In the estuaries, flathead numbers remain excellent with pretty well all parts of the Hastings and Lake Cathie catchments worth a look. Once again, whitebait has been by far the premier morsel from a bait perspective, while soft vibes continue to produce outstanding results for lure enthusiasts.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
On the whiting front, results have been a little mixed which is often the case around a full moon, however Limeburners has been fishing well with some nice fish to around 500 grams on offer. Surface lures and either yabbies or beach worms have all proven effective.
For blackfish enthusiasts, while the breakwalls have produced the occasional fish, the back channel has been worth a look with either weed flies or lightly weighted yabbies. On the bream front, best reports continue to come from the upstream haunts, with the Rawdon Island area fishing as well as anywhere.
On the mulloway front, the breakwalls are still giving up the occasional fish on both large plastics and whole squid, while those throwing plastics up river are also scoring the odd school sized fish. For those keen on chasing bass, the last week or so has seen a significant cicada hatch, with their numbers far greater than we have seen for a few years. No prizes for guessing what the gun lure profile will be over the coming weeks.
On the crustacean front, while both blue swimmer and mud crabs have been only average of late, we have just entered prime prawning time once again. While last moon saw somewhat subdued results, expectations are for an improved showing this month and no doubt there will be a high level of participation.
Off the beaches, school mulloway numbers remain terrific with both North Beach and Lighthouse producing fish to around 10 kilos. Lighthouse has also been fishing well for whiting both in the northern corner and the southern end around Lake Cathie. Lighthouse has also held a few tailor although only in the chopper category.
Off the rocks, the occasional drummer and blackfish remain offer, with Crowdy and Diamond head to the south still worth a look. Cunjevoi and prawns remain the baits of choice. Also off the stones, some nice bream and school mulloway have been taken from Plomer during evening sessions, while Lighthouse as always is worth a look for tailor at first light.
Offshore, conditions have been challenging with the combination of consistent winds and a pocket of cold water off our coastline not at all ideal. Hopefully the few southerly winds over recent days and this weekend will bring a bit of warmer blue water in. If so, prospecting the FAD for mahi mahi could be productive, as to chasing marlin wider out. We have also heard of a few small blacks showing up not far north which is an encouraging sign. If chasing pelagics is not your scene, snapper, kingfish and pearl perch should all be viable targets.
Until next week, good fishing and tight lines to all.