Fishing Reports

17/1/20

With rain solid reports of prawns from the Hunter River this last 2 days. The Bay this week has been firing well, with warmer water temps. I have had increased reports of flathead, whiting & crabs.

Let’s start with flathead, look for areas that offer the fish cover/structure. Flathead are an ambush feeder and will sit on the edges of drop-off’s, weed/sand, under wharfs/oyster racks waiting for baitfish to swim-by. Flathead can be taken on bait or lures, fishing for flathead with plastic’s is very popular. For those wanting to try for the first time, check-out;

https://www.salamanderbaittackle.com.au/how-to-catch-flathead-on-soft-plastics-basics/

https://www.salamanderbaittackle.com.au/land-based-soft-plastics/

For bait fishing flathead love a fish bait such as pilchard, white bait, garfish in whole and or strip form. If you want to try lures then Sakami vibes are deadly.

https://www.salamanderbaittackle.com.au/samaki-vibelicious-for-flathead-bream/

Flathead locations ; Tilligerry Creek, start – up near the tennis courts casting towards the bank and working along the oyster racks, Feninghamms Island work the bank along the Eastern end, Bulls Island working the racks and weed beds, Soldiers Point into Roywood Reserve work around the moored boats and sand flats on high tide , Nelson Bay Beach towards Fly-Point, Little & Shoal Bay Beaches – work either plastics and or bait.

Let’s talk whiting; More and more reports of sand whiting continue this week from Salamander Bay and Tilligerry Creek More reports of muddies this week from Tilligerry creek. For trumpeter whiting, drifting between Soldiers Point Boat ramp and Middle Island with the odd flattie in the mix. Drifting West from the West Bank. The trumpeter whiting (also known as winter whiting) only small fish although once filleted make for top-class table fish. There is no minimum size although a bag limit of 20 is in place. Great fun for the kids to catch. These fish love a small prawn and or beachworm. Also try the drifts West of One Tree and Shag Islands.

For information on saltwater bag and size limits as well as fish ID you can download our Fish Smart app. The app provides 24/7 access to info on the differences between a range of similar species. For more information about Fish Smart, including how to download it, see https://bit.ly/2zv1Ilw.

The water temp. has increased, reports sand whiting taking sugar pen surface lures high tide at Roywood Reserve, Tanilba Bay & Jimmies Beach.

https://www.salamanderbaittackle.com.au/bassday-sugapen-surface-lures-for-bream-whiting/

With all this rain it’s time to target a Jew, The Port offers some great jewfish spots, some other key spots for Jewfish in the Bay are Short Wall at the Anchorage casting East to the drop-off which gets to around 6 fathoms. Main Breakwall at Nelson Bay, Western side of Middle Island and the Steps at the Entrance to Fame Cove.  As these areas are deeper and run hard, so fishing the change of time with live bait is the way to go. Also, worth hitting the Salamander Wreck or the sunken house boat. The Tea Gardens Bridge is another key jewfish spot although be prepared as it’s shallow they hit and fight much harder.

If you’re looking for somewhere to take the kids for the rest of the Holidays then check out;

1. Shoal Bay Beach/Wharf
2. Sally Shores/Taylors Beach / Pearson’s Park Wharf’s
3. Roywood Reserve or Sandy Point

For greater detail check out;

https://www.salamanderbaittackle.com.au/port-stephens-4-top-school-holiday-fishing-spots/

Or simply come on in-store and we can take you through the free fishing map / flyer with some key locations, species to target and best baits to use.

This fresh may kick-off the crabs for a long-weekend feed. Few reports this week of crabs. Karuah River producing muddies and blue swimmers. Bigger blue swimmers reported this week. For blue swimmers get you’re traps out along Wanda Beach and Sunset Beaches. For muddies hit Tilligerry Creek, Fame Cove or North Arm Cove– mullet bait is the way to go. Whole mullet is the way to go. Please remember to mark your crab floats correctly so the DPI don’t seize them. For all the local crabbing rules;

https://www.dpi.nsw.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0006/654963/Port-Stephens-recreational-crab-fishing-guide.pdf

Arrow squid, in numbers, being taken around Little Beach boat ramp in the late afternoon into the night, also worth a try inside the main marina. Hit Sally shores wharf for bream, squid and the odd pelagic from the end of the wharf. Always worth live baiting out to the deep channel which runs about 80m from the end of the wharf.

17.1.20

The beaches have continued to improve this week, with some solid sand whiting coming from One -Mile and Fingal Spit. Birbui track is now open for 4wd access and the beach looked well formed, if fishing Birbui 1.8km mark, 3km Mark, 4.1km, 5.3km and 5.8km water looked great. Live Beachworms are in-store and are deadly on the whiting.

https://www.salamanderbaittackle.com.au/tips-for-driving-on-stockton-beach/

Also One-Mile Beach producing bream and odd school jewfish. Reports this week of sand whiting to 36cm being taken on beachworms just South of Middle Rock at first light. Fish slightly South of Middle Rock in the gutter, beachworms are the way to go there. Further North try Samurai Beach for, Tailor, Salmon and bream. Samurai is also a great beach to set-up for a Jew.

Box Beach is also worth a throw for tailor, salmon and bream. It’s a deep beach with little formation although the Southern end next to the rocks, or on the rocks is the way to go.

https://www.salamanderbaittackle.com.au/catching-whiting-from-the-open-beaches-port-stephens/

17.1.20

For squid hit Fisherman’s Bay, Boat Harbour & Big Rocky. This week lobsters have been reported Northern side of Fingal Island, Big Rocky, Barry Park & Boat Harbour.

If you’re keen for a snapper from the stones then try Telegraph Point, Boat Harbour, Fisherman’s Bay and the Ledge. Fish sunrise & sunset, best baits are whole pillies, strip baits or whole squid.

Fish Fingal Island for reds and bream in the wash, work the Outer Light for reds and tailor. Work metals from the rocks at the Northern end of Samurai Beach and the Southern end of Box Beach for chopper tailor.

Key spots to try for an ocean blackfish on cabbage baits are Barry Park, Birbui Rocks, Middle Rock and Big Rocky.

17.1.20

Reports some solid reds between Cod Rock and Coal Shaft beach on the drift into the washes. 5 inch soft plastics shads are his go too, with fish to 4kg.

Reports of big sea garfish in and around the Ledge, with a heap of bait in the water. Kings at the V also try many of the inner reefs. Hit 21, V, Outer 21 & Little Island for a feed of reds/Trag.

Big Tommy producing Jew to 3kg and the odd red, flathead drift off Wreck beach producing a feed. North Rock delivering reds and bream in the wash. The Sisters small reds and flathead. Sisters South working well for reds to 2kg at first light.

Little Island producing the odd bonito in the warmer water and Trag., reports form the charter guys is that the V & 21 reefs are producing reds and the odd flathead from the gravel.

Sand Hill reef for reds and jewfish with the odd flathead hanging around the gravel sand edge. Reports of snapper to 3kg from The Tank and Uralla reefs also Jewfish to 5kg at the Tank and the odd small king.

FAD producing some solid dollies, although not in big numbers the size of the fish are too around 8kg plus mark.

https://www.dpi.nsw.gov.au/fishing/recreational/resources/fish-aggregating-devices