Overall, the long-term forecast for the next week is showing some great breaks in the wind, but we don't need to discuss the rain forecast. Maybe just be prepared with a decent rain jacket if you are keen to head out for a fish.
In the rivers this week, dusky flathead fired for most anglers on poddy mullet and lures. It's now time to put in the mud crab traps where I've heard a few reports of mud crabs in the Hastings and Camden Haven River with the better catches being in the deeper water.
Bream fishing this past week has been best around the river mouths on high tide and in the wash on green prawns. I saw some great sized bream caught off the end of the southern breakwall in Port Macquarie over the weekend.
Lake Cathie is appearing to be quite healthy with plenty of bait fish, small school prawns and wildlife about. The school prawns are bit too small at this stage to drag a net but give it a month or so and it may be worth a shot. There has been some terrific flathead caught around the mouth and bridge mainly on soft plastic, but prawns and mullet are also producing the odd fish.
Whiting have started to come on the chew on lures particularly further into the lake as that water starts to warm.
Off the beaches, a school mulloway have been caught at both Lighthouse Beach, Port Macquarie and Grants Beach towards North Haven with the best chance at hooking a fish at dusk and throughout the first few hours of the night.
Fishing off Gap Beach at South West Rocks has also produced a few nice bream and whiting. Off the rocks, some solid bream have been taken from around Point Plomer along with the odd tailor and drummer. The breakwalls in the Macleay and Hastings River are popular at the moment with almost every fisho landing a school mulloway with the odd larger fish in the mix.
Around the Lighthouse at Port Macquarie a few larger mulloways were caught through the week on lures. Perpendicular Point at Camden Head has also fished reasonably for drummer and luderick.
For the fishos wanted to head offshore I think we might finally see a decent break in the weather over the weekend. Reef fish catches for this time of year have been stable with some great pearl perch caught off Grassy Head and further South off Crowdy Bay producing decent sized snapper.
Reports that there are a few kingfish hanging around Fish Rock and as well as out deeper around Trag Rock off Point Plomer. If you are looking to head out wide depending on the current, there still might be a chance for one last deep drop fish out wide.
The Department of Primary Industries reported this week that the Port Macquarie FAD is missing.
