Spring has certainly arrived on the Mid-North Coast, bringing with it blustery winds from all directions and a taste of 30-plus degree temperatures. Hopefully a bit of reasonable rainfall might also be on the cards in the not too distant future.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
In the estuary, flathead are now by far the pick of the targets, with great action right throughout the Hastings from Wauchope right down to the breakwalls.
Those throwing lures continue to enjoy the best of the action, however a lightly weighted whitebait will also score plenty of fish. Whiting numbers have also been excellent from around Blackmans Point, Limeburners and of course Lake Cathie with baits out fishing lures at this point of the season.
Just on the subject of Lake Cathie, all the signs point to an imminent closure of the entrance any time now, so we’ll just have to see what mother nature dictates over the coming days. On the blackfish front, catches remain a little on the inconsistent side, with the odd few fish about one day, and little the next although there have plenty of fish sighted throughout the lower estuary.
For mulloway enthusiasts, the break walls are still worth prospecting with either live baits or lures, while the highway bridge pylons are still holding some nice school sized fish to around a metre.
Off the rocks, there are still a few drummer hanging about with John O’Brien scoring a cracking 4.120 kilo pig last weekend, along with another model not much smaller. Might still be worth prospecting with either cunjevoi or peeled prawns.
Tailor numbers remain reasonable from most headlands, however the larger greenbacks seen a few weeks ago appear to have largely moved on. For those keen on chasing a few bream off the stones, best bet would to head to either Big Hill or Plommer, with fresh tailor strips well worth throwing either early mornings or after dark. Still plenty of groper from most headlands when sea conditions are calm.
On the beaches, there have been some solid late season bream about with north beach in particular worth a look. Lighthouse has also held some nice bream along with some terrific whiting. On the tailor front, results have only been average with the better action from around North Haven and Dunbogan.
Still reasonable numbers of school mulloway from both North Beach and in front of Lake Cathie. Go with live worms fished after dark for best results.
Offshore, there are still good numbers of snapper in close as has been the case during the past two months. And you guessed it, the better results continue to be achieved by those throwing soft plastics.
If bait fishing is your preference, the reefs off Plommer are worth visiting, with snapper, pearl perch, morwong and a few teraglin on offer. Trag rock is also worth a look for kingfish on either jigs or livies, with some nice fish to around 10 kilos on offer.
Until next week, good fishing and tight lines to all.