This past week has the seen the Mid-North Coast get our first real drenching in quite some time. Although the flood levels locally were only moderate, the Hastings received a real flush as evidenced by the water colour and amount of debris on Town Beach earlier in the week.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Although temporarily inconvenient to many anglers, short term opportunities are created for the really keen, and a good fresh is certainly most beneficial from a longer term perspective.
Conditions have limited options substantially over the past week with most attention focused on the lower reaches of the Hastings and Camden Haven estuaries.
Bream and mulloway have been the primary targets as they usually are when the rivers run brown. Some terrific bream were around last weekend, with fish to more than a kilo taken from most local breakwalls.
Mullet strips, mullet gut and pilchards were all successful baits, with the last of the run-in tide offering best results. Unfortunately the easterly winds, and the amount of debris coming down the Hastings, limited good fishing access when the river was at its dirtiest.
Despite this, a few nice mulloway above 20 kilos were caught. Nathan Vandermeel scored a cracking fish in the Hastings on a large soft plastic, while Col Trenaman subdued one in the Camden Haven on a large hard-bodied lure. A few smaller models were also taken in the Hastings on lures and squid heads. Now conditions have settled somewhat, mulloway enthusiasts will be out targeting these trophy fish from our breakwalls, with a good chance of success over the coming days.
The weather was not ideal for rock fishers, especially for those keen on targeting the land-based pelagics seen along our coastline at this time of year. Before the coastal water dirtied longtail tuna were around in reasonable numbers, as were cobia and Spanish mackerel.
Once the water clarity improves and bait fish again congregate along the rocks, these species will be viable targets. In the interim, bream and school mulloway will likely be your best bets.
Little to report from the beaches, however, look for bream numbers to pick up sharply over the next week or two. The southern end of North Beach will also be worth a look for flathead while the Hastings is dirty.
Offshore, after the seas have settled somewhat, there will be plenty keen to head east of the bar. Snapper should be well worth chasing close in as they often are after a decent fresh. The water temperature and clarity will dictate when Barries Bay fires again on the pelagic front. Watch out for logs out there.
Until next week, tight lines and good fishing to all.