PAUL ‘‘Ringo’’ Lennon, from Tackleworld Port Stephens, reports there’s been some nice mulloway caught up round Karuah this week.
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‘‘There’s been a lot of fish from schoolie size up to six kilograms, with some really big ones mixed in,’’ Paul said.
‘‘I weighed one at 22kilograms.’’
Kingfish have been active off local breakwalls.
‘‘Rats up to unstoppables,’’ Paul said.
‘‘Chris ‘The Rookie’ Drake fished through the week and got three kings up to five kilograms.
‘‘On the same day he also caught some nice jewies up around the wreck at Salamander.
‘‘Russ Hyland also got stuck into the jewies – he got half a dozen up to five kilograms.’’
Bream and whiting have been biting and fighting.
‘‘There has been some really good bream around the rockwalls, and over at Pindimar and Tea Gardens around the oyster racks,’’ Paul said.
‘‘Also, lots of whiting have been showing up on ocean beaches and around the mouths of estuaries near Jimmys Beach and Shoal Bay.
‘‘Customers have been working Samurai Beach and catching up to 20 a session.’’
Local reefs have been working well.
‘‘There’s still plenty of trag on the V, 21 and Gibber reefs,’’ Paul said.
‘‘Some really good trag. I saw a photo of one smack on five kilograms the other day.
‘‘Been a few reddies on the reefs and islands outside too.
‘‘A lot of fish are coming in closer now the water is starting to clear up.’’
Half-tonne tiger
STEVE Christie’s boat Crittikill landed a 422-kilogram tiger last weekend.
It follows on from a 500-kilogram tiger caught a month ago.
Marlin on rise
CONDITIONS are looking conducive outside for marlin.
Pure Fishing’s Mitch Birt reports that his brother Matt opened his account with a black off Nelson Bay on Saturday.
‘‘It was the exception, not the rule,’’ Mitch reported.
‘‘The season is still in its infancy: they have had another good start up north though, so things are looking good at this stage for a reasonable run.’’
Mitch reports Swansea Channel is full of sand whiting, with live bait essential for success.
And inland the cicada hatch is in full swing, exciting bass up local creeks and streams.
Club members increase
FORTY-EIGHT people attended Newcastle Game Fishing Club’s inaugural AGM on December 3, according to club secretary Scott Morris.
‘‘We received 18 new member applications and one foundation member application on the night,’’ Scott reported.
‘‘That now takes us to in excess of 60 members, including over 20 foundation members.’’
The new committee for 2013-14 season is: president, Larry Curtis; vice-president, David Teasel; secretary, Scott Morris; treasurer, Robert Hyland; general committee, Steven Kirk, John Fitzpatrick and Michael Wright.
The club is calling for all boat skippers and crew to make sure they have their 2014 Interclub registrations in by December 31 so the committee can put teams together to challenge in both capture, and tag and release.
Membership at NGFC entitles you to full reciprocal rights to the facilities of Newcastle Cruising Yacht Club including: card access to marina showers and amenities; card access to NCYC marina; access to licensed club, including members 5per cent bar discount; discounted fuel of 15¢ off NCYC’s bowser price (current bowser price is diesel, $1.78 per litre; PULP, $1.77 per litre).
Freddy’s expands
EXCITING times are ahead for Freddy’s Fishing World.
The franchise has just opened new shops in Townsville, Rockhampton and Brisbane as part of an expansion phase.
Company owner Manuel Avendano has plans to relocate his Newcastle operation to a bigger location once he finds an appropriate space.
Postponed trip now on
DUE to the forecast last weekend Maitland City Offshore Fishing Club postponed their outing off Swansea.
‘‘This trip will now be off Newcastle this weekend from 6am,’’ club spokesman Tom Lantry said.
‘‘A few members fished Newcastle Harbour midweek, with Garry Pryde bagging a nice feed of good-size bream to 35centimetres.’’
Catch and release
JASON ‘‘One For’’ Nunn reports coastal beaches from Redhead down to Blacksmiths, and into Swansea Channel, are firing for whiting, bream and mulloway.
Bream have been overshadowing whiting catches inside Lake Macquarie.
Flathead have gone a little quiet approaching the spawning run.
Jason reminds anglers that as the breeding females move into the shallows it is important to catch and release.
‘‘There are a few nice kingfish coming in around Swansea Bridge and the markers down towards Pulbar Island.
‘‘Both soft plastics and live squid trolled on down riggers are getting the best results,’’ according to Jason’s advice.
Feedback on river nets
ECOFISHERS chairman Chris Wallis is calling for feedback on the issue of river and estuary netting.
There is a concern that commercial fishers have taken money from recent buyouts courtesy of fishing licence fees and then reactivated latent licences in other areas.
Ecofishers has two questions:
1. Do you want to ban river netting?
2. Given the government has very limited funds for this, would you be prepared to dig into your own pockets for $10 or $20 so long as this money was only used to buy out estuary licences?
Write to: secretary.ecofish
ers@hotmail.com or online via their Facebook page.