I SPENT the weekend down at Nelson Bay for the 2026 Garmin Billfish Shootout, and man, what an event.
With over 100 boats hitting the water, the atmosphere was unreal and it was easily one of the best tournaments I’ve seen in a while.
It was also great to see some of our local Port Macquarie legends like Blake Herbert, Eddie Brookes, and Jack Cuneen out there representing Port Macquarie Game Fishing Club – huge effort by those guys.
Closer to home, the Hastings region has been a total hive of activity lately, with plenty of options no matter where you like to cast a line.
School mulloway have been showing up in force around the break walls, bridge pylons, and rocks, giving light tackle fishos a real run for their money.
Those same spots are producing some nice flathead on live bait and mullet strips, too.
If you’re more into lures, try to time your session with the incoming tide when the water is nice and clear.
For the luderick crowd, the break walls are the place to be, with some quality fish being pulled in on cabbage and green weed flies.
Plus, if you’ve got the crab pots handy, it’s been a great week for mud crabs in the local creeks. Beach fishing has been just as good, with heaps of bream and whiting hanging around.
Your best bet is to try the southern end of Lighthouse Beach, Shelly, or Queens Head.
Off the rocks, the tailor action is starting to ramp up as the season moves along, and you can usually find bream and luderick tucked away in the more sheltered corners.
Last weekend was one for the books offshore at Plomer Bay, it was absolutely firing with tuna, mackerel, cobia, black marlin but the sharks definitely gave everyone grief with most anglers losing catches.
Heading down to the Camden Haven, the luderick fishing in the river has been top-notch, especially near the walls.
The bream fishing has been another highlight, with some absolute crackers pushing the kilo mark taking pilchards.
at Lake Cathie, things are nice and consistent for whiting, flathead, and bream if you’re using prawns for bait.
If you’re heading outside, the snapper numbers are looking really healthy this season off Cathie and the reefs around Bonny Hills, with the odd mackerel hook-up adding a bit of extra excitement to the mix.
Further north, the Macleay River is seeing a lot more whiting activity, particularly as you head into the upper reaches.
Rock hoppers have been making tracks to the headlands near the Gaol and Crescent Head, where there’s plenty of talk about cobia, tuna, and even a few kingfish.
The offshore scene in the Macleay is also really starting to pick up, with boaties bringing back some impressive hauls of mackerel, mahi mahi, cobia, and wahoo this week.
By Kate SHELTON
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