FISHING: Sick of the rain? Head to the riverbanks and breakwalls

I DON’T know about you, but I am absolutely sick of this rain.

The rivers have dirtied right up, the swell has been relentless, and we’ve seen plenty of erosion along the coastline. To give you an idea, water levels in Lake Cathie have jumped up by over 400mm in just two weeks.

The Camden Haven has been busy with luderick fishing action.

Anglers are reporting fantastic catches around the breakwalls, with many easily reaching their bag limits.

Green weed, cabbage, and weed flies are proving highly effective, and encouragingly, the fish are biting on both high and low tides.

Bream fishing also remains productive throughout the day and night.

After dark, strip baits and mullet gut are the top choices, while soft plastic vibes continue to do well for lure fishers. Rock fishing enthusiasts targeting drummer can anticipate consistent catches, just look for rocky ledges with minimal sand disturbance and maintain a steady burley trail.

Meanwhile, morning and evening sessions are yielding good-sized bream, with tailor strips being the preferred bait. The weather hasn’t allowed a lot of anglers to head to sea, but I expect once the weather settles down we should see snapper bite closer to shore as they always seem to like to head closer in after a bit of swell.

The Hastings River continues to be a prime location for flathead, with reports of great catches throughout its entire length.

Luderick fishing has also picked up at the breakwalls, with some impressive fish around the one-kilogram mark landed this week.

Bream are active near the walls and further upstream, with the evening hours proving most fruitful.

While the truly massive mulloway might still be elusive, plenty of fish around the metre mark have been landed near the Coal Wharf and along the breakwalls.

Rock fishers are also enjoying success, with tailor reported at almost all headlands.

While most of these fish are on the smaller side, anglers venturing further south have landed some impressive tailor exceeding two kilograms.

Drummer catches remain consistent, with the Lighthouse boasting excellent numbers and action increasing around the various local ledges.

Finally, the Macleay River is proving to be another fishing hotspot.

The breakwalls have yielded mangrove jack, bream, and flathead this week, providing exciting action for both local and visiting anglers.

The weather hasn’t allowed a lot of anglers to head to sea, with the bar providing some challenging and dangerous conditions.

Looking at the long term forecast we should see some improvement in the weather around the second week of June.

By Kate SHELTON