be lure fishing using lightweight rods and braid which translates into a method of fishing that does two things; firstly these anglers are actively searching about for fish that are ‘switched on’ and ready to feed and secondly they are fishing with lures that have been specifically designed to grab the attention of fish by mimicking a baitfish or prawn as opposed to a motionless, dead bit of bait. The other big thing to think about, particularly at the moment, is trying to figure out when to go Flathead fishing. Often when there is a significant amount of dirty water pushing down through the estuary you will find that your efforts are much better spent fishing on the rising and high tide when the water is clean, warm and somewhat clearer rather than the last of the run out tide (which is often thought of as ‘the best tide’ for Flathead) which will be dirty and cold. Getting the small things right will nearly always be the difference in having a great day filled with fish or a long day of not much action so if you are hitting the water doing the same things each trip for not many fish take a step back and try to figure out what could be done differently…..

Despite the unsettled weather, beach reports have been very good this week. While I have had reports from all over the coast, the best action has definitely been down south with 7 Mile Beach producing some particularly good sessions. Most anglers have been finding mixed bags of fish consisting of Salmon, Tailor, Bream, Whiting and even the odd Luderick! The Whiting that have been hitting the sand have been of a very good size and nearly all of them are in great condition with anglers struggling to get their hands around the bigger 40cm models.

Reports from the stones have been fairly consistent but the fishing has been a little bit quieter than we would normally expect at this time of the year due to the weather and a distinct lack of baitfish sitting in close. Despite this there have been some cracking Tailor, Kingfish up to about 14kg, Mack Tuna, Cobia and the odd Longtail Tuna getting about. Soaking a bait for a Bream, Drummer, Snapper or Luderick is also a real option now with some great wash areas persisting up and down the coast.

The local offshore fishing has been an absolute basket case this week with some boats heading out and finding loads of quality fish while others have put in long days for one or two fish! One thing that has really stood out is that those anglers that have decided to head south have had a lot more success than those that have headed north. The shallow grounds down south are holding some great Kingfish up to 18kg as well as plenty of solid Snapper. Unfortunately, any reefs wider than about 35/40m have been belted with current which have made it all but unfishable.

Boats heading north in search of a Mackerel have really done the hard yards this week, the biggest hurdle has been finding some Slimy Mackerel for bait, these little buggers have been as rare as hens’ teeth over the past month or so! If you do manage to find a bait or two, be prepared for a long day of slow trolling, the fish are definitely up there but the bites are super inconsistent….

March 25, 2022

After a very mixed up week of weather we are unfortunately once again heading into what could potentially be a rather wet weekend, I think it’s safe to say that we have had enough rain for a while now!!! Thankfully the fish don’t mind the rain and with a bit of luck the wind might behave itself enough to let us get out to wet a line.

Wallis Lake continues to tick along very nicely and is doing all the right things for this time of the year. The local Flathead are still biting well for most anglers and can be found relatively easily throughout most of the system, places such as The Cut, The Paddock, Breckenridge Channel and down around the bridge and rock walls are all fishing particularly well. One thing that anglers are reporting is the amount of smaller fish that are about now, you are definitely having to fish through the numbers to find the bigger models! 3” Soft Plastics and soft vibes are proving to be particularly effective for the lure fishermen while those that prefer bait are loving the live (or dead) Herring, White Bait and Mullet Strips.

This years’ Bream season is shaping up to be an absolute cracker! We are already seeing great numbers of big healthy fish schooling up throughout the lower reaches of the system. The Bridge Pylons, Oyster Leases and Rock Walls are all holding solid numbers of fish that are in great condition. Fooling these wily old Bream isn’t always easy, however these fish are in ‘pre-spawn’ mode and are only thinking of gaining as much weight as they can before they embark on their annual spawning run over the next couple of months, for anglers this is great news as it means the fish are much more likely to take your bait or lure. Floating lightly weighted baits of Mullet, Bonito, Pilchard, Whitebait, Herring or just about any other bait you would like to try down along the rock walls or into an Oyster Lease is dead easy and will likely result in a very nice bag of fish.

I have heard of a few Luderick also starting to school up down along the rock walls, even though it is still a bit early in the season, you can definitely have a go at chasing a few of these great table fish now with Cabbage Weed seeming to work better than anything else for now.

Our local beaches have been fishing well this week, there are some very nice Tailor getting about as well as Bonito, Bream, Whiting and Flathead. Unfortunately, there has been a bit of weed sitting on the southern end of 9 Mile Beach which has been a bit annoying but all of the other beaches to the North or South are nice and clean and have some great gutters formed up.

 It’s that time of the year on the local rocks, absolutely anything is possible! Throwing lures, soaking live baits (if you can get them) or floating slab baits or Cunjevoi in the washes will all produce fish ranging from the mighty Black Marlin or hard pulling Kingfish through to a big Snapper or Black Drummer. If you are heading out onto the rocks please be kind to each other and our environment. No one owns the ledges or the fish, please only kill/keep what you need (don’t kill fish for no reason!!!) and PLEASE TAKE YOUR RUBBISH!

Like the local Rock fishing scene, the offshore fishing is amazing at this time of the year. The Snapper fishing over the past few weeks has been insane, even over the recent full moon period anglers were still experiencing some crazy sessions consisting of some truly massive fish up to about 90cm. Most reefs seem to be fishing ok out to about 65m however the shallow stuff has been particularly fun!

On the pelagic front things are pretty much doing what they should be! There have been some cracking Cobia, Mackerel and Kingfish cruising about the shallow reefs while the FAD is holding some great Mahi Mahi and the odd legal Kingfish.

March 18, 2022

It has been so nice to have a full week of good weather, apart from a bit of swell over Thursday, the days have been about as close as you can get to perfect for this time of the year. Local waters are still very much in a state of recovery and conditions are clearing and improving with each passing day, luckily the local fishing has not been impacted too severely and plenty of fish are about and being caught!

The Estuary fishing continues to tick along very nicely. The biggest thing now when hitting Wallis Lake for a fish is to follow that clean water. Fishing around the top of the tide through to about ¾ of the run out tide will give you the best shot at finding the Flathead and Bream, both of these species have been the standout targets by a mile and the better fish are still schooled up very heavily in and around any structure sitting to the east of Wallis Island. Bream have been particularly hungry, just about any lightly weighted bait offering or small soft plastic has been absolutely smashed when cast in and around areas such as The Paddock (or just about any other Oyster Lease) or down along the rock walls. The Tuncurry rock wall has been producing some particularly solid fish this week with one angler managing to land a beastly 53cm fish which fell for a good old strip of Mullet!

I am really happy to report some great bags of Whiting this week. Huge schools of Sand Whiting have been spotted sitting on the sand flats downstream from the bridge, the area in and around the rockpool has been absolutely stacked with big bronze sandies which is really cool to see but remember that this area is a no-go area when it comes to wetting a line! These fish are nice and active and have been happy to gobble up baits of Beach Worms, Yabbies and even synthetic Gulp Worm baits.

The mouth of the estuary has been a popular place for both land based and boating anglers this week as they take advantage of healthy numbers of hungry Mulloway. There is a real mix of sizes schooled up along the walls at the moment with most fish ranging from about 40cm through to 120cm or so. When these fish school up in these sorts of numbers, under these kind of ‘flood’ conditions they are often relatively easy to catch and can be caught on live or dead baits as well as a huge variety of hard and soft lures. If you are going to target these amazing fish PLEASE TAKE THE TIME TO LEARN THE REGULATIONS REGARDING MINIMUM SIZE AND BAG LIMITS! These fish are very special and if we are to keep enjoying them for generations to come we need to look after them, to see anglers keeping undersized fish or more than their one fish limit is absolutely infuriating!!!

There has been a real buzz about the local rock ledges over the past couple of weeks as anglers have been anticipating some red-hot action following the recent rainfall. Finally the fish have delivered and we have seen some great Cobia and Tuna action this week. Finding and catching bait is still difficult particularly given the huge numbers of Tailor and small Kingfish just waiting to smash your bait jigs or any baitfish that decides to get hooked! The bit of swell that we had earlier in the week made for perfect conditions to chase some big Bream and there has been the odd early season Drummer sneaking about as well. The rocks down south have been worth exploring early and late in the day, a few dedicated anglers have been landing some very nice land based Snapper up to about 4kg.

Our local beaches have really kicked back into gear this week. Most stretches of sand have settled down nicely now and there are loads of nice deep gutters to explore. Most anglers have managed to get some very healthy mixed bags or Bream, Whiting, Flathead and Tailor. Those anglers that have put in the time have found the odd Mulloway up to about 12kgs however the Tailor have been painful for anyone using live baits or cut fish baits so it may be worth soaking some Beach Worms as an alternative.

Offshore fishing is well and truly back on! Our inshore waters are still improving but have really cleaned up considerably this week. The Snapper fishing has been amazing with lots of solid fish getting about, it hasn’t mattered this week if you are fishing up north, down south or out the front, it seems just about every reef has been holding fish. The deeper reefs are also producing the odd Trag and Pearl Perch and if you happen to drift off onto the soft stuff there have been plenty of tasty Flathead waiting for you.

The pelagic scene is still very much in a state of rebound, however hearing today that the water is considerably clearer than it has been all week and up over 24 Degrees makes me think that we are back to something close to ‘normal’. Cobia, Tuna, Kingfish and Mackerel are all a possibility on the inshore reefs now and I wouldn’t be surprised if there’s the odd Marlin cruising about down south.

March 11, 2022

The local fishing scene is always very interesting after a significant rain event. We are very lucky here in that we don’t have a huge catchment made up of any really big rivers, our flood events are nearly always minor and our water quality very rarely deteriorates to a point where there are no fishing options.

Fishing the estuary after large amounts of rain can be a bit of a frustrating experience, however, if you can follow/find areas of cleaner water and focus your efforts on the lower reaches (down towards the mouth) of the system you should find plenty of hungry fish waiting to smash your baits or lures. Flathead have continued to fish well throughout the rain event, there were a handful of days during the worst of it which saw the bite slow a little but even on those days anglers soaking live baits in the torrential rain still managed to land some cracking fish! There will be a decent amount of fresh water coming down out of the rivers with each run out tide for a few days yet, however the water quality is definitely on the improve and we are hearing of fish being caught again back up the system. The back of Wallis Island, Regatta Island, ‘The Cut’ and the areas down around Point Road have all started to kick back into gear and have been smashing 3” soft plastics and small vibes.

It’s no secret that Bream don’t mind a bit of a fresh, particularly when it coincides with the beginning of their annual spawning migration. We would normally see Bream numbers steadily increase down towards the mouth of the estuary this month, the recent rainfall has only served to speed up the process and we are now seeing some absolutely awesome fish being caught from the rock walls, bridge pylons and Oyster Leases. By far the easiest way to target these hard pulling little brawlers is to fish a lightly weighted bait in and around structure, baits such as Mullet, Whitebait, Bonito and Herring will all work very well but remember the lighter you can fish in line weight and sinker weight, the more bites you will get!

We have had some great reports on the crab front this week, while the Blue Swimmers remain a bit quiet, there have been some cracking Muddies about with a few getting up over the 2kg mark!

There have not been too many anglers hitting the sand this week, things are still settling down from the recent swell and rain, so we are not expecting too much action on our beaches for a few days yet. However, the reports that have come through have been very promising with some nice Tailor and Bream getting about.

The local rocks have been somewhat treacherous for much of the past week, rain and big swells have kept most anglers at home. Those that have braved the conditions have found loads of action all over the place with most ledges producing plenty of Bonito, Mack Tuna and Tailor. Live baits have been hard to find but well worth the effort with some reports of better fish starting to come through.

Once again reports from offshore over the past week are a bit thin on the ground. A handful of boats managed to get out over last weekend and they all found some good fish. The FAD is holding some great Mahi Mahi and legal Kingfish and most reefs are holding decent numbers of Snapper up to about 5kg. Unfortunately we have not had any pelagic reports for the week, it will be very interesting to see how much the recent weather has affected the water quality and what is getting about out there, the Mackerel fishing after the flood last year was fantastic so I think we are all crossing our fingers….

February 25, 2022

It would seem our amazing run of weather has finally come to an end with some very solid rain falling through the week and unfortunately its forecast to continue for at least another week. It will be interesting to see what impact the fresh will have on our inshore and estuarine water, hopefully things stay nice and fishy but we might have to deal with a few quiet days while we wait for it all to settle back down again.

The estuary has been fishing really well and should continue to do so despite the rain we have had, often the key to successfully finding fish when the estuary is going through a ‘fresh’ is to follow the incoming tide and the clear, ocean water that comes with it. Avoiding the tributaries is a good idea and you will find that Breckenridge Channel and the southern parts of the system will stay clean for a lot longer than the northern areas.

Flathead won’t mind a bit of dirty water, ‘The Paddock’ and the rock walls have all been fishing really well this week and will continue to do so on each outgoing tide. At the moment, using live Herring is a very easy way of chasing some quality fish as you can find plenty of these awesome little baitfish throughout the bottom sections of the estuary on each low tide. Jigging a dozen Herring takes no time at all and you will easily convert most of them into a nice Flathead, monster Bream or possibly even a Mulloway!

Sand Whiting have been really good lately and providing we don’t get too much more heavy rain they should continue to fire up on each high tide. The flats in and around The Paddock and up around Lani’s have been great options but you can find them on just about any shallow sand flat at the moment. Trumpeter Whiting have also been fishing well, they have definitely thinned out a little and the better schools have migrated a fair way downstream so you may have to search about to find the fish but once you find a patch you will get a great little feed in no time at all.

Bream reports have been great this week with some absolute beasts taking live baits down along the rock walls. You know it’s a solid Bream when it’s eaten a whole herring and hooked up on a 6/0 hook! The current weather and the forecast rain that is on the way should only increase the numbers of fish sitting in the bottom sections of the system and will probably kick off their annual migration down the estuary as they prepare to spawn.

Unfortunately, I have not too much to offer in the way of positive reports from the sand close to town, the beaches just don’t seem to have enough time between weather events to settle and start fishing well again. The beaches down around Seal Rocks have been fishing much better and are holding some nice Whiting, Bream and Mulloway which are all smashing locally caught Beach Worms.

The local rock ledges continue to sit in a state of limbo with not a lot to report on the pelagic front. There are some really nice Kingfish haunting the rocks down south and reports of the odd silver speedster are starting to come through albeit few and far between. Light spinning for Bonito and floating baits for Bream on the light stuff is a great option to pass the time and there’s plenty of both species sitting in the washes.

Offshore fishing has been a little hit and miss this week. Reefs out past about 50m had a fair bit of current hitting them for much of the week so they have been tough to fish. Those boats that persisted out wider did manage to get a decent bag of fish including Snapper, Pigfish, Pearl Perch and Morwong however the boats that hit the shallows tended to find more success. There have been some really nice fish in the shallows this week with plenty of Snapper up around that 70-80cm mark being landed. Fishing early or late in the day has been a big factor in success but you will still find a few nice fish if you fish the daylight hours out in 20-35m.

We are yet to see any Mackerel action locally but it’s only a matter of time, hopefully the current weather situation doesn’t affect our inshore water quality too severely, a little bit of dirty water could be just what we need to kick things into gear! The FAD was producing some nice Mahi Mahi earlier in the week with plenty of fish up over the 1m mark landed, unfortunately reports over the past couple of days have been somewhat disappointing though with only a few smaller fish sitting out there. The good thing about these fish is that a fresh school of fish can pass by and settle on the FAD at any moment and it will fire up again shortly.

February 18, 2022

We are fast approaching a period on the fishing calendar that many anglers regard as the most exciting and productive for the whole year. The water is warm, food sources are abundant, and the fishing options and possibilities are almost endless! I absolutely love the next few months and can’t wait to see what piscatorial wonders turn up.

Wallis Lake is still fishing incredibly well for a multitude of species. Flathead are by far the most common catch at the moment, with both bait and lure anglers enjoying plenty of action this week. Fishing live baits is a fun and productive way of fooling a great bag of Flathead, the estuary is alive with live bait options right now with Herring being particularly plentiful and very easy to gather. Hitting the channels and drop offs down around the bridge, rock walls or Oyster Leases down around ‘The Paddock’ should see you converting just about all your live baits into nice 40-75cm fish with the possibility of running into something much larger more than likely! If gathering live bait is not an option, there have been plenty of fish caught this week on Mullet Strips, Bonito, Pilchards, Whitebait and Beach Worms.

While bait fishing is a heap of fun, by far the most productive way to target a feed of Flathead is to cover a bit of ground casting lures about. Grub or wriggler style soft plastics have been particularly effective this week, 4-6 inch plastics with a seductive wiggle seem to be fooling a much better sized average fish than other types of lures. The fish are far from fussy though and will eat just about anything you drag past their nose.

Trumpeter Whiting are fishing well at the moment and can be found all over the Lake, the usual haunts up around Lanis and the Duck Pond are both producing fish but there are also plenty sitting further downstream around ‘The Wires’ and even as far as ‘The Paddock’. Their larger relative the Sand Whiting has also been very active this week. Fishing earlier in the week we had some great fun chasing them on surface lures with small stickbaits proving to be especially effective. While we didn’t manage to land any really big fish, most fish were well over 30cm and in great condition.

Unfortunately reports from the local beaches have been few and far between once again this week, the protected southern corners have been the only option for most anglers due to the unsettled sea conditions. Now that the ocean has calmed, hopefully some good fishing will return once the gutters form up and stabilise. We have a good moon this weekend for a bit of Mulloway searching so it will be interesting to see what pops up.

Our local rock platforms have been producing all sorts of fish this week. Those anglers keen to put in the time and dedicated to fishing the low light periods have been rewarded with some great land based Snapper up to about 4kg off the stones down south, fishing the washes with crabs and Cunji in the same areas has also been a great way to land a nice bag of Bream and the odd Black Drummer. As of yet, the land based game season has not kicked off in earnest, there are huge schools of bait getting about (including Garfish) and the water is nice and warm so anything could happen at any time!

Getting offshore this week has not been easy due to the weather, however those boats that have been lucky to get out have found plenty of nice fish. The FAD is fishing really well for Mahi Mahi with the average fish sitting at a much better size, while there are not many fish up over about 75cm, most fish have been legal this week. There are still a few Black Marlin sneaking about down south and the Mackerel season could kick off at any moment.

Snapper anglers are having a ball in the shallows up north, I would say the full moon may slow things down a little until the middle of next week, however this week has been very productive. Floating baits, casting plastics and vibes and even shallow water jigging have all been working well and most fish have been up over 45cm. Reefs out in 40-70m have still been delivering some nice mixed bags but you may need to move about a bit to find the fish…..

February 11, 2022

We have had another perfect week here in the Great Lakes with some very typical February weather hanging about which has been replaced by a nice cool southerly change as we head into the weekend. It was awesome to finally get the official announcement on Tuesday from the Minister for Agriculture that the Forster/Tuncurry area is set to benefit from the deployment of an artificial reef system later in the year, this announcement has come on the back of some very hard work from a handful of local anglers, well done to all of those involved and how exciting for the local angling community!

The estuary side of things continues to cruise along very nicely, however this week was slightly quieter than the last few, possibly due to the neap tides that we have had. Flathead are still being caught in great numbers all over the place. The better results have all come from up around Wallis Island, Regatta Island and The Cut, however if you are less concerned with numbers and more focused on size, stick to the flats and Oyster Leases down towards the mouth of the system. Covering ground casting soft plastics and soft vibes is by far the most productive method of chasing a few Flathead, for bait fishermen, a live Poddy Mullet or Herring will work wonders.

Bream are still about in good numbers in and around the Oyster Leases and rock walls down around the mouth of the estuary and they are taking just about any kind of lightly weighted bait you float down past them, further upstream the weed beds and rivers have been a little quieter, still holding enough fish to have fun but no where near the quality that we would expect for this time of the year.

Whiting reports have been few and far between this week, neap tides always offer a bit of a challenge to chasing these awesome fish on surface as they are definitely more active the higher the tides are and the more flow that there is moving across the flats. Bait fishermen have still managed to find more than enough for a feed though and you don’t need to go far from Tuncurry boat ramp to find them.

Land based game anglers are chomping at the bit to get into the pelagic action this year, the stage is set and all of the factors that influence the success of the season are looking good but the action is still very minimal. Intermittent periods of unsettled weather have made fishing the ledges difficult and often on the days that the water has been fishable, the bait has been insanely tough to gather. It should all kick in very soon though and it can all happen very quickly. There are still loads of small Kingfish and Tailor about to pass the time and both species can be an insane amount of fun on the light gear.

Local beaches have been a bit unsettled for much of the week and look to be a bit messy over the next few days however if you can find a bit of a protected spot in one of the southern corners (South One Mile, Booti Booti etc) you should be able to find some nice Bream, Whiting and Flathead.

Offshore fishing has been a bit of a mixed bag this week. The Marlin anglers are having an absolute ball at the moment with plenty of Black Marlin getting about, particularly down off Pacific Palms and Seal Rocks. The FAD is alive with huge schools of Mahi Mahi and Kingfish schooled up waiting to smash any baitfish that float their way. Most of the fish there are undersized but there seems to be more and more legal sized Mahi Mahi in the mix as the weeks go on, we are yet to see any real nice fish come through this year which is a little unusual.

The bottom fishing has been patchy this week, the current that was roaring south has definitely backed off now which is great news but the dead calm mornings have made it hard to get a decent drift! There have been more than enough mixed species out on the 40-70m grounds to fill the Esky with some really nice Pigfish mixed in with the Snapper, Trag, Morwong and Flathead. The shallow grounds are also fishing well for pan sized fish and there has been the odd monster hooked in amongst them. So far we are yet to see any action on the Mackerel front, the bait is there, the water is warm and now we wait…..with a bit of luck we will have plenty of drag smoking runs in the very near future!

February 4, 2022

We scored a really nice end to this years’ School Holidays, last weekend was as close to perfect as you can get! Great conditions persisted right up until Thursday but have since been replaced by wind and rain which has definitely slowed the fishing down.

Our estuary remains the most consistent of all options with loads of fish and fishing methods on offer. This week we have seen some great Bream action down around The Paddock and the rock walls, while it is a bit early to be seeing so many big fish sitting down this low in the system, it is a great sign of what should be a cracking Winter season. A lightly weighted bait of just about anything you want to try floated down along the rock wall or into an oyster lease is all but guaranteed to be inhaled by a solid Bream in no time at all!

The good old Flathead are still powering along, the lower reaches are still producing the better quality fish however areas further upstream such as The Cut, the back of Wallis Island and Regatta Island are holding huge numbers of 35-50cm fish. Soft plastics are by far the most effective method of fooling a few Flathead and if you are new to the lure fishing scene a 70-100mm curly tailed lure is super easy to use and not many Flathead can resist that wriggle!

The nice clear water that we have had pouring into the estuary with each high tide this week has been perfect for the local Sand Whiting and they have been schooled up in great numbers on the shallow sand flats waiting to belt any well-presented surface lure or bait that comes their way! Most fish have been around 25-30cm but there has been the odd model mixed in pushing the magic 40cm mark. If you are keen to chase the smaller, tastier Trumpeter Whiting there are still plenty about up around The Duck Pond and it may be worth checking the area down around Lani’s out as well.

Beach reports have been few and far between once again this week. The sandy stretches from Pacific Palms south to Seal Rocks have been holding some cracking Whiting and the odd Tailor. Closer to home, 7 Mile is fishing well for Whiting while 9 Mile in Tuncurry is fishing unusually well for Flathead and Bream (but very few legal Whiting).

Rock fishing anglers are really starting to get excited now. There is an amazing amount of bait schooled up along our coastline and we have some very nice warm water pushing in. Tuna, Mackerel and Marlin will all be chasing these schools of bait and it’s only a matter of time before anglers start to set their hooks into some quality fish. There have also been some solid Kingfish up to about 8-9kg and some really nice Tailor sitting off the ledges to the south.

Offshore fishing has been really good this week. There has been a huge amount of current roaring south out there so the reefs in 50-80m have been a bit hard to fish however those anglers that chose to fish shallow instead of battling the current found some red hot Snapper fishing. The reefs to the north seem to be fishing particularly good with a lot of bigger fish landed, the biggest I heard of this week went a very impressive 94cm!

On the Pelagic front things are ticking along very nicely with some nice Black Marlin landed during the week. Fish have been seen all over the place but most fish caught have been hooked down south. The FAD is still holding plenty of Mahi Mahi and there are enough legal sized fish there to make the trip worthwhile, you will have to fish through a hundred undersized fish to find them though!

January 28, 2022

The estuary has been picture perfect this week and despite the huge amount of Boat and Jet Ski traffic out there the fishing has been insanely good! Flathead continue to charge along very nicely with loads of fish being caught by anglers all over the place. Anglers covering ground throwing soft plastics or soft vibes are bound to run into plenty of fish as will bait fishermen drifting the drop offs with Whitebait, Pilchards or Mullet Strips. If you are keen to try something different and love to throw lures, get yourself a 90mm-150mm (or bigger) surface lure or bent minnow and get up into the shallows on a nice high tide, seeing a big Flathead materialise out of the sandy bottom to engulf your surface lure is amazing to watch and very addictive!

Sand Whiting are about in really good numbers throughout the bottom of the estuary (towards the mouth). Drifting the shallows with Yabbies or Worms should see you bagging a nice lot of fish, even the sand flat directly across from the Tuncurry boat ramp has produced some red-hot action this week. Hitting the shallow areas over a high tide with small poppers and stickbaits is also a very productive option and if you can find the right area, you will have half a dozen hungry Whiting fighting over your lure every cast!

Trumpeter Whiting are definitely still about, however they don’t seem to be as tightly concentrated in specific areas as they have been up until now. You may find yourself having to move about and try different areas before you find the schools of fish, we fished earlier in the week and accidentally found loads of them in an area that was nowhere near where anglers would normally target them.

Bream have to be the unsung hero of Summer! While the Whiting and Flathead take centre stage, the good old Bream just plods along. This week there have been some cracking fish sitting down around The Paddock and along the rock walls where they have been providing loads of fun for anglers of all ages and skill levels. If you are bait fishing don’t be afraid to either anchor up next to or sit on the outside of an Oyster Lease and float baits in towards the structure, this is an incredibly deadly technique and will see your rods buckled over to the reel seats in no time at all as you struggle to rip the fish out….. The rivers and weed beds are still producing plenty of fish as well however most fish are between 20-35cm with the better quality fish seeming to be east of Wallis Island.

Things have been a little on the quiet side this week as far as the beach and rock fishing reports go. The rocks down south are producing some cracking Tailor with some fish getting up around the 3kg mark, normally this would be great news but these fish are an absolute headache for anglers hoping to run into an early season pelagic or Kingfish! Most beaches are fishing well for Whiting and Dart now with the odd nice Bream mixed in, the beaches to the south seem to be producing the better quality fish.

Heading offshore has been very productive this week. The ocean has cleaned up very nicely and is once again at a nice warm temperature. The clean, warm water has also brought with is plenty of fish with and we have seen some great Marlin landed this week. Mahi Mahi are about in huge numbers still out around the FAD and there have been a handful of bigger fish mixed in this week which is good to see, hopefully we continue to see the average size of these fun sportfish increase a little as the water improves.

The shallow reefs up north have produced come great Snapper this week but even with the warm, clear water we are yet to see any real pelagic action up there. The deeper reefs out off Cape Hawke are producing plenty of fish for those wishing to drop baits down with some nice mixed bags of pan-sized Snapper, Trag and Pearl Perch coming in. While you’re out drifting about it may also pay to have a heavier outfit ready to go or set with a live bait out the back as you just never know when a Cobia may turn up.

January 21, 2022

We have had some tumultuous weather this School Holidays – windy, rainy, sunny, cloudy, huge tides and even tidal surges due to the Volcanic eruption in the south pacific! Luckily we have some of the best angling options sitting right on our doorstep and we can always find something to fish for or somewhere to fish.

As has been the case for much of the last six months or so, the estuary fishing options have been the most consistent and productive this week. Flathead remain very good throughout much of the estuary with anglers catching great bags of fish all over the place. The Wallamba River is fishing great for numbers of fish, throwing 3-4 inch paddle tail soft plastics basically anywhere between the Discovery Caravan Park and ‘The Cut’ (where the Wallamba meets the main system) will see you land more than enough 40-60cm fish for a great feed. Regatta Island and the back of Wallis Island are also spots worth trying for a great bag of table fish however if you are chasing the bigger models, you really need to be focusing your efforts on the Oyster Leases, Rock Walls, weed beds and sand flats withing the first quarter or so of the system (basically down around the mouth of the river).

There have been plenty of treble destroying Bream hunting about down on the weed beds to the south, you might have to move about a bit to find them but once you hit a patch you will have a ball with ‘a fish a cast’ type sessions not uncommon. The foreshore around Wallis Island and Coomba Park is also worth a look if you fancy chasing some Bream on surface lures, seeing a big blue-nosed fish bow wave behind your popper or cicada lure and bracing yourself for impact is just the best fun!!!

Sand Whiting are still fishing fairly well up on the flats, they have slowed up a little this week due to the cooler water temperatures but you will still find more than enough to keep you interested. The flats in around Lani’s are holding some really big fish which are slurping Beach Worms and Yabbies down with gusto but they will also fire up and belt a well presented surface lure if you manage to land it in the right area, as is often the case with lure fishing, covering ground is by far the biggest tip when chasing these fish in the shallows.

Local beaches have been very unsettled this week and hard to fish on most days. There have been the odd reports filtering through but nothing too exciting simply due to the lack of anglers fishing the sand. There have been some nice Tailor still cruising about the gutters down on 7 Mile Beach as well as some great mixed bags of Whiting and Bream. Unfortunately, I have not heard much on the Mulloway front for the past couple of weeks but I would say the fish will be there somewhere if we manage to snag some nice enough weather to chase them in.

Like the beaches, our local rock ledges haven not been too crash hot this week. I think I only received one report from an angler fishing down off Shellys earlier in the week and they did manage to snag some solid Tailor and a couple of Bream, I wouldn’t be surprised if the washes are holding some hungry Black Drummer as well after all the swell.

Once again getting offshore has not been all that easy for much of this week. Reports coming back in from those that have managed to sneak out have been a little mixed but over all relatively positive. The water is definitely on the improve out there and hopefully by Sunday we might be able to head back out and find some nice warm, blue water to fish in. The FAD if still holding loads of Mahi Mahi and Kingfish, however finding a legal sized fish is the challenge! There is still the odd Cobia sneaking about out there and they have been popping up randomly all over the place so it would be a good idea to have a heavier outfit rigged and ready just in case. The demersal fishing has been very consistent to the south of town with the reefs just outside the marine park producing plenty of pan sized Snapper. Further south, the broken ground out off Pacific Palms is a great option if you are chasing a nice mixed bag of Snapper, Trag, Pearl Perch and Flathead.  

January 14, 2022

We have had a textbook week of Summer weather here in the amazing Great Lakes. The days have been hot and sunny however the annoying afternoon North Easterly winds have well and truly kicked in now!

Thankfully Wallis Lake fishes very well with a prevailing NE wind and this week the estuary has seen loads of activity. Flathead numbers have been great with some very good reports coming in from all over the system. The complex of Oyster Leases you can see off the bridge known as ‘The Paddock’ is holding huge amounts of fish and if you are after that trophy fish of a life time, this area is a great place to start. ‘The Cut’ and up around Wallis Island are also two areas that are holding great numbers of fish, however the average size of the fish up that way is a little smaller. I have heard of some beastly 90cm+ models taken by anglers fishing the rock walls for Mulloway this week, the big breeding female fish will happily inhale just about any large live bait offering intended for these larger species, particularly if she has recently spawned.

Bream anglers have also had a good week within the estuary with some quality fish holding down on the weed beds as well as on the break walls and bridge pylons. Most fish have been caught on lightly weighted baits, however they are also taking small soft plastics, vibes and hardbodies (particularly on the flats and weed beds).

Both Sand and Trumpeter Whiting have been fishing very consistently this week. Big Sand Whiting are absolutely loving the surface lures and have been caught on just about every sand flat within the lake. The same flats are also worth checking out for the bait fishermen with a well-presented Worm, Yabby or Prawn bait likely to leave you with a very nice mixed bag of stud Whiting, Bream and Flathead.

For those wanting to chase something that pulls a bit harder there have been some very nice Trevally sitting in the Oyster Leases. The biggest reported this week was a very respectable 54cm and at that size these fish can pull some serious drag on the light gear! To target them, choose a lease down towards the mouth of the estuary and get a nice burley trail happening then float small, unweighted baits down into the trail. You will find loads of fish waiting to scoff the bait including Leatherjacket, Bream, Whiting, Tarwhine, Snapper and every now and then a big Silver Trevally!

Unfortunately reports from the sand and rocks have once again been a little on the quiet side. 7 Mile is holding some nice Whiting, Bream and Dart as well as the odd really big Salmon and chopper Tailor.

We finally have had a week consisting of some nice calm mornings and even though there has been a bit of swell and left-over wind chop affecting the ocean, plenty of boats have been sneaking out for a look. Unfortunately, the NE winds have pushed the inshore water temperatures down this week ruining any plans of chasing a pelagic or two, however there has been the odd nice Cobia getting about.

The demersal fishing has been somewhat hit and miss this week. The shallow reefs to the north have fished well for Snapper early and late in the day but apart form that the majority of the action has been south of Cape Hawke. The deeper reefs from Pacific Palms through to Seal Rocks have been holding some great mixed bags of fish including Pearl Perch, Snapper, Trag and Flathead. With a bit of luck we will get a break from the NE winds and get some nice warm blue water back over the next week or so!

January 6, 2022

Well haven’t we had a bit of a wild week of weather courtesy of ex-tropical cyclone Seth! Unfortunately, the wind and accompanying unsettled seas have made fishing options very limited, however there have still been plenty of people getting out on the water to try their luck and most have managed to find a fish or two.

Its weather events like this that really make us appreciate how amazing it is to have such a good estuary fishery sitting on our doorstep. For most anglers, Flathead have remained the main target this week and there have been some insane reports filtering through of sessions consisting of up to 60 fish and multiple hook ups at once. By far the majority of Flathead caught this week have fallen for artificial offerings with 3-6 inch soft plastics accounting for most. You can find hungry Flatties all over the place at the moment and if you just choose an area to focus on and move about searching with a lure you will stumble across plenty of fish in no time at all, however some particularly good reports have come from up around The Cut, the back of Wallis Island, The Wallamba River and up near Lanis Holiday Island.

The nice high tides have been ideal for getting up onto the sand flats and weed beds lately and loads of anglers have been having a ball chasing Bream and Whiting. The weedbeds down around Green Point and Coomba Park are holding great numbers of Bream which are taking small plastics, hardbodied cranks and surface lures. Most fish are only 20-35cm but there is the odd 40cm+ model mixed in which will keep you on your toes if you’re fishing 4lb or under!

The sand flats have also been alive with activity over the high tides this week. Sand Whiting love to get up into the warm shallow areas to chase down Shrimp, Prawns, Worms, Crabs and just about anything else that might be seeking refuge. Casting a small surface lure up into these areas is a huge amount of fun and hooking into a 40cm Whiting in 15cm of water is about as good as estuary fishing can get!

Unfortunately, the Trumpeter Whiting have been very quiet this week, while there are still enough fish about to get a feed you will have to move about and work hard to find them.

I am yet to get a single report through the shop this week from the beaches and rocks which is not unexpected given the current ocean and wind conditions. As the sea eases a little I think it would be well and truly worth having a look for a Black Drummer, Bream or Luderick in the washes. These fish love the rough conditions and will be feeding hard on all of the tasty morsels that have been dislodged by the pounding seas this week.

Similarly, I have very little to report from offshore as boats have been forced to stay on the dry stuff this week. A few anglers did manage to sneak out in the bumpy stuff earlier in the week but most returned fairly quickly, one report came through of a couple of nice Mahi Mahi but apart from that most boats only managed to land a quick feed of Flathead before coming back in.

Hopefully next week will consist of a few more ‘fishable’ days for us.

December 24, 2021

Estuary fishing is almost too easy at the moment. Catching a Flathead now is about as close to ‘shooting fish in a barrel’ as you can get, they are being caught in great numbers in just about every corner of the Wallis Lake system. Walking the bank down towards the rock walls or bridge throwing 3-4” soft plastics on a 1/6th-1/4oz jig head will guarantee you a fish or two and once you get the hang of it you will get a fish every few casts! There are some monstrous fish mixed in the schools with reports of fish up over 80cm very common. Fishing strips of Mullet, Bonito or Slimey Mackerel in the same areas will also get their attention, but for numbers, you can’t beat covering ground using lures. Other areas that are producing plenty of fish include The Paddock, Breckenridge Channel, The Cut and Tern Island, however you will pick them up all over the place!

 There are still some cracking Bream hanging about the rock walls and bridge pylons and they are in amazing condition! I caught a very solid fish while chasing Flathead earlier in the week which was probably only in the high 30cm’s however it was the fattest Bream I have seen in a very long time and fought like it was possessed! There are fish up on the weed beds as well as the odd one up the rivers, however the amount of rain that we have had seems to be keeping a lot of the fish out of the tributaries.

Sand Whiting have gone from strength to strength this week, there seemed to be a real influx of big fish making their way into the system this week with some great reports coming through from both bait and lure fishermen. Beach Worms have been nailing some very solid fish down around the bridge and rock walls, for land based anglers, the sand flat at the back of the Rockpool net is holding some great fish at the moment. Throwing stick baits about on and bit of shallow sandflat you can find is also a sure fire way of landing a great bag of Whiting and it’s hard to beat the thrill of watching hordes of big whiting chasing down your Sugarpen in 6 inches of water!

Local beaches have really come to life this week. Finally we are receiving some very good Whiting reports with most anglers finding plenty of big summer fish sitting in the gutters waiting to inhale a well presented Beach Worm! One angler went for a stroll down 9 Mile Beach yesterday and managed to nail 13 Whiting (the smallest was 32cm) as well as a big fat Bream that was ‘well over a kilo’! Flathead, Dart and the odd Salmon are also mixed in with the Whiting, and fishing with Pillies or metal lures early and late in the day may well find you getting among some great Summer Tailor action.

Heading offshore  at the moment can be a very confusing affair because there are just so many options on offer! The Snapper fishing up north has been very consistent of late, the shallow water fish were a little on the quiet side over the full moon earlier in the week but seem to be back on the bite again now. Reefs sitting in 40-80m have been amazing, particularly those to the south which are producing some great mixed bags of big Pearl Perch, Snapper, Flathead and Trag. Pelagic action is really heating up now, the local FAD is holding loads of Mahi Mahi but unfortunately the majority of them are undersized. While there have not been any Black Marlin landed locally yet, a lot are being spotted and plenty are being caught not far to the north so it’s definitely time to get the game outfits out of the shed! 

December 17, 2021

Kids are rejoicing and holiday makers are getting excited as NSW Schools have all wrapped up for the year and the Summer Holiday break has officially kicked in. The beautiful Great Lakes area has been erring on the busy side for a couple of months now, steadily getting busier and busier as we approach the holidays however things are set to become insanely busy over the next couple of weeks as we move through Xmas and into the New Year. While our local waters do become all but choked up with all manner of aquatic craft and holiday makers, the local fishing remains very good throughout the busy period.

The Summer fishing season is now well under way and the estuary fishing is absolutely firing! There are loads of Flathead about with the more successful trips coming from in and around the leases and drop offs sitting between Wallis Island right down to the mouth of the river. Soft Plastics, Hard Bodied divers, surface lures and Vibes are all working a treat so it’s more or less a case of tying on your favourite lure and having a crack, you will more than likely find more than enough fish to keep you occupied!

Sand Whiting are loving the nice warm ocean water that is pushing into the estuary with each tide, at around 24 degrees, the clean high tide really gets their metabolism going and they have been up on the sand flats feeding hard on just about anything they can hunt down. Baits of Beach Worm or Yabby are working great but it’s hard to beat fishing these areas with surface lures, the action can be heart stopping in ankle deep water and you never know what you might find cruising about in the shallow stuff!

The mouth of the system has been getting a lot of attention over the past couple of weeks as there is some insane fishing on offer down there. Mulloway and Kingfish numbers are really good at the moment and there are some absolute beasts sitting in the schools. If you do decide to have a play down around the channel, please be respectful and responsible towards other users and the fish themselves. These fish are a finite resource, please only keep what you need and look after any fish you intend to release!!!

Reports from the stones are typically very slow at this time of the year. There is still the odd Snapper being caught up to about 45cm along with the seemingly ever-present Bream and Luderick. The beaches are slowly but surely improving, Whiting reports are becoming much more regular now and there are loads of Dart about. There is still some great Tailor fishing on offer down south and while the average fish size is only 35-50cm, they are about in great numbers!

Offshore reports have been positive this week. There have been some great Pearl Perch landed out in the deeper stuff, Snapper numbers have been very consistent on reefs from 30m-80m and early morning or evening sessions are seeing anglers hit their Trag bag limits with ease. Possibly the most exciting news for a lot of anglers this week has been the much anticipated arrival of the mighty Mahi Mahi which we normally have turning up sometime in November! The water out at the FAD and beyond is very nice and warm, there is loads of bait about and finally some pelagic action. Things could get very interesting out there over the next few weeks if the water temperature stays up over 24 degrees as it is much warmer than we would normally expect to see so early in the season!

December 10, 2021

Well this week has really started to feel like Summer! Almost monsoonal really with warm muggy days followed up by some nice storms and soaking rain (not that we need too much more of that). Thankfully the rain hasn’t slowed the fishing down with some great options on offer at the moment throughout the Great Lakes region.

For many anglers the warmer months are ruled by the estuary systems as they are full of activity and hungry predators, they also offer enough protection from prevailing winds that there is always somewhere to fish regardless of what the days weather brings. At the top of the list of species to chase most will find the mighty Flathead and its these fish that are definitely the centre of attention in Wallis Lake at the moment. There are loads and loads of Flatty’s getting about and there have been some great sessions had by anglers fishing all over the system. The better catches still seem to be coming from those areas to the east of Wallis Island but there are also plenty on offer right up the Wallamba as far as the Discovery Holiday Park. The areas down around the breakwalls, bridge and leases you can see from the bridge are holding loads of big fish so if you’re keen on chasing that trophy fish throw some big plastics or hard bodied lures around these areas and you are almost bound to run into more than a few good fish.

The big tides we have been experiencing of late have been perfect to target fish on surface up in the shallow stuff. Big Sand Whiting and Bream love getting up into knee (or ankle) deep water on big high tides to gorge themselves on Prawns, Shrimp, Baitfish, Crabs and just about anything else that can find! Hitting these areas with surface lures between 70mm and 120mm is sure to get some attention and the action is often non-stop with big fish literally lining up to hammer your lure! As far as where to target these big silver speedsters, just about any shallow flat will be holding fish at the moment but if you can find areas consisting of broken/patchy weed you will find the better quality fish. There have been some great reports coming in from around Lani’s Holiday Park, Twin Islands and even down around The Cut where the Wallamba comes into the main system. Fishing the same areas with a live Yabby or bit of Beach Worm will also yield some great results and is a much more relaxing way to fish the flats!

There have been some great Bream reports coming through since the rain kicked in a few weeks ago. A god number of fish that would normally be heading upstream seem to have re-settled down on the breakwalls, bridge pylons and Oyster leases and are feeding very aggressively on just about anything you throw at them! There are also some nice fish hanging on the weed beds down past Green Point and the numbers of these fish should only increase over the coming weeks.

Reports from the sand and rocks continue to be a bit light on. There are still some nice Tailor cruising the gutters down south along with the odd Bream and Whiting. You will have to fish early or late to find the Tailor though as the bite seems to be very short right around those periods of dawn and dusk. The stones are producing some great Bream and the odd Luderick still and for those wanting a bit of fun on light tackle there are plenty of ‘rat’ Kingfish getting about.

It has been so nice to finally have a week where anglers have been able to head offshore on most mornings! The fishing is far from on fire out there but most boats have still managed to find more than enough fish for a feed. Snapper have been about in good numbers on the shallow grounds out to about 40m this week, unfortunately the schools of fish are lacking somewhat in size but most fish are of a perfect eating size with the better ones up around the 3kg mark. The deeper reefs are holding great mixed bags of species with some cracking bags of Pearl Perch being landed along with Trag and Snapper. The water locally has come up to about 22 degrees now with some much warmer patches out wide which means there nearly has to be the odd pelagic getting about out there!

December 3, 2021

How good is it to feel that sunshine again! Unfortunately the forecast doesn’t look overly promising over the coming week but after two weeks of constant rain we will soak it up while we can that’s for sure.

Despite the poor conditions, the fishing remains very good within the estuary with plenty of fish to focus our attention on. Flathead are probably the species of choice at the moment, there is really good numbers of fish throughout the lower reaches of Wallis Lake which have all pushed down towards the mouth of the river with the recent rainfall. Focussing your efforts on areas such as The Paddock, Breckenridge Channel, the bridge and just about any sand flat or oyster lease that lies to the east of Wallis Island should see you finding more than enough fish for a feed. Imitation Prawn lures seem to be out fishing just about anything still however you will get them on a huge range of artificial offerings. For the bait fishermen out there, a well presented Whitebait, Pilchard or Mullet Strip should do the trick, particularly on that run out tide once the dirty water comes down.

Bream have been fishing very well this week. The flats and weed beds up around Green Point and Coomba have been on fire and are holding some very respectable fish up around the 40cm mark. They are slurping down surface offerings but most anglers are finding the most success throwing small shallow diving lures or soft plastics. There are also plenty of nice fish sitting down along the rock walls that have been pigging out after all the rain that we have had so it wouldn’t be a bad idea to float a few strip baits down in the eddies over the weekend.

Trumpeter Whiting are still fishing well for those wishing to chase a tasty feed and their bigger cousins the Sand Whiting have been smacking surface lures up on the shallow sand flats over high tide. The biggest thing with these fish now is finding the clean water, once you figure out what areas are getting a nice flush of ocean water on each tide you will get the fish.

Local beaches have been tough to fish of late due to the weather but those that have managed to get onto the sand are still finding a few Bream and Flathead, Whiting reports are still very few and far between but they shouldn’t be too far off hopefully.

Recent weather hasn’t been kind to offshore fisho’s, windows of opportunity have been very narrow and often quite wet! Those that have managed to head out are finding some quality fish though and I would say reports over the weekend should be very positive. Snapper have been consistent on the reefs to the north with fish coming from all sorts of depths. The shallows have been producing some really good fish up around the 6kg mark but for numbers those reefs out in 30-70m seem to be producing the goods. The deeper reefs to the south are holding some cracking Pearl Perch with boats hitting their bag limits easily with catches often also including good numbers of Trag and the odd Snapper. We still haven’t had any action on the pelagic front as of yet but we should see some nice Mahi Mahi turn up very soon, there is some nice water out wide and hopefully we get some southerly weather to bring it in a little closer….

November 5, 2021

We often experience a bit of unsettled weather at this time of the year which can make getting out for a fish somewhat challenging, particularly offshore. However, the fishing is generally very good so making the effort to go is nearly always worth it!

In the estuary things continue to tick along very nicely. Flathead remain very good in both size and numbers with lure fishermen finding the most success. Prawn imitation lures have proven themselves yet again this week and have been responsible for fooling more than a few big fish up over 80cm. Fishing live baits has also been working great, one angler managed a beautiful 95cm model over the weekend on a live bait fished deep along a likely looking edge, an awesome fish and great to see it swim free again after a few quick pics.

The good old Trumpeter Whiting have turned on again this week and have been providing loads of fun for the flotilla that putts up the river daily to get a feed. Their bigger, sportier relatives the Sand Whiting have also made the most of the glutton of Prawns that has been available this week. The sand flats have been covered with big schools of hungry fish eager to chase down a surface lure of freshly pumped Nipper. A couple of anglers fishing from Paddleboards over the weekend commented that they had some of the best estuary surface action they’d ever seen while casting Sugarpens over the shallows on the top of the tide.

Bream reports have been a bit of a mixed bag this week. The weedbeds and rivers have been strangely quiet while there have been some absolute horses hanging about down on the bridge pylons and rock walls. These big fish that hang in the clear water down towards the mouth are very smart and can be incredibly hard to fool. Lightly weighted lures and baits are a must and the leader line must not be too heavy to entice the bite!

Local beaches have really started to settle into their Summer pattern now with great mixed bags consisting of Tailor, Bream and Flathead becoming very common, Whiting reports are still very scarce but these tasty Summer treats shouldn’t be far off.

The local rocks have had some very nice washes along them this week, unfortunately they have failed to produce anything overly exciting though apart from Luderick and Bream. There has been the odd Drummer caught but not as many as we may have expected!

Unfortunately getting offshore for a fish has been all but impossible this week due to unsettled sea conditions. Of the reports that did come through, the reefs out the front and down south are still fishing pretty good for Snapper as well as the odd Pearl Perch and Trag. With a bit of luck we will be able to sneak out again during the week with a few days of light winds forecast.

October 29, 2021

I absolutely love this time of the year, there is a real buzz in the air as we move closer and closer to Summer, the days are warming up and the inshore water is following suit. From an angling perspective all sorts of cogs and gears are now in motion that are setting up all the necessary ingredients needed for an awesome season filled with Flathead, Whiting and Bream in the estuary and just about anything you can think of offshore! Fingers crossed it all lines up and we score some of the unbelievable fishing that this area is renowned for.

Within Wallis Lake things are really starting to happen now. Flathead continue to fish really well all over the place, while the average size is still a little on the small side, there are more than enough nice eating fish mixed in. Small prawn profile soft plastics seem to be doing the trick at the moment but Flathead will generally eat just about anything you put in front of them at this time of the year.

The local Cicada populations seem to have awoken this week which is awesome news for the Bream fishermen. Once you can hear and see these little summer beauties it’s time to dig out the Cicada and topwater lures and get up the rivers. The rock walls are still holding some nice fish as well, so if you are landbased it may well be worth floating a few baits down along the walls at high tide.

Trumpeter Whiting have been a bit of a tease this week, some mornings they have been on fire and other mornings they have been hard work. There has been huge numbers of boats out chasing them which may have some sort of impact on how they are fishing on any given day…. Sand Whiting are really starting to wake up now with a couple of fairly decent reports of surface action coming in this week. The trick to finding them early in the season is to find a flat which is nice and warm on the top of the tide consisting of a bit of broken ground/weed mixed in with the sand. Alternatively, a freshly pumped Yabby or piece of worm fished over the same ground will get you a very nice feed.

Local beaches are fishing well now with nice mixed bags of Bream, Flathead and Dart. There is still plenty of Salmon floating about as well as the odd Tailor. The beaches to the north are producing some nice Mulloway which are taking Worms and Squid throughout the day and night!

Reports from the stones have been few and far between this week. There are still some nice Bream and Luderick sitting in the washes, but the Drummer have gone very quiet now. Big Kingfish are travelling along the coast at the moment but I haven’t heard of any being landed this week…..

Offshore angling has had a somewhat patchy few weeks but this week seems to have improved considerably. Better results are still coming from the grounds to the south of town and from just about any depth. Snapper have been hanging in the shallows for those wishing to throw some plastics about while out wider there have been some great mixed bags of Snapper, big Trag and Pearl Perch. Unfortunately there are a few Barracouta out there still and they have been very hungry so you may find that you will need to move about a bit until you get away from them.

October 22, 2021

After a tough couple of weeks, it’s so nice to have a bit of stable weather hanging about! Things on the fishing front are definitely heating up with great reports coming in every day.

The water in Wallis Lake is slowly warming up, for anglers this is fantastic news because as a cold blooded animal like a fish warms up, their metabolism also increases and in turn they need more food which means they need to actively hunt for food more. So, for fisher-people, the fish become easier to fool! Flathead have become particularly active now and can be caught easily throughout most of the estuary, particularly on a run out tide (they’re loving imitation prawn soft plastics). The better results have been coming from areas such as ‘The Cut’, Tern Island, The Paddock and in around Jonnel Park. There have been a few really solid fish getting about now, it’s definitely time to start hunting for that trophy fish!

The seasonal favourite that is the Trumpeter Whiting has really turned it on this week with most anglers hitting their limits each morning. The usual spots are fishing well with the step up at Lani’s proving to be particularly productive. Please fish for these tasty little fish responsibly, just because you can catch a million doesn’t mean you should!!!!

Sand Whiting are still fairly quiet but are definitely becoming more active. A few anglers have started to test the water with surface lures and reports have been the same across the board. The fish are happy to get up and chase the lures but are not really hitting them with too much intent, it’s still awesome fun though and the Bream and Flathead bycatch makes it worth it!

The local beach anglers are enjoying what can be a fairly tough time of the year. The biggest positive at the moment is the amount of school Mulloway that seem to be cruising the gutters (along with the odd proper one!), it’s been a few years since I have heard of so many small fish about, hopefully a sign that anglers and their practices have turned a corner and changed for a brighter, more sustainable future. 7 Mile has been fishing relatively good for mixed bags of Bream, Dart, Flathead, Salmon and the odd Tailor, however Whiting reports are yet to start trickling in.

Fishing the rocks successfully in October can be a hard ask. Most headlands and ledges have monster Kingfish cruising along them at the moment, but you will have to put in huge days just trying to get them to commit to a lure or bait, then once you get one hooked up you have the unbelievably difficult task of trying to get it in! There have been some great Groper sessions reported from the stones down south and there is still the odd nice Bream, Luderick and Drummer mixed in.

Unfortunately the offshore situation is still very frustrating….. finding the Snapper up north is incredibly hard at the moment and the average size is definitely on the small side. Boats are having to do a lot of Km’s to get a decent feed. The southern grounds are fishing much better and there seems to be a better patch of water from Pacific Palms south, you will still have to move about a bit though and the box of fish will end up being a mixed bag of Snapper, Trag, Pearl Perch, Pigfish, Nannygai and Morwong. Thankfully the local Flathead grounds have been there to save the day for most anglers on the way home and there’s absolutely nothing wrong with a feed of Flatty tails!

October 15, 2021

Unfortunately, this weeks’ report is set to be another brief affair due to some very average weather. Fingers crossed we can score some decent days next week to get out for a proper look!

Estuary fishing has been the best option by far. No matter how hard the wind is blowing there is always somewhere to tuck out of it and have a fish and those anglers that have persisted have had a very successful week. The Trumpeter Whiting are really on the go now with some great bags of fish hitting the cleaning tables this week. These tasty little fish can be found in huge numbers up around The Step and up towards The Cut in the area known as The Duck Pond. If you head up to find the schools and struggle to see much action, don’t be afraid to head a little further up the system until you find them. Sometimes they will be up as far as Green Point of Ragatta Island.

Flathead continue to fish really well and great reports have come in this week from both down around the Bridge and Rock Wall areas as well as up the Wallamba River, like always, the successful anglers have all been throwing soft plastic lures.

The local Luderick brigade has had an insane week over on the Forster boat harbour wall with huge schools of fish lining the shore. With an abundance of weed growing in the pond near the coastal patrol tower, getting into the action has been incredibly easy. The fish are also taking flies very eagerly which can make things even easier again!

Beach and rock reports have been very thin on the ground this week due to the weather. However, the two beach reports that have come through have been positive with one fisho reporting some great Bream, Flathead and Salmon action down on 7 Mile Beach while the other has been having a ball chasing school Mulloway up to about 8kg on the local beaches.

Unfortunately the only reports that have come through regarding offshore trips this week have all been the same – “we stuck our nose out the bar for a look and turned around to come straight back in”! Hopefully next week brings some kinder weather so we can get out there and see where those sneaky red fish that we all love to chase are!!!!

October 8, 2021

Once again, we have found ourselves in a local lockdown situation for the past week. With this in mind, we have not had a lot of fishing reports filtering through however there has been more than enough going on to keep anglers busy.

Wallis Lake is fishing particularly good for Flathead, you can fish just about anywhere and have a good chance of running into a fish or two. The better reports as far as numbers of fish caught go have been coming from up the Wallamba River, in and around The Cut and through Jonnel Park. The bigger fish are really starting to fire up in the bottom sections of the estuary now (down towards the mouth) with loads of 70cm plus fish caught this week along with a few absolute beasts! Fishing or Flathead with bait at this time of the year is very hit and miss, to give yourself the best chance you really need to learn how to use artificial baits and lures. Small soft plastics are super easy to use and absolutely deadly on the good old Flathead!

Bream reports have been very light on this week, there are some nice fish starting to get up the rivers now and the ever-present breakwall bruisers have been fishing well of a high tide but that’s about all I have heard. There should be a few fish starting to school up on the weed beds and sand flats in the southern sections of the Lake but you may find lots of small fish at this time of the year.

The Trumpeter Whiting brigade have struggled a little this week, the fish are definitely there and you will get enough for a feed each trip but you will have to work for them!

Beach and Rock reports have been non-existent this week. The beaches should be producing the odd Whiting and Dart now and there should still be Salmon and Tailor mixed in to make things interesting! The rocks will still produce some nice Drummer and Bream on the unsettled days and for anglers wishing to get up nice and early, the southern ledges will produce some nice Snapper at this time of the year.

We haven’t had a lot of anglers sneaking offshore this week. Those that have headed out have returned with some very mixed reports. The weekend was particularly tough for those that headed north with most boats relying on a good Flathead bite on the way home to make their day worthwhile. Those that headed wide or south fared much better, while most reported having to cover some ground, they all found good boxes of Snapper, Pearl Perch, Nannygai and some cracking Bar Cod!

September 17, 2021

I’m not sure that I have ever seen such a massive swing in the weather like the one we have all experienced here this week. Over the weekend we had really warm, above average temperatures which were replaced with cold and rainy conditions literally overnight! We needed the rain though so there’s no real complaints here and it should do wonders for the fishing coming into the warmer months.

Wallis Lake is such an amazing fishery. Despite the average weather there have still been very good reports filtering through on most days. The local Luderick enthusiasts have had an unbelievable week with loads of fish being caught from all over the place. The southern rock wall has had a good crowd on it most days and all anglers have managed to land more than enough fish for a feed. Other areas holding good numbers of fish include Breckenridge Channel and around in Jonnel Park.

There have been some great Bream reports this week, mainly from anglers fishing the rock walls and in and around the Oyster Leases sitting between Wallis Island and the bridge. A local angler fishing the washboards earlier in the week and said that he was getting a hit on nearly every cast and the fish were hitting the lures within seconds of them landing!

I am super happy to report that the Flathead fishing has been awesome once again. While I have not heard of any big fish being caught this week, there has been very good numbers of nice eating fish up to 60cm schooled up around ‘The Cut’ and up the Wallamba River. Most fish have been taken on soft plastics and soft vibes but once you find the fish they will generally take just about any lure offering. With warmer temperatures returning this weekend, we should see the bigger fish up on the sand flats once again so it may well be worth tossing some big surface presentations about.

Reports from the local beaches and rock ledges have been rather light on this week, possibly due to the wet and cold conditions that we had for most of it! A few anglers hit the stones hoping to take advantage of the unsettled conditions, but reports were somewhat hit and miss. There are still some very nice Bream and Luderick hiding in the washes, but Drummer numbers have been disappointing for most. For those wishing to put the time in, certain areas are still producing some nice little pan sized Snapper as well as the odd bigger fish up to about 4kg.

Like the beach and rock reports, we have had very few anglers venturing offshore this week. However, those that have been able to get out have found plenty of fish. Snapper have made up the majority of catches with the better reports coming from the reefs up north sitting in 25-50m as well as the odd nice session being reported from out the front of Cape Hawke. If you do choose to venture out past Latitude Rock to fish the reefs out of Cape Hawke just remember that there is a green zone there so make sure you are familiar with the rules and regulations regarding no fishing zones (downloading the NSW DPI FishSmart app on your phone is the easiest way of staying up to date with Marine Parks etc). Reports from wider are very promising with some great mixed bags coming from out in 220m-300m including Snapper, Bar Cod, Pearl Perch, Kingfish and Morwong.

September 10, 2021

How good has the weather been this week!!! And the best part is, its only going to get better over the weekend. Things have been ticking along very nicely on the fishing front with many anglers starting to enjoy some amazing spring angling action.

Estuary fishing is awesome at this time of the year, anglers have so many options to pursue its not funny. Flathead numbers are really good throughout the lake and well up into the tributaries, most fish caught have been on the smaller side of town but there are some great table fish hanging up the Wallamba and down around Turn Island and the Fisherman’s Co-op. The big girls are starting to stir now and its well and truly time to start hunting the shallows with big surface lures, plastics and glide baits.

Bream reports have been a bit of a surprise this week, by now we are normally seeing a bit of a reduction in numbers down around the rockwalls, instead I have had some great reports from down the front of the system consisting of plenty of very nice 35-40cm fish. Floating strip baits down along the rocks is always a very productive way to target Bream and most fish have been falling for baits of Mullet, Bonito, Yakka and Chicken (but just about anything will work really).

I am hearing of more and more Trumpeter Whiting turning up which is great (and tasty) news. At the moment the fish are fairly spread out but are of a decent size. Their bigger cousins, the Sand Whiting are also becoming more active with a few sneaky reports of good sized fish hitting surface lures on the nice high tide, this warm weather we are having will really get things firing in the shallow sand flat areas.

This month is a bit of a special one locally on the fishing calendar as it is the time that we get to experience some absolutely insane Kingfish action. During the second half of September and all of October we are lucky to have masses of big Kings congregating in and around our amazing estuary system as they go through their annual spawning routine. While we have resident Kingfish permanently sneaking about the estuary, the past week has seen a noticeable increase in the number of fish about (their increase in numbers also seems to coincide with the number of juvenile Great Whites that we see in the estuary). It is time for anglers to dust off the heavy gear and have a crack at what I personally believe is some of the best and toughest fishing you can do!!!

 Local beaches continue to produce some great Salmon and Tailor action however the Tailor have definitely slowed up considerably with a lot of anglers only managing to find decent numbers of fish by fishing baits after dark.

Reports from the stones have been few and far between this week. There are still a few clued in anglers that are enjoying some great land based Snapper action down south, there have also been reports of pan sized reds coming from the ledges much closer to town. There have been some nice little washes persisting along the coast for much of the week which have been producing loads of solid Bream as well as the odd Drummer and Groper.

Reports from offshore have been interesting this week. With boats restricted to the inshore grounds, a very clear picture has been painted of where the shallow water Reds are hanging out. While the odd fish has been found close to home, those anglers that have done the kilometres have found the most success with some reefs up north holding insane numbers of 70cm+ fish. I did receive one report from a sneaky local boat that went wide earlier in the week, they had an absolutely cracking day fishing in 200m returning with a healthy bag consisting of Kingfish, Snapper and Pearl Perch.

August 26, 2021

Like the now famous saying goes “the hardest part of a 7 day lockdown is the first 3 weeks”. Just about the only positive to come out of today’s announcements is the fact that we are still allowed to fish during lockdown, the weather forecast is looking very promising so get outside and enjoy what’s left of Winter!

We saw a fairly lean start to the week on the fishing front, action within the estuary all seemed to be focused about the high tide apart from the Luderick lining the rock walls which are almost always best on the run out tide. The second half of the week has improved out of sight, particularly on the Flathead front with great numbers of fish coming from all over the place. Small minnow and prawn profile soft plastics have been particularly effective and it’s hard to beat the Wallamba River, up around The Cut, Regatta Island and the flats/Oyster Leases down the front of the system for places to target them.

The rock walls are still fishing well for Bream on the top of the tide and of an evening with the majority of the better fish all falling for well presented baits rather than plastics this week. While I have not had any reports from the weed beds down in the big lake, there should be a decent number of fish starting to settle there again now, most will probably only be fairly small but this should improve over the coming month or so.

This years’ crustacean season is shaping up to be an absolute cracker, crab numbers have been very impressive already with some great catches of both Blue Swimmer and Mud Crabs coming in. A lot of anglers have also commented on how much surface activity there is up the Lake with lots of Prawns already flicking about and I know the local commercial crews are anticipating a good start to the Prawn season next month.

Local beaches continue to produce plenty of Tailor and Salmon on most days. The swell has made things a bit tricky on the beaches down south this week but there has still been some great fish landed. Unfortunately, anglers have reported very few Bream catches of late, hopefully once the weather starts to warm up a bit we will start to see a return of the more traditional mixed bag that we are used to seeing from our beaches.

The swell we have had this week has been awesome for those fisho’s wishing to chase Drummer off the stones. While I am yet to hear of any ‘red hot’ sessions, most anglers have managed to land a few of these hard fighting brutes on each trip with some horse Bream and the odd Snapper in between. I am still hearing of pods of Tuna cruising up and down the coast, I swear we have these typically tropical fish here year round these days.

Offshore fishing has not been easy this week due to the weather. Those that headed out over the weekend found some fairly tough fishing, possibly due to the Moon. A few anglers did find fish though and it would seem the secret has been to be fishing nice and early or well into the evening. Unfortunately, we are not allowed to venture any further than 3nm from shore at the moment due to COVID restrictions, so we will have to focus all our efforts on the shallow stuff. I managed to sneak up north this afternoon (Friday) for a quick fish in the freezing cold, howling wind. We didn’t last long due to the conditions but we did manage to get a very nice fish on the Kabura Jig along with a couple of plate sized numbers. Considering we fished the middle of the day and still managed to find fish in 10-15m of water hopefully means this weekend will fish really well.

August 19, 2021

Week one of lockdown is all but over and we have been so incredibly lucky to have had some ridiculously nice winter weather! The mornings have been chilly but the days have been very quick to warm up to a very comfortable temperature in and around the low 20’s. Compiling an accurate fishing report can be a bit of a task at the best of times but trying to get one together after a week in lockdown is set to be one of the toughest yet!

On the Estuary front I am stoked to be able to say that the fishing has been insanely good. There are all sorts of fish on offer now and you can fish in just about any part of the lake and expect to find a fair bit of success. Down the front, the Luderick have bounced back into gear again after a few lean days last week on the rock walls, they are taking just about any decent weed offering but imitation Weed flies are absolutely slaying them now.

Bream action remains better down around the mouth/front of the system, the weed beds and flats up around Coomba are holding a few fish but nothing with any size about it at the moment.

As far as reports go, Flathead would have to be the standout this week, there have been great numbers of fish being caught from all over the lake. The bridge is holding great numbers of fish, The weed beds and flats up around Coomba are firing, ‘The Cut’ is fishing well and there have been loads of good fish caught right up into the rivers as well!

The local beaches are still holding good numbers of Tailor and Salmon, unfortunately the average size of the fish seems to have dropped a little but most are still coming in at between 35-50cm and they are very healthy fish. There is still the odd nice Bream sitting under the pelagics as well with some great reports of fish up to 1kg coming from down at 7 Mile Beach.

Reports from the stones have been very light on this week. The ledges to the south are still holding plenty of bait and for those wishing to put the time in there are some cracking Tuna still about. Tailor are plentiful off just about any headland and the stiff NE winds that we have been copping have been producing some nice bits of wash to chase some Bream, Drummer and Snapper in.

Given the lockdown situation and the ambiguity about the wording of what is and is not allowed as far as fishing goes in the regulations, it’s no surprise that there have been very few offshore reports this week. The shallows have produced a fair degree of success for those hitting them nice and early, while I haven’t seen huge bags of fish or any real big models, most boats are managing to pull a few nice fish up to about 70cm on most trips. Unfortunately, I have not had any reports from any deeper but given how consistently the 40-80m type stuff has been fishing I would assume things are still going pretty good out there if you can avoid the Leatherjackets! Those wishing to just sneak out quickly to get a nice feed of fresh fish have been finding some very nice patches of tasty Flathead out in about 50m.

August 13, 2021

Spring seems to have sprung here in the Great Lakes area; the mornings are still a little fresh but the days are beautiful! Unfortunately, there were a few windy days earlier in the week which made things a little tricky, but overall the fishing has been pretty good.

The estuary has been on fire this week with some cracking reports of very healthy mixed bags trickling in each day. Snapper, Flathead and Whiting have all been fishing particularly well up around Wallis Island and Coomba Park. The Cut is also fishing great for Flathead and Whiting, we even had a few fish caught on surface up around there earlier in the week which is a great sign of things to come!

Bream reports have been very hit and miss this week. The weed beds and tributaries up the back of the system seem to have slowed down a fair bit but the rock walls, bridge and Oyster Leases down towards the mouth have been producing some absolute crackers. The ever-popular Ecogear Aqua Prawns have accounted for nearly all of the better fish this week.

It would seem our local Luderick population has decided to move on from the southern rock wall, anglers have really struggled to catch the numbers this week. There are still some really nice fish there but they have certainly thinned out so it may well be worth checking out some spots further up into the lake like Breckenridge Channel, Wallis Island and the Oyster Leases.

Local beaches are still fishing very well for Tailor, particularly for those early birds that are on the sand nice and early! The really big fish that we have had hanging about for the last few weeks seem to have moved on now but the average fish is still pretty good with most fish being around that 40-50cm mark. 7 Mile remains the pick of the beaches but there are also plenty of fish working 9 Mile Beach here in town and the beaches down around Pacific Palms and Seal Rocks.

While the weekend is shaping up to be much too calm for successful rock hopping trips, there was some decent little washes earlier in the week and they have been holding plenty of big Bream and the odd Drummer, for those wishing to throw a lure, the same washes have also held some great Tailor which are only too keen to smack a 60g Metal or stickbait!

The Snapper fishing offshore is still cruising along consistently. Successful reports from the shallows are becoming more frequent but the overall message is that the bite is very early and the fish are shutting down not long after the sun gets up over the horizon. Reefs sitting in 40-80m are still out fishing anywhere else, unfortunately there are plenty of Leatherjackets sitting out in the deeper water though so you may need to move about a bit to avoid losing too much gear!

This weekend is looking awesome so get out and enjoy the sunshine and fresh air!  

August 6, 2021

Luderick are still powering in the estuary. The southern rock wall remains the most popular spot and is holding some really nice fish. Breckenridge Channel is also producing some great bags of fish and is a great option for those land based anglers that are not so confident on the rock walls. For boaters, think about having a look in and around ‘The Paddock’ and up around Wallis Island, there are plenty of fish schooled up in the Lake and they are feeding well on just about any weed bait or artificial weed offering.

Bream are still fishing really well down around the front of the system, the rock walls and Fish Co-op have been fishing especially good of an evening for those wishing to float a bait down around the rocks. Reports from further up have been few and far between this week, the wind has just made lure fishing too hard on most days unfortunately!

Flathead reports are still amazing. Anglers that have been heading out to specifically target Flatties have been finding loads of fish, particularly on the warmer days. Interestingly, there are still a lot of big fish hanging in the shallows down around the front of the system. The Paddock, Breckenridge Channel and up around Lani’s are all areas that have been producing great fish and we are still seeing plenty of fish up over the 80cm mark being caught. Soft plastics, soft vibes and shallow diving hard bodies have all been working great and the fish seem to be feeding on either the run in or run out tide.

The beaches have continued to fish well for Tailor this week with 7 Mile Beach standing out as the pick of the bunch. While I haven’t heard of any really big fish this week, the average fish has still been very good with most fish being in the 40-60cm range. There are also some great Bream still holding on the beaches to the south as well as the seemingly ever-present Australian Salmon!

Rock fisho’s have had a bit of a mixed week, we have heard of some great Drummer and Tailor sessions off the stones down south but at the same time there have been plenty of anglers that have put in a lot of effort for fairly lean results. I think finding the better washes is the key, not necessarily deep areas but there must be a decent amount of wash about.

Offshore reports have been a bit light on this week which is no surprise given the strong winds we have had. Those that managed to fish last  weekend found the Snapper a little tricky, fish were a rarity from the shallows and there were only a few spots out wider that produced anything worth noting. Reefs sitting in 40-70m are holding some really nice Reds up to about 5kg as well as plenty of Trag and the odd Pearl Perch. The weather this weekend is looking great for offshore angling so it will be interesting to see where the fish are!

July 30, 2021

Wallis Lake is fishing unbelievably good at the moment. The local Luderick anglers are still landing full bags of big fish daily along the rock walls, there are also good numbers of fish sitting up in Breckenridge Channel, in and around The Paddock as well as up along the eastern edge of Wallis Island.

The local Bream have started to spread back out again now and this week we have had reports filtering through from a huge variety of locations within the estuary. There have been some cracking fish caught up around Coomba Park and the back of Wallis Island, The Cut is also holding good numbers of fish however most are only small now. The lower sections of the system are still holding the bulk of the fish with some absolute crackers coming from in and around The Paddock and off the rock walls this week, the biggest I have seen measured 47cm.

Flathead continue to charge along strongly and can be caught just about anywhere between Regatta Island and the mouth of the estuary. The Cut is holding big numbers of fish, as are Wallis and Regatta Islands but you will have to fish through a few smaller models before you find the big ones up that way, for better quality fish, stick to the shallow flats in and around The Paddock and up Breckenridge Channel.

Tailor and Salmon numbers are still really good in the estuary with fish getting right up as far as Coolongolook! If you are fishing the lake and have never hooked a Salmon on Bream gear go and give it a crack, it’s awesome fun to watch them smoke half the line off your reel before putting on the acrobatics!

The local beaches have been producing some amazing action over the past couple of weeks. I don’t think I have ever heard of so many big Tailor being caught as consistently as they are at the moment, the number of 60-80+cm fish reported lately is just insane! These nice big ‘Greenbacks’ can be found just about anywhere but the beaches down south seem to be the most consistent and the fish have been absolute suckers for a nice big popper or stickbait. Mixed in with the Tailor are still plenty of Aussie Salmon and for those fishing into the evening there have been a few Mulloway about.

Reports from the rocks have been a little slim this week. There have been some great Tailor sessions off the stones at Jaineys Corner and South One Mile but the Drummer action has been a little slow which is often the case when we get such clean, clear and calm sea conditions.

Offshore fishing has been a little hit and miss this week. The shallow Snapper grounds have been very quiet with barely a fish caught over the usual reefs. The more successful trips have all been to those reefs out a bit further sitting in 35-70m which have been holding really good numbers of Snapper, Pearl Perch and some nice Teraglin. We have a very favourable weather forecast to look forward to over the next week or so, it will be interesting to see where the fish pop up!

July 23, 2021

On the fishing front, not a lot has changed from last week which is fantastic news! Luderick are still fishing unbelievably well on the rock walls with anglers hitting their bag limits in no time at all. The fish on the walls are all big and are in very good condition. They seem to be taking just about any weed offering and are still fishing best of an afternoon. There are also good numbers of fish sitting in Breckenridge Channel and up along the deep edges of Wallis Island as well as just about any bit of structure sitting in the bottom section of the estuary.

The local Bream have been a little slower this week however I would expect them to fire back up again from Monday with a favourable morning high tide and a waning Moon over the coming week. The best fish have all come from down around the Fisherman’s Co-op, The Bridge and the rock walls with most of the fish caught falling for a well presented bait rather than lures.

Once again Flathead have proven that they are anything but a Summer only species this week with some great reports filtering through. Glenn from Yep I’m On Fishing had a great session earlier in the week targeting fish that had layed up in the sunshine (and out of the wind!!!) in about 2 feet of water using shallow diving hard bodies. He caught loads of legal fish, kept a great feed, and managed a couple of big girls with the biggest going 93cm.

For those wanting to have a bit of light tackle fun, the lake is holding schools of decent sized Aussie Salmon and the odd Tailor at the moment. These fish will take just about any lure offering, the hardest part is finding them to start with!

The beaches are still producing some cracking Tailor and Salmon, particularly for those anglers keen to fish the low light hours of the day. It doesn’t really matter which beach you choose to fish, even beaches that are not seen as the best surf fishing beaches are producing great fish, there was an 80cm green back caught off One Mile earlier in the week! For those putting in the hours, Mulloway are definitely about with a couple of nice fish to 14kg landed on Tuncurry during the week.

Rock fishermen have been enjoying themselves of late with some near perfect conditions persisting on most days. Black Drummer still seem to be a little hit and miss with most anglers reporting sessions of two or three fish straight away and then nothing but Bream, Luderick and Wrasse. Those anglers that have enjoyed the most success have been those that have taken plenty of burley in with them, while the burley definitely increases the amount of by-catch hanging about, it also keeps those Drummer keen to feed! There have been some nice Snapper cruising the ledges this week with plenty of fish up to 4kg landed at dawn, you don’t have to travel far for these fish but you definitely have to put the time in and fish those low light/dark periods.

Offshore anglers have been somewhat frustrated with the wind this week! There have definitely been some windows of gold though and those that have taken advantage of them have had an absolute ball on the local Snapper. Once again those reefs in 30-70m seem to be fishing the best at the moment and the fish are belting all sorts of baits and lures. Local legend Shane Crockett had loads of fun in 65m dropping small slow jigs on the light gear, every drop resulted in a hookup with plenty of solid little reds making it to the boat. The best fish reported this week was an absolute horse which went 11kg that was landed by Anthony Chapman after he dropped a whole dead Slimey down in a bit over 20m off Blackhead. Well done mate, we don’t see many like that around here, the fish of a lifetime for sure!!!  

July 16, 2021

We seem to be going through a particularly windy period at present, with short but sharp south westerly winds blowing through rather regularly. Last Saturday and mid this week in particular saw gusts in excess of 30 knots, which make a spot of angling challenging to say the least. Fingers crossed we see a bit of stability weather wise in the not too distant future, as there are plenty of great angling opportunities at present if mother nature plays remotely fair.

Of the rocks, reasonable reports on drummer continue to filter in, with Point Perpendicular, Diamond Head and a few ledges around Port still giving up some nice pigs. Bream also remain consistent, with Point Plomer and Crescent Head both fishing well. Tailor remain in good numbers from most headlands, with Plomer and Crescent Head producing a few quality fish to over 3 kilos, whilst Lighthouse locally has also held a reasonable class of fish. Late afternoon sessions have seen the better action, as is often the case leading up to a full moon. 

On the beaches at present, salmon numbers are now beginning to pick up as is usually the case when the water cools. Most beaches are seeing schools in varying numbers, with some fish in excess of 4 kilos. Pretty well baits and lures will entice any feeding salmon, but pilchards are particularly hard to beat. Tailor have picked up a little particularly late afternoons, however given the winds of late, few days have proven viable. For day time anglers, still a few bream and whiting on both North Beach and Lighthouse.

In the estuary, blackfish have been consistent on the south wall with bag limit catches reasonably common. Bream remain solid particularly after dark in Limeburners, while around Settlement Point has been well worth a look for flathead and some nice winter whiting. North wall has also held a few tailor and mulloway, with the tides and moon this week ideal for chasing the latter. There have also been a few rather unusual catches of late in our estuary of late, including a snapper anyone would be proud of, some big drummer quite a way up the break walls, as well as the odd kingfish and mangrove jack. Just goes to show you never know what you may catch when you wet a line.

Offshore, some fantastic angling is offer if you are lucky enough to have a spare day in between the poor weather. Close in, snapper remain excellent with good numbers of quality fish taking both baits and lures. A few reasonable kingfish, mulloway and pearl perch have been taken around and beyond the 50 meter mark, whilst a little wider still, a few schools of leather jackets have started showing up. If you plan to fish in between 60 and 90 meters and are after a tasty feed, wire traces might be well worth carrying. Alternately, if you have an arsenal of lures you don’t really like, this depth bracket is ideal for giving them a run.

July 9, 2021

We have had a typically wintery week here in the beautiful Great Lakes; chilly nights and mornings followed by mostly sunny, mild days. While the seas have been far from kind, the sheltered waters of the estuary have been fishing very well for a few key species.

Bream remain very good throughout the lower sections of Wallis Lake. Any Oyster Lease between Wallis Island and the mouth of the system is worth checking out but generally the older the growth the better the fishing! I have had daily reports of very solid bags of fish including Bream up over the 40cm mark. The bridge pylons and rock walls are also holding some nice fish still with some particularly solid models coming from the bridge, the biggest reported going 48cm!

Luderick have also been fishing very well in the estuary with great catches of fish coming from all over the place including Breckenridge Channel, Wallis Island, ‘The Paddock’, the bridge and both Forster and Tuncurry rock walls. The last of the run out tide and start of the run in tide is the best time to go and the fish are far from fussy when it comes to offerings; String weed, Cabbage weed or flies will all do the job.

The unsung hero of the Winter fishing season has to be the good old Flathead. There has been loads of nice fish caught over the week, particularly over last weekend, and the fish seem to be very spread out with some great bags still coming from the shallows down around the mouth of the lake. While the odd fish is falling for well-presented fish and Prawn baits, most are being taken on artificial lures with hard bodies proving to be particularly good.

There have been a couple of reports of some nice Tailor up the lake as well as the odd Australian Salmon. These schools can be a little tricky to locate but they are super fun on a light Bream outfit and most of the fish at this time of the year are a decent size and in great condition for the table.

The local beaches are still producing a steady trickle of Tailor, definitely not huge amounts of action but the regular anglers are managing to get a few fish each trip with late afternoon producing the majority of catches. Aussie Salmon are still around in good numbers and are making things a little difficult for the Bream anglers who have been struggling to land decent bags of fish over the last week or so.

I haven’t heard too much from the stones this week, however the conditions have been almost perfect for chasing Drummer, Bream and Luderick. This weekend is shaping up the same so it may well be worth collecting some Cunji and Crabs and hitting the wash.

Getting offshore has been somewhat difficult on most days this week so reports have been very few and far between, those that have been lucky enough to get out have found the odd fish but it’s been hard to find many Snapper over 35cm. Luckily the Flathead have been on fire which has meant that anglers have not returned empty handed! The inshore Kingfish and Mulloway have been on fire this week with fish up to 18kg landed and some much bigger models lost!

July 2, 2021

The beautiful towns of Forster Tuncurry have been a little on the quiet side over the past week which is actually a really good thing as it means that the majority of people are doing the right thing as far as the latest round of COVID restrictions go and not travelling to our local area. With a bit of luck the restrictions will be short lived and we can all get back to normal in a couple of weeks.

As far as fishing goes, things are ticking along very nicely despite some fairly average weather. The estuary is producing some great catches of Luderick at the moment with fish schooling up all over the place, just about any structure between the mouth of the river and Wallis Island will hold fish but the southern rock wall is probably still the standout location.

The run-in tide has been great for chasing Bream along the rock walls, there are loads of fish sitting in the eddies at the moment and there are some absolute horses in the mix. They are taking all sorts of baits but Mullet Strips, Bonito Strips and Whitebait have been particularly good. We will  have a nice afternoon/evening high tide for the next few days so I would imagine there will be some red hot Bream sessions coming up!

The local Flathead have been on fire up the Lake, there have been loads of fish caught this week and most have been legal which is great news. The flats up around Regatta Island, The Cut and Wallis Island have been particularly good but there is still the odd one being caught down around the bridge also. Soft plastics and diving hard bodies are accounting for the majority of fish, for bait fishermen your best bet is to drift using Whitebait, Pilchards or strips of Mullet.

Reports form the sand have been somewhat mixed this week, for most the fishing has been a little tough, particularly those that have been chasing Tailor on lures. Those that have opted to turn to a good old Pilly on a set of gang hooks have fared much better with most outings resulting in half a dozen or so nice Tailor and the odd Bream. There are also plenty of good old Aussie Salmon still cruising about as well which can make for great fun on the right gear.

The last couple of days has seen plenty of activity on the rocks as we have had a very nice little bit of swell creating some near perfect Drummer fishing conditions. Results have been mixed with most anglers managing to snag a Drummer or two along with loads of Bream and the odd Luderick.

Offshore fishing conditions were absolutely magical over the weekend which saw plenty of boats venturing out. Most reports coming back in have been very good with plenty of Snapper holding on most reefs, in fact Phil from Reel Ocean Adventures even managed to beat his charter record when his crew managed to land over 60 fish! The shallows up north are fishing very well early in the day with even the shortest of sessions still producing half a dozen good fish and plenty of smaller models. The deeper reefs are holding some great Trag and the odd nice Pearl Perch and for those interested in doing the miles, we did see a couple of Yellowfin and Albacore Tuna hit the cleaning tables earlier in the week.

June 25, 2021

We haven’t seen nearly enough sun this week, the rain over the weekend was absolutely horrible! Thankfully the forecast is looking great to kick off the school holidays and there are plenty of fish out there waiting to be caught!

The local Luderick have loved the rain this week and have really kicked into gear now. Anglers have found plenty of fish all over the place; Tuncurry breakwall, Forster breakwall, the bridge, Forster Harbour and Breckenridge Channel have all been producing great results. The run out tide is fishing well but the best fishing by far has revolved about the first quarter or so of the run in tide with Cabbage Weed proving to be very much preferable as bait.

It should come as no surprise that there are still loads of big Bream sitting down around the mouth of the estuary. Land based anglers have been nailing plenty of solid fish on the high tide each morning down around the bridge, Fish Co-op and breakwalls. For boaters, hitting the Oyster Leases is very hard to beat. Very lightly weighted (preferably unweighted) baits drifted down into the racks is a sure fire way of hooking into some big blue nosed bruisers but be prepared for a fairly intense battle to get the buggers out of the structure, these fish are super strong and know exactly where they need to go to be safe! Fishing the racks with light gear and lures is insanely fun and somewhat addictive. Surface lures up to 100mm long worked over the top of the Oysters on a nice high tide is about as intense as Bream fishing can get, the anticipation of the fish hitting the lure as you watch the bow waves hammer along the lease is very hard to beat, let along the fight that ensues once the fish scoffs the lure!

Flathead reports have been few and far between this week, the heavy rain that we saw over the weekend turned a lot of the Flathead ground up-river to soup unfortunately however there were still a few fish caught up around Regatta Island so I think they should fire up again once the water clears up.

Beach reports have been a little on the slow side this week, I think the average weather has kept a lot of anglers indoors. Those that have hit the sand have reported a bit of a slow bite over the last few days, there is still the odd Bream, Tailor and Salmon about but not in anywhere near the numbers that we have seen over the last couple of weeks. The most interesting report came from up at Redhead this week where a local angler has been catching quite a few nice Flathead up to 45cm, definitely not a species that you would expect to see in the surf at this time of the year!

Reports from the local stones have been very quiet this week. The headlands to the south are still producing some nice Tailor and the odd Drummer with loads of Bream in between. Elizabeth Beach is holding some nice Luderick but these fish should be holding along most headlands at this time of the year if you go looking for them.

Offshore fishing has not been the easiest affair this week. The Snapper have really played hard to get, with most boats managing to find enough fish for a feed but very little in the way of bigger models. Luckily the deeper reefs are producing some great catches of Teraglin, particularly if you are keen to fish into the evening.

June 18, 2021

Winter weather doesn’t get much better than that which we have had over the past week; sunny, clear skies and nice calm seas saw loads of people out and about enjoying the long weekend in the Great Lakes area.

On the fishing front things are ticking along very nicely and have not changed a lot from last report. Wallis Lake is still all about the Bream and there have been some very good fish getting caught throughout the lower sections of the estuary. The rock wall and Oyster Leases are producing most of the better fish and they are taking all sorts of baits including Mullet Gut, Mullet, Whitebait and Bonito. The flats up around The Cut and Wallis Island are also holding a few Bream again now but most are only of a small size, instead, these areas are producing much better quality Flathead which will hammer any of your Bream offerings!

Flathead are also fishing very well up the Wallamba River, once you find the fish you will score a nice feed in no time. The easiest way to fool a few of these river fish is to throw about a soft vibe or 3-4” Soft Plastic.

Luderick are still schooling up very nicely along the rock walls and around the bridge pylons, they have also started moving up further into the system which has seen the deep water up around Wallis Island starting to produce some great fishing. The fish are nice and active at the moment and have been responding to either weed or cabbage baits as well as the ever-faithful weed flies.

The local beaches have been a joy to fish for much of this week, if anything they have been a little too calm for some species! Most beaches are still fishing relatively well for Bream, the northern end of 9 Mile and southern end of Blueys Beach have probably been the standout beaches. There have been some really good reports of Tailor and Salmon this week, the bigger Tailor have all been caught on bait after dark, however throwing lures during the twilight hours has also been very productive, Rob from RV Lures and local legend Warwick had a ball throwing bent minnows down off 7 Mile Beach earlier in the week on the light gear; a 65cm Salmon pulls loads of string when you’re fishing 4lb and 6lb mainlines!

Hitting the stones at this time of the year is an absolute joy, however, the best winter rock fishing is somewhat dependant on the presence of a bit of swell. Unfortunately, this week has been very calm right up and down our coastline which has made fishing a little tricky. Despite the calm conditions, plenty of anglers still hit the rocks searching for Black Drummer and while a few were caught most were only small. Instead, anglers were met by schools of big, hungry Bream with the odd Luderick mixed in. There have been a select few that have been heading out to the ledges before dawn in search of winter Snapper and reports have been good so far with most trips resulting in a few fish, the better fish have all come from down around Pacific Palms and Seal Rocks.

Offshore fishing conditions have been very favourable for much of the past week. The long weekend saw loads of boats heading out through the heads; some went north, some went deep, and some went south…. Just about everyone managed to find a good feed of fish, Snapper have been very good in the shallow water up around Snapper Rock and Dennis Shoals with some nice fish feeding throughout the day in certain areas. The reef complex further south around Blackhead is producing fish but you will have to hit it early as the bite will often come to an abrupt halt not long after the sun breaches the horizon. Reefs out a little wider are also holding plenty of Snapper, the fish are mostly pan sized but the odd 70cm model has been mixed in with them as well as small Trag and Pearl Perch. Local legend Shane headed out into the deep stuff with his mate Muz earlier in the week and they had an absolute ball playing with solid Kingfish, Bar Cod and Pearl Perch. They weren’t fortunate enough to encounter any Yellowfin Tuna as they’d hoped but they did spot a big Blue Marlin free jumping like mad, so there are definitely game fish out there for those willing to put the time in….

June 11, 2021

Despite the cool, unsettled weather there have still been a few keen anglers hitting the estuary this week. Most of the action has been in the lower reaches of the system with the rock walls, bridge and Oyster Leases now holding huge amounts of Bream and Luderick. ‘The Paddock’ area of oyster leases has produced some really good Bream this week, floating unweighted baits into the racks is a very simple but effective technique which has seen quite a few fish up over 40cm landed (and many more lost) this week. The rock walls are also fishing well for Bream and this week we have had great day time tides for it, fishing the rising/full tide is a major factor in finding success when it comes to Bream. For the ultimate rush in light tackle fishing, hit the rock walls on a high tide and flick lightly weighted plastics into the eddies and backwaters then hold on and wind hard!!!

Luderick have finally started to thicken up along the walls now and are taking both cabbage and string weed as well as imitation weed flies. With the fish about in such high numbers it is not all that hard to fish until you hit your bag limit but please be sensible and only keep what you need, keeping more than you need is absolute stupidity when you can easily go back the next day and get more if you need to.

Flathead remain very good throughout much of the system with some very good reports filtering through from up the Wallamba River and up around Regatta Island. While there are no real big fish being caught up there, most fish are between 35 and 65cm and are loving hard bodied diving lures as well as soft and metal vibes. Once again we have seen a huge Flathead caught from down around the rock wall this week, this time it was a 92cm beast of a fish that took a liking to a well presented glide bait fished over a shallow section of sand. The number of big fish that have been caught over the past couple of weeks down around the mouth of the system just goes to show that not all of the fish travel up river in winter and that those fish that hang about down the bottom do still have to feed over the cooler months.

Local beaches have not seen too many anglers this week, between the cold temperatures, unsettled seas and wind, conditions have been a little tough! We did have few calmer days in the mix though and those anglers that did sneak out for a look were rewarded with some nice Tailor, Salmon and Bream. The Tailor are all of a good size now but you will have to fish very early or late in the day to get them and they seem to be almost exclusively taking baits (most likely due to the low light period rather than anything else).

Reports from the stones have been all about the Drummer this week! While there have been some great fish caught they are still a little patchy with a lot of reports coming through of one or two fish in the first few casts and then just Bream and Luderick which are about in really good numbers right up and down the coast.

Once again, attempts to head offshore this week have been somewhat hampered by some fairly average conditions. Having said that, those boats that took advantage of the good weather windows have been rewarded with some very good fishing. By far the better results have all come from those reefs to the north with some great fish coming from all sorts of depths. One angler put the miles in earlier in the week and headed up to Old Bar where they found a huge amount of action, losing count of how many fish were caught and releasing seven or eight fish up over 70cm! The fish were taken on floated baits, plastics and Kabura style jigs so they were far from fussy! Phil from Reel Ocean Adventures has been smashing the fish out a little wider with some awesome mixed bags coming back with the punters this week consisting of some very nice Snapper, Trag, Pearl Perch, Morwong, Flathead and even the odd Bar Cod!

The forecast for the next few days is looking fantastic so get out of the house and make the most of what will hopefully be some perfect Winter weather!

June 4, 2021

It’s been a bit of a tough week to be a fisherman on the east coast of NSW this week; cool temperatures, wind, swell and rain have all teamed up to make getting out for a fish very difficult! Those anglers that have found options have had somewhat mixed results which is often the case when there is unsettled weather about, however there are still plenty of fish out there waiting for us to catch them once things settle down again!

We have seen some very good Bream fishing this week for those keen enough to get out in the weather. The oyster leases in around ‘The Paddock’ are holding some absolute beasts at the moment which are belting just about any kind of unweighted bait that is floated in among the structure. While hooking these fish is relatively easy, pulling them out is another story altogether! Interestingly there are still some very nice fish hanging in the rivers which is a little strange for this time of the year as we would normally expect the large majority of fish to be down around the mouth of the estuary or out at sea travelling.

Luderick fishermen are still finding a few fish but they are yet to filter into the lower reaches of the system in any great numbers. Most anglers are still managing to land more than enough for a feed but most of the fish caught are still fairly small. The better fish have all come from the Oyster Leases and bridge pylons.

Once again, I have seen some really nice Flathead landed this week which is amazing to see. All of the better fish have come from right down the front of the estuary near the mouth, reports from further upstream have consisted predominantly of small, barely legal fish but loads and loads of them.

Possibly the most exciting reports to come from the estuary this week happened over Monday and Tuesday when we had a school (or schools) of big Australian Salmon entering Wallis Lake. While these fish don’t have the best reputation as a table fish, to hook up to a 70cm Salmon on light spin gear is amazing fun! Most of the reports came from along the Tuncurry foreshore between the Co-op and the boat ramps but fish were caught as far up into the system as the Big 4 Caravan Park.

Reports form the beach have been non-existent this week which is far from surprising given the weather that we have experienced. Now that the seas have settled the beaches should start to fish well again over the weekend and into next week.

The first bit of cold, rough weather means one thing for local fisherman…. Its Drummer time! As the swell subsided earlier in the week, plenty of anglers hit their favourite Drummer hole and reports have been fairly good. While the fish are definitely not in huge numbers yet, most anglers managed a couple of nice fish along with plenty of Bream and Luderick. Those that packed plenty of burley found the most fish which is often the case this early in the season and baits of Cunji and Prawn worked a treat.

Unfortunately, we didn’t get too many days this week that were favourable for offshore fishing. However, the tail end of the week presented us with a couple of fairly nice days which saw a few boats head out for a look. Those boats that hit the shallow grounds in great anticipation after the rough seas were somewhat disappointed, there are definitely fish holding in the shallows, but they seem very shut down at the moment. Better results came to those that headed wider and fished on reefs in 50-80m which are holding some very nice Snapper, Pearl Perch and Morwong as well as the odd Flathead in between. Things are looking great for next week, while we do have a little bit of wind and swell forecast today and tomorrow, we will barely see a bump here in town and things will settle very quickly. 

May 28, 2021

Strap yourselves in because we are set to cop some fairly ugly weather over the next couple of days! Unfortunately, this will put a stop to most forms of fishing but there are still a few options there for those wishing to brave the cold.

The estuary is still powering on and there are some great fishing options on offer at the moment. Bream have been very good for most of the week, they did go a little shy over the full moon but there have still been plenty there to keep anglers busy. Most of the Oyster Leases, bridge pylons and rock walls are holding solid fish now and they are there in great numbers. Baits of Mullet Gut, Mullet Fillet, Bonito Fillet, Chicken and Whitebait have all been working great but you can’t beat the thrill of trying to fool and land a big blue nosed bruiser using lures on light gear! While the lake itself will be all but unfishable this week, the rock wall may well be worth a look, the fish often fire up down there during these weather events at this time of the year.

Flathead just keep on keeping on. While you won’t see a lot caught on dead baits at this time of the year, you will still get more than enough for a feed if you put the time in throwing lures about. The fish are spread out all over the place but for numbers it’s hard to beat the areas up around Regatta Island, Coomba Park and The Cut. Local young gun Hunter landed a really nice fish on a 178mm Molix Glide Bait on Thursday, while he didn’t get a measurement on the fish it was at least 70cm and very healthy, what a way to break in his new swimbait combo!

The local Luderick have been a bit funny this week, I’m not too sure if the moon slowed them down or something else. There are great schools of fish holding around most of the structure throughout the lower reaches of the system but for some reason they have been particularly hard to get to bite this week. I would say this bit of wild weather should well and truly kick them into gear!

Reports from the beach have been unreal! I have heard great things from most beaches and am very happy to say that 7 Mile Beach has finally started to produce some consistent catches. Those anglers that have chased Tailor this week have reported fairly slim pickings early and late in the day but those that have been able to hang about until the sun sets have found some very solid fish, particularly on the beaches down south. Bream have been very prominent on the beaches this week with some schools so thick “you could walk on them”. My Beach Worm supplier had been working Yagon Beach down at Seal Rocks earlier in the week and reported long gutters stacked with silver, mostly big Bream but small pods of school Mulloway and Whiting mixed in as well. It’s no surprise that the nice big full Moon saw plenty of anglers out braving the cold chasing Mulloway and there were quite a few caught from 9 Mile Beach, 7 Mile Beach and from down around Seal Rocks, while I didn’t hear of any really big fish most were nice school fish around the 8-10kg mark.

The stones have been a beautiful place this week but the fishing has not really been all that good. There are good Bream and Luderick in the washes as well as the odd Tailor. One lucky angler managed to land some juvenile Mulloway on cooked Prawns fishing for Bream and Drummer down south, while the fish were nowhere near legal it’s very nice to see that there are future generations of these amazing fish coming through. The wild seas that we have forecast for the next few days should kick the local Drummer into gear. There had been the odd Longtail Tuna still lurking about but the inshore water has really taken a turn for the worse this week which will probably put an end to them. 

Offshore fishing has been very productive of late. Most catches have consisted of good sized Snapper which have been fishing better on the reefs sitting in 25-60m, the shallow water fishery has been ticking along ok as well but the big moon definitely slowed things down a little this week. Most reefs in 40-80m are holding great Trag of an evening along with the odd Pearl Perch and Snapper. Only one report came in from out wider this week which resulted in a very nice box consisting of Yellowtail Kingfish, Nannygai and Bar Cod.

May 21, 2021

Things have felt awfully wintery this week here in the Great Lakes. Although the cooler conditions get fishermen excited about the upcoming winter fishing season, the mornings have been particularly chilly and have seen a lot of anglers opting for much later starts once the sun gets up a bit!  

Wallis Lake is still fishing unbelievably well. While the seasons are definitely shifting and the water temperature has dropped considerably this week, there are still plenty of fish about. Bream can still be found throughout the system; the bridge and rock walls are definitely starting to stack up with some bigger fish now and they are definitely most active about the high tide. Fishing earlier in the week it was good to see some of the fish produce a bit of ‘milt’ once landed, this should indicate that we will be seeing quite a bit more action down the bottom of the system (around the rockwalls etc) over the coming weeks. Interestingly, there are still some great fish being caught up as far as Nabiac which is a little rare for this time of the year!

The other surprise species at the moment are the mighty Flathead. I fished the sand flats around Tern Island with Tony from Strikerz Lure Scents on Wednesday and we must have landed 50 Flathead between us, the average size of the fish was small but the numbers were very impressive. Of those fish we possibly had 10 or so which would have been legal with the biggest around 50cm. Mixed in were a handful of very solid Bream which made a very good account of themselves on the light gear. There have also been some great Flathead reports coming from up around Regatta Island and down towards Coomba Park, proving once again that these fish are far from a ‘Summer only’ species!

Luderick numbers are still slowly improving and if you walk along the rock walls or down around the bridge at high tide you will see some big schools of breeding fish, the Tuncurry rock wall had a lot of nice fish feeding from the rocks on the beach side earlier in the week. Most anglers are managing to land a good number of fish each session but there are still quite a few small fish in the mix.

The local beaches have slowed up a little this week, although the cool conditions may also have seen a few less fishermen hitting the sand to try their luck! Jainey’s Corner is holding huge numbers of Bream at the moment and while there are some nice fish in the schools, most are only small and undersized. The better-quality fish have all come from 9 Mile Beach which has plenty of nice gutters spread along it. The northern end of 9 Mile is still the pick of the bunch as far as Tailor goes, the early morning tide has had the fish holding fairly tight in next to the rocks but as the tide fills through the afternoon the fish have been schooling up fairly good out on the beach and most fish have been legal size or better.

Rock fishermen have now well and truly started to transition away from the pelagics with the focus now centred about the winter bread and butter species – Bream, Luderick, Black Drummer and Tailor. Bream and Luderick can be found right along the coastline, if you find a bit of white water and drop a bait in you will more than likely land more than a few! Tailor remain fairly consistent off most of the prominent headlands with good fish coming from Booti, Shelley’s and Blackhead as well as the odd one off South One Mile.

The first real cold snap often signifies the start of the winter Snapper fishery and the past week has definitely delivered. Those that have dragged themselves out of bed to head offshore have been finding loads of good quality fish on the inshore reefs. The 20-35m grounds to the north have been particularly productive and the fish have been all too eager to smash just about any bait or lure offering. The wider reefs have been a little more hit and miss, the 80-100m grounds have been holding some Snapper and the odd nice Pearl Perch but you may find yourself moving about a bit to find the fish.

May 5, 2021

The nice big full moon that we had over the weekend made for very tricky fishing conditions, evidenced no more than by the entrants in the Bream fishing tournament that was held over Saturday and Sunday. Just about the whole field struggled to find fish and the winning bags fell a long way short of what you would expect from our amazing waterways!

Thankfully the moon has waned, and the bite has returned now with plenty of good fish about. On the Bream front things are very interesting, bait fishermen are having a ball down along the rock walls with most anglers reporting good bags of solid fish most mornings. The same fish are proving to be insanely difficult to tempt with artificial offerings, indeed for those wishing to chase Bream on lures your best bet is to head up river. The weed beds, sand flats and tributaries are all fishing very well, it’s almost as if we are seeing two separate spawning populations this year; one that ‘ran’ when we had the flooding in March which has now returned to the upper reaches of the estuary and another that is just starting their annual migration. It will be very interesting to see what happens over the next month that’s for sure.

Flathead have been fishing very well this week, while the fish have slowed up a fair bit there are still plenty lying about down around the rock walls and around the bridge and they are still fired up enough to fall for a well-presented soft plastic. For numbers, it’s hard to beat the Wallamba River and in around The Cut, once again 3-4” soft plastics are proving to be the offering of choice, but they are also taking Prawns, Whitebait, Pilchards and Mullet strips.

Our local beaches were a little hit and miss earlier in the week. The Tailor bite that has been so good over the last month or so seemed to just stop completely for a couple of days and has now been replaced by masses of small, barely legal fish. However, if you are patient (and have enough bait) you will find a feed in among them. Bream too seemed to slow considerably earlier in the week but reports coming from 9 Mile over the past couple of days have been promising with the odd nice fish mixed in with the schools of huge Dart, once the little bit of swell that we have at the moment subsides the fishing should be good again.

The local rocks can be a really fun place to fish in May. With the unsettled conditions that we have at the moment, floating baits down through wash zones will almost certainly see you hooking into loads of Black Drummer, Bream and Luderick. There has also been a good number of Snapper caught over the last couple of weeks, mostly just pan sized fish up to about 2kg but I also saw a very respectable 8kg model which made a very good account of itself! There are still Tuna and Cobia sneaking about and there has been the odd one hooked but there is a bit of a wait between bites now that the water has started to cool off a bit. Throwing metals and surface lures off just about any outcrop will see you landing plenty of Tailor at the moment, the better fish have been coming from Booti Booti and South One Mile but they are literally everywhere!

There have been a lot of boats heading across the bar for an offshore fish this week. As eluded to earlier, the full moon that we had over the weekend saw boats putting in some serious kilometres as they searched for fish. Up until about Tuesday finding a decent Snapper bite in the shallows was nearly impossible, instead the majority of fish caught were on the reefs sitting in 40-100m. Mixed in with the Snapper was the odd Pearl Perch, Trag, Morwong and Pigfish; I also received a report of a stonking 9kg Mangrove Jack which was caught off a local inshore reef! Dropping live baits is well worth a try at the moment as there have been some really nice Mulloway and Cobia about, you just never know what might be down there waiting for an easy meal.

April 30, 2021

I can’t remember the last time we had such an amazing run of weather, I’m not sure how many consecutive days of perfect Autumn weather we have had but it’s got to be over two weeks straight now! Low winds and sunny days have made for unreal fishing conditions and there have been plenty of anglers out there making the most of it.

Our beautiful estuary is absolutely alive at the moment with loads of baitfish schooled up throughout the bottom sections (towards the mouth), sitting under the nervous Herring, Whitebait and Mullet are loads of nice Bream, Luderick and Flathead.

This years’ Bream season is shaping up to be a cracker, there have been plenty of nice fish pulled from the rock walls and leases this week with most fish falling for lightly weighted strip baits or Whitebait. Chasing the big travelling fish can be a frustrating and very challenging affair, fish too light and they bury you in the structure before you get a wind on them, fish too heavy and the buggers won’t touch your offering! There are also decent numbers of fish sitting up about The Cut and on the weed beds around Green Point/Coomba Park but most of the fish are just legal or undersize, these fish are very responsive and will hammer small hardbodies, poppers, stickbaits and bent minnows which can be very fun on the light gear!

Local Luderick enthusiasts are really starting to find some fish now and the average size is definitely improving with the odd 40+cm fish being landed now. The better fish seem to be sitting along the foreshore near the Fisherman’s Co-op in Tuncurry and are super hungry, one angler even managed to get 5 good fish earlier in the week while floating prawn baits under the fishing boats for Bream.

With the amount of baitfish schooled up in the system it’s no surprise that there are more than a few larger predators sneaking about, Kingfish and Mulloway have both really started to fire again this week, one angler even managed to land a 70cm Amberjack a little way up the lake.

Local beaches are fishing fairly well. Tailor are still about in good numbers on most beaches but there seems to be a lot of smaller fish in the schools at the moment, you will end up with a good bag of fish though if you are willing to fish through the ‘choppers’. Bream on the beaches at this time of the year are a bit of a given and just about any beach will produce a few good Bream if you can find a decent gutter to fish.

Fishing from the local stones at this time of the year can be a bit of a lucky dip, on one hand there is still schools of Garfish cruising the coastline that are getting smashed by Tuna, Tailor and Bonito while on the other there are Bream, Luderick and Drummer sitting in the washes waiting to smash any scrap or piece of dislodged food that might float by (or your bait of weed, Cunjevoi, Crab or Prawn).

With near perfect sea conditions for much of the week there have been loads of anglers heading offshore and most have found plenty of action. The local Snapper have been very good in the shallow stuff, most reefs under 20m have produced fish this week and the fish have been of a good size with not many fish under 40cm being reported. As is often the case, just about every report on the shallow water reds has ended with ‘and they were just the ones we could stop, there was twice as many that we couldn’t turn’!

The same shallow reefs are still playing host to Mackerel, Tuna and Cobia and these fish may well hang about for a while yet if the water temperature holds, you will find though that as the water cools these fish will feed less and less so your effort to catch rate ratio will blow out significantly!

The deeper reefs are holding Trag and the odd Pearl Perch along with the ever-present Snapper, we also had a few nice Kingfish caught earlier in the week which is always a welcome surprise. A few deep drop enthusiasts have ventured out this week and results have been very good with tasty mixed bags of Bar Cod, Nannygai, Bass Grouper and Gemfish coming back to port. 

April 23, 2021
Does the weather get any better than that which we have had over the past week? Nice cool nights and perfectly warm Autumn days consisting of a very light breeze and plenty of sunshine…….Absolutely perfect!
On the estuary scene things continue to tick along very much as they should at this time of the year. Flathead remain relatively active and are spread throughout the system with the majority of fish now coming from up around Wallis Island and Coomba Park, reports from up the Wallamba are getting better and should only improve over the next few weeks.
Bream have really started to gain the attention of anglers now, particularly those fishing land based down around the bridge and Breakwall areas. While there are still fish on the weed beds and up around The Cut, the majority of the better sized fish are now concentrated in and around the Oyster Leases and rock walls between the mouth or the estuary and Wallis Island. The fish are really starting to fire up now, with their annual spawning migration/activity now underway they are feeding hard as they try to keep a bit of condition throughout the stressful spawning process. With this in mind, it’s no surprise to hear that the fish are far from picky and will happily take just about any bait you choose to offer with Mullet, Bonito, Slimy Mackerel, Herring and Yellowtail proving to be particularly good.
The local Luderick specialists have started to kick into gear now with some great fishing on offer, there are still a lot of smaller fish in the mix but more than enough big fish to get a decent bag. They are feeding on just about any weed/cabbage you can find as well as the good old weed flies.
The local beaches are a beautiful place to be in Autumn. Flat seas, offshore winds and warm water make them a delight to fish, plus there is generally plenty of fish about! Most beaches are holding Tailor still with the better fish coming from the northern end of 9 Mile Beach. Despite its somewhat lacklustre formations, 7 Mile is holding the odd nice Bream and chopper Tailor, if you want to head south for a fish you are better off going that little bit further and fishing Boomerang Beach or even Cellito down at Smiths Lake.
The local stones are still fishing relatively well for pelagics and should continue to produce while ever we are blessed with such good weather and water. There are also some huge Bream starting to line the rocks which can make for great fun while you wait for something to snaffle up your live bait. If you can find a bit of wash there are some big Luderick on offer and you will almost certainly get smoked by a Drummer or two!
Offshore conditions really don’t get any better that this and there is plenty on offer if you are keen to head out the bar. The local Snapper have been a little cagey of late but once you find them or figure out when they might feed there are plenty about. The really shallow stuff up north is starting to produce some amazing action for some but you will have to put in the hard yards and endure some early starts to get in on the action. Anchoring up and deploying a bit of berley on a reef in 15-35m is by far the most productive method of getting a feed and you can expect to get some really nice table fish with most Snapper sitting at about 1.5-4kg. The deeper reefs are holding some nice mixed bags of Snapper, Pearl Perch and Trag, as well as the odd Kingfish.
The Pelagic season is far from over, with daily weather forecasts consisting of light southerly/westerly winds the warm inshore water should hang about for a little while yet. Cobia, Mackerel and all sorts of Tuna a definitely still about and can pop up absolutely anywhere, we even had reports of Spotted Mackerel hanging out at the bait grounds off Pebbly Beach recently so make sure you pack some wire next time you head out.

April 16, 2021

How good is Autumn, offshore winds, warm water and too many fishing options! This week has been absolutely perfect for hitting the water to chase a fish or two.
In the estuary there are all sorts of options. Flathead have been great still for those wishing to chase a tasty feed, they are spread out all over the place now but your best bet for numbers of fish is to get up around Wallis Island or down past Green Point and target the weed edges and drop offs with soft plastics and vibes. There are still some very nice fish being caught down along the rock walls and around the bridge with live Herring and Mullet probing to be particularly effective.
The other species that is really starting to heat up is the good old Bream. They too seem to be fairly well spread out, the rock walls and bridge areas are fishing really well for both numbers and size however there are still some good fish sitting up on the weed beds and around The Cut that are yet to move down. I absolutely love heading down to the breakwall on a nice high tide with that cool westerly wind blowing against my back to have a crack at the big travelling fish that are spawning, pulling anything over about 38cm out on 4lb gear is insanely hard and super fun!
The Luderick season is yet to kick off in earnest but there have been some reports trickling through of decent numbers of fish sitting down near the Fish Co-op as well as along the northern rock wall and the bridge.
The local beaches have been really fun of late. The Tailor bite that we have had over the past month or so has been really good with just about every beach holding decent numbers of good quality fish. The fish are taking both lure and bait and there has been the odd Bonito and Salmon mixed in with them. Bream numbers are also fairly good on the beaches but finding the better-quality fish has been a bit tricky and you will probably have to fish through a fair few barely legal fish to find the big ones. Unfortunately Whiting seem to be very hard to find at the moment, anglers are reporting plenty of small fish but not too many big ones with the better reports have been coming from 9 Mile Beach.
Fishing from the local stones is very exciting at the moment due to the number of different species on offer. The water is still nice and warm and there are plenty of pelagics cruising along the coastline so casting lures or floating baits out is definitely worth the effort. In between the big guys there are really good numbers of solid Tailor, Mack Tuna and Bonito so you can rest assured that a day on the rocks will be filled with plenty of action. Bream and Luderick numbers are slowing growing with some great fishing on offer down around Elizabeth Beach and Jaineys Corner.
Heading offshore this week has been very interesting. The weather has been about as close to perfect as you can get, but the fishing has been a little on the tough side for many with a lot of hours required to find the fish! There are still some great pelagics on offer, Cobia have been particularly good on the inshore reefs, I don’t think I can remember ever seeing so many caught within a week! The toothy critters (Mackerel) are still an option up north but they are somewhat hit and miss. Narrow bite windows, thousands of Mack Tuna and an unusually high number of hungry sharks has meant that only those dedicated to put the time in have been successful. For the Snapper fishermen the story has been somewhat similar with very narrow bite windows making things difficult. There have been some very nice fish caught (and lost) in the shallows this week but the most consistent fishing seems to have come from the reefs up north in 35-60m.

April 8, 2021
We have had another very busy week on the water here in the beautiful Great Lakes area, the Easter long weekend saw the twin towns bursting at the seams with holiday makers keen to make the most of the great weather before things start to really cool off.
On the fishing front it has been a bit of a funny week consisting of two types of anglers; one type has reported very consistent catches and plenty of action while the other has struggled to turn a reel. Within the estuary the single biggest factor at the moment is ensuring that you chase that clean water. Those anglers that are still focusing their efforts on the last of the run out to chase a few Flathead are finding things very quiet, instead the fish are actively feeding throughout the run in and over the high tide as that clean warm (22-24 degree) water pushes into the estuary. Lures are still accounting for most Flathead catches with prawn profile soft plastics nailing loads of fish.
Bream have a lot of local anglers somewhat perplexed at the moment, the time of year combined with the large amounts of rain that we have seen over the past month or so should have 99% of the Bream population schooled up right down the bottom of the estuary and out on the beaches, instead anglers are finding fish all over the place with some great catches of very solid fish still coming from well up the system. Are these fish members of the schools that travelled after the recent flood events that have come up the coast and entered into our system or are they fish that are yet to run down??? Who knows and who cares really, it’s just awesome to have so many great fish on offer at the moment! The rock walls are fishing really well as can be expected. Floating baits and small plastics along the rocks about the high tide is a sure-fire way of hooking into a few bruisers and the amount of 40+cm fish caught over the past week has been amazing. The next couple of months are going to be very interesting down there…
The local Mulloway and Kingfish have been very quiet since the flood event last month, but this week has seen them show their faces again. The key to finding these brutes is to focus on that good water, even the Mulloway have only been biting on the high tide (normally their peak bite times revolve about the last of the run out). There’s no shortage of baitfish about at the moment so floating a live bait is a very achievable option and you just never know what you might find at this time of the year!
Beach fishing is a fairly productive affair during April and the past week has been brilliant! Most beaches are holding great numbers of Tailor (and the odd Bonito!) and the fish are a solid 35-40cm models with the odd one sneaking up over 60cm. Bream and Whiting are also about with 9 Mile Beach producing some very nice bags during the week.
The local stones are firing on all fronts at the moment from Drummer, Luderick and Groper through to Longtail Tuna, Kingfish and Cobia, absolutely anything is possible right now! I even had a report of a couple of Queenfish and more than a few Spangled Emperor coming form the ledges earlier in the week. Unfortunately, we have had easterly winds over the past couple of days which tend to slow things down a little on the pelagic front, but things should clean up fairly quickly over the next two days.
Offshore fishing has been interesting this week. On the Snapper front things were far from easy but there was a lot of quality fish caught, the best I have seen so far measured 91cm and 9kg. The better reports came from boats that did the miles and headed north to Snapper Rock and beyond. The bite has been funny with most anglers reporting very little action early in the day, instead the bulk of the fish have been caught from about mid-morning on with some bite periods lasting no more than 20 minutes or so. The good news is that once you find these feeding fish, they are very hungry and will smash just about anything you choose to drop down to them!
The pelagic fishery has been amazing this year, despite the amount of rain and run off we have had to deal with. This weeks’ reports have consisted of Mackerel, Longtail and Mack Tuna, Cobia and the odd Marlin. I’m not sure that I have ever heard of so many Cobia captures, these are a funny fish that tend to just pop up randomly but places such as Latitude Rock, Snapper Rock, Dennis Shoals, North One Mile and even as close as the bait grounds have all starred in this weeks’ reports. We saw a really nice Mackerel bite on Saturday and Sunday with some boats hitting double digits, most fish have been Spotted Mackerel but there are a few Spanish mixed in. Unfortunately reports from Monday on have consisted of less and less Mackerel and more and more Tuna and Sharks, with a bit of luck the weather over the next few days should see things fire back up!
Have a great weekend, enjoy the amazing weather!!!

April 1, 2021

The turnaround time from a flooded fishery to a fishing bonanza has been nothing short of amazing! While we are still seeing a significant amount of ‘fresh’ pouring form the estuary on each low tide, we had a dramatic improvement in water quality and temperature over Monday/Tuesday which has really kicked things back into gear.
The estuary is fishing exceptionally well at the moment. Bream are really firing now and while you can still find the odd fish up river, most of the action is concentrated down around the mouth of the estuary with the rock walls fishing better than anywhere else. Bait fishermen have been enjoying the most success this week with baits of Mullet, Bonito, Herring and Slimy Mackerel working particularly well.
The local Flathead definitely slowed considerably due to last weeks’ weather but the increase in water temperature earlier in the week has stirred them back up again, particularly in the lower reaches of the system (from Wallis Island down to the mouth). If you have taken a walk down around the Co-op or break walls this week you will have noticed the big schools of baitfish around, if you want to chase a few Flathead just find the eddies that these bait schools hold up in and the fish won’t be far behind (or under) them!
The local beaches have settled down very nicely and most are producing some cracking catches. 9 Mile has been very consistent, the better fishing has been along the northern half where there has been plenty of Tailor up to about 40cm, solid Bream up to about 1kg and a surprising amount of nice Whiting. Unfortunately, 7 Mile is yet to reform in any decent sort of way so it’s not holding the fish like it normally would at this time of the year, you can still find a few Tailor down there though.
With ocean temperatures hitting 24 degrees and above from about Monday there have been all sorts of things popping up along our coastline, yes there are patches of dirty water about which are fairly lifeless, however if you can find a spot on the rocks with clean water out the front of it you never know what you might find!
Offshore fishing has been noting short of amazing this week. The local Snapper have loved the recent weather events, feeding insanely hard on just about any reef out to about 35m. The bite seems to have slowed a little now but earlier in the week boats reported sessions in the middle of the day where they were catching a fish a cast on just about any bait, plastic or jig that you can think of! The reefs in 40-80m have been all but unfishable due to huge amounts of current, however once you get out to 100-150m you will find workable ground and this week we have seen some great catches of Pearl Perch, Snapper, Kingfish and Bar Cod coming from the deep stuff.
Pelagic enthusiasts also have plenty of be excited about, inshore we have 24 degrees and green-ish water but once you hit the FAD and beyond the water is cobalt blue and up to 27 degrees which has produced Marlin, Mahi Mahi, Wahoo and Yellowfin Tuna this week…..
It’s definitely worth getting out there for a fish this weekend, have a great Easter!

April 1, 2021
The turnaround time from a flooded fishery to a fishing bonanza has been nothing short of amazing! While we are still seeing a significant amount of ‘fresh’ pouring form the estuary on each low tide, we had a dramatic improvement in water quality and temperature over Monday/Tuesday which has really kicked things back into gear.
The estuary is fishing exceptionally well at the moment. Bream are really firing now and while you can still find the odd fish up river, most of the action is concentrated down around the mouth of the estuary with the rock walls fishing better than anywhere else. Bait fishermen have been enjoying the most success this week with baits of Mullet, Bonito, Herring and Slimy Mackerel working particularly well.
The local Flathead definitely slowed considerably due to last weeks’ weather but the increase in water temperature earlier in the week has stirred them back up again, particularly in the lower reaches of the system (from Wallis Island down to the mouth). If you have taken a walk down around the Co-op or break walls this week you will have noticed the big schools of baitfish around, if you want to chase a few Flathead just find the eddies that these bait schools hold up in and the fish won’t be far behind (or under) them!
The local beaches have settled down very nicely and most are producing some cracking catches. 9 Mile has been very consistent, the better fishing has been along the northern half where there has been plenty of Tailor up to about 40cm, solid Bream up to about 1kg and a surprising amount of nice Whiting. Unfortunately, 7 Mile is yet to reform in any decent sort of way so it’s not holding the fish like it normally would at this time of the year, you can still find a few Tailor down there though.
With ocean temperatures hitting 24 degrees and above from about Monday there have been all sorts of things popping up along our coastline, yes there are patches of dirty water about which are fairly lifeless, however if you can find a spot on the rocks with clean water out the front of it you never know what you might find!
Offshore fishing has been noting short of amazing this week. The local Snapper have loved the recent weather events, feeding insanely hard on just about any reef out to about 35m. The bite seems to have slowed a little now but earlier in the week boats reported sessions in the middle of the day where they were catching a fish a cast on just about any bait, plastic or jig that you can think of! The reefs in 40-80m have been all but unfishable due to huge amounts of current, however once you get out to 100-150m you will find workable ground and this week we have seen some great catches of Pearl Perch, Snapper, Kingfish and Bar Cod coming from the deep stuff.
Pelagic enthusiasts also have plenty of be excited about, inshore we have 24 degrees and green-ish water but once you hit the FAD and beyond the water is cobalt blue and up to 27 degrees which has produced Marlin, Mahi Mahi, Wahoo and Yellowfin Tuna this week…..
It’s definitely worth getting out there for a fish this weekend, have a great Easter!

March 26, 2021

What a crazy week of weather, the intensity of rain and the devastation that it has caused is something I have never seen and my heart goes out to all of those that have been impacted by it. For us here in the Great Lakes, we have been very lucky, our estuary system doesn’t have a big catchment area and the tributaries that flow into it are not all that large, properties have definitely been damaged and people have lost a lot but nowhere near the scale of loss that we have seen to the north of us.
On the fishing front, I don’t have a whole lot to offer! The estuary system will be dealing with the fresh for some time yet, however each high tide is finding its way further and further upstream. As far as fishing options go, we are fairly limited but there has been some very nice Bream hanging about down on the breakwalls, in Breckenridge Channel and around the bridge. The heavy rains have flushed the fish down into the lower sections of the system and out onto the beaches.
Some of our beaches are an absolute mess following the floods with all sorts of debris lining the shores, however if you can find a clean gutter there are plenty of fish about. Bream, Tailor, Salmon, Whiting and Tarwhine are all about in good numbers and are super hungry!
The local stones have really slowed down over the last week, while the pelagic season may not be over for the year, it will be a little while until we see any fish again. Bream, Tailor and Salmon are about in decent numbers though and there should be plenty of hungry Drummer about.
Offshore has been a write off up until Thursday and even then there hasn’t been too many Skippers brave enough to take a run out among the debris. Things are still settling down out there and finding feeding fish has been very tough. The nice weather forecast over the coming week should see plenty of boats out there and it will be very interesting to see what pops up.

March 19, 2021

Rain rain go away! Unfortunately, the week has had to end with very average weather including some fairly solid amounts of rain. Up until Friday the local fishing had been ticking along quite nicely, particularly within the estuary. Time will tell just how bad the local waterways will get over the next few days’ but one would imagine that we will be experiencing a fairly big flush of fresh for a week or two….

Wallis Lake has been fishing insanely good for Flathead over the past year or so, they are definitely a worthwhile target outside of the Summer months! Up until Friday there was plenty of action on the Flathead front with great fish coming from all over the place; the lower sections of the system around the bridge and ‘The Paddock’ have produced plenty of big fish up to 98cm, the flats down south past Green Point have held good numbers of fish up to 65cm and the edges up around Coomba Park, Wallis Island and Regatta Island have been a real mixed bag with fish up to 70cm being caught. Nearly all of the fish have fallen for lures or live baits with prawn and grub style soft plastics proving to be particularly effective.

The other species that has been particularly good this week is the good old Bream. The break walls are holding some really nice fish now with plenty of fish up around the 40cm mark making an appearance now. This bit of weather should really push them down from up-river so if you’re after a feed of Bream, hit those break walls over the next few days!

The rough conditions have also been great for the local Tailor population which has settled itself down on the rock walls. Most fish are only small (up to 30cm) but there is the odd good one in amongst them and I would imagine there would be plenty of big Mulloway sitting just underneath them!

Unfortunately, reports from the surf have been non-existent this week apart from two reports from guys that fished 7 Mile Beach down south and Diamond Beach to the north. Both went searching for Tailor and both managed to land a few fish but neither landed anything over 35cm. Once conditions ease, with a bit of luck we will have some nice formations and warm water to fish which should be holding some good Whiting and loads of Bream.

The local pelagic land based fishing scene was cruising along very nicely up until about Sunday/Monday, as soon as the NE winds ‘turned the water over’ local ocean temperatures fell from about 24 degrees down to 19/20 degrees literally overnight! Water temps have come back up a bit now so with a bit of luck there will be fish still about, but we will have to wait and see what happens once things settle again next week. These rough conditions scream ‘DRUMMER’ to a lot of anglers, and I don’t doubt that this weekend should prove to be very fruitful, if you are hitting the washes please be careful and take a mate!

Our offshore fishery is always awesome over the Autumn months and this year has been particularly good. We have already had the opportunity to play with all sorts of pelagic species, many of which wouldn’t normally be here in big numbers for another few weeks! Unfortunately, the weather has put a bit of a dampener on things for now but we should get another bite at the pelagic cherry soon enough. The reef fishing has been incredibly good, the deeper reefs to the south have been producing loads of nice Pearl Perch up to about 3kg with the odd Snapper and Trag mixed in. The shallow reefs to the north have been producing some insane Snapper fishing in both numbers of fish caught and the average size of fish. A boat that snuck out on Tuesday couldn’t believe how many Snapper ‘lit up’ their sounder, at first they thought it was just a ball of big baitfish but upon dropping a bait jig and hooking two Snapper on it they realised they were way better than Slimy Mackerel and they ended up smashing plenty of fish up to 7kg.

March 12, 2021

There has been loads of great fishing action this week in the beautiful Great Lakes Area, the ocean is firing, the estuary is super consistent, and the land-based beach and rock fishing is performing as it should during Autumn.

The Estuary fishing just keeps on keeping on. Flathead have definitely tapered off a little in overall size of fish caught but the numbers are still great. Unfortunately, the action is a little on the slow side for the bait fishermen now, unless you are able to catch some nice live baits in the form of Herring or Mullet. As is often the case, the most successful way to target a few Flathead is by throwing soft plastics about and you will find fish all over the system now with some very good reports coming from the flats and drop offs south of Green Point, as well as the odd fish up in the Wallamba.

The local Bream have been performing well for weeks now in both numbers of fish caught and quality of the fish caught. Talking with a local angler earlier who likes to hit the flats and weed beds he mentioned that a ‘normal’ session at the moment consists of at least 40 fish with most fish around the 30cm mark but plenty up over 35cm as well. The rock walls are producing more and more Bream (and stonking big Leatherjacket) as the days go on and this trend should continue for the next couple of months as the fish move down the system as they prepare to spawn.

Wallis Lake is nice and warm at the moment so it’s no surprise that the Sand Whiting have been active again this week. The trick to finding these little speedsters is to make sure you don’t travel too far up the system looking for them. The usual haunts up around Wallis Island, Lani’s, The Cut etc have all been a little on the slow side while the flats down around the Bridge and The Paddock have all produced some great action this week.

The local beaches have been really good of late and most have produced consistent catches of Tailor, Whiting and Bream. The Tailor action that we have seen over the last few weeks is the best we have experienced for at least a year with plenty of anglers commenting on how many are about and how big the average fish is.

Fishing from the rocks can be amazing in Autumn and this year has already proved to be productive for most anglers with plenty of Pelagic action occurring up and down the coast. Unfortunately, the Sharks have been very active and make short work of a fighting Longtail Tuna!

Offshore continues to fish very well on most fronts. Spanish and Spotted Mackerel are about in really good numbers now and can be found on just about any inshore reef complex. With bycatch species including Cobia, Longtail Tuna, Snapper, Spangled Perch and Mulloway it’s an insanely exciting time to be hitting the shallow reefs, you just never know what you might run into! For those wanting to concentrate on the demersal species, Snapper, Pearl Perch and Flathead have been fishing really well on just about any reef out to about 70m. I have seen loads of really nice Snapper this week, the best was caught by local angler John Rosskelly which measured 80cm to the fork!

March 3, 2021

How good is Autumn in the Great Lakes! While we have had a bit of an unsettled week of weather, there has been plenty of chances to get out on the water for a fish and the reports coming back in have been nothing short of amazing from big Bream and Flathead in the Estuary through to Wahoo and Mackerel out in the ocean. I just love fishing over the next few months!!!
Wallis Lake is still dealing with the recent rainfall however the water quality has improved dramatically this week and will keep improving after each high tide. As far as the fishing goes, the dirty water has been very beneficial and is now to a point where the fish seem to be preferring to feed while it’s still dirty with a noticeable decrease in activity once things clear up. Flathead are still fishing better than anything else and you can find them all over the place now, with really good numbers hanging about down around the Bridge and Co-op area as well as up around The Cut and Tern Island. If you are more focused on chasing big trophy fish, it’s always hard to go past The Paddock!
The Bream action has been insane of late, lots of fish being caught and plenty of really nice 35cm plus models in the mix. There really are no secret spots at this time of the year and there has been quality fish taken from the weed bed areas down south, the Cooloongolook and Wallamba Rivers, the Break Walls and just about any Oyster Lease in between!
Unfortunately, the Sand Whiting have been a bit on the quiet side this week, it would seem the packs of hungry Bream have taken their place up on most sand flats. Having fished earlier in the week, we did manage to find a couple of nice fish but there would have been about ten Bream to each Whiting. The water temperature is still really warm and there are still loads of Prawns in the system so with a bit of luck the fish will return to the flats once things return to normal.
The local rock ledges have been buzzing with activity over the last week with all sorts of reports coming in. With the warm water that we have lapping the coastline at the moment it’s no surprise that there are all sorts of pelagics getting about, so if you want the ultimate land based test get out onto the rocks and have a crack at finding a silver speedster! Mixed in with the big Pelagics have been some very nice Tailor, Bonito and Cobia. For those who have taken advantage of the recent rough conditions, there have been some very nice Drummer and Bream ready to pounce on a piece of peeled Prawn, Cunji or Crab tossed into the suds!
Reports from the local beaches have been a little on the quiet side this week. The better outings have been down south with Cellito, 7 Mile and Treachery all producing some nice Whiting and Bream. Unfortunately, there is yet another bout of unsettled conditions on the way over the weekend so we will be once again having to wait for things to settle and reform next week before we can have a proper crack at the beaches.
Offshore is a fishing bonanza at the moment. It’s hard to find any water under 24 degrees out there which means the possibilities are literally endless! It’s nothing to go out for a days’ fishing and come back with a mixed bag of tasty reef fish and Flathead spiced up with a Mackerel, Yellowfin Tuna, Longtail Tuna or Mahi Mahi!
For the Pelagic fishermen, Black Marlin have been about in really good numbers, particularly to the south with a couple of boats hitting double digits over last weekend. I did hear of one Sailfish and a Wahoo in the mix as well and with the amount of ‘bite offs’ reported I’m not surprised!
The inshore Snapper have been very consistent on the reefs to the north out to about 35m, the really shallow stuff has definitely benefited from the recent rainfall and swell and is holding some very nice fish. The deeper reefs to the south are still producing plenty of Snapper as well as the odd Trag and Pearl Perch. If you are just chasing an easy feed, there are loads of very cracking Flathead sitting on the sand out in 40-45m and if you can drift close to a reef edge you will find some particularly nice fish (as well as Snapper of course).

February 26, 2021

Within the lake itself, the fishing is focused upon two main species – Bream and Flathead! It’s been an amazing year on the Flathead in both numbers of fish and the quality of the fish, I have never heard of so many 70-90cm fish being caught in one season. Luckily the recent rainfall hasn’t slowed things down too much and there are still plenty of fish being caught. For both numbers and size it’s hard to go past the areas down around the bridge and rock walls as well as Breckenridge Channel. As is always the case with these fish, unless its live bait you are best off targeting them with artificial offerings such as 3-4” soft plastics and vibe type lures. For the bait fishermen out there, huge numbers of Herring are schooled up in the system now and jigging a handful of these little guys is a sure-fire way of scoring some great Flathead. Interestingly I have also heard of quite a few fish being caught further upstream around Regatta Island, Wallis Island and even up in the filthy water coming out of the Wallamba River.

It’s shaping up to be a really good Bream season this year, the recent rain has already pushed plenty of good fish down onto the breakwalls and bridge pylons. At the same time the weedbeds down the bottom of the system (towards Pacific Palms) that have been producing loads of great fish over the past two months are still fishing really well and plenty of holiday makers staying out at Darawank have reported catching plenty of nice fish also.

With such nice water pushing in on the big tides we have at the moment it’s no surprise that there has been a good amount of Whiting action up on the sand flats. Hitting the flats early in the morning up around Lani’s, The Cut and Wallis Island with small stickbaits, Yabbies or worms should leave you with a great bag of fish.

Reports from the local beaches have been a bit slow this week due to the rough conditions. Hopefully now that things have settled there will be some nice gutters form up ready to hold some good fish.

The local stones have seen plenty of activity over the last week or so. While conditions may not have been perfect there has still been plenty of anglers out chasing the fish! We are well and truly into pelagic time now so for those wishing to put the time in there are all sorts of goodies cruising up and down our coastline right now, in between them are also plenty of nice Tailor and Salmon coming from the wash, particularly from the break walls, south One Mile and Jaineys. The rough conditions also got the cogs turning for those that enjoy fishing the washes for Drummer and Bream which saw some very nice fish landed down around Pacific Palms and up off Blackhead which included a couple of good Snapper.

Getting offshore has been very difficult over the past week. Wind and rough conditions prevailed for much of the week which kept most boats at home. Those that did manage to venture out all reported back with fairly positive results. The FAD is holding some nice Mahi Mahi and with the quality of the water that is about there is a real opportunity to run into some more exotic species out there such as Wahoo, Yellowfin Tuna, Marlin and just about anything else that rides the EAC! There have been a few boats chasing Black Marlin on the grounds from the Gibba up to Pacific Palms this week with plenty of fish being boated but at this time of the year these fish can turn up literally anywhere so whether you are in close, south or north keep an eye out for any action or even think about towing a lure or live bait as you move from A to B.

The bottom fishing has been very hard to read, things have definitely changed out there over the past two weeks and finding the fish could be a bit of a struggle. With some good Snapper being caught from the stones I would assume there is some good fish in the shallows up north. I have only had one proper report from a boat that fished out wider and they managed to get their bag of Snapper, Trag and Flathead but only through moving a lot throughout the day and dropping baits on any small lump and bump they found to be holding bait. They said that all of their usual ‘marks’ had bait on them but no fish!

February 12, 2021

I absolutely love fishing at this time of the year, the next 2 or 3 months have to be my favourite by a mile! Anything is possible from now on, the warm EAC that is raging not far off our coast kicks everything into gear now which results in loads of fish activity and plenty of ‘random’ captures mixed in with the usual pelagics.

Within the estuary things are still firing with fish being caught all over the place. Flathead continue to fish very well and seem to have spread out a little now which is great news for those fishing a little further upstream. The bigger fish are definitely still hanging about down around ‘The Paddock’, the bridge, Breckenridge Channel and the rock walls, but I have had some great reports coming in from anglers as far upstream as Cooloongolook  and well up into the Wallamba River. The best fish I have seen this week has to be Glenn Lambert’s beast which measured just over 1m, well done mate, a well deserved fish!

Sand Whiting are loving the slight increase in water temperature that we have experienced over the past week and are super active up on the sand flats. One angler even had them chasing down and hitting his 190mm lure that was intended for Flathead! Targeting these tasty little guys is very easy, all you need to do is fish one of the numerous sand flats that are littered throughout the estuary on the top of the tide using baits of Beach Worm, Yabby, Prawn or Pipi and you are almost guaranteed a few fish. Alternatively, you can target the same areas with small (up to 120mm) stick baits or poppers that imitate a fleeing Prawn.

The weed bed areas in the southern half of the system are still holding great numbers of cracking Bream which have been belting just about any lure offering with gusto. Drifting baits through ‘The Cut’ and over ‘The Step’ has also been an effective way of nailing the odd Bream as has floating unweighted baits into just about any of the Oyster Leases up around Wallis Island.

Our beaches are still cruising along very nicely. There have been some nice Tailor hunting in the corners early and late in the day with the better fish getting up to about 65cm, it’s great to see a few of these fish about after what feels like forever! Fishing the gutters on the top of the tide should land you some nice Whiting and Bream with 9 Mile producing some good Flathead as well.

The local stones are starting to heat up now with the odd report of Tuna starting to filter through. You know things have changed once anglers start catching things like Watsons Leaping Bonito and Lesser Queenfish, both species that are synonymous with Mackerel and Tuna action!!! For anglers casting lures, there are a good number of Tailor mixed in with the warm water species as well which is great to see.

Offshore water temps are on the rise with most areas sitting at somewhere between about 23 and 25 degrees. The increase in water temperature gets the mind wandering and planning the next trip out, should I chase Snapper or switch it up and have a crack for a pelagic??? On the right day you can definitely do both! For the demersal anglers, things are on the improve with a lot more fish hitting the cleaning tables this week. Snapper and Trag have been great out a bit wider (50m+) with the 70m mark producing some particularly nice fish up to about 70cm, unfortunately the same deep grounds are also getting hammered with current which can make it tricky and somewhat frustrating to fish. There have been a few fish in shallow but you will have to work hard to find them, hitting the shallow stuff off Red Head and Old Bar will give you your best shot.

The FAD has at least 2kn of current hitting it at the moment but the water is 25 degrees and cobalt blue so it’s no surprise that there are a few fish hanging off it. Mahi Mahi up to about 80cm have been caught this week but not really in huge numbers, there have also been schools of Striped Tuna cruising about out there which can be good fun to chase. Marlin seem to be spread out all over the place at the moment so trolling a live bait or skirt when you are moving from A to B isn’t a bad idea at all, you just never know what may pop up at the moment!

February 5, 2021

Our beautiful waterways have been a little quieter this week but there is still plenty of people out and about enjoying themselves. On the fishing front, things remain fairly consistent within the estuary with Flathead still the focus for most. Cooler water temps did slow the bite up a bit this week and a lot of anglers have commented that while they caught plenty of fish they have had to ‘work hard’ for them. Small soft vibes have been very successful and are insanely easy to use, they are a great beginner lure as there is no need to impart any ‘action’ into the lure whatsoever, a simple lift and wind technique will see them swimming perfectly and catching plenty of fish. Drifting the drop offs, weed edges and the edges of Oyster Leases will put you in the best position to run into a few fish and if you’re bait fishing think about using nice big river Prawns, Whitebait or Pilchards.

Bream are still fishing very well down in the bottom of the lake. The weed beds and flats are teeming with fish at the moment with a lot of 30cm+ fish which are belting shallow diving cranks and the odd surface lure. There have been a few nice Bream starting to turn up along the breakwalls which will get the land based guys keen, more and more of these breeding sized fish will turn up over the next month or so as they start to make their way down to the front of the system preparing to spawn.

The cooler water temperatures that we have experienced this week have slowed the Whiting down a little, there are still some very nice fish sitting up in the shallows but you will have to search about for the warmer patches of water to find the active ones. There have been a surprising number of really big fish hitting 3’-4’ soft plastics that have been fished along the drop offs in search of Flathead this week so it might be worth drifting some of the deeper edges with Yabbies or worms instead of the really shallow stuff.

Reports form the sand have been a little sparse this week due to the wind and swell that we have had, however there have still been a few Flathead and Whiting pulled from 9 Mile Beach here in town. The beaches to the south down around Pacific Palms are much cleaner and seem to be holding more fish, the northern corner of Boomerang Beach produced some very nice Luderick and Whiting for a lucky visiting angler who decided to soak a few Beach Worms in a likely looking gutter.

The local rock fishing scene remains very much in a state of limbo. There is loads of bait stacked up along our coastline and there is some great water not far to the north but locally the water is still fairly cool and only producing Mack Tuna, Bonito, small Kingfish and the odd small Cobia.

Offshore conditions have been far from perfect this week. Between the wind and swell there really hasn’t been too many chances to get out comfortably for a fish. With this in mind it’s no surprise that reports have been a bit thin on the ground, however the Snapper have been good in on the shallow grounds with plenty of nice fish coming from 10-35m. The deeper inshore reefs seem to have gone a bit quiet after fishing very consistently for the past few months. On the pelagic front things are still simmering along nicely, there are still a few small Black Marlin getting about which should fire up once again once we get some warmer water. This is a really interesting time of the year, loads of bait and warmer currents passing by means that absolutely anything can turn up and it’s not unusual to see the odd Mackerel, Wahoo, Yellowfin Tuna and even Sailfish this month!

January 28, 2021

Wallis Lake is simply amazing at this time of the year. Flathead are still being caught in great numbers throughout the bottom sections of the system; places such as The Paddock, The Step, Lani’s, Breckenridge Channel, Tuncurry Channel (from the bridge through to the Rock Pool) and the rock walls are all producing cracking fish at the moment. As is often the case, soft plastics and vibes are accounting for the majority of fish, indeed if you have never tried lure fishing, right now is by far the best time of the year to start, absolutely anyone can catch a Flathead on a soft plastic lure at the moment!

There have been a few Trumpeter Whiting still getting about and while their numbers are somewhat lacking, their average size is very good. Their bigger cousins the Sand Whiting have been a little quieter this week with a noticeable drop in water temperature and loads of boat traffic, but there have still a few nice fishing coming off the flats down around Lanis and Green Point. With a bit of luck our offshore water temps will kick back up a bit soon and these awesome fish will fire up again.

The local Bream have still been fishing great on the weedbeds and flats to the south and can be caught fairly easily on shallow diving crankbaits and surface lures. Lightly weighted or unweighted plastics can also be very effective at times if the fish seem a bit shy on the hardbodies. There have been some nice fish up the rivers this week, it will be interesting to see what this bit of rain does over the coming days….

Reports from the sand have been few and far between for the latter half of the week due to the weather but up until about Tuesday the fishing had been fairly good with mixed bags of fish hitting the shore regularly. Whiting, Bream, Dart and Flathead have dominated catches with some really nice fish coming from the northern end of 9 Mile Beach as well as Cellito and Lighthouse Beaches to the south.

The stones have been very quiet this week. There are plenty of small Mack Tuna about as well as the odd Bonito and Tailor but that’s about it….

Offshore fisher-folk have very itchy feet at the moment! We have not had a real chance to head offshore for over a week and everyone knows that there are plenty of fish out there to be caught! There were a few anglers that did head out earlier in the week to try their luck but they all turned and headed for home not long after getting out there. The best I heard all week was a haul of 9 Flathead from straight out the front!

January 22, 2021

The beautiful Great Lakes area has been very busy this week with loads of holiday makers and locals getting out to enjoy what the area has to offer. From a fishing perspective, the weather has been a little testing but most mornings have been a delight and there are plenty of fish about!

Flathead remain very good throughout the bottom of the system. Fishing down around the bridge, along the rock walls, in and around ‘The Paddock’ and across the sand flats close to town has been fairly productive for most. The fish are still a bit funny on the last of the run out tide, there is still a fair amount of fresh in the water and this seems to slow the bite considerably, fishing the run in and start of the run out seems to be the best at the moment. As is often the case, lures are accounting for the majority of fish with Prawn imitations proving to be particularly effective. If you prefer a more relaxed approach, baits of Whitebait, Pilchard, Slimey Mackerel and Mullet are you best options but Flathead will eat just about anything at this time of the year!

Whiting are also very active at the moment with some great fish coming from the sand flats on the top of the tide. There isn’t really any secret spots over the warmer months, you can target Sandies on any shallow flat, however if you can find an area consisting of patchy sand/weed/broken ground you will often run into the better quality fish.

Bream are still fishing well in the southern half of the system with great numbers of fish sitting on the weedbeds down towards Green Point and Pacific Palms. There are also loads of big fish lining the shore around Coomba Park as they are drawn to the deafening chorus of the Cicada, waiting for an easy feed as freshly hatched insects often find themselves falling into and flailing on the surface of the water. The rivers that feed into the main basin are slowly returning to normal with a few reports coming in of some decent bags of fish but the weedbeds and flats are still fishing much better.

Unfortunately, we had a few stiff NE winds late last week which had a fair impact on the quality of the water along our coastline. Water temperatures dropped considerably over Saturday and Sunday along our beaches and this slowed the fishing action down a little. There have still been some nice Whiting sitting in the gutters up at the northern end of 9 Mile Beach with the odd Dart and Bream mixed in. 7 Mile is holding plenty of fish at the moment but not much in the way of quality with most Whiting barely making the legal length. There has been the odd Tailor down at Jaineys Corner however there has been a lot of casts between fish!

Reports from the stones have been few and far between this week. The only report which did come through was somewhat exciting though as the angler managed to land the first Cobia of the season (that I have heard of), it was only a small fish of about 70cm which ate a flesh bait intended for a Bream!

Offshore anglers have had a funny week. I am very happy to report that there has been a couple of positive reports coming from the shallow stuff. You may have to travel a little further than usual but if you fish nice and early in the day you should find plenty of nice Snapper waiting to smash your lightly weighted soft plastics. The reefs in 30-60m still seem to be holding good numbers of Snapper, Trag and the odd nice Pearl Perch.

For the gamefish chasers, the fall in inshore water temperature earlier in the week put a significant dampener on what has been a fairly good start to the season so far. Black Marlin are definitely still in close, plenty have still been seen jumping and free swimming but they just don’t seem to be feeding very hard at all. The only fish I saw this week were caught wide in the warmer water which is still cobalt blue, there are also some very nice Yellowfin Tuna getting about out there.

January 15, 2021

The estuary is fishing amazingly well at the moment. Flathead are being caught hand over fist and can be found just about anywhere. This time of the year is particularly good for those anglers wishing to target Flathead from the shore as there is really good numbers of fish spread throughout the main parts of town. Breckenridge Channel (the back of Forster main street), Forster Harbour, both rock walls, either side of the bridge, the rock walls and jetties around the Fish Co-op, Point Rd and Jonnel Park in Tuncurry are just some of the places worth checking out at the moment. Walking the bank prospecting with a soft plastic lure is a very good way of finding the fish and they will readily take just about any 3-4” lure you choose to throw at this time of the year. If you would prefer to relax and soak a bait, it’s hard to go past some good old Whitebait or brined Pilchards which will also tempt any big Bream that may be snaking about.

Sand Whiting have been red hot this week with loads of anglers tying on their favourite Bassday Sugarpens and hitting the flats. The better-quality fish seem to be holding on the sand within the first third or so of the system so focus your efforts on the areas between the mouth of the river and the back of Wallis Island/Coomba Park. It was also good to see a bit of a rebound this week in the numbers of Trumpeter Whiting being caught, while they may not return to the numbers that we had before the rain, they’re definitely back in good enough numbers to target again.

The good old Bream have been amazing down in the bottom of the lake with loads of nice fish falling for small hardbodies and surface lures cast over the weed and cockle beds. There are definitely certain areas that are fishing better than others, however if you focus on the weed areas between Green Point and Tiona you should find plenty of action.

Local beaches have been amazing this week; Whiting, Bream, Tailor, Salmon, Dart, Flathead and Mulloway are all on offer! 9 Mile Beach in Tuncurry has been particularly active with reports of ‘fish a cast’ type sessions being relatively common. Beach Worms have been the standout baits by far but a few switched on anglers have been having a ball walking the beach tossing microjigs as well.

I have very little to report from the stones this week as we are still more or less in a state of limbo waiting for the game species to turn up in earnest. There have been Mack Tuna, the odd chopper Tailor and small Kingfish cruising about down south but that’s about it so far.

Offshore fishing has been a bit of a frustrating affair this week. The winds have been mostly from the east which never makes things comfortable, however most mornings have been worth a look. Snapper continue to tease anglers, the shallows are holding some very nice fish but they are thin on the ground and there will be a few casts in between. On the flip side, deeper reefs seem to be holding good numbers of Snapper, Trag and Pearl Perch but there is also painful schools of Barracouta making a nuisance of themselves on a lot of reefs!

For many anglers their focus is now fully centred about game fish, and for good reason as we have some very nice water sitting offshore. Black Marlin are being caught in fairly good numbers now, with loads of fish being seen. You can chase these fun little fish on the shallow reefs to the north or down around Seal Rocks/Pacific Palms, the season is just kicking in though so don’t expect the fish to be overly active, you will see and mark a lot more fish on the sounder than you will get enquiries! The water out in 80m+ is amazing, its cobalt blue and very warm so it’s not surprising that there has been some very nice Mahi Mahi caught as well as the odd Yellowfin Tuna, there would also be the odd Striped Marlin and possibly Wahoo cruising about out there for those wishing to have a look.  

January 8, 2021

The rain continues to fall here in the Great Lakes area and as much as some might be frustrated by its consistency, rainy weather is much better than the hot, dry, fire ravaged summers we have had for the last two years! From a fishing perspective, while the abundance of rain can make things tricky, it also ensures that our rivers are flushed out and that there is plenty of nutrient in the water column which in turn means that there is plenty of food about for the fish we love to target. 

In the estuary the biggest thing at the moment if ensuring that you are fishing the clean water. If you wait for the incoming tide and follow the clear ocean water about you will find loads of Flathead and Whiting up on the sand flats, these fish really fire up in the clean water and will smash all sorts of lures and baits but I reckon it’s very hard to beat throwing surface lures for them! Once the coffee coloured run off starts to take over (about half way through the run-out tide) the bite really tapers off, you will still find the odd Flathead but it will be tough going.

Bream have also been on the chew; these brawlers love a good fresh as it stirs up and dislodges all sorts of food for them. You can target Bream all over the place at the moment; the rock walls and Oyster leases are holding some absolute beasts at the moment (along with some very big Trevally) and the weed beds down south are fishing very well with good numbers of 30cm+ fish schooling up down there.

Local Beaches are fishing very well at the moment, most beaches are holding good numbers of Bream and Whiting along with the odd Flathead, Salmon and Tailor. School Mulloway are about for those wishing to put the time in with a well-presented Beach Worm accounting for the majority of captures.

There is a buzz of anticipation about the local ledges as the LBG season seems to be shaping up very nicely, once the inshore water settles and clears a little anything is possible! There have been a few dedicated fishos testing the water early and there are a few Mack Tuna, Tailor and Kingfish about, the good old Cobia can’t be far off either!

Offshore has been fishing well with a huge range of species on offer at the moment. Demersal reef species are still fishing better out on the deeper reefs with most ground in 40-80m holding nice Snapper, Teraglin and Pearl Perch. Heading north you will find a lot of dirty water being pushed out of the Manning River, sometimes it’s worth finding the dirty ‘tide line’ and sounding it out, there will often be schools of Snapper sitting just behind it waiting for an easy meal!

The pelagic season has well and truly kicked off now, offshore water temps are really nice and the water quality is fantastic so it’s no surprise that there are plenty of small Black Marlin and Mahi Mahi getting about. Fingers crossed next weeks’ warm weather doesn’t bring too many nasty nor easterly winds with it.

January 1, 2021

Flathead have really turned it on over the past week, the rain has pushed them down to the front of the system where they have settled in huge numbers around the bridge, in ‘the Paddock’, along the Breakwalls and up Breckenridge Channel. Drifting with baits of Whitebait, Herring, Pilchard, small Slimy Mackerel and Prawns will all work great, but soft plastics and soft vibes will outperform just about everything else.

Bream have been great this week as well, the weed beds south of Green Point have a lot of fish on them and there are some really nice fish in the mix. Unfortunately, the rivers are still fairly slow due to the amount of rain that we have had lately but there is the odd nice fish down on the breakwalls which is great news for the land-based anglers.

Sand Whiting continue to fish very well up on the sand flats on the top of the tide, the big tides that we have at the moment are perfect for working those stick baits and poppers through the shallows and you will be amazed at the quality and number of fish you can pull from ankle deep water. You will also likely find more than the odd large Flathead up there waiting to scoff down you’re lure!

The beaches are fishing fairly good when the weather permits, Whiting, Bream and Flathead are all coming from the gutters and there isn’t really any beach that is fishing better than any others. For the more serious angler, Mulloway reports have been nice and regular with fish coming from 7 Mile, 9 Mile and Cellito Beaches.

Reports from the stones have been few and far between, there are still a few active Drummer about if you can find a bit of wash but unfortunately the Tailor that were in there with them last week seem to have disappeared. The ledges to the south are holding good numbers of Kingfish, most are only small rats but there is more than a few hoodlums mixed in to keep you on your toes!

Once again conditions have not been fantastic for heading offshore however plenty of boats have ventured out and put up with the joggly sea with most boats returning with a healthy catch. As has been the norm for some time now, the deeper reefs are producing the majority of the fish with those reefs down off Pacific Palms fishing particularly good. There have been a few boats reporting that they had been plagued by the dreaded Barracouta up north in 40m this week, hopefully these terrors wont hang about too long! The shallow reefs up north have been holding plenty of small Snapper and have been a bit of a disappointment for a lot of local anglers, I did see a couple of very nice fish which were caught late in the day in 20m off Blackhead on a ‘one last drift before we head home’ but in general you are much better off heading wider.

December 24, 2020

It’s no surprise that the recent weather has affected our beautiful estuary significantly, the water is like coffee for much of the run out tide however the incoming ocean water is relatively clear and warming up more and more every day. With this in mind it only makes sense that the lower reaches of the system (towards the mouth) are fishing best. Flathead have been pushed all the way down out of the rivers now and have settled in really good numbers down around the Bridge, up Breckenridge Channel and throughout the flats in and around The Paddock. Soft plastics and vibes are accounting for the majority of fish however they are also taking baits of Pilchard, Whitebait, Mullet and Herring for those wishing to soak a bait.

Sand Whiting have barely missed a beat despite the amount of fresh coming down the system. The high tides are still beautiful and clear and the sand flats are still teeming with life. Surface lures are the most effective way to chase these fish, particularly the bigger models, however you will also find plenty if you fish the shallows with baits of Beach Worm, Yabby or Prawn. One angler stumbled across a huge school earlier in the week while he was fishing for Flathead and they were taking his 4” soft plastic which shows just how fired up these fish are at the moment.

Unfortunately, the wet weather and subsequent run-off doesn’t bode well with the local Trumpeter Whiting, there are still enough fish about to get a feed but you will have to work for them and possibly hunt about to find the schools. Often these fish will move down closer to the mouth of the river during rain events in search of clean water so it may be worth checking the deeper channels down closer to home before heading up the lake.

The local beaches are still fishing fairly well for Whiting and Bream, the north end of 9 Mile Beach is producing some particularly nice fish along with the off Tailor. It may well be worth trying for a Flathead down around the rock walls as well, we often see a lot of them down on the beach near the mouth of the river over the summer months, especially after we have good rainfall.

With the rough conditions we have had offshore, the local rocks have been fishing fairly well. There have been some nice Drummer still sitting in the washes as well as some very nice Tailor, the best of which I have seen thus far went 4kg.

Offshore fishing has been off the cards for much of the last week, unfortunately the rough conditions kept just about every boat at home. The past couple of days has seen a few anglers start to sneak out though and the reports coming back are very promising. The reef fish still seem to be fishing best out in 40-80m, plenty of boats have had a look at the shallow reefs up north but none have reported having caught much of any significance. Those that hit the back of the marine park off Cape Hawke have done particularly well with nice mixed bags of Snapper, Pearl Perch, Teraglin and Flathead all coming back to the ramp.

For the game fishing guys things are looking very promising. There are loads of nice Mahi Mahi floating about out there and I have received plenty of reported sightings of free swimming and free jumping Marlin getting about, there has also been a couple of fish caught not too far from here so it’s only a matter of time before we hear of the first locally caught fish.

December 18, 2020

Wild weather has been the flavour of the week this week with strong winds, plenty of rain, solid swell and huge tides making things somewhat interesting. While offshore and beach fishing has been tough, there are still plenty of fishing options and fish to be caught.  

The estuary has been fishing very well despite the amount of rain the area has seen, there is a bit of colour in the water on the run-out tide but nowhere near enough to slow things down. Flathead are being caught all over the place now with some great reports coming from up the Wallamba River, The Cut and down around the Bridge and Co-op area. For those wishing to chase that trophy sized fish, now is a great time to do it and there has been plenty lurking around the bottom of the system (towards the mouth); try areas like The Paddock, the Bridge and the Rock Walls.

There are still plenty of Trumpeter Whiting about and the large high tides have been perfect for getting up onto the flats in search of big Sand Whiting which are whacking small surface lures and poppers almost every cast! With the abundance of Prawns in the system, another very effective way of targeting bigger Whiting is to scoop a few live Prawns and lob them up onto the flats of an evening. This technique is absolutely deadly and you will find yourself landing more Whiting and Bream over 40cm than you probably ever have.

The Bream fishing has slowed a little up the rivers, possibly due to the amount of rain that we have had, however there are still plenty of nice fish schooled up on the weed beds and flats to the south of Wallis Island. Small poppers and shallow divers have been working very well and if you are fishing near an island a Cicada lure will get belted for sure.

Unfortunately, there have been very few reports coming from the local beaches this week due to the very unsettled conditions. It may take a couple of days for things to settle and form up again but I have no doubt that the Bream and Whiting will still be about in good numbers for those wishing to wet a line.

While large seas and rock fishing can be a deadly mix, for those seasoned anglers who know how and when to fish, the rough conditions can be very productive. The pounding swell and turbulence in and around the rocks destroy and dislodge all kinds of critters including Crabs, Cunjevoi, Snails and Limpets and there is no shortage of Black Drummer, Bream and Luderick sitting there waiting to take advantage of the easy feed. Indeed, you will rarely catch a Black Drummer without the presence of swell and rough water. Local fishermen had a few days in a row earlier in the week which were absolutely perfect for fishing this scenario and plenty of nice Drummer were landed from the stones down around Pacific Palms and Seal Rocks.

It’s no surprise that I am yet to hear of any reports from offshore this week. Conditions have improved dramatically on what they were but there still hasn’t been too much action out there. With a bit of luck the rough weather will have pushed some nice warm water in close for us!!!

December 4, 2020

We experienced an absolutely scorching start to summer here in the Great Lakes region over last weekend, the rest of the week has been rather hot, windy and humid with the odd shower of rain mixed in. As is often the case at this time of the year, the wind has made things particularly frustrating for the offshore, beach and rock anglers however the fishing on a whole has been fairly good.

The estuary fishing is cruising along very nicely at the moment and should only continue to improve as things warm up. Sand Whiting are absolutely loving the abundance of Prawns throughout Wallis Lake this year and can be spotted chasing a feed on just about any of the sand flats on each high tide. Seeing these fish chase down a good-sized Prawn is amazing to watch and leaves little wonder in your mind as to why or how a Whiting can be so keen to smash a surface lure (even ones up to 120mm)! Anglers have reported some great sessions from all over the Lake; Green Point, Tiona, Yahoo Island, Wallis Island, The Cut, Twin Islands and every sand flat in between seems to be producing good fish. Fishing with live prawns, Beach Worms or Yabbies down around the bridge (particularly of an evening) has also been particularly productive and this area should only get better and better over the next month or so.

The weed beds down south and rivers are both holding some very nice Bream at the moment which are fairly easy to tempt with a well-presented surface lure (imitating a Prawn or Cicada/insect) or shallow diving hardbody. As is always the case, either rock wall is worth a try for the bait fishermen and there have been some very respectable Bream taken from the spur wall and yellow pole behind the Rockpool swimming area, there is also a very good chance that you will come across the odd nice Snapper fishing baits down around the breakwalls.

Flathead have been a little tough this week, we did experience a fair amount of southerly dominated winds which can often make Flathead fishing difficult. However, those that concentrated on fishing the run-out tide with soft vibes and plastics (a good quality scent also seemed to make a big difference this week) managed to find more than enough fish.

While I am yet to hear of any reports from the stones this week, the beach fishing has been very consistent. One Mile, Seven Mile and Nine Mile beaches are all holding Whiting and Bream at the moment with the better fish seeming to come from the northern end of 9 Mile.

As eluded to earlier, most days have been very tough for the offshore anglers with fairly strong winds leaving the ocean far from comfortable. Some boats did manage to sneak out but reports coming back in were fairly average, trips were short and unfortunately the deeper reefs which had been so productive had been invaded by the dreaded Barracouta! We often see these fish pop up and ruin trips at this time of the year if we get a strong Easterly winds as the ocean temperature drops. There are definitely still quality fish out there and most boats returned with a few Snapper, Trag and the odd Pearl Perch but the amount of re-rigging in between fish gets old very quickly!

November 27, 2020

Things are really starting to heat up here in the beautiful twin towns of Tuncurry and Forster, there is a growing number of visitors enjoying the area each week and the fishing just seems to be getting better and better as we edge closer to the Summer holiday season.

The local estuary fishing is simply amazing at this time of the year, the tidal waters of Wallis Lake are alive with all sorts of marine life including Prawns, Crabs and loads of fish! Sand Whiting are a Summer specialty and they’re becoming very prominent among catches now as they begin to populate the numerous sand flats and adjacent gutters in big numbers. Targeting these fish with small surface lures is very effective and can be done on any of the shallow sand/patchy weed flats in the main parts of the Lake from Pacific Palms in the south all the way to the mouth of the system. If you find yourself on the water about the low tide and unable to target the shallows, have a go at fishing the deeper holes and channels that sit near these sand flats with grub or worm style soft plastics, metal vibes or baits of Beach Worms, Pippies or Yabbies.

Trumpeter Whiting are still about in good numbers, they will start to move about a bit though over the next few weeks so if you find yourselves drifting the usual spots up around Lanis/the Step or ‘the Duckpond’ and not getting much action, don’t be afraid to go searching for the fish. Areas worth trying include the northern side of Regatta Island or up towards Green Point upriver, or possibly the main channels closer to the mouth of the estuary down as far as ‘the Paddock’ even. For those of us lucky enough to have a good depth sounder, simply sound around likely looking areas until you find the schools of fish.

Flathead are becoming easier and easier to find now and the quality of the fish is really good thanks largely to the bumper crop of Prawns that we are seeing this year. While they are responding well to well presented 3-4” soft plastics, the better sessions are coming on the back of soft and metal vibes. The best report I received all week came from a kayak angler that fished the flats down around the bridge, he reported finding very few fish on the soft plastics and thought he would mix things up and tie on a small swimbait which proved to be an unbelievably good move. He went on to land over 30 fish between 35 and 70cm and now has a new favourite Flathead lure!

The local Bream have well and truly zeroed in on this years’ emerging Cicada population, local legend John Startin has been having a ball up the rivers throwing imitation Cicada Lures about to fool some very nice 35cm+ fish. There are also good numbers of fish schooling up on the broken ground and Cockle beds to the south of Wallis Island down around Coomba Park and Pacific Palms, the majority of the fish in these schools are only small but there are plenty of nice fish mixed in if you are happy to fish through the numbers.

The local beaches are tracking along nicely as they settle into their Summer pattern, Bream and Whiting are dominating catches and can be found on most beaches fairly easily. There are still schools of hard fighting Australian Salmon cruising the coastline with the odd Tailor mixed in. Unfortunately reports from the rocks are very few and far between, the ledges down around Pacific Palms and Seal Rocks are holding some very nice Tailor and the odd small kingfish.

The offshore fishermen have had a funny old week this week but most have managed to find some quality fish out there. Once again, the deeper reefs in 45-80m are fishing the best and seem to be holding plenty of nice Pearl Perch, Trag and Snapper. I did have a few reports of a bit of a return of the pesty Barracouta however the same boats also scored some really nice fish mixed in with the pests! The shallow reefs are holding Snapper however they are fairly well spread out so if you do decide to target these fish don’t be surprised if you only manage to land a handful of fish with a lot of casts in between. On the upside, the quality of the fish that are hanging about these shallow areas is very good with most fish up over the 50cm mark.

November 20, 2020

It’s been a big week on the Whiting front this week with plenty of fish being caught. The Trumpeter Whiting fishermen have had insanely productive sessions with some boats reporting heading back to the ramp with all the fish they need in less than an hour! The fish have been loving the Gulp Sandworms and cooked Prawns. The Sand Whiting have also been on fire which has seen loads of anglers taking advantage of the really nice high tides to fish the shallows with surface lures. Fish can be found throughout the system now with most shallow flats holding a few fish. The bigger fish still seem to be concentrated around ‘the Cut’ but I have also had some very good reports of big fish coming from the flats down towards Pacific Palms.

Flathead continue to test the patience of a lot of anglers but they are definitely about. Local angler Todd Riches found a few fish still sitting well up into the Cooloongolook River while chasing Bream and there has also been good numbers still sitting up in the Wallamba. At the same time there has been a few much better fish caught in and around ‘The Paddock’, the Bridge and in Breckenridge Channel! Hopefully they will get their act together and make their way down to the bottom of the system over the next couple of weeks as things continue to heat up.

The Cicada’s are well and truly singing now which means it’s time to get up into the rivers to chase some Bream on surface lures. It’s hard to beat any sort of surface fishing and you can have a go at this technique basically anywhere that you can hear the chorus of Cicada’s singing away. Small stick baits, poppers and Cicada imitation lures all work well and it doesn’t matter how many times you experience getting belted by a big Bream on surface it never ever gets old!!!! The rock walls at the mouth of the estuary are still holding some nice Bream for the bait fishermen as well as the odd Snapper up to about 45cm.

The local rocks and beaches have not been the nicest of places to fish this week due to the easterly winds and choppy conditions. Fishing early is an absolute must and there has been some nice Bream and a growing number of good Whiting about. Don’t discount the beaches in town around this time of the year, Main Beach and One Mile Beach are often holding some very nice Whiting over the warmer months. There is still the odd Tailor making an appearance, particularly down south, but you may do a few quiet trips between fish unfortunately.

Getting offshore has been a challenge this week due to the weather. The deeper reefs are still fishing better than the shallows up north and those boats that got out earlier in the week all managed to come home with great mixed bags of Snapper, Pearl Perch, Pigfish, Morwong and Flathead. There have been a few nice Mahi Mahi snagged out wide as well so it may be well worth the effort to push out for a look if the weather permits.

November 13, 2020

Once again, we have had to deal with some tumultuous weather this week which has seen most days ruined by fairly unsettled conditions. On the plus side, water temperatures have been on the increase and we now have some really nice, clear water lapping our coastline delivering with it loads of baitfish and hopefully the odd summer time speedster!

The estuary has plenty on offer, regardless of how windy and wet things get. Trumpeter Whiting are still about in great numbers which is evident in the numbers of boats sitting up around ‘The Step’ and the ‘duckpond’ each morning. There have also been some fish starting to make their way down to the channels closer to the mouth which may be worth checking out if you prefer to fish with a less boats around you.

Bream numbers have started to improve down in the bottom of the lake finally with some very nice fish on offer for those launching from the Pacific Palms Rec Club or those happy to do the trip down there. Unfortunately, the weed beds and flats in around Wallis Island, Yahoo Island and Snake Island are still only holding the odd fish so you will have to travel to find the better fish. Reports of some red- hot sessions on the Bream have filtered through this week from up the Wallamba River with a couple of Kayak fishermen based at the Discovery Park having a ball throwing shallow Cranks and Crab Lures.

Flathead have been a little hit and miss this week, even for those that thought they had their finger on the pulse! There is an insane amount of feed up the lake at the moment and all of the fish that have been caught have been absolutely full of food, it is possible that with so much food on the table our offerings just are not good enough at the moment. In saying that, if you head out and fish the last of the run-out tide and throw a soft vibe, blade or you favourite soft plastic about you should have no drama’s finding enough for a feed. Most reports this week have come from up around ‘The Cut’, Breckenridge Channel and the odd better fish from in around ‘The Paddock’.

Sand Whiting are still on fire in parts of the Lake and with increasing water temperature and loads of Prawn activity this shouldn’t change any time soon. The key to finding these shallow water speedsters is to head out on a nice high tide and search for a sand flat that has plenty of weed, rubble and snags littered throughout it. Also, just sneak about under electric or on the drift for a bit and see if you can spot any activity, a prawn skipping across the surface is the perfect indicator that there’s a few hungry Bream, Whiting and Flathead about!

This weeks’ surprise fish have been the local Luderick population which has decided to have one last surge before things really warm up. Anglers have had a ball this week in and around the bridge and along the rock walls with loads of big hungry fish waiting to gulp down their baits. Interestingly, one angler reported that a lot of the larger fish are still ‘roed up’, normally they have well and truly finished spawning by November!

Reports from the sand and rocks have been few and far between this week. 9 Mile Beach is still holding some nice Bream as well as the odd Whiting. 7 Mile Beach is fishing fairly similar, Tailor are definitely down there but they are just insanely low in numbers, only ever being caught in ones or twos at best! For those happy to travel, the beaches down around Seal Rocks are holding some stonking big Whiting and some nice schools of Mulloway, both of which are absolute suckers for a well-presented Beach Worm.

Offshore fishing has been a challenge this week. Windy conditions have really limited our ability to get out and unfortunately the fishing has been a bit of a struggle for most. There doesn’t seem to be much of a pattern with the local reef fish at the moment, however the better bags of fish are still coming out of the deeper water out the front and down south. The common theme from those that have headed north has been ‘fished early in shallow all the way from Blackhead to Dennis Shoals for a few fish’, funnily enough I have also heard of two boats that found fish in relatively shallow water around Blackhead as late as 11am in the morning! It may well be worth trying for an afternoon/evening fish in the shallows if the weather permits….. With a bit of luck things will settle back down again by the middle of next week and we can get back into some decent fishing!!!

November 6, 2020

We have had another fairly unsettled week of weather here in the Great Lakes with wind and/or rain kicking in most afternoons to put an end to any fishing activities! Despite this there has been a few nice little breaks in the weather which have allowed us to sneak out for a bit of a look and reports coming in from those that have fished are fairly positive.

In our estuary, things remain fairly consistent. Flathead are feeding really good around the bottom of the tide up around ‘The Cut’ and Wallis Island but can be very hard to tempt outside of their prime feeding time. If you find yourself fishing what looks like a good spot at the right time but struggling to get any fish don’t be afraid of mixing things up, fishing earlier in the week we struggled to get any interest from the Flathead on soft plastics so we switched over to Ecogear and Samaki vibes and began getting fish straight away! There are more and more reports of good fish coming from Breckenridge Channel and down around the Bridge and rock walls now, a sure sign that Summer is just around the corner.

Sand Whiting have been a little tricky lately but once you find where they are holding they are really active. My all-time favourite spots for chasing big Sandies are down around Lani’s and Dago Island but unfortunately all of the flats down that way seem to be very barren and lacking in much life at all. The flats around Jonnel Park, Twin Islands, The Cut and Regatta Island are all fishing much better and some areas are holding some absolutely huge fish at the moment!

The mouth of the river is a crazy place at this time of the year. For me, November is the very best month to try your luck at landing a Mulloway or two and these beauties have been on fire lately. The average fish there at the moment seems to be about 10-15kg with the odd bigger one in the mix and they have been falling for large soft plastics and live baits fairly readily. The resident Kingfish are also fairly active at the moment, finding and hooking them is fairly easy but landing them is a totally different story!

The local beaches have been very productive this week. 9 Mile is holding some really nice Bream at the moment as well as the odd Whiting, you may not find a lot of fish in each gutter but if you move along and fish a few gutters you will end up with a nice bag. Mulloway were particularly active over the full moon with some nice school fish (up to about 12kg) coming from both 7 Mile and 9 Mile. Australian Salmon and Tailor are still about in drips and drabs and seem to be falling for baits more than lures, however you will have to work for them and there will be a fair few casts in between fish!   Reports from the stones have been very quiet this week. The unsettled sea conditions should have made for some great Drummer, Bream and Tailor fishing though.

Offshore has been a real mixed bag this week. Phil from Reel Ocean Adventures had an amazing day on the Snapper and Pearl Perch out in 70m last Sunday with loads of big fish coming over the side which made for a crew of very happy customers! The next real opportunity to get out was Wednesday which from all accounts was a fairly tough day, most boats did manage to get a few nice Snapper but just very low numbers of fish, one boat fished all of their favourite spots up north and caught nothing until they randomly called in to Blackhead on the way home where they managed to land a fish of about 8kg! Thankfully the local trip-saving Flathead numbers have been great which has kept the cleaning tables nice and busy!

The first actual pelagic report came in this week from a crew that fished wide and covered lots of ground before running into a nice Striped Marlin. With the way the water is looking and the amount of baitfish activity about anything is possible out there so it will be interesting to see what the next window of good weather brings.

October 30, 2020

We have had a very wet week here in the Great Lakes area this week, poor Pacific Palms got absolutely belted but torrential rain earlier in the week, over 300mm in 24 hours! Luckily, we have not seen too much in the way of run off entering Wallis Lake as of yet, there is definitely a bit of colour there around low tide but nowhere near enough to affect the fishing.

Flathead seem to be one species that have slowed a bit with the cooler ocean and estuary temperatures, unfortunately the water pushing in this week has been sitting down around 20 degrees which really slows the fish’s metabolism down, in turn reducing their need to feed! For your best chance at a few fish, wait until the very last of the run-out tide which should see you fishing some slightly warmer water of about 21.5 degrees, it’s amazing what that extra bit of temperature can do.

Sand Whiting have been the star of the week for sure. The sand flats have been holding loads of big bronze fish this week which have been well and truly on the chew. There is a lot of 35-40cm fish hunting the shallows chasing down prawns and baitfish which makes for perfect conditions for throwing surface lures about for them. I was lucky enough to sneak out with Tony from Forster Estuary Charters earlier in the week and we had an absolute ball throwing the 95mm and 120mm Bassday Sugarpens about, we landed loads of solid Whiting and missed a couple of really nice Flathead due to pulled hooks.

The Sand Whiting’s smaller cousin, the Trumpeter Whiting, continues to fish well up around the Duck Pond and Lani’s and it’s good to see that there is still some good size among them.

The local beaches have been far from comfortable to fish this week, however there have been some windows of opportunity there and for those that have taken advantage of these opportunities the fishing hasn’t been too bad. There has been the odd Tailor up to about 60cm coming from the beaches down south, afternoon sessions throwing metal lures or stickbaits seem to be producing the best results. For those wishing to soak a few baits, Bream and Whiting are holding on most beaches and the size of the Whiting is improving. Unfortunately, I haven’t heard of any Mulloway off the sand this week, however I would suspect that there would be the odd one about as there have been loads schooled up on the rock walls for the last couple of weeks.

The rock hoppers have relished the unsettled conditions this week. Black Drummer, Bream and Tailor have all been feeding hard in among the washes with the odd Kingfish mixed in, particularly down around Shelly’s/Charlotte Head.

While the weather and swell kept boats grounded earlier in the week, those that have headed out over the last few days have had an absolute ball on the Snapper. Fish seem to be holding on most reefs out to about 50m with some really nice fish coming out of the 40-45m zone where there has been loads of 2-4kg fish as well as quite a few between 70cm and 90cm. Unfortunately, there is a fair bit of current pushing out any wider than about 60m making it all but impossible to fish, once it eases I would say the deeper grounds to the south will produce some quality fish.

October 23, 2020

   Strong currents heading south hampered fisho’s last week finding it hard to fish past the 30 meter mark. Most guys headed further north to Scotts Head or Nambucca to get a feed. Snapper, Pearl Perch and Tuskies were in fair numbers up there. The mark of Rocks In Line produced a few Fish through the week while the Dot gave up plenty of Morwong and the odd Snapper. Down south Fish Rock and Green Island has the odd good King Fish amongst many Rats. There’s plenty of bait around ready for what’s just around the corner.

    Not sure what’s going on in the river but fisho’s are finding it hard to get feed out of the Macleay. There are a few Flathead out of the upper reaches like Clybucca and Stuarts Point while Jerseyville and Kinchela have been giving up a few Lizards with some nice Whiting in the bag. There are some Bream around the Boatshed cleaning tables early morning with one or two Flathead in

 front of the tavern.

       Off the rock ledges Salmon are here in good numbers off the Jail with a few Tailor in the mix. Around from the Gutter Bream and Tarwhine are in numbers.

    The Beaches have been tough with Smoky Beach apart from small Bream and Dart is empty of fish. There were a few Whiting on Back Beach and Main Beach but with no size about them.

The Seabreeze Hotel will hold their first fishing comp since Covid on the weekend of the 31st of October, it would be great to see that supported.

October 16, 2020

We have been very lucky to have had another beautiful week here in the Great Lakes, the mornings have been particularly nice on most days. Unfortunately, afternoons tend to be a fairly windy affair over the next few months which can prove to be a huge frustration for anglers, particularly the offshore enthusiasts. However, if you can get out early you should be able to squeeze in plenty of hours to go and find a few fish.

Wallis Lake is fishing fairly consistently for most species now. With water temperatures up around 23 degrees in most parts of the system, there is plenty of bait on the move and loads of predators in tow looking for an easy meal! Flathead can be caught all over the place now with the run out tide an essential piece of the puzzle. The fish are in great condition at the moment with bellies absolutely full of small Prawns and baitfish so getting them to bite can be hard. Small 3” soft plastics seem to be working the best but that tide has to be well and truly running out to get any bites! There have been a few bigger Flathead taken down around the Fish Co-op by anglers drifting live baits and whole Pilchards but for numbers you are better off concentrating your efforts up around ‘The Cut’, Twin Islands and the back of Wallis Island.

Trumpeter Whiting have been very good this week and have been hitting the cleaning tables by the boat load, if you decide to chase these guys please remember that there is a limit of 20 per person and make yourself familiar with the differences between Sand Whiting and Trumpeter Whiting! Sand Whiting have also been really good this week, I managed to sneak out for a flick earlier in the week and while the wind prevented us from fishing my favourite spots, we still landed loads of really nice fish up over the 35cm mark on surface lures. All of our fish were caught on the flats down around the bottom of Wallis Island and Yahoo Island.

Bream have fairly thick up the Wallamba this week and have been belting small hard bodies and surface lures, the fish on the weed beds are definitely there in good numbers but there doesn’t seem to be many big fish among them at the moment. They are hitting surface lures though which is still great fun no matter the size!

Our local beaches have been fairly quiet this week. The better reports have come from 7 Mile and Cellito Beach to the south and have consisted of some nice Whiting as well as the odd Bream and Flathead. There are still a few Australian Salmon about but I didn’t hear of any Tailor catches this week unfortunately. The rock fishing scene has also been strangely quiet this week, I have heard of a few Drummer and the odd Bream but that’s about it.

Offshore has been very hit and miss this week. For the most part, the shallow water Snapper have been slow at best, however a few boats have managed to go against the grain over the last couple of days and have pulled some very nice fish out of the skinny stuff this week, the best I heard of was a 6.5kg fish. Hopefully this may be a sign of some good fishing to come over the next week! The deeper reefs are holding some nice Trag at the moment, however you will most likely have to fish into the evening or really early of a morning to get onto them and you can also expect to find a few nice Pearl Perch and Snapper mixed in with them. If you happen to struggle to find the reef fish out there, rest assured that you can always fill your box with some nice Sand Flathead on the way home, there’s been loads of these tasty treats about out there and Flathead tails are hard to beat on the plate I reckon!

October 9, 2020

The Great Lakes has really turned on some amazing weather for the second week of the school holidays. Most days have been nice and sunny with calm mornings followed by a bit of a cool breeze in the afternoons. On the fishing front things have been fairly positive, while some anglers have struggled to find the fish, most have reported catching good mixed bags of fish.

Wallis Lake has been insanely busy this week with loads of boats out on the water enjoying our waterways. I have had some great reports coming in from anglers that have been basing their efforts on the areas up around ‘the Step’, Regatta Island and the ‘Duckpond’ and managing to fill their coolers with great mixed bags including Flathead, Flounder, Trumpeter Whiting, Sand Whiting, Tailor, Squid and the odd Bream. The same areas and further around towards Coomba Park have also been producing plenty of nice Blue Swimmers so it may well be worth tossing some pots in while you try your luck on the fish.

Bream anglers have had a magic week up on the weed beds and flats this week with plenty of fish up around the 38-40cm mark falling for small cranks and surface lures. Few things compare to throwing surface lures to solid hungry Bream on light lines; they hit hard and pull plenty of string! I have also had some great reports from down around the bridge this week, one group of anglers reported “catching 35cm Bream one after the other all day!”

There have also been some great Sand Whiting getting about down around the bridge and up on the sand flats around Lani’s and Wallis Island. Their smaller relatives, the Trumpeter Whiting are still around in huge numbers and are a great species to target with the kids as they are very easy to find and catch, as well as being hard to beat on the table.

Local beaches have been a little tricky this week due to onshore winds and swell, however there has definitely been windows of opportunity and those anglers that have had a crack have reported some very nice catches. The beaches to the south have been holding the odd Tailor, and plenty of Salmon and Bream. Closer to town, 9 Mile Beach has really fired up this week producing some great Bream, Whiting, big Salmon and more than a few Mulloway. While most of the Mulloway have only been ‘soapies’, there have been a handful of fish up over the magic metre mark.

Reports from the stones have been a little quiet this week. There have been some nice Tailor caught down around Elizabeth Beach/Shellies/Charlotte Head and I’m sure there is still the odd Kingfish down there as well. The swell that we had earlier in the week would have made for great Black Drummer fishing conditions and with the ocean water still relatively cool there should still be plenty about.

Offshore fishing has been fairly consistent this week. The shallow reefs up around Blackhead, Redhead and Wallibi Point have all fished well right on or just after dawn with plenty of fish up over the 70cm mark falling for soft plastics. The reefs down south in 65-80m have been fishing well for a variety of species including Trag, Snapper, Pearl Perch, Flathead and even the odd Bar Cod. With some great weather forecast over the coming days it will be interesting to see what people find out there!  

October 2, 2020

Wallis Lake can be such an amazing fishery, you can fish it one day and feel like you are the world’s best fisherman only to fish it the next and feel defeated and deflated by the end of a very lean session. This is exactly what a lot of anglers experienced over last weekend; right up until Friday things were cruising along very nicely, the water temperature was up over 20 degrees and there was a lot of activity. As of Friday/Saturday the water offshore had well and truly rolled over and we had ocean water of about 17 degrees flooding our estuary which really slowed our fish down. When this happens you really have to strap on your thinking cap, using your depth sounder and intuition to find areas that may be a degree warmer than anywhere else or areas that are less effected by the incoming tides are the places you need to find and when you do there can be some great fish on offer.

The local Flathead have not been an easy nut to crack this week, there have been plenty of small fish about with the better fish coming from down around Lani’s (in the warm shallow backwaters) and Coomba Park but not in the numbers that we had been seeing for most of September unfortunately. The good news is that the lake temperature has rebounded nicely and is creeping back up over 19 degrees again now so things should pick back up again over the weekend hopefully.

Bream have been fishing very well up in the rivers of late, the current Full moon phase has slowed the bite a little but it should only affect our fishing for a couple of days and they should be back on the bite by Tuesday. Throwing small shallow diving hardbodies at rock bars, snags and weed beds is by far the most productive way of chasing these fish, keep an ear out for any early Cicada’s on the hotter days as well and as soon as you hear them tie on small surface lures and Cicada imitations for some of the best Bream action you will ever have!

Trumpeter Whiting are one species that have remained very steady despite the changing environment, anglers are still hitting their daily limits with relative ease. These tasty little fish can be found in good numbers in just about any deeper areas up past Wallis Island; areas such as Lani’s/the Step, Regatta Island, Green Point and the area north of Wallis Island known as the ‘Duck Pond’ are all worth checking out. Please make yourself familiar with the difference between the Trumpeter Whiting and our Sand Whiting, it’s inevitable that you will run into both at one stage and you will be dealt the full force of the law if you are found with an undersized Sand Whiting in possession (Trumpeters have no minimum size, Sand Whiting must be 27cm).

The local beaches were all but unfishable for much of the week due to wind and swell, however those that have had a crack have reported some promising results. 9 Mile Beach is still holding some nice Bream, Salmon and the odd Whiting, 7 Mile to the south is also fishing well for Bream and Whiting as well as the odd nice Tailor. Tailor continue to be a bit of a mystery this year and no one really knows why, for nearly all of the season anglers have only ever reported managing to get a couple of fish each session. The quality of the fish is really good with fish up to 90cm being caught but the numbers just aren’t there….I guess that’s just fishing, we can’t have a cracking Tailor season every year!

The local stones are still producing some nice Drummer and the odd Groper, Bream numbers have thinned out considerably though. For the ultimate challenge he well-known ledges to the south have been holding some really solid Kingfish this week, plenty of fish have been hooked and lost with fish up to 35kg landed on the spear.

Offshore fishing has been a little tough this week due to some very average weather from Friday-Monday, however those boats that have managed to get out over the past couple of days have reported some great catches. If you are just chasing a nice feed of tasty fish, heading straight out to about 50m and drifting the sand will see you landing plenty of solid Sand Flathead which are very hard to beat on the table. The shallow water Snapper scene has been a bit on the quiet side this week, deteriorating water quality and a full moon will often do this but they should be back on the chew by the start of next week. Those reefs in 45-60m are fishing much better and are holding a great mixed bag of fish including loads of Trag, Snapper and the odd Pearl Perch.

September 25, 2020

What an amazing week we have had here in the wonderful Great Lakes! The days have been very nice and warm, the only negative has been the stiff northerlies which have played havoc with any afternoon fishing plans on most days.

Our incredible estuary is really starting to produce the goods now and most anglers have well and truly waved the winter fishing options goodbye! The local Flathead have been an absolute delight this week with both bait and lure anglers finding plenty of fish. Drifting the sand/weed banks and drop offs with Whitebait, Blue bait, Prawns and Pilchards has been working a treat for the bait fishermen and most fish caught have been perfect for the table (40-50cm). For the lure tossers, 3-4” paddle tailed soft plastics and soft vibes have been accounting for the majority of fish, with the odd really nice fish falling for big surface offerings.

Trumpeter Whiting are well and truly on the go now with ‘The Step’, ‘The Duckpond’ and Regatta Island all producing fish. Their larger relatives are still a little hit and miss but if you can find a decent patch of warm water up on a sand flat at high tide you are in with a decent shot at them using either surface lures or worm/yabby baits.

Bream numbers are gradually improving up the lake now with some great bags of fish coming from the rivers and weed beds this week. The tributaries seem to be holding the better fish at the moment while the schools calling the weed beds home are a little on the small side. There are still enough fish hanging about the rock walls to keep the land-based anglers happy as well, small strip baits rigged on light line with a small sinker is the easiest way to fish for them and if you use this technique over the high tide you are almost guaranteed to run into a fish or two.

Our local Beaches have continued to fish really well this week. While there haven’t been any outstanding reports coming in just about every trip down onto the sand has resulted in a nice mixed bag of Bream, Whiting, Tailor and Salmon. There have also been plenty of school Mulloway cruising the beaches to the south of town and they are absolute suckers for a well-presented Beach Worm bait. The local stones have slowed up a little this week, there are still a few Drummer and Bream about but not in the numbers that we have seen up until now.

Offshore fishing has been very hit and miss this week, some boats have had amazing sessions out there while others have struggled to turn a reel! The shallow water Snapper fishing has been very consistent with a lot of nice fish caught on soft plastics. The usual spots have all produced fish this with Dennis Shoals being the standout as I have had reports of big fish being caught up there right up until 11am some days. The deeper reefs have been interesting; on a positive the Leather Jackets have thinned out considerably but unfortunately good numbers of quality fish are yet to re-settle in their place. Having said that, the boats that have been willing to travel about and find the fish have managed to land some nice mixed boxes of Snapper, Pearl Perch, Morwong and Flathead in 45-80m (check out Phil from Reel Ocean Adventures’ latest Facebook post).

September 18, 2020

Boom! Just like that we are into warm days and stiff NE winds to finish the afternoons off. This week has felt very ‘Summer-like’ apart from only being in the low to mid-twenties. On the fishing front we are now well and truly in that funny transitional period between our winter fishery and our summer fishery which can be very tricky for anglers.

In our estuary things are really starting to heat up. Flathead have been fishing amazing this week with some really good catches coming in from areas such as ‘The Cut’, Regatta Island and down around Coomba Park. By far the best way to chase a few of these guys is to drift weed and sand bank edges throwing 3”-4” Soft Plastics, soft vibes or metal vibes. If you prefer bait fishing you can drift the same areas with Whitebait, Prawns or Bluebait which should see you running into a few fish in no time at all. There have been a few really good fish seen in and around ‘The Paddock’ but getting them to bite and then successfully to the boat has been insanely difficult!

The local Whiting have also really started to kick into gear now with great catches of Trumpeter Whiting making their way to the cleaning tables each day. Their bigger relatives the Sand Whiting have also fired up with a few nice fish falling for Sugarpens on the top of the tide.

Bream are very much in a transitional phase at the moment and catching them has been incredibly difficult this week. The better results have come from down around the rock walls with the rivers and weed beds being strangely quiet which possibly suggests that not many fish have made their way back up the system yet.

Our local beaches have been fishing a fair bit better this week. Tailor continue to be very frustrating but there has been the odd nice fish caught off 7 Mile and from the beaches down around Pacific Palms right on dark. Most anglers’ bags have consisted of Bream and Whiting this week (as well as the odd Australian Salmon of course) with a handful of guys managing to work out where the Mulloway have been holding. Fishing up to about an hour after dark with Beach Worms has been the key to landing the ghosts of the beach and while the size is only small (up to 90cm) the numbers are great!

Reports from our local ledges have remained very much unchanged from last week. There are still plenty of Black Drummer and nice Bream hanging about the washes as well as the odd Blue Groper. Throwing lures and floating live baits can be hard going at this time of the year but with reports of the odd Kingfish and stray Bluefin Tuna hanging about it may well be worth the effort!

The North Westerly breeze eluded to earlier has made things a little tricky for the offshore angler this week, getting out early and back to the ramp before the wind kicks in has been key. Results have been very hit and miss this week, by far the best results have come from those boats that have managed to get out nice and early to fish the shallow grounds to the north with loads of nice Snapper coming from 20m and shallower this week. Unfortunately moving wider as the sun comes up has been all but pointless with next to no Trag, Pearl Perch or Snapper holding on the deeper reefs which have instead become home for the seemingly endless schools of Leather Jacket and Barracouta. On a positive, Sand Flathead numbers are great so you can always rely on these tasty little treats to fill the box on the way home!

September 11, 2020

In our estuary things have really kicked into gear this week. Flathead numbers have exploded throughout the system this week with loads of fish caught between Wallis Island and the mouth of the estuary. The flats in and around ‘the Cut’ and Twin Islands have been holding big numbers of nice table sized fish, Tony from Forster Estuary Charters has had a couple of red-hot sessions around these areas this week throwing plastics as he tested the new Strikerz Fishing Scents. Mixed in with the Lizards have also been some nice Luderick, Bream and Trevally.

There are more and more reports rolling in now from the Trumpeter Whiting fishermen, the fish are still very spread out but those with a decent sounder will find more than enough to make up a nice feed. If you want to have a go at these tasty little guys concentrate on the deeper areas up around Regatta Island and Green Point. Their bigger cousins the Sand Whiting have really started to wake up this week. It’s amazing how closely entwined Sand Whiting activity and Prawn activity seem to be, even though it’s still early, one local angler noticed a fair few prawns flicking on the surface so he stopped and tossed a Sugarpen about which quickly resulted in 6 very nice fish heading home for dinner!

The mouth of the estuary is still holding some very nice Bream on the high tide, there has been a notable change in their condition though over the past couple of weeks with quite a lot of skinny fish being caught. These post-spawn fish will be making their way back up the system now where they will gorge themselves on Prawns, Crabs, baitfish, shellfish and Cicada’s over the warmer months as they prepare to spawn again next year.

This years’ Crabbing season is shaping up to be a cracker. The rain we have had this year seems to have done wonders for the local Blue Swimmer population with plenty of positive reports filtering through from down around Green Point and Coomba Park.

Our local beaches have fished fairly well this week. Tailor are still very thin on the ground but there has been the odd one caught down around Pacific Palms and Seal Rocks. Most bags have been made up of Bream and Whiting with some particularly nice Whiting starting to school up on One Mile Beach and Main Beach.

Rock fishermen have relished the somewhat choppy sea conditions this week. The seemingly ever-present washes have been producing some nice Drummer and Luderick as well as the odd Bream. The headlands down around Pacific Palms are holding a few Tailor if you are lucky enough to find them and I have had a few reports of some small Kingfish being seen down that way lately.

Offshore fishing has been fairly tough this week. The weather has been far from favourable which has kept most boats at home. Those that have managed to get out for a fish have commented that they are having to cover a fair bit of ground to find the fish. Hitting the shallow reefs in 10-20m right on dawn or dusk has been very productive however the bite has been switching off not long after that twilight period comes to an end. Once the shallow bite slows the only option is to head wider to search for fish. The deeper reefs in 30-80m are definitely holding good numbers of Snapper, Pearl Perch and Trag, however they have been covered in Leatherjacket this week which are making it all but impossible to successfully fish for the more desirable species.

September 4, 2020

Spring has definitely sprung here in the Great Lakes with mother nature putting together some very ‘Summery’ days to celebrate. The warmer weather sees a dramatic jump in the amount of people out and about enjoying our beautiful waterways and the fishing has been nothing short of amazing with the ocean, beaches, rocks, estuary and rivers all producing some great fish.

Luderick numbers remain fairly good on the rock walls and around the bridge pylons, they have definitely eased off a little now but anglers are still managing to hit their bag limits with relative ease on most days. Cabbage and Weed Flies remain the more productive baits with most of the action happening through the last of the run-out tide and the start of the run-in.

Bream have been very good across the lake this week. The rock walls continue to hold loads of big fish which can be targeted very easily about the high tide, they eat absolutely any kind of bait you choose to throw at them and are also absolute suckers for small well-presented soft plastics such as the Ecogear Aqua Prawn or Gulp Crabby. ‘The Paddock’ is also holding some very nice fish at the moment which are easy enough to fool with an unweighted bait but pulling them out of the Oyster racks is the ultimate challenge! Mixed in with the Bream have been some very respectable Silver Trevally up around the 2-3kg mark as well as the odd Tailor.

Flathead continue to get more and more active as our weather warms and are now being caught all over the place. This week I have had reports of fish coming from up around Coomba Park/Wallis Island, the Wallamba River, the area around ‘The Cut’ as well as from right down the front of the system in ‘The Paddock’. While most fish have only been 35-50cm, one angler set out to target the bigger fish in ‘The Paddock’ and was amazed by how active the bigger fish are already. He had a lot of 50-60cm fish smashing his 9” lure and managed to hook (but not land!) two much bigger fish.

Local beaches have been fishing well this week, while Tailor remain as rare as hens’ teeth, there has been plenty of action on the Australian Salmon front and for those soaking baits there have been some nice Bream, Dart and Whiting about.

The local rock ledges have been very busy this week. Drummer and Bream remain fantastic with the odd Blue Groper mixed in with them. The rocks down around Pacific Palms have been particularly fruitful and are also holding the odd nice Tailor in the washes. It’s an interesting time along the coast at the moment as there is a lot of bait already holding in close and the water temperature is still a very respectable 19 degrees, so as well as Tailor there could be all sorts of predators cruising the rock ledges including Kingfish, Tuna and even Cobia.

Offshore seems to be going from strength to strength at the moment. While I haven’t had any insane reports filter through this week, it would seem that just about every boat that is heading out is managing to locate and land quality Snapper with ease. The shallows are fishing very well during the low light periods of morning and night with a lot of 2-4kg fish (and a few much bigger!) being caught on Soft Plastics. Moving out wider once the inshore bite slows has proved to be a great option to fill the Esky, those reefs in 35-80m have been holding some very nice table fish; Snapper up to 3kg, big Pearl Perch, the odd Trag and loads of big Flathead on the reef edges have made for very happy anglers this week.

August 28, 2020

While last weekend was incredibly cold and windy, we have now returned to some very nice weather as we cruise on into Spring, almost perfect for getting out on the water to chase a few fish!

The estuary fishing has been fairly hit and miss this week. For some reason Thursday and Friday have been very quiet while the start of the week produced plenty of good fish. The only species that has been consistent all week has been the Luderick that are still congregating in huge numbers along the southern rock wall. Anglers have been managing to ‘bag out’ with relative ease on most days with Cabbage Weed and artificial weed flies doing most of the damage. Unfortunately, the Luderick throughout other parts of the lake have not been so easy to catch, they seemed to be nice and active right up until Thursday and then anglers have reported that the fish just seemed to have disappeared from where they had been sitting for the last month or so.

Bream have followed a very similar pattern to the Luderick this week, the rock walls are still holding loads of great fish, particularly on that nice evening high tide while the flats and rivers further up have been eerily quiet. The general quietness may be attributed to something as simple as the fact that the mornings have been dominated by a low tide for much of the week, if that’s the case things should really kick back into gear from Sunday onwards.

Flathead are starting to fire up now, for many anglers September is the number one month for chasing big Trophy fish and I have already seen quite a few crackers including one caught last Friday by local angler Roberta Pearce which measured 92cm! An absolute beast of a fish and hopefully an indication that this years’ season is set to be a good one. If you’re keen to chase some Flathead focus on areas which may be slightly warmer than anywhere else, as the daytime temperatures increase the fish will take full advantage of the nice warm Sun and lay themselves right up in the shallows to lift their body temperature which will in turn increase their activity and feeding response. Surface lures, Swimbaits, Soft Plastics, Vibes and Hard Bodies will all work, as will a live Mullet, Herring or well-presented Whitebait.

The local beaches have been pummelled by swell over the past month or so, this has made for beaches that are either sanded up or consisting of just one big gutter. This can make for fairly tough fishing with anglers reporting generally quiet sessions this week consisting of plenty of Australian Salmon along with the odd Bream, Dart and Whiting. Unfortunately, Tailor reports are once again very sad apart from the odd fish mixed in with the Salmon, we do often get a nice little run of fish in September though so fingers crossed for better fishing next month!

Rock fishing continues to produce the goods this week. Black Drummer have been super consistent on the ledges to the south with a lot of quality fish coming from around the Pacific Palms and Seal Rocks areas. Jainey’s Corner has been producing a real mixed bag of fish with some very nice Bream, Luderick and Blue Groper joining the Drummer.

Getting offshore has been very difficult due to the weather this week. Those that have managed to pick the low wind periods have definitely found the fish though so this weekend should prove to be a fruitful one. The deeper reefs (30-80m) are still producing the better fish, the rubble grounds in 65-80m to the south have been especially good for big Pearl Perch, Trag and Snapper. To the North there has been the odd good fish caught on plastics in the shallows but the majority of fish have been out wider and if you fish into the evening there are also some good Trag getting about. Leather Jacket and Flathead are always on offer to fill the ice bin and both are great on the table.

With light winds forecast and plenty of great fish about there’s no excuse not to get out this weekend, stay safe and enjoy this warm weather!

August 21, 2020

The local estuary fishing is tracking along very much as it should for this time of the year. Luderick and Bream remain the centre of attention and both are fishing very well. Luderick can be caught throughout the bottom half or so of the system at the moment and are occupying just about any Oyster Lease, Jetty, weed bed, bridge Pylon or rock wall they can find! The southern breakwall is still producing plenty of fish on the run-in tide with Cabbage and artificial presentations working particularly well. The deeper water along the eastern side of Wallis Island has been holding plenty of nice fish and the island itself offers a bit of protection from the strong westerly winds. Fishing small vibe type lures along this area has also been producing some nice Bream and the odd Tailor.

The winter Flathead fishing has been a real surprise this year, normally anglers have to travel up into the rivers or down to the flats and drop offs around Coomba Park and Pacific Palms, however this year there has also been some great fishing much closer to home. This week I have had some great reports from the Jonnel Park area, the ‘Paddock’ and even as far down as the back of the Rockpool net. These winter fish are absolute suckers for small soft and hard vibes and 3”-4” Soft Plastics and while you may not experience a red-hot 50 fish session you should manage to snag more than enough good fish for a feed.

The local stones have been producing plenty of fish this week but it has been a little difficult to find a decent wash to fish. The beauty about fishing from the rocks in August is that even if you can’t manage to find a Black Drummer or Tailor due to the flat seas, you can nearly always get a bag full of fat Bream or Luderick as well as the odd Blue Groper.

The local beaches have been flat as a tack this week. Fishing the beaches when there is absolutely no swell can be very difficult and finding fish on what seems like a formless beach can be very frustrating. Anglers have reported some fairly consistent catches of Bream this week along with the odd Australian Salmon. The northern end of 9 Mile Beach has produced a few school Mulloway this week as well as a pile of Sharks!

The prevailing westerly winds have made offshore fishing very difficult this week. Those that have managed to sneak out have experienced some red hot demersal action. The shallow water Snapper have been fairly patchy out to about 20m, one or two fish right on dawn is about all that has been around. However, once you start fishing those reefs out past 20m you will find loads of Snapper which are eagerly taking just about any offering. I had a report from one boat earlier in the week and they said they fished in 8-15m for 3 hours from sunrise and managed to land two Snapper, feeling defeated they decided to try their luck a little deeper before heading for home and spotted a few fish on a bit of reef in 28m. They had been fishing with Soft Plastics and as soon as the first cast sank near the bottom it loaded up with a nice fish, then the second line in did the same, then the third and so on. They ended up with 9 nice Snapper between 40 and 65cm and came home on a high! Heading south and fishing the deeper rubble patches has produced some very nice Pearl Perch as well as the odd Trag and Snapper this week and there has been loads of nice Flathead about.

August 14, 2020

It’s amazing to think back to this time 12 months ago. The country was bone dry and we were just entering into what was to be a horrendous bushfire season. This year our rivers are flowing, dams are full and the ground is covered in green. The rainfall that we have had on an almost weekly basis over the last month has been nothing short of amazing.

Our estuary fishing has been fairly good considering the amount of dirty water running out of it at the moment. On the Bream front things have been a little tougher this week, mainly due to the morning/daytime low tide and the dirty run-off water. Those that have managed to fish some clean water or the top of the tide have reported some very nice fish from in and around the Oyster Leases and off the rock walls. Metal Blades and small soft plastics have been accounting for a lot of fish as have the bait fishing staples of Mullet Fillets, Slimy Fillets and Whitebait.

Luderick continue to fish very well down around the mouth of the estuary. The end of the Southern Rockwall and the area down around Forster Marina have been producing some really nice fish, for those wishing to chase them in a boat, The Paddock has been fishing very well and there has been the odd fish up on the eastern side of Wallis Island.

The runoff water has made finding the schools of Tailor in the estuary a little difficult this week however they are definitely there and they are of a decent size. Tony from Forster Estuary Charters managed to find a nice school of fish up near Hells Gate which consisted of fat 35-50cm fish, once you find these fish they will take just about any lure you throw at them and they are great fun on the light spin gear.

The local rocks have been fishing fairly consistently yet again for our winter staples. Black Drummer and Bream have been plentiful this week and have been taken from just about any ledge that has a decent amount of wash and water below it. The odd Tailor has been landed from the stones this week but they are still very patchy with only one or two fish being landed. Beach fishing has been a little patchy this week. There have been some nice Bream down on 7 Mile Beach and those fishing right on and into dark have managed to land the odd Tailor on Pilchards. Offshore fishing has been awesome this week. Once again, I am thrilled to report that Snapper have been caught all over the place and in fairly good numbers. The shallow water fishery (10-20m) has been a bit better this week, while there haven’t been huge numbers of fish caught, the fish that have been in there have been big and powerful. There have been quite a few fish up over the 70cm mark caught on plastics this week and plenty that couldn’t be stopped. Those boats fishing out a little further in 25-70m have had the most success, it hasn’t really mattered if you decide to go north or south and those fishing baits have had the most success. Along with a handful of perfect table sized Snapper, anglers have filled the Esky with some cracking Pearl Perch, Trag and big Flathead.

August 7, 2020

We have had an interesting week of fishing here in the beautiful Great Lakes. A very big, full moon dominated all things piscatorial over the weekend and for the first half of the week. A full moon can work wonders for those wishing to fish during the night but for those of us that like the comfort of daytime fishing (that’s me these days!), the full moon can be absolutely disastrous as the predatory species that we all love to hunt take advantage of the bright nights to optimise their feeding times while resting during the day time hours.

In our estuary things have not been too bad. Bream were particularly tough going early in the week due to the moon but have come back on the bite strong now, the rough weather forecast over the next few days should make for some perfect conditions to chase them along the rock walls and hopefully it may get them fired up again up on the weed beds which have been very quiet of late.

The rock walls have been fishing great for Luderick once again this week with the southern wall fishing particularly well right at the start of the run-in tide. Cabbage baits seem to be performing better than the weed but anglers are hitting their bag limits with both baits as well as artificial flies with ease. If you haven’t chased these bronze brawlers before now is the perfect time to have a go as you can find the odd fish just about anywhere at the moment!

The local Kingfish have been very active this week, while I have not seen too many boated, reports of massive fish being seen from the bridge and off the break walls have been filtering through every day and a few anglers have had an absolute ball trying to tame the beasts.

The local beaches have been interesting this week with very mixed reports coming through. The full moon upset the daytime Bream anglers earlier in the week who reported barley turning a reel on Sunday, Monday and Tuesday. Interestingly, one gentleman decided to hang about until after dark and while he didn’t see any Bream he did manage to land a nice School Mulloway which was 74cm. Tailor reports have been much more positive this week, there was some very nice fish landed over the weekend, the biggest I have heard of measured just on 80cm and that angler managed to catch that fish at 2:00 in the afternoon! Most fish have been around the 40cm mark which are absolutely perfect for the table.

The local rock ledges continue to tick along nicely and are still producing some nice Black Drummer, Bream, Luderick and Tailor. The rocks down around Shelly Beach/Charlotte head have been holding the odd Kingfish to about 8kg which make for great fun on the spin gear.

Offshore has been very interesting this week. For most angler’s daytime fishing out there was extremely tough up until Wednesday/Thursday. Chasing a feed of Snapper while there is a full moon is an incredibly tough task during the day, those boats that fished the afternoon and into the evening had much more success. However, once the moon waned a little, things got back to normal for the last half of the week and there have been some great catches of fish. Most fish have been caught in 25-65m and it doesn’t seem to matter if you head north or south, as far as techniques go, the bait and jig fishermen are definitely out fishing the soft plastic gurus at the moment. Mixed in with the ‘Reds’ have been some very nice Pearl Perch, fat Trag and some huge Flathead.

July 31, 2020

Our estuary is a little bit dirty at the moment after the 80ml of rain that we had fall over the weekend, reports are still very positive though and the run off should easy in the next day or two. Flathead have been making an absolute nuisance of themselves with the Bream fishermen this week, the flats down around Coomba Park are absolutely teeming with them and they love nothing more than to snatch a small hard bodied lure or plastic that was intended for a Bream. While most fish are under 40cm there has been plenty of 60-70cm fish mixed in with them which make for very tense battles on 4lb line!

Bream reports have been very mixed this week. Forster breakwall has been fishing fairly good for big fish but numbers have been low. On the plus side, there has been some cracking Snapper mixed in with them, one fish caught earlier in the week was 90cm long which took a whole squid intended for a Kingfish. Up in the lake, the breaming has been a little slow this week. While the Oyster Leases are holding plenty of fish still, they have been a little tough to get to bite.

The local Kingfish have been very active this week, the dirty water really doesn’t seem to phase them. Local young gun Curtis Chalker managed to land a very solid 115cm land-based fish on Monday afternoon after hooking another before losing it at his feet. That’s an unreal effort for any land-based angler. With some very nice conditions forecast over the next few days there should be plenty of good fish landed down around the rock walls.

Luderick have hit another gear this week. As well as having some great fish schooled up along Wallis Island and down around the Bridge, the southern rock-wall is now covered by a huge school of fish. The average size of these fish is very solid and they have been feeding very well over the first half of the run-in tide with fresh Cabbage Weed working very well.

Our local beaches have copped a hiding over the last couple of weeks. Despite this there have been some very positive reports from the sand this week and I think anglers should have a great weekend on the sand. Finding a somewhat protected, fishable gutter has been the struggle this week, but those anglers that have persisted have managed to get some very respectable bags consisting of Bream, the odd Tailor and some very nice Sand Whiting.

This years’ Drummer season continues to impress, the rough weather we have had of late has been absolutely perfect for them. The ocean has had some sort of persistent swell on most days with a mixture of easterly and south-easterly swell patterns which has meant that there have been loads of options. Like always, fresh Cunjevoi and cooked Prawns have been working very well and there has been loads of solid Bream and Luderick coming to the rocks as by-catch.

Offshore has been very unsettled this week. Very few boats have managed to get out in earnest but from those that have, reports are very promising. There have been loads of Snapper hanging on reefs in 30-60m and the average size has definitely improved with quite a few 7-8kg fish reported this week. Trag have been a little on the slow side but there has been some very nice Pearl Perch mixed in with the Snapper as well as Morwong, Pigfish and Flathead. Unfortunately, the Leatherjacket and Barracouta are still about in big numbers which can make for very frustrating and costly fishing!

July 24, 2020

Estuary fishing can be a real blast over the winter months; sunny, still days on our crystal-clear Lake is very hard to beat! Luderick remain very good throughout the bottom sections of the estuary with some great catches coming from the deeper water up around Wallis Island and the Bridge Pylons. For the land-based anglers, the rock walls and the jetties down around the Co-op are producing some very nice fish.

Bream have fished fairly well again this week, a little quieter up on the weed beds but still great down on the Oyster Leases and rock walls. As long as you fish around the top of the tide you should have no problems finding fish and they will hit either small soft plastics or lightly weighted baits with gusto. If you are fishing down around the mouth of the estuary don’t be surprised if you also manage to hook the odd Snapper and really nice Whiting.

The local Kingfish have been on the hunt this week with plenty of fish seen, some fish hooked, and most fish lost! Local angler Luke Borg managed to wrangle a couple of nice fish to the boat earlier in the week with one fish up over the 15kg mark. I have a lot of anglers coming in chasing info on targeting these beautiful fish, one of the biggest tips is to make sure you actually have the gear to successfully fish for them. These are absolute beasts of fish which need much heavier gear than your average 20-30lb surf or boat set ups and targeting them with this sort of gear is all but futile, you really need to be looking at main lines of at least 50-80lb with a rod to match.

Flathead continue to tick along quite nicely despite the cooler temperatures. Winter Flathead fishing can be a very productive option, particularly if you are happy to throw a few lures about. Generally speaking, 3-4” soft plastics will account for most catches but metal and soft vibes as well as hard bodied lures will also work very well. Think about targeting areas a bit further up the system; around Coomba Park, the back of Wallis Island and the Wallamba River are all worth a shot at the moment.

Reports from our local beaches have been a little flat this week. After the huge seas that we had last week, most beaches have not yet re-formed well enough to fish well. However, I have had a few great reports from down on 7 Mile and Cellito Beaches where there has been Bream, Salmon, Tailor and the odd Mulloway; Cellito should fish particularly well now that Smiths Lake has been opened to the ocean. One Mile is still holding plenty of Bream as well as the odd nice Whiting. With more swell forecast next week, make the most of the weekend if you want to try the beaches out!

The local stones have been all about Drummer lately and for good reason as the swell we had last week made for perfect conditions! Baits of Cunji, cooked Prawns (DO NOT USE IMPORTED PRAWNS!!!!!) and Bread have all been working great and you can expect to also see quite a few Bream, Luderick and Groper in between the Drummer!

Offshore conditions remained fairly unsettled for the first half of the week, however those boats that managed to get out toward the tail end of this week have had a ball chasing Snapper. There have been plenty of fish holding on the inshore grounds with those reefs in 20-50m being particularly productive. While I am a huge fan of lure fishing for ‘Reds’, this week it has been the bait brigade that has accounted for the majority of fish. For some reason anchoring and fishing a burley trail is working very well at the moment and has produced some nice fish up to 8kg this week. The deeper reefs are also fishing fairly consistently at the moment, you will have to contend with Leatherjackets and Barracouta though unfortunately.

July 17, 2020

We have had a very Wintery week here in the Great Lakes as we have been feeling the effects of a very solid east coast low. Strong, cold winds and heavy showers of rain have been very persistent since the weather arrived on Tuesday and have made fishing very uncomfortable if not impossible!

Prior to the weather deteriorating things had been great, our estuary had been fishing fairly well for a huge range of species including Bream, Luderick, Leatherjacket, Tailor, Flathead and Trevally, as well as the odd sneaky Snapper. Bream are still being caught all over the place; rock walls, weed beds and Oyster Leases are always productive around this time of the year and I have also had some very good reports coming from the canals out at Forster Keys where there is a huge number of smaller fish at the moment with the odd unstoppable bruiser in amongst them.

Luderick are ticking along nicely, there are not masses of fish on offer but the fish that are there are of a really good size. There haven’t been a lot of anglers out braving the elements this week but the Bridge Pylons and rockwalls/jetties down around the Fishermans Co-op have been producing more than enough fish for a feed.  Prior to the weather hitting, the deep water up around Wallis Island had been fishing very well and I would say that will still be the case once conditions improve again.

Our local beaches will be very different once the seas subside. Big tides and fairly solid swells have eroded a huge amount of sand away, hopefully this will mean our beaches will reform with some very nice gutters which will be full of big Tailor, Bream and Mulloway!

The weather we have had this week gets most rock fishing enthusiasts very excited. The huge swell and rough conditions that have battered our coast over the last few days will have dislodged huge amounts of Cunjevoi, shellfish, Crabs, weed and all sorts of other tasty morsels and the local Black Drummer, Bream and Luderick will be feeding like crazy! The trick is to time your fishing sessions right so that you can safely take advantage of the unsettled conditions, check the forecasts and only ever venture out once the swell has started to subside, the fish will still feed for a couple of days after a big swell event and no fish is worth your life! As far as bait goes, get out onto most beaches and you will find chunks of fresh Cunji washed up, even if it’s not all that fresh, it will still work great (old stuff is pretty tough on the nose though!).

The offshore report will be fairly short this week. Obviously with the weather we have had there hasn’t been any boats heading out in earnest. Prior to the bad weather things were pretty good out there, Snapper had been great in the shallows and the deeper reefs had been holding great mixed bags of fish including some very nice Trag. Unfortunately, the Leatherjackets have been about as shallow as 30m in some spots however they seem to thin out at about 80m. It will be interesting to see how it fishes out there early next week, there should be some red-hot Snapper action on offer I reckon!

July 10, 2020

It has been awesome to see the holiday crowds making their way to the Great Lakes and supporting local businesses over the past week, while the current state of affairs in Victoria is worrying, hopefully the efforts we have all gone to in keeping this area safe will prove to be enough.

On the fishing front, things have carried on much the same as they have been for the last couple of weeks. Bream are still about in very good numbers along the rock walls and providing you fish around the top of the tide you should have no dramas in finding a few. Lightly weighted baits of Mullet, Bonito, Whitebait, Chicken Gut and Garfish are all working great as are small soft plastics. You are also likely to find the odd Snapper, Silver Trevally, Leatherjacket and Drummer mixed in with the Bream. It still amazes me how many nice Snapper call the breakwall home these days, I get reports daily of nice fish being caught by anglers chasing Bream and Mulloway.

The cooler weather this week has pushed the Luderick a little further up into the system now. While the Bridge and rock walls are still holding more than enough fish to keep anglers happy, there is also great numbers of fish holding in the deepwater up along the eastern side of Wallis Island as well as down in Breckenridge Channel.

Flathead continue to pop up in decent numbers throughout the bottom of the estuary. There have been some very nice fish up to 65cm caught from the breakwall and down around the Fisherman’s Co-op this week, these fish will eventually move on and make their way further up into the tributaries once things cool off a little more.

Our beaches have been fishing well this week. Bream and Tailor remain the most common catches and they have been caught on most of the better fishing beaches such as 7 Mile and 9 Mile. 7 Mile has been particularly good with some great Tailor sessions occurring after dark on Garfish and brined Pilchards. Interestingly, I have heard of a few nice Whiting still coming from 9 Mile Beach as well as one very nice 64cm Dusky Flathead.

We have been lucky to have another great week for rock fishing this week. Unsettled ocean conditions have made for near perfect Black Drummer fishing conditions and there has been plenty about. Mixed in with the Drummer are some nice Bream and still loads of Luderick, it’s also worth having a prospecting cast with a metal lure or stickbait as there have been some great Tailor cruising the wash zones (and you never know when a random Kingfish might pop up).  

Offshore fishing has not been the most comfortable sport this week with most days consisting of fairly bumpy conditions. However, those that have managed to pick the decent weather windows to sneak out for a fish have been rewarded with some great fishing. Snapper have been caught all over the place this week. The shallow grounds were a little slow over the weekend but have really improved over the last couple of days and should only get better as we move further away from the full moon. The 40-60m grounds have been producing some great mixed bags including Snapper, Pearl Perch, Morwong and some really nice Trag. Thankfully, while the Leatherjacket and Barracouta are still out there in big numbers, they seem to be a lot more concentrated on particular reefs which has given anglers a much better chance at getting down to the more desirable species.

July 3, 2020

We have had absolutely perfect weather here in the Great Lakes this week. While the mornings are a bit on the chilly side, by mid-morning the days are very nice and warm for this time of the year.

On the fishing scene, our estuaries have been fishing very well. There is a real mixed bag on offer out there at the moment including Bream, Luderick, Tailor, Leatherjacket, Trumpeter Whiting and Flathead. As eluded to last week, Bream can be caught just about anywhere at the moment with some great fish being taken from the rock walls, Oyster leases and weed beds. Luderick have not changed too much from last week, the bridge pylons are still loaded with big fish which are feeding fairly hard on the last of the run-out tide. The deeper water up around the eastern side of Wallis Island is also starting to fish fairly well now, the addition of a bit of burley up in the slower moving water can be the difference between success and failure, particularly if you are using an artificial weed fly.

Tailor have finally started to school up in the lake in better numbers and while most fish are only 30-40cm long, there is the odd very nice fish mixed in with them. The easiest way to find these fish is to troll about with small metal or baitfish profile hard bodied lures until you run into them. Areas such as Hells Gate and ‘the Duck Pond’ to the north of Wallis Island are good places to start looking as is the main channel in Tuncurry under the bridge.

Flathead have been a real surprise this week. Just as we thought that they had all started to move up into the rivers and bottom of the lake there have been some very good reports of fish coming from the rock walls and jetties down around the mouth of the system. It just goes to show how warm the ocean is still; these fish should hang about until we see the sea temperature fall down below 20 degrees. If you wish to chase these winter Flathead the biggest thing to remember is that they are a lot less active than they normally are down around these areas so your lures need to be worked super slow and kept ‘in the zone’ for as long as possible.

Our local beaches are holding enough fish to keep anglers interested, Bream and Tailor are making up most bags with the odd Flathead and Whiting thrown into the mix. Unfortunately, the Tailor are still fairly patchy but definitely improving. 7 Mile Beach and the beaches down around Pacific Palms such as Cellito Beach are probably the pick of the bunch at the moment. Cellito is also producing the odd Mulloway after dark so it might be worth hanging about for a few hours after the Tailor bite slows up.

Rock fishermen had a brilliant start to the week as there was a little bit of swell hanging about. The lingering sea was perfect for chasing Black Drummer and plenty were caught, however the tail end of the week has been fairly quiet due to a lack of swell. Along with Black Drummer there have also been loads of Bream and Luderick still loitering on the headlands as well as the odd Silver Drummer and Groper.

Offshore has been fantastic this week. While there was a bit of swell about earlier in the week, it was still nice and clean out there which meant plenty of boats managed to get out. Snapper have been great in the shallows, Blackhead, Redhead and Dennis Shoals have all fished well this week but the bite window has only been narrow with most of the action finishing up around 7:30/8:00am. Further out we still have to contend with masses of Leatherjackets on most reefs, it’s definitely still worth looking around out there though because when you can fluke a drift devoid of toothy critters there is some very nice Snapper, Trag and Pearl Perch to be caught.

June 26, 2020

It can be insanely hard to drag yourself out of bed to go for a fish at this time of the year, but for those that can muster up the effort the fishing is generally very productive.

In our estuary’s things have changed very little. Bream remain the focus for many and there have been some very nice bags of fish caught this week. The rock walls are still holding plenty of good fish, you will have to fish around the high tide or of an evening though to find any sort of success. ‘The Paddock’ area of Oyster Leases and the area that runs up along Breckenridge Channel towards Lani’s Island are both fishing very well for those wishing to throw small plastics or hard bodies about, getting the bites is no challenge at all but dragging the fish out can be a bit of a struggle, they know exactly where every piece of structure is down there! There is an ever-growing population of fish now settling back down on the weed beds in the southern section of the lake, while most fish are only 20-30cm there is definitely the odd bigger model mixed in and they are belting small shallow running hard bodied lures with gusto.

Tailor have really shown themselves in the estuary this week. I have had numerous reports form anglers who have been out chasing Bream and hit patches of fairly nice 35-40cm Tailor, most have been up around the weed beds near Wallis Island and Lani’s and they make for great fun on the light Bream gear!

Luderick have been fishing very well again this week. The rock walls are still producing enough fish to keep the land-based fishermen interested but most anglers have now moved on to fishing the bridge pylons or in and around the oyster leases further up the system.

Most beaches continue to fish fairly well. Bream are still hanging about the gutters in really good numbers with the better fish getting up around the 1kg mark. Tailor continue to tease anglers on the sand as they seem to be there one day and gone the next, however there have been some very good reports from the stones this week so we should see a vast improvement next week hopefully.

The local rock fishing scene is very much alive at the moment. There is a nice little bit of swell forecast for this weekend so it should be absolutely perfect for chasing a few Black Drummer, Bream, Luderick and Tailor. Drummer have been about in really good numbers right along the coast; baits of Cunjevoi, Crab and Peeled Prawn have been working a treat and there are some very nice fish in the mix. If you tire of going toe to toe with the rock hugging brutes it may also be worth throwing a few metal lures about, there have been plenty of Tailor sitting in the washes down around Elizabeth Beach and Booti Booti as well as the odd Kingfish.

Offshore fishing has been fairly good this week. Snapper have been great in the shallows early of a morning, you will have to head a fair way north though if you want to find a few fish. The fishing has been much more reliable out in 40m-80m where there has been a great mix of Snapper, Pearl Pearch and Trag. Unfortunately the Leatherjackets and Barracouta are fairly thick on certain reefs out there at the moment, if you do find yourselves getting bitten off every drop there really isn’t much you can do except to either tie up some wire traces or move elsewhere.  

June 19, 2020

We have had an almost perfect week of winter weather this week with fairly mild daytime temperatures (for this time of year) and a good amount of rain mixed in. On the fishing front, things continue to be fairly steady overall despite their being the odd quiet session earlier in the week when the estuary had a fair bit of fresh coming down.

Luderick have been amazing over the past few days after a brief hiatus during the rain. The fish have definitely moved a little bit further up from the rock walls now and can be found in very good numbers on the bridge pylons, in ‘The Paddock’ Oyster Lease area and around in Jonnel Park. Wallis Island has started to produce the odd fish but they don’t seem to have made their way up there in earnest yet. The fish have really gone away from taking Cabbage Weed now, however they are taking String Weed and artificial Weed Flies with gusto. I regular customer fished the bridge this morning and had ‘bagged out’ within an hour. If you do manage to get onto a hot bite like this, please remember to only keep what you need, there’s nothing wrong with keeping your limit but please only do so if you are certain that all of the fish can/will be eaten.

Like the Luderick, Bream also seemed to go very quiet earlier in the week. Thankfully the tail end of the week has delivered though with some cracking reports coming through the shop. The rock walls are still holding plenty of fish but you really need to be mindful of your tide times to chase them successfully. The fish down around the mouth are almost exclusively biting around the last hour or so of the run-in tide and the first hour of the run-out tide. As is always the case over the winter months, the Oyster Leases between the bridge and Wallis Island are holding plenty of solid fish and there has been more than a few hanging about up on the weed beds which indicates that the fish have finished spawning and are spreading back out again.

Small Flathead are plentiful up around Wallis Island and up the Wallamba River, if you are patient and fish through the numbers you should pick up enough for a feed. To chase these fish during the cooler months you really have to commit to using artificial offerings; hard bodied divers, soft plastics and vibes are all worth a shot.

The local sandy stretches have been fairly nice this week. Most beaches have good formations along them and are holding fish. Tailor and Salmon are still very patchy, just about everyone that has chased them this week has caught fish, some up to 3kg, however sessions have only consisted of 2 or 3 fish at best. For those wishing to soak a Beach Worm or Pipi there are still some very nice, fat little Bream and the odd stud Whiting holding in the better gutters and there has also been a few small Mulloway in the mix on Diamond Beach and 9 Mile Beach.

Drummer are on! Is the simplest way to explain what the local rock fishing scene is up to. Black Drummer have been caught all over the place this week, from the breakwalls here in town to Seal Rocks in the south and Crowdy Head in the North. Baits of Cunjevoi, Crab, Prawn and Bread have all worked this week, like always, finding that nice washy water is the key to success. There have also been plenty of Bream and Luderick sitting in the holes and gutters that run along the coast so even if you fail to find a Drummer you should still go home with a decent bag of fish.

Plenty of boats have ventured offshore this week and results have been fairly good. Snapper are still a bit funny with some great fish coming in off the really shallow reefs up north but then not a lot a lot to report at all until you get out to 60m and deeper. Fishing the deeper reefs during the evening or really early in the morning has been producing some very nice Trag and the odd Pearl Perch. We had a lot of boats heading wide earlier in the week searching for the pods of Yellowfin Tuna that had been belting Sauries out on the continental shelf, unfortunately for most boats it was hard going and only a few fish were actually caught locally. The calibre of the fish was exceptional though with most fish weighing 50-70kg. Our FAD is still out as far as I know and it is holding plenty of Mahi Mahi earlier in the week, according to reports most fish are only small but there are some bigger ones in the mix.

June 12, 2020

Most forms of fishing fired all long weekend. As can be expected at the start of June, Bream have been about in huge numbers along the rock walls and any other structure that’s situated down towards the mouth of the Wallis Lake system. I have had a few people in over the last couple of days commenting that the fish have gone quiet, the single biggest thing to remember when chasing Bream along the rock walls is to fish around the top of the tide. Instead of just going fishing first thing in the morning, check your tide times and arrange your trip around that tide and you will find the fish are still there it’s just the tide that has moved their bite times forward into the day a bit. Like always, small soft plastics and lightly weighted baits are both doing the damage.

Unfortunately, the Luderick have decided to play hard to get for much of this week. While there were plenty caught earlier in the week, they seem to have slowed considerably now, possibly due to the considerable amount of rain that we have had this week. It may be a simple case of just having to figure out where they have moved to and what part of the tide they are feeding on, we have had a very good bite on the run out tide up until now, maybe now that there is a good amount of fresh in the lake the fish will bite better on the incoming tide instead? Shane Chalker Photography took some amazing footage of the bridge pylons this week and there’s no shortage of Luderick about, we just need to figure out how to catch them!

The mouth of the estuary has been producing some nice Kingfish and the odd Mulloway this week, unfortunately the resident shark population is making things very difficult though with a lot of baits and hooked fish becoming snacks for them.

The local beaches have been a bit of a surprise this week with loads of fish being caught from all over the place! Whiting numbers seem to have boomed along the coast this week as I have had very good reports of fish coming from One Mile Beach, 9 Mile Beach and Diamond Beach. Bream have also been fairly thick (in both numbers and physical size!) and often schooled up with the Whiting. For the Mulloway enthusiasts, there have been a few fish reported this week up to 15kg and they have all come from either 9 Mile Beach or Diamond Beach to the north. All of the fish were caught on dead baits of Squid and Tailor. Tailor continue to be a bit of a frustration for a lot of anglers, they are definitely about but very spread out or not really feeding too hard. There are some good schools of Australian Salmon about though which provide a bit of fun while you wait for the Tailor to swim through. For your best shot at a few fish I would suggest heading south and fishing down around Pacific Palms.

The unsettled conditions that we have had intermittently this week have made for some very good rock fishing. Black Drummer have really started to show themselves now and can be caught fairly easily from just about any headland or rocky outcrop. As long as there is a bit of wash about you are in with a good chance of finding them, unfortunately the number of big Luderick and Bream that are schooled up under the same wash zones have been almost unbearable. It’s not often that I hear anglers whinging because there are too many fish but at the moment getting baits past the Bream and Luderick down to the Drummer has been impossible on some days!

Offshore fishing has been a bit of a mixed bag this week. Snapper continue to evade a lot of anglers while a select few have managed to catch them by the bucket load. There doesn’t seem to be any real pattern to them, the shallow reefs up around Dennis Shoals have been the pick of the bunch in close while the deeper reefs out off Cape Hawke have been producing very nice mixed bags of Snapper, Pearl Perch, Teraglin and even the odd small Bar Cod. For some reason this week there has been huge numbers of Flathead sitting on the reefs out in 60-80m, it’s not unusual to have the odd one hanging about the reef edges but there has been loads of big ones caught up on top of the reefs lately. Not that there’s anything wrong with a good feed of Flatty Tails!

June 5, 2020

Hello Winter!!! It never ceases to amaze me how the change in seasons and the weather move along so succinctly. For us fishermen, feeling the freezing cold westerlies on our backs as we check the glassy ocean or fish the breakwall gets us super excited as it often means that there’s some red-hot fishing to be had!

The rock walls are alive with fish at the moment. This week we have had a nice high tide in the morning which has been perfect for chasing a few big Bream. When you walk out onto the rocks and see the schools of big fish milling about in the eddies and backwaters you know that you are in for a good little session! Small soft plastics or lightly weighted baits have been the trick and if you get it right you can expect to get a fish nearly every cast. The quality of the fish is insanely good, I fished 3 mornings this week and I think I only saw one fish under 30cm with most sitting up over 35cm and at least a dozen or so ‘unstoppables’.

If you are lucky enough to be down around the mouth of the estuary on a high tide it’s also a great opportunity to have a look for the spots where the Luderick are holding, once you know where they are sitting you can then return as the tide starts to recede again to fish for them. Knowing where they are holding is the biggest key to catching fish. This week there have been some very nice bags of fish caught from down around the boats and jetties near the Fish Co-op as well as from certain spots along the northern break wall.

The bar is holding some very nice Kingfish, loads of Mulloway and the odd Snapper at the moment for those wishing to have a play down there. The Kings are very hard to tempt into biting and even harder to stop, local angler Lena Donnelly managed to put the brakes on a very nice fish this morning which measured in at 130cm and 22kg, not a bad way to break in a new rod and reel!

For the Flathead chasers, things have been fairly tough this week. While there are still loads of fish up around Coomba, Wallis Island and the Cut, most are very small. The better fish that I have heard of this week have all come out of the Wallamba River and they fell for 3” Keitech Easy Shiners. I don’t know what it is about the Keitech range of lures but for river fishing during the winter months they are so hard to beat!

The beaches have been a very mixed bag this week. Unsettled conditions have made fishing the beaches to the south, such as 7 Mile, a fairly tough proposition. However, those that have picked the right tides and days have managed to find some nice Tailor as well as the odd Salmon, Bream and Dart. Closer to home, 9 Mile Beach has been very calm for much of the week, almost too calm. Those wishing to try for a Tailor off 9 Mile will have to push up to the northern end, fishing the southern section of the beach has been fairly productive on the Bream front but that’s about it unfortunately.

The local stones never cease to amaze me during the first week or so of Winter. There are still pods of Longtail Tuna ripping through Gars up and down the coast which is amazing but not that hard to understand when you consider how perfect the water quality is at the moment. The water hasn’t cooled off yet and is crystal clear, and while ever the schools of baitfish hang about those pelagic speedsters won’t go anywhere!

For the bread and butter bandits the Black Drummer season is shaping up to be a cracker with some very nice fish caught already. The unsettled sea conditions have meant that there has been some sort of wash about on most days. Pebbly Beach, North One Mile, Booti Booti and even Jaineys Corner have all produced fish this week, the hardest part has been getting through the masses of big Bream and Luderick!

Offshore has been a bit of a struggle for much of the past week, however reports coming in today (Friday) are very positive. Strong Westerly winds and rough seas made it very hard to fish out there and for those boats that managed to get out really struggled to find the fish. Snapper have been particularly cryptic, it would seem that the key to finding these winter wonders has been to either fish super shallow (under 15m) or get out to 40-80m but even then, there has been a lot of kilometres between fish. On a positive note, Phil from Reel Ocean Adventures has reported this morning that the fish have been well and truly on the bite with the crew quickly filling the bin with some very nice Snapper, Pearl Perch and Trag. This weekend is looking fairly nice so it will be very interesting to see what happens, no doubt there will be plenty of boats out there having a go.

May 29, 2020

What a wild, wet and cold start to the week! Despite the adverse weather the fishing has been ticking along very nicely. Bream remain the focus for most estuary fishermen and there have been plenty of good fish about. For the land-based angler’s, the action has all been about the rock walls, Tuncurry in particular has been producing good numbers of fish with some absolute stonkers thrown into the mix. Most fish are falling for baits of Mullet, Mullet Gut, Yabbies, Garfish, Pilchards, Bonito Fillets or Whitebait, however throwing lightly weighted small profiled soft plastics is also a very effective means of fooling a few blue-nosed bruisers. For boaters, the Oyster leases between the bridge and Wallis Island have been very productive. Sitting in the freezing cold wind and throwing plastics into the leases and washboards has resulted in some very healthy bags of fish this week with plenty of fish up over the 1kg mark landed.

Luderick fishermen are still going ok, unfortunately the fish have been a bit patchy this week with anglers ‘bagging out’ one day and then only seeing one or two fish the next! The fish are slowly making their way up the system now and there has been the odd school hanging about the jetties along Wallis Island.

Flathead have also started to show themselves further up into the system with some nice fish starting to be caught up Wallamba and down around Coomba Park. For lure fishermen, Flathead are definitely a year-round prospect while for the bait fishermen they are viewed as a very much ‘summer only’ species. The key to chasing Flathead over the cooler months is to pack away the bait rods, use your sounder to find the bait schools and target them with soft plastics and vibes. You will be amazed by just how good the winter Flathead fishery can be!

For those wishing to chase something a bit bigger, the entrance to the estuary is holding good numbers of Mulloway and Kingfish. While the Kingfish can be a little tricky to get to bite and almost impossible to land, the Mulloway have been hammering soft plastics and live baits. Like always, focus your efforts about a tide change and you will have a very good shot at hooking one of these super special fish. Once you figure them out, please be sensible and only keep what you need; even though the bag limit is one per person that doesn’t mean you need to keep one every trip!

Unfortunately, the beaches have been pummelled by big seas for much of the week. I’m yet to hear of how they are fishing now that the swell has subsided but hopefully there will be some nice gutter forming which are full of nice big Tailor and Mulloway! Reports of Tailor from the stones down around Elizabeth Beach have been very good so with a bit of luck these fish will also be out on the sand. Your typical ‘bread and butter’ species have relished the big seas and those that have fished the back end of the swell have had great bags of Black Drummer, Bream and Luderick. There are a few Longtail Tuna still sneaking about for those willing to search for them.

As you can imagine the offshore scene has been very quiet this week. Big seas and strong winds kept everyone home however the forecast for the next few days is great so there will be a huge number of boats heading offshore over the weekend. The inshore grounds (10-45m) should be firing for those wanting to chase a few Snapper and Trag, any wider than 60m could be hit and miss depending on what sort of current there is out there, often after we get a bit of swell the deeper grounds are getting smashed by a lot of current which can make it very hard to fish out there effectively.

May 22, 2020

What a week of contrasting weather we have had, the first half of the week was relatively mild and calm and now we are feeling the effects of a pretty strong low-pressure system which looks like it’s going to hang about until around the middle of next week. While the wind, rain and swell will put a dampener on a lot of fishing options, there are still plenty of fish there for those wishing to brave the conditions.

The Estuary is full of fish at the moment. Most of the action is concentrated in the first quarter or so of the system, the area from the mouth of the river up to Wallis Island and The Cut. Bream are now in huge numbers and have settled along both rock walls, the bridge pylons and any of the Oyster Leases consisting of decent cover (look for those leases with plenty of growth on them). Catching these winter fish is very easy, all you need is a tiny sinker (or none at all if possible) running down to a #1 or #2 Baitholder Hook baited with a bit of Mullet, Prawn, Whitebait, Pilchard or Bonito Fillet (or any other bait you would like to try, chances are they will eat just about anything at the moment). Simply flick the bait in near a bit of structure or down along the rock walls and let it drift down slowly, you should get a bite fairly quickly, normally before it reaches the bottom. Alternatively, you can fish with soft plastic lures such as the Gulp Crabby, Bream are absolute suckers for these little lures!

Luderick are still schooled up along the northern rock-wall in good numbers but they were definitely fishing better earlier in the week. It may well be worth having a look at the bridge pylons, in ‘The Paddock’ or possibly around in Breckenridge Channel this weekend.

Flathead are really starting to show themselves in the rivers now, the Wallamba is fishing particularly well all the way up to the Discovery Caravan Park. There have also been some nice fish caught down around Coomba Park, if you decide to sneak down that way for a fish don’t be surprised if you run into some nice Snapper as well, there’s normally the odd one cruising around down there at this time of the year.

The local beaches have been very funny this week. 9 Mile still seems to be the better option but the Bream have definitely thinned a little, surprisingly I received some very good reports of big Whiting coming from the northern end of the beach earlier in the week. Tailor continue to be a frustration for many, most are reporting being able to find one or two fish each trip but that’s about as good as it gets. I did get one report through from an angler that had a half an hour session right on dark down at Jaineys Corner and he managed to land 10 good sized fish.

Jaineys is still fishing fairly well for Luderick and Bream off the rocks, as well as the odd rogue Black Drummer. For those wishing to target Drummer specifically, Booti has been producing the better fish and they are in good numbers. Those that fished out there last weekend said it was absolutely perfect, a good amount of wash but still fishable and the place was teeming with life. With the water still sitting at just under 22 degrees there is still the odd pelagic cruising about however this weekend’s weather rand swell may well put an end to the land-based game season.

Snapper have been a little tricky to find this week. Unfortunately, most of the inshore grounds close to home have been invaded by loads of small, mostly undersized fish. I fished Blackhead and 5 Mile yesterday and struggled to find anything over about 40cm, still great fishing as the little buggers are belting plastics and jigs like there’s no tomorrow but finding the bigger models is always better! Those that have managed to find the better fish have all had to do the miles. Dennis Shoals, Seal Rocks and the deeper reefs all seem to be holding the big fish. The forecast swell and weather should stir things up in a big way over the next few days so the fish could be anywhere once it settles down again. There was a few crazy fisho’s that headed out wide earlier in the week and their report back was that it was horrible out there with massive choppy waves pummelling the boat, they did however manage to find some nice fish including a good lot of tasty Gemfish.

May 15, 2020

We have been lucky to have had a near perfect week of May weather here in the beautiful Great Lakes. The nights and mornings are fairly chilly now but the days have been calm and mostly sunny, brilliant fishing weather actually!

Our estuary is a hive of activity at the moment, particularly down around the entrance where fishermen (and lots of Women which is awesome!) are flocking on a daily basis to take advantage of the red-hot Bream, Luderick and Mulloway action. Luderick have schooled up in a big way along the northern (Tuncurry) breakwall and are being caught in huge numbers by anglers using baits of Weed or artificial Weed flies. As long as you fish the run out tide you are just about guaranteed to find a fish or two, but more likely to find yourself catching them by the dozen! The fish are in great condition and most are big bronze thumpers which can be a bit of a handful on light gear.

The run-out tide has been great for those hoping to snag a mythical Mulloway this week. While there doesn’t seem to be many over about 110cm there is tonnes and tonnes of them down there and they are smashing small live baits or 6-8 inch soft plastic lures. Mixed in with the Mulloway are the ever-present Yellowtail Kingfish which seem to be feeding almost exclusively on Garfish at the moment making them very hard to trick!

Bream are the other species that comes to mind at this time of the year down around the break walls. Under normal circumstances you would be aiming to fish for these guys about the top of the tide however at the moment you can fish anytime you like and you will almost certainly run into a Bream or twenty! While a lot of the fish are around the 25-30cm mark there are also plenty of fish up over 40cm which make short work of light leaders!!!

The beaches continue to tick along fairly nicely with loads of nice Bream about as well as the odd Whiting and Flathead. There have been a few more Tailor reports this week which hopefully means that they will thicken up over the next week or so.

The local rock ledges have been fairly busy this week with plenty of anglers making the most of what is left of the land-based gamefish season. There is still some fairly nice water lapping the shore in places and these areas have been producing Longtail Tuna almost daily for those anglers who are dedicated to the chase. Other anglers have hung up their gamefish gear for the year and have now switched over to chasing Drummer, Bream and Luderick. Jainey’s corner has been particularly productive for all three species however just about any rock ledge that has a bit of a hole and wash over the top should hold fish at this time of the year.

I am very happy to report that the Snapper fishing offshore has kicked back in after a week or so of fairly average fishing. It’s almost as if someone flicked a switch and they magically re-appeared back on the inshore grounds in 10-40m and while there hasn’t been any trips this week consisting of huge numbers, the fish that are there seem to be of a decent size with not much coming over the side under 40cm. Further out, the deep drop brigade has had a few great days out wide. Bags consisting of Bar Cod, Snapper, Kingfish, Nannygai and Pearl Perch seem to be a common thing at the moment. We even saw a few Blue Eye caught earlier in the week so you just never know what you may run into if you do the miles and head out to the depths!!!!

Have a great weekend, enjoy this wonderful time of year!

May 7, 2020

While the cool change that we have experienced over the last week has slowed a few fishermen down, most anglers actually wait in great anticipation for the arrival of the ‘winter season’. The chilly weather gets us thinking of all sorts of angling opportunities; Big Bream, Black Drummer, Luderick, mega late season Tuna, Mulloway, Kingfish and Snapper to name but a few!

Wallis Lake continues to set itself up for the Winter with a lot of fish on the move now. For those of us clinging to summer, Flathead remain a very worthwhile option if we are happy to move with them as they make their way back up the system. There have been plenty of fish hanging about ‘the Cut’ and well up into the Wallamba River as well as down around Coomba Park, interestingly there has also been some nice Bream still holding in the Wallamba and down on the weed beds to the south of Wallis Island despite the inherent drive to go to sea to spawn.

For the serious Bream fisherman, you can’t really go past the breakwalls or any of the Oyster leases that sit between Wallis Island and the mouth of the river. I am hearing stories everyday now of monster Bream that have been ‘unstoppable’ as well as plenty of caught fish well over the 40cm mark. Most anglers are targeting them with lightly weighted baits of Mullet, Bonito, Tailor, Whitebait or Pilchards. For the more adventurous angler that’s up for a challenge, throwing small soft plastics on light line for Bream is hard to beat. Any fish over about 37cm will really test you and your gear when fishing 4 or 6 pound line and leader but when you manage to stop and land one it’s an awesome feeling!

Luderick numbers continue to build throughout the lower reaches of the system (towards the mouth). The ‘Paddock’ and bridge pylons are holding a fair few fish now but if you really want to get amongst them you have to fish the break walls. The northern wall is fishing particularly well at the moment with most fish being caught on the run-out tide. As is often the case, finding green weed is harder at the moment than finding the fish however they are very keen to whack a well presented weed fly which can be easily fished on a traditional Luderick rod using a standard float rig.

Large seas limited beach fishing opportunities earlier in the week however plenty of anglers have hit the sand in the latter half of the week and, with favourable tides and a full moon, there will be lots of people keen to soak a bait of an evening for a Mulloway over the weekend. Tailor continue to be somewhat sporadic, down on 7 Mile there have been a few fish about but not really enough to target, while on 9 Mile fishing for them very early in the morning seems to be fairly consistent. If you fail to find any Tailor don’t despair because there are loads of very nice Bream cruising along our coastline at the moment as well as the odd late Whiting. One thing worth mentioning is the number of really nice Flathead that are sitting on 9 Mile Beach. Local lure maker Rob Voorby has been walking the shore tossing small metal vibes and jigs finding loads of nice fish up to about 60cm.

The local rock fishing continues to impress. There are still plenty of Longtail Tuna about and now that we have entered the ‘late season’ period most of the fish left here are fairly solid in size, I have heard of a fair few 20kg+ fish this week. As the pelagics slow, the winter species start to come into their own. With a decent stir up earlier in the week its no surprise that there was a fair few anglers keen to see how many Drummer were about and I am pleased to say that most found a few fish. Those anglers that didn’t find any Drummer were still very pleased by the amount of big Bream and Luderick that are currently holding in the wash zones.

With big, unsettled seas and a full moon in play, this week has been a little tough offshore. The inshore Snapper fishing has been insanely difficult with a lot of boats relying on the good old Flathead grounds to fill the Esky for a feed. Those boats that have ventured out wide have fared much better managing to find mixed bags of Snapper, Pearl Perch, Kingfish, Nannygai and the odd Bar Cod. The FAD is still holding the odd Mahi Mahi, but you will have to fish through the small guys if you want to find one or two legal fish out there.

Have a great weekend, enjoy this wonderful time of year!

May 1, 2020

Despite the less than favourable conditions, the estuary has still seen plenty of fishing action. The breakwalls are still littered with loads of anglers every day and most have been having a ball tangling with big Bream, Luderick, Mulloway, Kingfish, Luderick and Leatherjacket. Along with the walls, the bridge pylons and the oyster leases in ‘the Paddock’ are also holding some very nice Bream, many of which with leave anglers wondering just how big they were!

With Mullet, Luderick and Bream all on the move undertaking their annual spawning migrations, it’s no surprise that there have been some really nice Mulloway hanging about the rock walls taking advantage of the smorgasbord which is on offer at the moment. There has also been loads of Pelagic action down around the mouth of the river with Kingfish and Tuna hammering bait schools on every incoming tide, the Tuna have been seen as far as the bridge even!

Local beaches continue to fish well and the weather forecast for the next week looks perfect for it. 9 Mile continues to impress with great catches of Bream and Whiting along with more than a few Flathead and Mulloway. 7 Mile is on the improve and the swell forecast for Sunday should do wonders, once things settle I wouldn’t be surprised if there is a great run of Tailor down there as its often about this time of the year that we see some really good fishing off the Elim, Santa Barbara and ‘Pump Station’ entrances.

Local rock fishermen haven’t given up on chasing the Longtail Tuna, Cobia and Mackerel just yet and while this week has been tough for the Land Based Game brigade there was a few good fish caught earlier in the week from the ledges down south. With a bit of swell and cooler temperatures forecast, the next week is shaping up to be much more favourable for the rockhoppers chasing Bream, Black Drummer and Luderick. It’s hard to beat a morning on the stones tossing crabs or Cunjevoi into wash zones in search of extra-large Bream and Black Drummer, just make sure you fish sensibly and take a mate or two.

Offshore has been tough due to the weather this week. Last weekend saw a lot of boats on the water until the wind picked up on Sunday afternoon and most boats managed to find a few fish. Plenty of anglers made the trek north to Snapper Rock and Dennis Shoals in search of Mackerel, there was a few fish caught but the action was fairly slow apart from the thousands of Mack Tuna and Bonito up there, like always the boats that put the time in eventually got the rewards. The Snapper fishing has been a little hit and miss this week. The shallow grounds have held plenty of fish but they have been very patchy, it would seem that most of the shallow water fish are hanging about the reefs to the north of Redhead/Snapper Rock. Unfortunately, the reefs sitting in 30-80m have been strangely quiet of late apart from a few Trag and the odd Snapper, however the deeper grounds in 100m+ have been fishing very well for Kingfish, Bar Cod, Nannygai, Pearl Perch and Snapper. The saving grace yet again for a lot of crews have been the great Flathead on offer out there, while the overall size is not that great there seems to be an endless supply of 35-50cm fish at the moment which are perfect Esky fillers!

April 24, 2020

This has to be the best run of weather I have seen for a few years and its awesome to see that even though we are somewhat limited as to what we can and can’t do there has been loads of locals out enjoying our beautiful waterways and beaches. Please don’t forget about the social distancing and unnecessary travel regulations in place though, we have been so good up until now and as a community we have done really well as far as supressing the spread of COVID-19 goes so to see us slacken off now would be very disappointing.

On the fishing front, this month is one of my favourites. You can fish for absolutely anything at the moment and chances are that even if you don’t succeed in catching your target species, you will catch something! Bream continue to be very good throughout the bottom of the system, an older gentleman reported to me earlier today that “the Bream are jumping out of the water down at the bridge, I’ve never seen them this good!” Baits of Chicken Gut, Mullet Gut, Mullet strips, Bonito strips or Whitebait are all working very well. Flathead are still about in fairly good numbers up around Wallis Island and Coomba Park and chances are that you will find the odd school of Squid mixed in with them. There have been plenty of School Prawns about over the recent ‘dark’ so it’s no surprise that the Whiting have been fairly active up on the flats.

The mouth of the river is always worth checking out during the ‘Mullet run’, the action has been a little on the quiet side apart from the School Mulloway (up to 110cm or so) that have been there for the last couple of months.

The local beaches continue to produce plenty of fish. 9 Mile is still the standout and is holding plenty of stud Bream, Whiting, Dart and Flathead to 70cm. I have heard of a few small Mulloway mixed in with the Whiting so it may well be worth going for a look over the weekend, the tides should be perfect for it!

The rock fishing scene has been red hot over the past week. The bread and butter fishermen have been out in force chasing Luderick, Bream and Drummer with Jainey’s Corner has been particularly productive. The Land Based Game enthusiasts are still managing to find some quality fish, the weather has been great for it, there’s loads of bait about and the water is amazing at the moment.

Conditions for offshore fishing have been amazing this week. The water is absolutely beautiful at the moment and with a bit of luck it should stay like this for some time yet. Snapper are still being caught all over the place, there’s some great fish in on the shallow grounds to the north but there have also been loads of good fish caught out in 200m! The intermediate reefs in 40-70m are fishing really well for Trag and the odd Pearl Perch, the more prominent peaks are worth prospecting for a sneaky Kingfish as well. The wider grounds have been fishing great as well this week and I would say there will be a lot of boats taking advantage of the flat seas to head out there on Saturday, there has been a real mixed bag out there lately with boats bring back Kingfish, Bar Cod, Snapper, Nannygai and Pearl Perch.

On the pelagic front, things have been fairly steady this week. There are loads of Mack Tuna and big Bonito about which can be frustrating, however mixed in with them are some very nice Spotted Mackerel, the odd Spanish Mackerel and more than a few Cobia so it’s definitely still worth putting some time in on the shallow reefs. The FAD is still holding loads of Mahi Mahi and while most fish are small there is the odd fish of 80-100cm out there.

April 17, 2020

We have been blessed with absolutely amazing weather over the past week and it’s been great to see so many people getting out and about in a sensible, distanced manner to take full advantage of it! On the fishing front things have been fairly good with most anglers managing to find a few fish no matter where they go.

The estuary is full of life at this time of the year; baitfish are continually moving in and out of the system and Bream, Mullet and Luderick have all started their annual run to sea to spawn. The ‘Mullet Run’ kicked off over the long weekend with some huge schools of fish heading out onto 9 Mile beach, hopefully with export restrictions and lower demand big numbers of these breeding fish will have a chance to spawn this year! Bream numbers remain very good along the rock walls and most are of a good size and can be caught fairly easily using a lightly weighted strip bait of Mullet or Bonito floated down along the rocks. Luderick continue to school up around the bridge pylons and along the rock walls and while the season hasn’t kicked off in earnest yet, a few anglers have managed to bag out on some very nice fish already. Mixed in with the hordes of Bream and Luderick are some very nice Leatherjackets so make sure you take a few small long shank hooks with you if you’re heading out for a fish!

The local beaches continue to fish very well. Bream have begun to move up and down the coast in huge numbers and can be caught off just about any of our beaches. 9 Mile seems to be holding some particularly chunky models which are smashing Mullet strips. Whiting have also been great on 9 Mile of late which is no surprise given the amount of worms hiding in the sand there at the moment! Tailor continue to be a bit of a frustration for anglers, they can be there one morning and gone the next, mind you the fish that are about are all fairly nice.

Rock fishermen continue to hit the stones in search of Tuna, Cobia and Mackerel and reports of all three species have been filtering through all week. The Tuna seem to have slowed up a little this week but the numbers of Cobia about have more than made up for it! For the bread and butter specialists there have been some stonker Bream about as well as the odd Drummer and Groper.

Offshore fishing has been very hit and miss this week. Conditions have been nearly perfect for heading outside and plenty of boats have taken the opportunity to do so. On the pelagic front, there are still Mackerel and Cobia hanging about however fishing for them can be insanely frustrating! Mack Tuna and big Bonito continue to make nuisances of themselves and anglers have found themselves having to fish through 15 or 20 Tuna to finally get a mackerel bite….. Snapper have saved many a day this week and there have been some absolute crackers landed in the shallows to the north, the best I saw all week was a very nice 85cm fish which actually hit a slow trolled Slimy Mackerel. A little further out, the reefs in 40-80m have been holding plenty of nice Teraglin as well as the odd Snapper while the deeper reefs in 80+m have been fishing great for a mixed bag of Pearl Perch, Snapper, Kingfish and Bar Cod.

April 11, 2020

Around Easter is when we see some of the best fishing action for the whole year, there is a huge array of species on offer and no matter where you choose to fish you are likely to run into something worth catching! This year is shaping up to be no different, however with the COVID cloud hanging over our heads we must be very mindful of our actions and ensure that we adhere to all of the rules and regulations that have now been very clearly set out for us. Yes, we are definitely allowed to go fishing from either the shore or the boat, however please make sure that if you do you do it in a sensible manner; keep your distance from others, stay local (DON’T TRAVEL) and don’t linger around boat ramps or cleaning tables. If we, as anglers, do the right thing this holiday period we will be able to enjoy our sport throughout the rest of the crisis, if we decide to act like morons we may well lose the freedoms that we are lucky to still have…..

Local estuary fishing is still firing. Big Bream are about in huge numbers down around the bridge and rock walls with fish well up over the 40cm mark being fairly common. Baits of Mullet, Bonito, Slimy Mackerel and Pilchard are all working really well and the fish can be caught at any time/tide. In with the Bream there is some very solid Leatherjacket, I saw one during the week that was a tad over 40cm! Flathead have slowed up considerably this week, however those that have put the time in have found plenty of fish and most are of a good size (45-60cm). Like always, artificial offerings are outfishing any baits and the fish seem to be more numerous up around Wallis Island, Regatta Island and ‘the Cut’.

Fishing from our local beaches has been a contentious issue this week with the local council initially deciding to close all beaches to all activity as of midnight on Wednesday. However, luckily for us, further details of the closures revealed that the enforcement agencies would not be issuing fines or warnings for individuals who are using the beaches for exercise (provided that they are doing so sensibly). Fishing-wise, the local beaches are still definitely worth a look. All beaches are producing some nice Tailor at the moment and 9 Mile Beach is fishing very well for Bream, Whiting, Flathead and school Mulloway. I have even seen a very nice Longtail Tuna which was landed on a local beach this week after it came in close enough to smash a stickbait which was intended for a Tailor.

On our local ledges all systems are go. There is loads of bait about and plenty of predators mowing their way through it. The Longtail Tuna action has been very well spread out this week, it doesn’t really matter where you choose to fish, you are in with a good chance of seeing a fish or two. Along with the Tuna there has been the odd Mackerel but the Cobia have been strangely quiet. Not all fishermen are after the pelagic speedsters, this is a great time of the year to have a go at nailing a few Black Drummer, big ocean Bream and Luderick.

Offshore has been fairly good this week. Pelagic species are about in fairly good numbers now however targeting them can be a very frustrating game. As is the case with most types of fishing, those anglers that put in the hours will be the ones who find the most success. This years’ Mackerel are very healthy with most Spotties being up around the 6-8kg mark, mixed in with them are some very nice Spanish with one fish during the week hitting the 28kg mark (which was landed on 27lb wire). If you decide to chase the pelagics and find no joy, don’t despair because the same inshore reefs are also holding plenty of very nice Snapper. It’s amazing how many good ‘Reds’ get taken every year on live baits intended for Mackerel…. The deeper reefs are holding plenty of Trag and Snapper as well as the odd Kingfish and Bar Cod.

April 3, 2020

After many weeks we finally have great water off Grassy Head. This has brought good numbers of Spotted Mackerel and the odd Spanish back to this area. On the bad side this area is loaded with Sharks praying on your catch. A few Fisho’s are also heading further north with some good results. On the bottom there are a few Reds coming in but mostly just legal fish with the odd Pearl Perch amongst them. Off the Jail there have been a few Spotted Mackerel with a couple of nice Wahoo starting to show up. Mac Tuna are in good numbers along the coast with a thumper or two amongst them. Kings are around Fish Rock and Green Island while Black Rock is still holding a few Mackerel and Cobia. You will need to search for bait because the normal Bait grounds have been slow.

   It has been tough to find that elusive Jewfish in the river so maybe search for one of those monster Macleay Flathead that have been showing up over the last few weeks. Bream are all along the walls but the big units are missing in action this week. Whiting and Flathead are around Clybucca up to Fisherman’s in fair numbers with a run in tide more productive. Past Jerseyville the Whiting numbers are good taking Nippers and Worms.

   Rock Hoppers are getting amongst some nice Tailor with a few Kings and Tuna. One or two Spanish have been caught off the ledges around Hat Head.

The beaches all are fishing well for Whiting and Bream with Smoky giving up a few Tailor in the mix.

March 27, 2020

We are currently living in a very confused, worried and somewhat scary world. Many have lost their jobs, closed their businesses or been left in a state of limbo, still employed but not making any money due to shutdowns. With no clear plan or vision being offered to us by our leaders, it’s very hard to know what to do or how to feel. We are not yet at a stage of lockdown that requires us to stay at home 24/7, we are still fairly free and able to move about so we can still get out for a fish and a bit of peace and quiet. PLEASE, if you are out and about, only go from A to B, do what you need to do and leave again. Wherever you go, limit your contact with people and products and if you are unwell stay home! The NZ Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said it very well yesterday when she said that, if you are out and about, instead of worrying about contracting COVID-19, act as if you have COVID-19 and as if you are trying your best not to spread it. If we all do this, no one should become infected!

Like I said, thank goodness we are still able to fish, for many it is fishing that comforts them and gives them strength. Luckily the fishing is amazing right now! In our estuary you can pretty much catch anything you like. Bream are hanging about the lower sections of the system in huge numbers and most are of a good size with the odd really big fish among them, the biggest I have heard of this week was 49cm. The better fish are absolute suckers for a well-presented bait of brined Bonito, Slimy Mackerel or Pilchard but can also be tricked fairly easily with a smaller profiled soft plastic such as a Gulp Crabby. Flathead are still about in good numbers as well. While they may not be in the numbers that they were a month ago, there is still plenty there and most are of a good size.

This years’ Luderick season seems to have kicked off nice and early with a few anglers having some great sessions chasing them along our rock walls. There is some nice weed growing in the pond near the Marine Rescue watch tower at the moment so it’s a fairly easy proposition.

Local beaches have been fishing fairly well this week. 9 Mile is holding good Bream, Whiting and the odd Flathead. There’s no gutter that is producing more fish than any others, just hit the beach and find a good-looking patch of water and you should find fish. 7 Mile is starting to fish a little better now however there has been a fair bit of swell down that way this week which has made things difficult. The area down around ‘Elim’ has been holding some really nice Tailor at dawn and dusk and the fish are taking lures as well as Pilchard or Garfish baits.

The local stones continue to be a little hit and miss for the Land Based Game guys. There are definitely fish about and plenty being caught but they are quite sporadic which means that some days can be fairly long and testing! Much more reliable fishing can be found not far to the north at Crowdy Bay so it may well be worth the extra 40min drive up the road at the moment.

On a whole the offshore fishing has been fairly consistent this week. There are still plenty of snapper about, the better fish seem to be up around Dennis Shoals. Blackhead and Snapper Rock are still worth a look but reports from these areas have not been overly positive with a lot of undersized fish being caught and nothing over about 2kg. Snapper Rock did produce a nice Spangled Emperor earlier in the week though, these visitors from the north are always welcome! The deeper reefs in 35-80m are still holding some nice Teraglin and the odd Pearl Perch, I haven’t heard of any Barracouta this week so fingers crossed they might be finally gone!

Pelagic fish are definitely about. There have been a few Mackerel caught locally however there have been many more fishless failures than trips of success, fishing out of Crowdy will give you a much better chance at running into a few of these toothy critters. 

Have a great weekend, please look after yourselves and each other!

March 20, 2020

Estuary: Wallis Lake continues to fish very well for the more popular species. Flathead are still being caught in fairly good numbers throughout the bottom of the estuary, they have definitely thinned out a little in numbers but the fish that are there are mainly solid 40+cm models. Soft plastics and soft vibes have accounted for the majority of fish; however, those soaking live Mullet or Herring have also been catching quite a few. Bream can be caught absolutely everywhere at the moment. The Rock walls and Oyster Leases down towards the mouth of the estuary are getting better and better every day, interestingly the rivers are also starting to fire again after a month or so of being a little on the quiet side due to all of the lovely rain we have had. Sand Whiting have been a bit slow up on the flats around Wallis Island and Lanis where they are normally a sure thing, instead it would seem that the majority of the fish are hanging about down around the Bridge and Rock Walls. I have seen some very nice 40cm fish that have been caught this week at the back of the Rock Pool net, once you find the schools of fish you should be able to tempt them fairly easily with a well-presented Prawn, Worm or Yabbie.  

Beach and Rock: There has been a little bit of swell about over the last week which has made it a little tough to hit the sand. On the quieter days, plenty of anglers have been trying their luck and most have been finding a few fish. 9 Mile Beach is still fishing great for Whiting, Bream and the odd Flathead, Tailor are still about sporadically, you really have to be fishing right on dusk or dawn to give yourself the best chance. 7 Mile Beach has improved marginally on last week, there has been some great Tailor caught late of an afternoon and a few more Bream and Whiting along the gutters. Hopefully the little bit of swell that we have had over the last few days will help in forming some better gutters down there.

Once again, I don’t have a whole lot to report from the stones. There are definitely fish hanging about but as of yet there has not been too much Tuna or Mackerel action. Conditions are looking fairly good for the next few days and we saw some nice water push in during the week so it shouldn’t be long until things go crazy! While you wait for some pelagic action, there are loads of really nice Bream and small Kingfish about which can be great fun on the light gear.

Offshore: The fishing offshore remains very good. We had a few unsettled days this week which made it hard to get out, however those boats that have managed to sneak out have found plenty of fish. Snapper are still being caught just about everywhere. The shallow inshore reefs (10-30m) have probably fished the best and have been producing a lot of bigger fish up to 6kg. The fish have been taking a bit of a mixture of baits, plastics and jigs. A visiting angler fished a reef in 25m using Kabura jigs and got absolutely destroyed 6 times in a short session which saw 15 fish make the esky, no fish were under 50cm! A little further out (40-80m) you can expect to find a variety of fish including Snapper, Trag, Pearl Perch and Kingfish. I had a report this morning of one boat that managed to run into a school of very big Trag, the biggest was a little over 5kg which is a very nice fish. Unfortunately, the deeper reefs to the south that have been holding big numbers of Pearl Perch of late seem to have gone quiet this week with the much sought after Pearlies being replaced with the dreaded Barracouta!!!

On the pelagic front there are still all sorts of fish sneaking about. The FAD is holding plenty of nice Mahi Mahi and just about every angler that’s fished there recently has a story of being ‘smoked’ by something huge! I have heard a few whispers of Mackerel this week, the bait and water are certainly good enough for them so it may well be worth having a look for them on your next trip.

March 13, 2020

Estuary: We have had another awesome week of fishing here in the Great Lakes, the weather has cooled a little and the days have been mainly overcast which is perfect. Bream are still the standout species by a mile. The rock walls are fishing particularly well for them and they are taking just about any bait you can think of with Mullet, Whitebait, Pilchards, Prawns and Yabbies are all working well. If you prefer to throw lures for them, small crustacean profiled soft plastics are working great just remember to fish a slight as you possibly can in both jig head weight and leader weight. Along with the Bream, you can also expect to see the odd Snapper, Blackfish, Flathead and Leatherjacket along the rock walls. Flathead are still fishing fairly well for most, like I said last week, focus your efforts on the areas that are holding the cleanest water and don’t be afraid to have a go for them on the top of the tide. Sand Whiting have been really good this week in both size and numbers. These tasty little morsels can be easily caught using Yabbies, Worms or Prawns, alternatively you can also chase them with 70-100mm surface lures such as the famous Bassday Sugapen. Luderick numbers are slowly increasing and a few early birds are chasing them each day and managing to get plenty, they seem to be particularly fond of Cabbage Weed at the moment and are in better numbers on Tuncurry Breakwall.

Beach and Rock: It’s been a bit of a funny week on our beaches this week. 9 Mile Beach has been fishing very well for most species this week. Whiting and Bream have been very good right along the beach and the northern end has produced a few Mulloway to 12kg this week, the first I have heard of these beautiful fish on 9 Mile for ages! Unfortunately, the same can’t be said for 7 Mile Beach to the south, while it normally is a very consistent beach to fish, at the moment it has very little to offer except for the odd Tailor during the low light periods.   

The local stones are absolutely littered with baitfish, Bonito, Mack Tuna and Bream at the moment. While schools of feeding Longtail Tuna have been spotted all over the place, they are yet to move in close enough to the rocks to be targeted successfully. With a strong Southerly forecast for this weekend, I would say that next week should produce a fish or two. For a few very dedicated fishermen there have still been some nice Snapper hanging about the rocks, targeting these fish takes a lot of time and patience but once you work them out it can be unbelievably rewarding.

Offshore: Our offshore scene remains very productive. Snapper can be caught on just about any piece of reef you can think of and most are of a decent size. The shallow grounds to the north have quietened a little due to the full moon that we are moving through but are still producing the odd fish. By far the majority of fish tend to be hanging on those reefs sitting in 25-50m of water and you can expect to find plenty of Trag and the odd Pearl Perch mixed in with them. The deeper reefs out in 80-100m have fished well on the days where there hasn’t been too much current and they have been holding Snapper, Pearl Perch, Kingfish and even the odd Bar Cod.

Normally by now we have seen a few Mackerel passing over the cleaning tables, however this year everything seems to be delayed by a few weeks. While there have been reports of fish over the past couple of weeks, they definitely are not here in numbers yet and I am yet to see any proof of them being caught. With a stiff southerly forecast over the next couple of days and seeing some nice fish caught not far to the north of us, I would say it won’t be long until the razor gang turns up!

Have a great weekend, please look after yourselves and each other!

March 6, 2020

Estuary: It’s been a funny old week on Wallis Lake, anglers seem to be either catching loads of fish and buzzing with excitement or barely catching any fish and horribly confused! The happiest of all at the moment are the Bream fishermen, Bream are about in huge numbers throughout the lower sections of the system. The break walls have been fishing particularly well and most fish have been 30cm or better and in great condition. The easiest way to chase a few of these brawlers is by using bait, just about any bait will work with Mullet, Chicken, Whitebait and Pillies being the preferred. Flathead have been very interesting, Tony from Forster Estuary Charters and the lads from ‘Yep I’m On Fishing’ both had great sessions on them earlier in the week, both parties fished up around the Wallis Island/Lani’s area, however I have had reports daily from anglers struggling to find many fish at all. I think a big factor at the moment with the Flathead is finding that clean water, areas such as the Cut and the flats in around Jonnel Park/Native Dog Island are all heavily influenced by the Wallamba River which is still very dirty, on the contrary the flats around Lani’s, in Breckenridge Channel and over the back of Wallis Island see very little effect from the residual run off that the northern section of the system is experiencing. Sand Whiting have been fairly good this week with some great fish coming from the flats down around the Bridge on Yabbies. They’re also still attacking surface lures on the top of the tide with gusto, a visiting angler had a cracking session on Thursday that consisted of 17 Whiting to 42cm with a few Bream and Flathead mixed in between them!

Beach and Rock: Our local beaches have been amazing this week. Whiting, Bream and Flathead have all be about in big numbers. 9 Mile has fished particularly well at the southern end towards the breakwall, it would seem that the recent rain has pushed a lot of Whiting and Flathead out onto the beach and there has also been some great Tailor about early of a morning. The biggest frustration on 9 Mile is the amount of weed floating about, if you can find a weed free gutter you will find fish!

Our local stones have been very busy this week, there is a real mix of anglers out there at the moment as on one hand we have the dedicated Land-Based Game fishermen waiting for a pelagic speedster to come along, while on the other hand we have a band of bread and butter warriors who have been having a ball on big fat ocean Bream, Snapper and Drummer. Bream numbers are unbelievable along our coastline at the moment and most fish are of a very nice size, the early run Black Drummer have mainly been small fish but there is the odd 50+cm model among them. Unfortunately, the Land Based crew is still waiting for the season to really kick off, there are definitely Mack Tuna and Bonito about, and there has to be a Cobia or two sneaking about but as of yet we haven’t seen any Longtail Tuna or Mackerel.

Offshore: The offshore fishing has remained fairly consistent over the past week on the days where the wind has allowed us to get out! Snapper have been a little bit tricky to find but once you figure out where they are it’s a breeze. The shallow reefs to the north have been particularly good with plenty of fish coming from water under 10m deep, the best I saw this week was a very fat 85cm model which hammered a plastic and decided to fight up high in the water column in 9m, talk about lucky! Reefs sitting in 20-50m have been a bit of a patchy affair but again once you find a school there is some nice 2-4kg fish there. The deeper reefs have been holding some nice Trag and the odd Pearl Perch but unfortunately the dreaded Barracouta just won’t go away.

I haven’t got much to report at all on the pelagic front but the fact that there are Watsons Leaping Bonito about means that there has to be some good fish sneaking about.

February 28, 2020

Estuary: With things settling down and returning to ‘normal’ after all of the rain that we had a couple of weeks ago the estuary fishing has really improved. Fish have begun to spread back out again now, Bream in particular can be caught just about anywhere with some cracking fish coming from the break walls, well up into the tributaries and just about any structure in between. Flathead just keep on keeping on and with the nice warm water that we have here at the moment they should stay good for a little while yet. Like always, artificial presentations are catching the majority of the fish however Prawns and Whitebait are also working quite well if you prefer to fish with bait. Sand Whiting have been fairly good again this week, fishing the top of the tide and the first half of the run-out seems to be most productive time to have a go with Beach Worms, Yabbies and Prawns all working a treat. The local Luderick have calmed down a bit now that the flood water has well and truly stopped running, up until this week they were being caught on all sorts of baits as they gorged themselves on all of the dead and dislodged morsels of food that were flowing out to sea. While the fish are still there, you will have to revert back to a more traditional method of targeting them. Cabbage baits seem to be working particularly well at the moment but any weed should do the trick really. The breakwall is holding good numbers of Mulloway at the moment and the fish are fairly easy to tempt into taking a soft plastic lure or live bait, unfortunately most fish are only small with the bigger fish in the school only being 8-10kg. If you do manage to figure these amazing fish out, please look after the undersized ones, support their bodies if you take them out of the water and return them as quickly as possible!

Beach and Rock: Our local beaches have been fairly nice to fish this week and most have some accessible, close to shore gutters along them that are very comfortable to fish. 9 Mile Beach is fishing very well for Whiting, Bream and Flathead as well as the odd early morning Tailor. 7 Mile Beach is fishing very similar but is also producing some nice Dart and occasionally a small Mulloway. Our local rock ledges are poised ready to explode with action as soon as the first Longtail Tuna start to filter through. There are a few early birds that have been testing the waters and so far, I have not heard of anything more than Mack Tuna. However, hearing that Port Macquarie has seen a bit of action during the week leaves me with no doubt that the first good fish will be caught over the next week or so.

Offshore: Going offshore at this time of the year is amazing. The amount of life out there at the moment is absolutely insane. Water temperatures are great and it’s definitely warm enough for all of those pelagic species that we love to target. While I am yet to see a picture of any Mackerel caught locally yet this year, I have no doubt that the inshore reefs up north would have some hanging about them. Snapper have been the standout again this week, they have been holding on the inshore reefs in really good numbers and most fish are of a nice size sitting between 1.5-3kg. BJ Freihaut  from the Bulahdelah Fishing Club scored a really nice fish on Thursday that went 87cm, the fish belted a whole brined Pilchard. The deeper reefs are holding plenty of Trag however there are still some very annoying Barracouta sitting down deep so if you drop your bait or lure down and get bitten off out there it might be worth moving to your next mark! Our FAD is still producing plenty of Mahi Mahi, unfortunately most are only just legal at best. I can wait to see what turns up over the next week or two, gear up and strap yourselves in because I think it could be a cracking Autumn!

February 21, 2020

Estuary: It’s been an interesting week on the water here in the Great Lakes with some very mixed results for anglers. There’s a lot of fresh still exiting the system and most of the more successful fishing missions have been centred about the bottom of the estuary. Concentrating your efforts on areas between Wallis Island and the mouth of the river will give you the best chance at catching a few fish. Bream have been the standout by a mile this week, the torrential rain and rough seas have done a couple of things to really kick the Bream fishing into gear. First of all, it has pushed a lot of fish down into the lower section of the river, some fish had already moved down prior to the rain which is quite normal for this time of the year but we now have huge numbers of fish settled upon just about any structure you can think of – the bridge, oyster leases and the rock walls are all worth checking out. Secondly, the fresh water and recent rough seas have killed, flushed out and dislodged all sorts of food and the very best place to take advantage of this smorgasbord that is currently on offer is the Rock Walls or the Bridge Pylons. Flathead are still fishing fairly well despite the fresh water, as long as you stick to the cleaner parts of the lake you should find fish on most of the drop offs, weed edges and Oyster Leases. Soft plastics and soft vibes are by far the most successful way of chasing a feed of Flatties. Sand Whiting continue to surprise anglers with how willing they are to feed in the dirty stuff. Even the lure tossers are still managing some very nice fish off the flats, Tony from Forster Estuary Charters has even managed a few fish on the good old Cicada lures!

This week has been really good on the crustacean front. Prawns have been plentiful and have been scooped  up by the dozen along Breckenridge Channel by both boaties and people on the bank or jetties. You can either scoop a handful to use as bait and turn into Flathead, Bream or Whiting fillets or keep scooping enough for a feed on their own! Crabs have also been on the move, unfortunately any river crabbing is off the cards and a lot of anglers have reported having dead crabs in their traps up the tributaries due to the flood water. However, those working the ‘big lake’ from Wallis Island down to Pacific Palms are having a ball catching plenty of Blue Swimmers with the odd nice Mud Crab mixed in.

Beach and Rock: With the swell dropping off earlier in the week our beaches are still going through a bit of a re-forming process at the moment which can make it a little tough to fish them. There is also a lot of debris still in the water on some beaches which can be an absolute pain as it gets snagged and tangled in your line. However, those anglers that have hit the sand this week have been delighted by how good the fishing is despite all of the obstacles! 7 Mile Beach has been fishing well for nice Bream, Dart and the odd Whiting. 9 Mile Beach is probably the dirtiest of all of the beaches and it has fished really well over the last couple of days for big Bream and solid Whiting and Tailor up to 45cm, the only downside to fishing 9 Mile is the amount of Shovel Nosed Rays and Stingrays that are currently calling it home!

Rock fishermen relished the rough conditions that we had recently. There was some red-hot Drummer, Bream and Luderick action to be had for a few days before the swell flattened off. The Bullring and the Tanks saw a lot of action on the Luderick front while the holes around North One Mile and Pacific Palms produced the bulk of the Drummer. Unfortunately, the heavy rains that we had have pushed a lot of dirty water out of the river systems which may see the land-based game fishing season stall for a week or two, however the inshore water between Forster and Seal Rocks is fairly clear, full of bait and of a good temperature so with a bit of luck things will be back on track very shortly.

Offshore: The offshore conditions have been fantastic for much of this week. The rough conditions that we had last week have really stirred things up and the Snapper are loving it! The shallow reefs have been fishing really well, even Latitude Rock has been producing loads of nice 2-4kg fish early of a morning or late in the afternoons. The reefs to the north are still fairly dirty due to the amount of run off coming out of the local estuaries but they are still holding plenty of Snapper and I think now would be a great time to try and look for a Mulloway or two up around Snapper Rock. As soon as things settle and the water clears up a bit, it will be very interesting to see what turns up. We have some very nice patches of water inshore already and the bait and temperature is there so the pelagic fish that we all love to chase shouldn’t be too far off!

February 14, 2020

Estuary: How amazingly good has all of this rain been! While it will present some challenges for anglers in the short term, we should see some red-hot fishing once it all settles down again. As you can imagine, our estuary systems have all had a really good flush out over the past week or so and there is still a lot of fresh water to exit the rivers yet. On the fishing front, the first half of the week was all but a write off due to the rough conditions and amount of freshwater in the lake, however the tail end of the week has seen some much nicer, clean water pushing in with the high tide and the fishing has been fairly good (there has even been the odd Kingfish still about!). The rock walls always attract a lot of attention during big rain events and for good reason. There have been some very nice Bream taken from the walls and around the bridge this week, the best I have heard was a 46cm beast which hit a 70mm hardbody that was meant to be for a Flathead! In among the Bream have been some very hungry Luderick which can be a funny fish during a flood as they tend to eat just about anything when that water is running ‘fresh’. Unfortunately, the Mulloway have been very quiet this week, hopefully they will fire up this weekend now that there is a much more defined difference in water quality between the tides. Flathead have definitely slowed down a lot since the rain, however there have been plenty getting caught once the clean water pushes in on the incoming tide and for the first half of the run-out tide. The Crabs have absolutely loved the rain! The lake is littered with hundreds of pots at the moment, Blue Swimmers are very thick on the ground down around Coomba and Pacific Palms and the Mud Crabs are on the move so don’t be surprised if you find a few in with the Blues.

Beach and Rock: Our coastline has been an absolute mess for the last week. Big seas and heavy rain have left our beaches very unsettled, dirty and littered with debris. It’s no surprise that there has not been a lot of action from the sand, however those anglers who are a little switched on know that when we get flooding rain and the consequential opening (or man-induced opening) of our estuary systems that are usually shut off from the ocean there can be some very good fishing to be had around these new river mouths. The opening of Farquhar inlet up at Old Bar/Manning Point during the week has been awesome and the fishing along the beach near it has been pretty good so far. While there haven’t been a lot of Mulloway about yet, there have been some huge Whiting, Luderick and Bream waiting in the gutter to head back in and they are all super hungry! With a little more rain, the same may well happen to the south at Smith Lake so keep your eyes peeled and ears to the ground and get down there for a look if it does. The local stones have been fairly quiet this week due to the rough conditions, however the rough conditions are also perfect for chasing Black Drummer, Bream and Luderick and the few anglers who know of safe spots to fish from have had a ball over the last couple of days, places like the back of the ‘Bullring’ are really good spots to start looking. This weekend should be perfect for hitting the washes and ‘pot holes’ as we have nice SW/West winds coming which should smooth everything out a bit.

Offshore: I have absolutely nothing to report from the offshore scene this week. I know of one big boat that ventured out on Wednesday but they quickly turned back around due to how rough it was. Looking forwards we should have some ok sea conditions over the weekend and the Billfish Shootout is on down at Port Stephens so there will be plenty of boats out there to inform us as to what’s going on. Inshore water temperatures are sitting around 19/20 degrees so it will be interesting to see if the little Black Marlin are still about or not. I think the inshore Snapper fishing should be pretty good with the amount of feed that has been washed out the rivers and dislodged from the reefs due to the swell, and hearing that the Kingfish are already back on the break walls means absolutely anything could be about out there!

February 7, 2020

Estuary: How lucky are we to have such an amazing estuary fishery here in the Great Lakes! After a week consisting of strong Northerly/Easterly winds and cold, filthy water offshore, good old Wallis Lake has continued to shine and saved many a fishing trip! While the Flathead fishing has slowed down a little due to the fall in water temperature, there is still plenty of fish there. When there is a significant drop in water temperature a fishes’ (which are mostly cold blooded) metabolism slows considerably, this is important to us anglers because it means that they won’t need to feed as often and will be less likely to move about. From a fishing point of view this means that you need to try your best to fish at the right time/tide (the last half of the run-out tide) and use the best possible bait or lure that you can. If you are lucky enough to have a good quality sounder on the boat, don’t be scared to search around to find the warmer patches of water, these will often be the drains and edges of the flats which hold the nice warm water that has spent the last few hours up in the shallows being burnt by the sun! Even an extra half a degree in water temperature can be enough to get the fish fired up. The shallow flats fished very well earlier in the week for big Sand Whiting, a sneaky local fished his ‘spot x’ for 2 hours on Monday and managed 20 good fish, the biggest I heard of this week was just shy of 44cm. Trumpeter Whiting are becoming harder and harder to find now but if you are super keen and able to search around with your sounder you will find some schools of them up around Regatta Island and possibly up towards Green Point. The ‘Big Lake’ (southern section) has been holding some nice Blue Swimmers with the odd Mud Crab mixed in and this rain should only make the crabbing better with a bit of luck. Our rock walls have been fishing fairly well for big Bream, Flathead and the odd Mulloway and once we start to see a bit of run off coming down the river things should really heat up down there, unfortunately we are also expecting some fairly unsettled sea conditions so if you do hit the walls for a fish make sure you stay safe!   

Beach and Rock: As you can imagine the beach and rock fishing has been fairly quiet this week due to the strong winds and cold, dirty water. Before the water cooled off on Sunday the beaches were fishing fairly good for Whiting, Dart and the odd Bream and Flathead. One lucky visiting angler managed to catch two school Mulloway off Diamond Beach last Saturday using small baits of Beach Worm intended for Whiting, the fish were 78 and 82cm, he couldn’t believe a fish of that size would be interested in such a small bait! With big swell and unsettled conditions forecast over the next week or so, I can’t imagine any beaches being protected enough for a fish. The local rock ledges have been a mess for much of the past week. I did have a Seal Rocks local in on Wednesday and he mentioned that he managed to spot a couple of free jumping Marlin not far off boat beach so with a bit of luck there will still be the odd fish about once things settle down again. If it is safe enough, there should be some great Bream, Luderick and Drummer on offer in among the washes with this unsettle weather, but please be safe out there!!!!

Offshore: What a difference a week makes! This time last week the fishing was great offshore with loads of reef and pelagic fish about. However, after strong NE winds on Saturday and Sunday we now have 17-19 degree water that is turbid and dark green in colour, definitely NOT what we all wanted! The few boats that have managed to sneak out this week have really struggled on the reef fish, there have been a few small Snapper hanging about on the inshore reefs but that’s about it. The deeper reefs are once again plagued by Barracouta. The only positive from this week is that there have been some very nice Mahi Mahi still cruising about out there and there have been a few Marlin seen free jumping so with a bit of luck it will all kick back into gear in no time.

January 31, 2020

Estuary: The Australia Day Long Weekend is always insanely busy on Wallis Lake, this year we were lucky to have near perfect conditions for boating and fishing over the weekend which saw a lot of people, boats and jet skis hitting the lake. I am constantly amazed at just how good the estuary can fish with all the commotion around and this past week has been no exception. Flathead remain very solid throughout the bottom of the system (between Wallis Island and the mouth), there have been some really nice fish taken from the rock walls this week and there’s good numbers of fish still holding up around ‘the Cut’, Twin Island and Wallis Island. A couple of young guns had a ball fishing surface and shallow diving lures over the flats up around Lani’s and Golden Bay, while they were targeting Flathead in particular, they managed to hook some very nice Whiting and Bream as well. Bream have been fishing very well on surface up the rivers and are schooled up in big numbers over the weed beds down south. Once again there have been some big Bream taken from the Tuncurry break wall on lightly weighted baits as well as the odd nice Snapper to around 2kg. There has been Crabs galore this week, both Blue Swimmers and Mud Crabs are definitely on the cards at the moment and now that the School Holidays have finished it’s a perfect time to get those pots out!

Beach and Rock: The local beaches have continued to tick along quite nicely this week. For most anglers, Whiting and Dart have made up the bulk of their bags with the odd Flathead and Bream mixed in. I have started to hear of some nice Tailor sneaking about the gutters early of a morning, one angler lost three Whiting rigs before he decided to switch over to a metal lure and proceeded to catch 6 nice Tailor, his biggest was just shy of 50cm. The local stones are really starting to get a simmer on now with some very nice reports coming in including solid Tailor, Bonito, Kingfish to 90cm and a 14kg Cobia. While the water has gone a little green and cooled off again, the forecast is looking pretty good and I don’t think it will be long until things really start to kick into gear. By far the coolest report this week came from the rocks down south where an extremely lucky angler managed to land a 9.2kg Snapper, an absolute fish of a lifetime off the stones!!!

Offshore: The last week has been very busy offshore with a lot of boats getting out over the long weekend. The most exciting news this week is that our inshore Black Marlin season has well and truly kicked off with a bang! The weekend saw loads of boats hitting the marlin grounds down around Seal Rocks, one angler reported having 40 boats around him at one stage on Monday. From all accounts most boats managed to hook at least a couple of fish with one boat managing 8 in one day. With such great water quality hitting the shore, it’s no surprise that there was also a lot of Mahi Mahi caught as by catch, I even heard reports of two Sailfish being tagged which is a little left of field for this far south (though not uncommon at all, we usually see one or two sailfish a year). A local spearfisherman who dove at Seal Rocks on Monday saw all sorts of species including Queenfish and baby Flying Fish! There are still some great reef fish on offer out there, the deeper (40+m) reefs seem to be holding the most fish, however the last few days has seen a lot of current out there which can make it very difficult to fish.

January 24, 2020

Estuary: Wallis Lake has really turned it on this week; warm, crystal clear and full of life! Baitfish, Prawns and shrimp are absolutely everywhere and the fish (and fishermen) are loving it. Flathead continue to impress in both numbers and size, they can be caught really easily using either bait or lure and are best targeted in the lower sections of the estuary. Tuncurry channel has been fishing particularly well for land-based anglers this week, working lures about the bridge on the run-out tide has been the most successful technique however quite a few fish have fallen for drifted baits of Herring, Poddy Mullet, local Prawns and Whitebait as well. Tony from Forster Estuary Charters has been putting clients on to some quality fish this week up around The Cut and Wallis Island, as well as Flatties he has been finding plenty of Trumpeter Whiting and Squid which makes for a great mixed box of fish! We have had very nice high tides of a morning this week, perfect for getting up into the shallows to look for some big Sand Whiting. Lani’s and the flats around Wallis Island are holding the better-quality fish but there are good numbers of fish on just about any sand flat and if you fish through them you should come up with a nice bag of fish. Bream continue to fish fairly well up on the weed beds to the south and I am happy to report that there is already a lot of good fish starting to settle on the rock walls and jetties down around the mouth, lightly weighted Whitebait is working a treat on these wily big old fish but once you fool one or two you will find the rest very hard to tempt! The rock walls are also holding some very nice Leatherjacket at the moment, these fish can be a bit tricky to catch as they are incredibly good at stealing your bait without you even feeling it, however if you do manage to figure them out they are beautiful on the plate (perfect for kids and people that don’t like ‘fishy’ fish!).  

Beach and Rock: Our local beaches have been a ‘bread and butter’ fisherman’s delight this week. Absolutely any beach is worth a shot, just find a decent looking gutter and lob out a bit of Pipi or Beach Worm and you should be able to find plenty of nice Whiting, Dart, Flathead and the odd Bream. I have heard of a few Tailor getting about however they are all fairly small at the moment, we should see a better run of Tailor in a month or so. Not a lot has changed on the rock ledges this week. There are still a few anglers out there playing with the seemingly ever-present Bream and Black Drummer however most are now waiting for the first signs of any Pelagics to show up. With the amount of bait in the water and the condition of the water itself, things could kick into gear very soon. Fishing the ledges this weekend could definitely be worth the effort, conditions are looking fairly good and there’s got to be a nice early season Cobia out there somewhere!

Offshore: There is a real buzz about the offshore fishing community at the moment and for good reason. The fishing has been unbelievably good out there over the past month or so and we now have some very nice water and bait schools hanging about which should equate to a great game fishing season. There has already been a lot of boats out on the hunt for a Black Marlin and while there has only been a few reported thus far, if South West Rocks is anything to go by, we are in for a bumper year and I wouldn’t be surprised if a few fish get tagged this weekend. The demersal fishing continues to tick along very nicely. Snapper are still about on the reefs to the north and out wide but you will find that you will have to search around a bit to find the fish. For the best chance at getting a feed, I would suggest heading out the front of Cape Hawke (outside the marine park of course!) or South. The Hawke reef area is holding a huge variety of fish at the moment from Trag to Kingfish. The deeper reefs off Boomerang and Seal Rocks are still covered in loads of quality Pearl Perch (to 4kg), Trag, Snapper, Amberjack and big Flathead on their edges.

January 16, 2020

Estuary: Its ‘steady as she goes’ on the fishing front here in the Great Lakes. We have had some fairly stable weather conditions over the past week so it’s no surprise that there has been a lot of people out and about enjoying our waterways. Flathead remain at the top of the estuary hit list and are still being caught in big numbers. Now that the water has warmed up again, fooling these fish has never been easier using either bait or lures. Drifting with Whitebait, Pilchards, Herring, Prawns or good old Mullet Strips will all work a treat, just try to fish the last half of the run-out tide if possible. On the lure front, there is a huge array of things that will work. Soft plastics and vibes are working really well and using them is a ‘no-brainer’ at this time of the year, however for something different, try throwing slender minnow style lures across the shallow sand flats and weed beds – you will be amazed at what you can find lurking in 30cm of water! The Trumpeter Whiting seem to have thinned out considerably over the past week however the Sand Whiting are about in good numbers and are fairly active throughout the Lake. The better fish seem to be hanging about the ‘middle’ of the Lake on the flats near Wallis Island. The Breakwalls are fishing fairly well at the moment. The light tackle bait fishermen are having a ball chasing big Bream, Flathead and the odd Snapper. The heavy tackle brigade have been catching a few nice Kingfish and Mulloway on the run out tide, like always, those that put the time and effort in will reap the rewards.

Beach and Rock: With some really nice, warm water pushing in to our coastline it’s no surprise that the beach fishing has improved considerably over the past week. Most beaches are holding plenty of Whiting, Dart, Flathead and the odd Bream. There have been a few scattered reports of Tailor and Salmon but not really enough to make it worth chasing them. 7 Mile Beach has probably been the pick of the bunch but the sand down around Pacific Palms has also been delivering the goods including a couple of nice school Mulloway. The local stones don’t see a whole lot of activity at this time of the year, even though the water is now sitting between 22-24 degrees, it’s still a little early to be chasing any pelagics. Anglers throwing lures off the rocks have been catching plenty of Bonito and the odd Kingfish up to 80cm but that’s about it. There’re a few anglers fishing the washes at the moment and they’ve been landing some very nice Snapper, Bream, the odd Drummer and Groper. It will be very interesting to see what happens over the coming weeks if this nice water decides to hang about!

Offshore: Offshore fishing has been a little hit and miss this week. Earlier in the week things were very quiet about the full moon which also coincided with a very strong push of warm water from the north. The spots that were holding good fish were all of a sudden devoid of life and it wasn’t until Wednesday that boats started to find the quality fish once again. The deeper reefs out the front of the marine park have been very consistent for a nice mixed bag of Snapper, Trag and Pearl Perch, as well as the odd Kingfish which will often harass a hooked fish as you bring it to the surface out there. The grounds to the south have been great for Pearl Perch again this week, there seems to be huge congregations of these fish on some reefs at the moment so if you see something on your sounder that you would normally call for a mass of ‘bait’ don’t ignore it as it may be a big school of Pearlies! Good Snapper can still be found to the north on the shallower grounds however they seem to be spread out a fair bit now compared to how they were last week. As eluded to earlier, we have had an unbelievable patch of warm water push into our waters this week. I have heard of temperatures up as high as 26 degrees in some spots with most areas sitting between 22 and 24 degrees. This type of water brings pelagics with it and there have already been a few Black Marlin encountered as well as some very nice Mahi Mahi. With a bit of luck this water will hang about for a while now, if it does we should be in for an amazing game season!

January 10, 2020

Estuary: We have had a beautiful week of weather here in the wonderful Great Lakes, we have even been lucky enough to score a few showers of rain! In the estuary, things have remained very consistent with lots of anglers out and about trying their luck. Flathead continue to be the fish that most are chasing and for good reason as they are about in huge numbers throughout the lower reaches of the system and don’t seem to get upset by the boat/jet ski traffic like some other species do. One of the biggest things to remember when targeting Flathead is to try and fish the last half of the run-out tide. If for some reason you must fish the top of the tide, focus your efforts about the shallow sand flats and weed beds as the fish will move up into these areas to feed before the tide starts to recede. Alternatively, you could switch your focus completely and start to fish these areas for Sand Whiting or Bream. The local Whiting have been getting more and more active each day as the water temperature has been slowly climbing again after it dropped out during the last lot of strong ‘noreasters’. The weed beds down the bottom of the lake (towards Coomba Park/Green Point etc) have been holding some really nice schools of Bream and they are fairly keen to whack a well-presented surface lure at the moment which can make for some really fun fishing. It’s no secret that our estuary holds some very big Yellowtail Kingfish, over the last few days visitors have been amazed by the size and numbers of these fish as they have been milling about the bridge. Seeing these big fish is one thing, tempting them to eat and then landing one is a totally different story!!!

Beach and Rock: While I have not heard any reports from anglers fishing the stones this week, our beaches are slowly improving once again. A group of visiting anglers had a ball down on 7 Mile earlier in the week where they managed to catch a stack of Beach Worms and turned them into some nice Whiting, a few Flathead and a 2m Hammerhead Shark (which they caught on a live bait intended for Mulloway). This is the second shark that I have heard of this week landed down there, the other being a solid Whaler which was well over the 2m mark. One Mile Beach and 9 Mile Beach have been holding a lot of Dart and the odd Bream, Whiting and Tailor. Hopefully the southerly that we are expecting over the next couple of days will see water temps keep increasing which should mean a bit more action up and down our coastline. 

Offshore: The offshore fishing has been awesome this week. While it was a bit slow earlier in the week, the nice days and quality fishing in the latter part of the week have more than made up for it. Snapper are about in huge numbers on the shallow reefs to the north. Setting yourself up on a likely looking bit of reef in 15-30m of water should almost guarantee you a fish or two! I was lucky enough to sneak out on Thursday and although it took us about half an hour to find a good show of fish on the sounder, once we did it was amazing. There was multiple hook ups each drift and most of the fish caught were Snapper and not Red Rock Cod or Sargent Bakers as can often be the case. The deeper reefs are holding good mixed bags of fish with a lot of Trag and Pearl Perch being caught this week as well as the ever-present Snapper. The water temperature offshore has been slowly rising all week, its sitting between 19 and 20 degrees now, there are masses of Slimy Mackerel out there everywhere as well as Mack Tuna and Bonito so with a bit of luck it won’t be too long before the first Black Marlin is landed locally.

January 3, 2020

Estuary: Happy New Year!!! The festive season has consisted of beautiful sunny days but horrible strong easterly winds. Thankfully these winds have done nothing to hamper the estuary fishing, indeed I think this is the best summer estuary fishing season I can remember! Flathead are still well and truly at the top of most anglers’ lists and for good reason as they are about in huge numbers and are very easy to catch. Bait fishermen are finding plenty of fish using Whitebait, Pilchards and freshly caught Herring. For land-based anglers, think about targeting areas such as the Bridge, the rock walls and jetties that run along Tuncurry foreshore, Taree Street and the back of Forster main street. Fishing during the last half of the run-out tide will give you the best shot at finding a few fish but you really can fish any tide at this time of the year. Big Sand Whiting continue to fish very well up around Wallis Island, Lanis and Regatta Island, there are also good numbers of fish down around the bridge but most of them are barely even legal. Trumpeter Whiting are still about in good numbers, you do need to have your finger on the pulse though as they have moved down a fair way now and may be holding in places that you didn’t expect! There have been some reports of really nice Garfish getting about the canals this week so it might be time to dig out your pencil floats and have a crack at catching some very nice baits or super tasty treats. The resident Kingfish population has been making a nuisance of themselves this week, they are proving to be very difficult to tempt on the heavy gear but have been all too happy to take baits intended for Flathead or Bream on light line!

Beach and Rock: The horrible winds that we have had over the past week have really affected our coastal waters. The water temperature has fallen by about 7 degrees and there is a fair bit of red weed floating about. The anglers that have hit the sand have had mixed success, the Whiting have gone really quiet but there have been some nice Flathead landed, the biggest reported going 65cm which is a great beach fish. Unfortunately, the Tailor that had been fairly consistent have been very hard to find this week with just the one angler reporting having had any success chasing them and he was throwing lures off the back of North One Mile. The windy, unsettled conditions and cooler waters have made rock fishing fairly difficult however they have made for some very nice wash zones which have yielded some nice Bream and the odd late season Black Drummer.  

Offshore: It has been nearly impossible to get outside this week due to the horrible NE winds, not only do they make for very unsettled conditions, they also have ‘turned’ the water over and created a cold, soupy mess! A few boats snuck out on Thursday and the results were very mixed, the more successful boats were those who were happy to do the hard yards and really search for the fish. The saving grace for at least one crew was the beautiful big Flathead that they caught on the way home to complement their one Snapper!

December 27, 2019

Estuary: Merry Christmas! The School Holiday period is well and truly under way now and those lucky enough to be hitting the water are having a ball! Wallis Lake is a fisherman’s playground at this time of the year, the options are endless and there are loads of fish about. The bottom section of the system (the area from Wallis Island to the entrance) is fishing very well despite the increased boat traffic. Flathead can be found just about anywhere; shallow flats, drop offs, weed edges and Oyster Leases are all worth looking at. You can easily target them using either bait or lure and at this time of the year they will eat just about any offering! For the bait fishermen, fish baits such as Whitebait or Herring are proving to be hugely successful while 3 and 4” paddle tailed soft plastics have been the standout artificial offering. Sand Whiting continue to cruise the nice warm sand flats in good numbers searching for an easy meal, the better-quality fish seem to be hanging about a little further up the lake around places like Regatta and Wallis Island but you can find good numbers of fish on just about any sand flat. Their smaller relatives, the Trumpeter Whiting just keep on keeping on with plenty of anglers filling their bags each morning. Schools of these tasty little morsels can be found all over the place, try areas like Regatta Island and the Step to start with but don’t be scared to move about a bit until you find the fish. Most of our Bream have now well and truly moved up into the rivers, for the land-based anglers though there are still some very nice fish holding along the rock walls with the odd Snapper mixed in, you can easily target these fish by floating a lightly weighted piece of Pilchard, Mullet or Whitebait down along the wall.

Beach and Rock: Our local beaches have been fairly steady over the last week. Most beaches are holding plenty of Whiting, Bream and Dart as well as the odd Salmon and Flathead. For the early birds there have been a few Tailor floating about up around the northern end of 9 Mile Beach and if you fish the same gutters after dark there’s a good chance that you might find a Mulloway of two. You can also find plenty of Tailor off the rocks at the moment with North One Mile, Jainey’s Corner and Booti headland all worth a look. There are plenty of small Kingfish mixed in with them and you just never know what else may be cruising about as the warm currents start to creep down the coast!

Offshore: Offshore reports have been fairly mixed this week. There are still some really nice Pearl Perch and Teraglin getting about on the deeper reefs, Phil from Reel Ocean Adventures has been putting smiles on clients’ dials all week, one drop during the week landed his crew 21 Trag! The shallow reefs to the north have been holding some great Snapper this week, if you decide to head up that way don’t be afraid to get in nice and shallow, a local customer had a great session earlier in the week and caught all of his fish in 10m of water after starting to fish in 35m and working his way in!  

Have a great weekend and a Happy New Year!!!

December 20, 2019

Estuary: Those of us lucky enough to be living or holidaying in the beautiful Great Lakes area over the Xmas break are in for a real treat on the fishing front. Wallis lake is an amazing place at this time of the year, it is full of all sorts of critters and the angling options are endless! Flathead remain the focus for most and for good reason as they are in good numbers and are very prolific throughout the whole system. Often by this time of the year most of the fish have well and truly settled into the bottom section of the system (close to the mouth), however I am still receiving very good reports on a daily basis of some red-hot action from well up the Wallamba River. While there haven’t been any really big fish taken from the river, most have reported catching loads of good table sized fish around the 45-50cm mark as well as the odd one up to 75cm. Similar sized fish are also abundant up around Wallis Island and down around ‘The Cut’. For those anglers who have caught the ‘Flathead on surface lure’ buzz, a much bigger class of fish can be found around areas such as Lani’s, Twin Island and down through ‘The Paddock’. The beautiful sand flats that litter our estuary are alive with prawns and baitfish at the moment and the ever-popular Sand Whiting are very hungry! Launching a nice bit of Beach Worm or a freshly pumped Yabbie up into the shallows on a nice high tide will see you landing plenty of good fish, a visiting angler reported having had a great little session using King Worms where he almost caught a fish on every bait and none of them were undersized with his biggest going 39cm. With the deafening song of the Cicada in full swing in some of the trees that line the banks of the lake, right now is a great time to dig out those Cicada or surface lures to go and chase a few Bream up the rivers. A lot of Bream are also holding on the breakwalls, particularly of an evening. Floating strips of Mullet, whole Whitebait, Yabbies or Prawns down along the rocks is a fool proof way of finding a few and you will be pleasantly surprised by how many Snapper you will catch at the same time! The mouth of the river has also been producing some very nice Mulloway over the last week as well as the odd Kingfish.

Beach and Rock: Our local beaches are now in full Summer mode. Most stretches of sand are holding good numbers of Sand Whiting and Dart as well as the odd Bream and Flathead. There are definitely schools of Tailor cruising up and down the coast however most are undersized or barely legal at best, one angler fished his way right along 9 Mile Beach early on Thursday throwing metal lures and apart from a few Dart he didn’t see a Tailor until he reached ‘Backbeach’ at the northern end. Once he found the fish it was practically a ‘fish a cast’ but they were all 20cm long. The local rock ledges have been producing loads of small Kingfish (as well as the odd bigger model!) and Tailor for the lure tossers. Fishing the washes with baits is producing some nice Bream and the odd late season Drummer, for the early birds there have been lots of Snapper (upto 2kg) around North One Mile, Pebbly Beach and Haydens Rock.

Offshore: Offshore reports have been very mixed this week. Under normal circumstances, those boats that put the extra effort in to travel to the shoals and reefs a long way to the north of Forster/Tuncurry are normally guaranteed to find some red-hot Snapper fishing. However, this week those reefs to the north have been very quiet, with most trips only producing the odd small fish. On the contrary, the boats that have fished out off Cape Hawk or to the south have reported some very nice mixed bags of Snapper to 7kg, plenty of big Pearl Perch and the odd nice Teraglin. For those who have gone out in search of a feed of Flathead, the past week has been unbelievably good. Fishing the grounds around ‘Elsies’ has been particularly good with a lot of big 60cm+ fish being reported, it’s amazing how much better the Flathead fishing is when there has been no Trawlers working the area for a while….  

December 13, 2019

Estuary: If the lead up period is anything to go by, the Xmas Holiday period is going to be an absolute cracker for all of the local and visiting fisher people! Fish, Prawn and Crab numbers and activity have all been on a slow increase over the last month or so and with a bit of luck this trend should continue over the next couple of months. Flathead remain very consistent throughout the estuary, focussing your efforts on any of the sand flats, drop offs and oyster leases between Wallis Island and the mouth of the system should see you catching more than enough for a feed. For land-based anglers, flicking plastics along the bank down off Taree St, Point Rd or around the Bridge is your best bet by far. Prawn numbers have finally increased in the main system now and the Sand Whiting are absolutely loving it! We have some very nice high tides at the moment which are perfect for getting up onto the shallow flats to throw surface lures about, Whiting, Bream and Flathead (and probably massive Kingfish) will all be up there smashing as many baitfish, Prawns, Crabs and Worms as they can before the water recedes. For a more relaxed approach, fishing the same flats and adjacent drop offs with Yabbies or Worms will also fill the bag with Whiting in no time at all, particularly once that tide begins to drop. Both Blue Swimmer and Mud Crabs have been very slow to kick into gear this year however both have improved significantly over the past week and should continue to do so over the next few weeks.

Beach and Rock: Once again the local stones have not seen too much action this week. There has been the odd patch of Tailor hanging about the ledges to the south, particularly around places like Booti Booti and Shellies. For the bait fishermen, there should be Drummer, Bream and possibly the odd Snapper haunting the washes. The beaches have been fairly consistent once again this week. The northern end of 9 Mile Beach (Backbeach)has been holding a lot of Tailor lately and while the fish are only small (25-35cm) they are great fun on light gear, especially when it’s a ‘fish a cast’ type of action! Most beaches are fishing fairly well for your typical Summer species now, unfortunately the Whiting are a little on the small size but there are some very nice Bream and Flathead mixed in with them.

Offshore: Once again, reports from offshore have been fairly steady this week. The Snapper fishing has been great on the deeper reefs for some time now and its these reefs (in 40-80m) that will out-fish just about anywhere else as we move through the current full moon period. There have been some very nice Pearl Perch mixed in with the Snapper however the Teraglin remain fairly quiet. The FAD is holding a lot of Mahi Mahi at the moment, the last report I had come in wasn’t great in that the fish were only small however this can change overnight and with some very nice warm water sitting offshore there has to be some decent fish about somewhere!

December 6, 2019

Estuary: The piscatorial playground that is Wallis Lake just keeps on keeping on which is great news for those anglers that are planning to visit over the next two months. Flathead have to be at the top of just about anyone’s list at this time of the year; they can be caught just about anywhere, they will eat either bait or lures and are amazing on the plate! I have had reports this week of some really good flathead being caught from around the Bridge, along the south/western side of Turn Island and up around ‘The Cut’. As is often the case, most fish have been caught on either soft plastics or soft vibes, as well as some really nice 80+cm models that have been taken on surface lures. Sand Whiting continue to fish well throughout the system with some really nice fish coming from the flats a little further up by anglers using Yabbies or surface lures. Trumpeter Whiting have kept anglers on their toes a little this week but if you move about until you find the fish you should be able to get a feed together in no time.  

Beach and Rock: Reports form the stones have been few and far between this week, however our beaches have been fishing fairly consistently right up and down the coast. Diamond Beach to the north is holding a lot of Whiting at the moment as well as the odd nice sized Bream and School Mulloway. The beaches to the south are also fishing well for Whiting and Bream and if you get up nice and early and explore the gutters you should find the odd Tailor. Unfortunately, I have heard of a few patches of red weed floating about on some beaches, fingers crossed that it remains patchy and our beaches remain clean and clear for the summer!

Offshore:  Once again reports from outside have been very encouraging this week. While the sea hasn’t been all that good, most mornings have been fishable and the days that have allowed people out have been fairly productive. Snapper can still be caught from just about any reef you choose, the more productive reefs have been in 35-70m and it doesn’t seem to matter if you head north or south. These deeper reefs are also holding some nice sized Pearl Perch along with the odd Teraglin. A big positive this week is that it would seem that the Barracouta have thinned out significantly, this is news is music to any offshore fishermans’ ears!!!

November 29, 2019

Estuary: Even though we are all still recovering from what has been a devastating past five weeks or so due to the bushfires, it has been nice to finally get back to some sort of normality this week. Although we have had a bit of wind about, most days have been manageable and our estuary has been fishing great!

 I can’t remember such a good lead up to the Summer Flathead season as we have had this year. There have been plenty of fish caught during the week from all over the lake. The middle section of the system around ‘the Cut’, Wallis Island, Coomba Park etc seems to be place to target if you are chasing a feed as there seems to be good numbers of 40-55cm fish which are perfect for the table. The Wallamba is still holding a lot of fish up around the Discovery Holiday Park with anglers reporting fish up to 70cm which have been taking both lure and bait. If you are chasing a trophy Flattie, focus your efforts on the shallows in the bottom half of the estuary (towards the mouth). Places such as the Paddock are stacked with big fish right now, landing these big, heavy, powerful fish is a real challenge though! Sand Whiting have really started to kick it up a notch now with some really nice fish being caught from many of our awesome sand flats. These fish are hitting surface lures with gusto up around Wallis Island and Lani’s where the water stays nice and warm, the fish hanging about the bridge are not quite as active and while you will get a handful on surface, a freshly pumped Yabbie or bit of Beach Worm is a much more successful way of targeting the ‘elbow slappers’! The seemingly never ending supply of Trumpeter Whiting are still about in the Lake with most anglers getting more than enough for a feed each day. If you are new to chasing these little guys please make yourself aware of the regulations and only keep what you need!

Beach and Rock: Our sandy stretches are cruising along quite nicely now. Most beaches are holding good numbers of Bream and Whiting now with the odd Dart, Salmon and Tailor mixed in. Diamond Beach to the north has been fishing particularly well for Whiting, Bream and Salmon, and if you put the time in of an evening you are almost guaranteed to find a few school Mulloway at the moment. 7 Mile has been producing the odd nice Tailor of a morning but you will have to get up nice and early and find the fish as they are few and far between, with a bit of luck they will only get better over the next month or so. Not many anglers hit the stones at this time of the year as we are now out of the ‘winter’ species and awaiting the arrival of the ‘summer’ speedsters. However, those that have had a look have been having a ball chasing Tailor, big Bream, Snapper and the odd Drummer over the past week. Booti booti in particular is holding some nice Tailor just at the back of the beach break, North One Mile is also holding the odd Tailor but the quality is nowhere near as good as down south.

Offshore:  The fishing offshore has been nothing short of amazing of late. Snapper have been about in huge numbers in just about any depth of water. There have even been 1-2kg fish caught from places like the bait grounds and Hayden’s Rock! Phil form Reel Ocean Adventures put his clients on to some very nice fish during the week, one trip ended with 53 Snapper alone being caught not to mention the ‘by catch’ of quality Pearl Perch! Fishing between 20m and 50m seems to be particularly productive with the reefs between Blackhead and Old Bar producing the better-quality fish. Unfortunately reports coming in from the FAD have not been great this week, the big fish that were holding there seem to have moved on and have been replaced by loads of undersized fish. It’s definitely still worth checking out though if you are in the area as the fish holding there can change overnight.

Report 15/11/19

As I write this report the local area remains blanketed under a thick shroud of smoke from the horrendous bushfires that we have been experiencing of late. This area has been ravaged by fire for the past month and a massive THANKYOU has to go out to all of the NSW and Rural Fire Brigades that have been battling to save lives and property. Without their hard work and professionalism, the outcomes of these fires would have been much worse. Unfortunately, the fight is far from over as the fires continue to burn throughout the area and we send our heartfelt condolences out to all of those who have been or are being affected by the fires.   

Estuary: For a lot of people, in times of stress and heartache, fishing is the thing that they turn to as a way of calming themselves down and ‘escaping’ reality. Luckily for them the estuary has been fishing really good this week! Flathead continue to be caught throughout the system with some very good catches of 50-70cm fish coming from well up the Wallamba River. Tony for Forster Estuary Charters has also been putting his clients on to loads of Flathead up around Wallis Island and ‘The Cut’ along with an unusual number of big Flounder. Trumpeter Whiting continue to fish fairly well in the usual spots with a good school of fish starting to make its way a little further down towards the mouth of the system so it may well be worth keeping an eye on your sounders as you head up to The Step or The Duckpond. Sand Whiting are numerous on all of the shallow flats and are surprisingly keen to take lures, I thought that the cooler water temperatures might have slowed them up a little but they were very active yesterday morning. I have had some slightly left of field reports filtering through this week, there was one from a bloke who has been catching small Mack Tuna in Forster Keys, another from a fisherman who managed to land a 4.1kg Tailor while fishing for Bream and a 10kg Kingfish that was speared a long way up into the estuary!

Beach and Rock: Apart from loads of burnt leaves and ash, the water along our coastline is really nice at the moment; a little cool still but crystal clear! Those that have hit the sand for a fish have reported good catches of Whiting and Dart as well as a few nice Bream however the fish have been a little patchy. The more successful anglers have been fishing a fair way south down around Pacific Palms and Seal Rocks. Reports from the stones have been non-existent this week however the water remains fairly chilly thanks to the strong NE winds that we have had so there should be the odd Drummer about as well as Bream and Luderick.   

Offshore:  While the weather has not been ideal for offshore fishing, most mornings have been good enough to sneak out for a look in the smoke! Those boats that have chosen to head south have definitely fared better than those heading north this week. To the north, the water is sitting around 16/17 degrees and has a distinct ‘greenish’ tinge to it. While the boats who have fished up there have managed to find some nice Snapper and the odd Pearl Perch, those fishing to the south have had clear, 19 degree water and much better bags of fish consisting of Snapper, Teraglin, Pearl Perch and big Flathead. Pelagic activity is definitely on the rise with reports of a lot of big Mack Tuna getting about as well as a few nice Mahi Mahi holding on the FAD, with a bit of luck it won’t be too much longer before things really start to heat up!

Report 8/11/2019

Estuary: Well the hot ‘summery’ conditions have prevailed for much of this week yet again, we desperately need a good drop of rain as does the whole of this beautiful country of ours! The strong northerly winds that we have had on most days really knocked out water temperatures down, Tony from Forster Estuary Charters reported finding water way down at 15 degrees! Having said that, the fishing has remained fairly consistent. Flathead are still being caught in good numbers, particularly by those anglers who are using their sounders to search out the warmer pockets and drains. If you head up to Wallis Island, up around Coomba Park or up any of the rivers that flow into the main basin you should find the fish fairly easily. We fished the flats in the bottom part of the lake yesterday prior to the big winds and while we saw a lot of nice Flathead they were very hard to tempt. The Sand Whiting didn’t seem to mind the cool water though, they were eagerly chasing and hammering our surface lures which makes for great fishing from a paddle board! Their smaller relatives the Trumpeter Whiting are still filling keeper bags each day and should continue to do so for another couple of months. 

Beach and Rock: Reports from our beaches and rock ledges have been very few and far between. I have heard some great reports of some very solid Tailor being caught to the south as well as a few nice Bream but that’s about it. Unfortunately, we had a bit of red weed come in close over the weekend and water temperatures dropped fairly low, with a bit of luck we will get the forecast southerly winds over the next week or so and the water should warm and clear in no time! 

Offshore: Unfortunately, offshore efforts have also been fairly well hampered due to the weather this week. I have only heard of two boats venturing out, one chose to stay close to home and just chase Flathead. They fished in 45m and filled their bag limit with most fish being 40-50cm. The other guys headed north and fished in close at Blackhead where they managed one nice 50cm Snapper along with some Mack Tuna. With a bit of luck, we should see a break in this horrible windy weather pattern over the next week and we will all be able to get offshore again.

Report 1/11/19

Estuary: Things are feeling awfully summery out there at the moment with warm temperatures and strong NE winds blowing daily. While this makes fishing offshore and from our coastline very difficult, our estuary is nearly always worth fishing no matter how strong the northerly winds are and it has been fishing very well of late. Flathead are being caught throughout the system now, there seems to be a lot of fish sitting up around Wallis Island and ‘The Cut’ and they are absolute suckers for a well-presented soft plastic or soft vibe. There are a lot of smaller fish in the schools at the moment however you will find the odd 45-55cm fish among them if you fish through the numbers. The sand flats and weed beds have really come to life now and throwing big surface lures over the shallows is a sure-fire way to hook onto a few bigger fish, if you down grade your lures to 70-100mm sizes you will also run into some nice Sand Whiting and Bream. For the bait fishermen, the same flats can be fished with some good quality Beach Worms for some very good results.

Beach and Rock: Unfortunately, I haven’t heard much news from our beaches this week. Strong NE winds make it very difficult to fish successfully and there is a very real risk that we may start to see patches of red weed hitting our shores in the near future. If you can find a nice gutter in the northern corner of one of our beaches you should find plenty of nice Bream and the odd legal sized Whiting. The rock fishermen have fared much better this week, the consistent winds have meant that there has been a constant ‘wash zone’ along our rocks, almost perfect for chasing Black Drummer, Bream and Luderick. With ocean temperatures still fairly cool inshore, there is still plenty of Drummer on offer as well as some great bycatch in the form of stud Bream and big Luderick.     

Offshore: There have been very few boats heading offshore this week due to the strong NE winds that have, on most days, started blowing very early in the day. The few boats that did manage to get out found a few nice Snapper, Pearl Perch and the odd Teraglin but no boats reported anything outstanding. Possibly the most exciting report that I received all week came from an angler that popped out to the FAD for a quick look who reported that there are some very nice 10+kg Mahi Mahi cruising about along with the odd Kingfish. Unfortunately, he had no live baits and the fish showed no interest in his lures or dead baits but I would love to be the first boat out there with a tank full of nice live Slimy Mackerel!

Report 25/10/19

Estuary: As we wave goodbye to the cold weather, our beautiful estuaries really start to come to life! Wallis Lake has been fishing really well for most species of late and the past week has been no exception. Flathead can be caught absolutely anywhere at the moment, tossing soft vibes or soft plastics about any oyster leases, sand flats or weed bed edges will guarantee you a few fish. While there are plenty of smaller fish about, the better fish have come from the typical hot spots such as Lani’s, the Paddock and the Cut as well as up the Wallamba River. Sand Whiting have really started to fire up over the past week with a few really nice 35cm fish reported, both of which were caught on soft plastics intended for Flathead! Fishing the shallow sand flats up around Wallis Island and Lani’s using Worms or Yabbies (or surface lures!) should see you landing a few nice fish, just make sure you don’t fish too deep. Trumpeter Whiting are still fishing very well throughout the Lake, the better schools seem to be up around The Step on the eastern side of Wallis Island through to Green Point. The weed edges up around the same area are holding some good Bream now and I have had a few reports of some early surface action, the surface bite should only get better over this weekend with the predicted daytime temperatures getting fairly warm.

Beach and Rock: Our sandy stretches have been fishing fairly good this week, with a nice variety of fish being reported. There are still a few nice Tailor about for those wishing to fish early or late into the evening, I heard of quite a few nice 40-50cm fish being caught this week as well as a 95cm monster which took a Mulloway Bait. The same anglers also managed to land a nice 14kg Mulloway which made for a great few nights’ fishing. Bream are by far the most prolific species along our beaches still, the Whiting are slowly getting better but most are still a little on the small size. The rocks have been fairly quiet this week, a few dedicated fishermen have still been venturing out to the ledges but have been left with not a lot to report. There are a few nice Tailor up to 50cm still cruising about as well as plenty of small Kingfish. For the bait fishermen there is still a few nice Bream about and you will also find the odd Black Drummer in and around the washes.   

Offshore: Picking your days to go offshore has been the most important thing this week. As long as the weather allows you to get out, you are almost guaranteed to find fish! Snapper have returned to the shallows, while they are not in big numbers, the fish that are there are of a good size (most around 45-55cm) and willing to take soft plastics or unweighted baits. The reefs in 30-60m are holding the majority of fish however the deeper you go the more chance there is that you may run into the hordes of Barracouta, if you manage to find a reef in 50-70m with no pest fish you will be in with a good chance of getting a very nice mixed bag consisting mainly of Snapper, Pearl Perch and possibly the odd Teraglin. I only received one report from out wide this week which came in from Dean who managed to get onto the Bar Cod with no troubles at all, he said the current was good and the fish were absolutely everywhere!

Report 18/10/19

Estuary: I absolutely love how exciting the estuary fishing is at this time of the year. The estuary has been very consistent over the past month or so and the past week has been no different. Flathead remain very active throughout the system, most of the better sessions have been a little further up into the Lake around places such as Wallis Island, Dago Island and Regatta Island with some absolutely dynamite surface action reported. If you’re more focussed on that once in a lifetime trophy fish, think about fishing in and around ‘The Paddock’ and Lani’s and you should see a few big crocs (catching them is another thing altogether though). Getting a feed of Trumpeter Whiting is a sure thing now, their numbers have been steadily increasing over the past 6 weeks or so and now they are to the point where ‘you can’t miss’! Bream are still fairly consistent across the board with some nice fish (along with the odd nice Snapper) being taken off the break walls on peeled Prawn, Garfish and Whitebait. Further up there are also some cracking fish sitting on the rock bars and weed beds around Coomba Park which can be targeted fairly easily on small plastics or crankbaits. You will also run into a few nice Flathead up there which are welcome (and tasty) bycatch! Sand Whiting are becoming more and more active and if these nice warm days keep up it won’t be long until they are smashing our surface lures.

Beach and Rock: The beaches have not always been the nicest places to be this week with some fairly windy days in the mix. For those who have fished them though there have been some nice fish on offer. Most beaches are holding some great Bream at the moment, 7 Mile in particular is worth a look and they’re going nuts for the nice big, juicy, locally caught King Worms that we have in stock at the moment. Using worms is also a good idea because there has been some fairly nice 35cm+ Whiting starting to show up along our coast. There are still some nice Tailor being caught by those flicking metals and stick baits around the headlands early or late in the day, as well as some very fun small Kingfish which can be a bit of excitement on the Tailor gear! Windy conditions have ensured a good bit of wash is almost always present along the coast which has been great for those wishing to soak some baits in search of a few Bream or Drummer. Jainey’s Corner and Booti have both been fishing fairly well but just about any decent hole with a bit of wash is worth a look at this time of the year.

Offshore: Offshore efforts have been hampered a little again due to the wind this week. Along with the wind, we have had a full moon all week which often makes Snapper fishing a little difficult. Unsurprisingly, the inshore shallow reefs have been a little on the slow side, the fish that have been caught have mainly been good fish (a lot of 4+kg models). More consistent results have been coming from the 35-65m reefs where you can expect a bit of a mixed bag consisting of Snapper, Trag and Pearl Perch.

Report 11/10/19

Estuary: Although we have had some fairly average weather over the past week, the fishing has been really consistent for those wishing to wet a line in the Estuary. Flathead seem to be getting better and better by the day with a lot of nice 40-50cm fish making their way into boats. The better results are coming from areas a little further up into the system such as ‘The Cut’, ‘Lani’s’ and the area up around the back of Wallis and Regatta Islands. Trumpeter Whiting are thick in most of the usual spots now but have been a little fussy with some anglers reporting that they will only take Worms or Prawns. Bream have been awesome all week and reports have been flowing in from all areas of the system. The break walls are still holding good numbers of very nice fish which have been keeping the land-based anglers busy, the weed beds and rock bars to the south have been fishing fairly well on the top of the tide, and there have been a lot of fish caught well up into the tributaries as well.

Beach and Rock: It’s been a fairly tough week for beach fishing. The days consisting of southerly winds have been the better days to have a look and there have been a few anglers getting out there. Most have reported catching some nice Bream and the odd Whiting. Tailor and Salmon have been a little on the quiet side with the only Tailor report coming from the stones down at Booti Booti so it might be worth hitting the headlands for a spin early over the weekend. Otherwise the unsettled sea should be ideal for chasing a few Drummer or Bream off the rocks.

Offshore: The fishing offshore continues to produce on the days that the weather permits. Those that have been able to sneak out during the windows of fair weather (or mad enough to fish in the unsettled conditions) have found some great Snapper fishing. While the shallow grounds have been holding some nice fish, those reefs sitting in 20-40m seem to be fishing the best and this should only continue to be the case as we move through this full moon phase. The deeper reefs continue to be a frustration due to Barracouta although they are also holding some really nice Snapper, Trag and the odd nice Pearl Perch. Hopefully these unsettled conditions will pass over the next few days and we can get back out there!

Report 4/10/19

Estuary: I absolutely love this time of year, the fishing is amazing, the weather starts to feel an awful lot like Summer and the town is a buzz with Kids and families enjoying the School Holidays! Wallis Lake has been a hive of activity of late, the warm, still mornings have been perfect for hitting the water to chase a few fish. Trumpeter Whiting are about in huge numbers now and there is a flotilla of boats chasing them each morning now with most anglers hitting their bag limit with ease.

Bream have really started to fire up in the rivers which is good news and it won’t be long until we hear the first lot of Cicada’s singing which will mean the start of the Bream on surface action! There has been the odd Prawn on the move this week which will fire up the weed beds and sand flats, I have already had some very good reports coming in from guys nailing plenty of nice Flathead and the odd Whiting on surface this week and they should only get more active as the days go on. Flathead have been pretty keen on the soft plastics and soft vibes this week as well with a lot of nice fish being caught around ‘The Cut’ and the Twin Island area.

Luderick have really started to slow up now, there are a few dedicated fishermen still chasing them but their bags have gone from being filled each session a week ago to now only scoring two or three fish each day.

Beach and Rock: Surf fishermen have had a fairly good week on the beaches this week. While there has been no stand out reports, there have been some nice Bream, Tailor and Salmon on offer as well as the odd nice Sand Whiting and small Mulloway. As is often the case, 7 Mile is probably your safest bet however most beaches are holding enough fish to make things interesting. The local rocks have still been consistent for Bream and the odd Drummer, for the early risers there are also some nice Tailor hanging about North One Mile and the headlands to the south.

Offshore: Offshore continues to produce some fantastic fishing in close. Snapper have been holding in really good numbers on just about any reef sitting in 15-40m, the usual haunts such as Blackhead, the Diamond, 5 Mile Reef, Snapper Rock (and the ground around it) and Dennis Shoals are all worth a look. Further afield, the deeper reefs are holding some very nice Snapper, Trag and Pearl Perch, however there have been a few reports of the gear stealing Barracouta ruining trips this week so you may struggle to get to the good fish sitting under the pests if you head out wide. I haven’t heard any reports locally of anyone that has hit the deep stuff this week, however boats that have gone out to the north and south of us have caught some nice Mahi Mahi on the troll as well as two reported Marlin hook ups so it may be well worth the trip out to see what’s out there.


Report 20/9/19

Estuary: Once again we have had a week of very varied weather with the wind blowing from all directions (sometimes every direction within a day even) and a little bit of much needed rain. Having said that, most days have been good enough to sneak out for a fish in the estuary and plenty of boats have been hitting the water to try their luck! Trumpeter Whiting have now begun to really school up and most fish are of a good size, if you want to chase them this early in the season though you will have to do a little bit of searching about and possibly travel a bit further than the good old ‘step’ or ‘duck pond’ areas. Tailor are still about in good numbers throughout the deeper areas of the system with those fishing up around Wallis and Regatta Islands finding the most success. Right now is a really good time of the year to chase big Flathead as they really start to fire up on the warmer days, targeting the warmer flats and drains with soft plastics and vibes is the way to go and should see you land plenty of smaller models with the chance of hooking into that fish of a lifetime!

Beach and Rock: Conditions have been far from comfortable on the beaches this week with windy and unsettled sea conditions on most days. A few anglers have had a crack though and have managed to land enough fish to keep them interested. There have been a lot of Australian Salmon about this week which is a nice surprise, up until now they had been almost non-existent! Tailor and Salmon have been caught all over the place this week, no place has really fired and been better than anywhere else with fish being taken on 7 Mile Beach, One Mile Beach and 9 Mile Beach. Not a lot has changed on the rock ledges this week; Drummer, Bream and Tailor continue to make up most catches with some nice ‘rat’ Kingfish thrown in for a bit of fun! The northern end of One Mile Beach has once again been holding a lot of Tailor and Bream which is very convenient for those that live in town.

Offshore: Our offshore reefs are holding loads of fish at the moment however the weather has made getting to them very difficult over the past week. A few boats fished on Sunday and found some very nice Teragalin early as well as plenty of Snapper and the odd Pearl Perch. Once again, those reefs in 30-70m seemed to be the better option. Apart from that boats have been limited to fishing in and around the rock walls which has been hard going, the Kingfish are definitely about but gathering bait and tempting them to bite has been very difficult.

Have a great afternoon.

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