GONE FISHIN’: Big swells give way to good fishing

See who is catching them in our Fish of the Year competition

A big haul from one of Reeltime Fishing Charters boats last week.

FISHING activity during the past week has been restrained, affected by the large swells along the coast early in the week.

However after the seas dropped back, boats putting to see were able to get action on a wide range of offshore species.

Boats heading to the southern grounds cleaned up,on mixed size snapper, Venus tusk fish, teraglin and Maori cod.

However most of the catches were taken close in, with boats seeking patches wide out finding it hard to lose a bait.

In the estuary, as could be expected, it was bream which produced the most success although blackfish were around in better numbers.

Mark Bake of Iluka weighed in the best bream, 960g, taken on a worm bait on Iluka back breach., while Jace Murdock of Lawrence scored one of 610g on the Iluka wall.

Young Zia Jordan of Wooli is trying hard to make it two Anglers of the Year, by weighing in a bream of 514g taken on a pilchard in the Wooli River.

Renae Murdock of Armidale tried her luck at Frasers and returned with a bream of 630g plus a tailor of 1.500kg.

A few whiting appear to be on the bite,with Tulloch Speers landing one of 220g in Iluka Bay.

However, it was blackfish which appeared to be the target fish of this week.

Best weighed in was the 950g fish taken by Greg Moss of Lawrence who made his catch at the Ilarwill quarry, plus another of 740g.

The spot around the Francis Freeburn tugboat at the top of Yamba Bay produced fish to 912g for Jed Dunsmore

Some anglers at the Middle Wall had a dry run, but others reported almost bagging out -it appears to be a matter of the fish being there one tide and gone the next.

A big haul from one of Reeltime Fishing Charters boats last week.

 

Biggest Fish in 2020

 

Species	Weight	Angler	Species	Weight	Angler
Bream	2.146 2/4/20	Kevin Cook Yamba	Jewfish	29.1400 5/3/20	Timmy Turtle Curimbia (Q)
Whiting	1.490 12/3/20	Zia Jordan Wooli	Snapper	10.875 11/6/20	Dwayne Bishop Wooli
Flathead	7.200 5/3/30	Brett Lentfer South Grafton	Pelagic	Spanish mackerel 27.500 7/5/20	Jasper Wearne Minnie Water
Tailor	4.300 16/5/20	Isobella Rooks Maclean	Bass	1.378 9/4/20	Gordon Burton Lawrence
Blackfish	1.700 27/2/20	Jim Gardener Iluka	Other edible species	Groper 8.600 30/4/20	Steve Pateman Iluka

 

Weekly winners

 

Species	Wt (kg)	Location	Gear	Angler
Bream	0.960	Iluka Back beach	Rod/reel worm	Mark Bonner Iluka
Whiting	0.220	Iluka Bay	Rod/reel yabbie	Tulloch Speer Iluka
Flathead
Tailor	1.500	Frasers	Rod/reel lure	Renae Murdock Armidale
Blackfish	0.950	Maclean quarry	Rod/reel weed	Greg Moss Lawrence
Jewfish
Snapper
Pelagic
Bass
Other edible species

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