AS we transition into winter, we’ve been blessed with a couple of lovely, calm and sunny days. However, the recent floods unfortunately the mackerel season has drawn to a close.
While the fishing report highlights the bounty the region offers, it is impossible to ignore the impact of the recent floods and the incredible resilience of our community in their wake.
The past weeks have been challenging for many with floodwaters impacting homes, businesses and livelihoods across our region.
Yet amidst the rising waters and the subsequent clean-up, the spirit of our community has shone brighter than ever.
The fishing community, too, has played its part, with many anglers redirecting their efforts to assist in the recovery, demonstrating that our passion for the outdoors extends to a deep care for our shared environment and community.
As we cast our lines we do so with a renewed appreciation for the beauty and resilience of our region and the incredible strength of the people who call it home.
Anglers casting lines in the Camden Haven River are enjoying a diverse catch with flathead leading the pack.
Keep an eye out for schooling mulloway near the breakwalls.
The sheltered corner beaches are packed with bream and tailor, readily taking beach worms.
Rock fishers are finding success with tailor and mulloway, while drummer are becoming more prevalent further south towards Crowdy Head.
Offshore last week, reports indicate excellent hauls of snapper, pearl perch, and kingfish around the Crowdy Head and Lake Cathie reefs.
For those keen on deep dropping, rewards have been plentiful with bar cod, hapuka, and blue eye trevalla.
The Hastings River continues to live up to its reputation as an angler’s paradise this week.
Bream are biting enthusiastically around the local wharf and rock walls, and flathead remain abundant throughout the system, alongside healthy populations of tailor and trevally.
Beach fishing proved fruitful last week, yielding quality tailor and bream for those using pipis and mullet strips.
The drummer season is in full swing, with consistent catches reported from Big Hill in the north all the way to Lighthouse in the south.
Bream and luderick are also providing excellent sport off the rocks, with Plomer Point being a standout location.
Offshore, there have been some fantastic snapper caught on plastics, and kingfish are being found further out.
Local fishing yielded strong results across the Macleay region this week, with decent bream catches reported from breakwalls and headlands using mullet strips and soft plastics.
Flathead were also a popular target, both within the river and around Horseshoe Bay beach.
Offshore adventurers weren’t disappointed with early morning sessions near Grassy Head produced impressive snapper hauls, with fish ranging from four to eight kilograms.
The occasional pearl perch added to the already rewarding catch. Reefs further offshore also contributed to a successful long weekend for anglers, with reports of tusk fish, snapper, and pigfish.
By Kate SHELTON
