An impressive 90-centimetre diamond trevally caught in Lake Macquarie has had tongues wagging this week.
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Sean Griffith, from Fishermans Warehouse Marks Point, and his mate Troy King were out on Sunday morning when they came across a school of diamond trevally. King reeled in the 90cm specimen, which they released.
Griffiths said the species grow up to 165cm but only much small ones are usually caught inside the lake.
"It should spark some cracking interest in the area," Griffith said.
"A heap of people the last couple of days have said they'd caught 30s and 40s but nothing like this.
"We were down-rigging trolling for live squid for kingies and we saw the screen light up on the sounder, and we thought we'd found the kingies, but it was these things.
"You can get them from time to time in the lake but that size is very unusual. And we lost a bigger one, the very first one we hooked up.
"People can't believe it was the lake. It was awesome."
FLATHEAD FIRING
Flathead fishing has been the highlight across the region over the past week.
"In the [Swansea] channel, off the breakwall, there's been some cracking flathead and at Blacksmiths Beach as well," Griffith said.
"And there's still a few jew getting caught of Blacksmiths Beach.
"In the lake, the squid are still around. There's been good catches over the Dropover. You've just got to move around and find the patches."
Brent "Hammer" Hancock, from Tackle World Port Stephens, said flathead were also prominent up his way.
"Inside the bay, it's a bit of a mixed bag," he said.
"The good thing is there's plenty of flatties. There's also plenty of good whiting inside the bay, big sandies, either on livies or surface lures.
"There's a bit of pelagic action inside the bay as well - bonito and small mack tuna.
"The local reefs have been fishing good for snapper and kings, trag as well. There's been a few inshore black marlin caught the last week."
Further afield, Griffith said South West Rocks was a hot-spot for Spanish mackerel.
"A lot of people are stopping in here on the way," he said. "They're catching livies in front of the jail and then going over to Grassy Head and cleaning up."
BIG WEEK FOR CONTENDERS
Like angling, Fish of the Week entries can be a bit hit and miss, but young Tyler Carney has led the way in a good week for contenders.
Twelve-year-old Carney, pictured, has been on a high this week after reeling in his first black marlin off Port Stephens on Sunday, using live slimy mackerel as bait.
The East Maitland boy landed the 25-kilogram fish after a one-hour fight while out with his proud dad, Josh, on his boat Aquaholic.
Tyler had caught big kingfish, flathead and other species before but never a prized marlin.
"He's been going out with me probably the last two or three years and he just hasn't been successful before in trying to get one in," Josh said.
"He's been out watching them and seeing how we are doing it, and he was pretty confident to give it a crack himself on that day.
"He was stoked, he can't wipe the smile off his face. He'll certainly remember that for a long time."
And he wasn't the only young fisho named Tyler to have a strong entry.
Tyler Mason, 9, from Lemon Tree Passage, caught a personal best flathead of 80 centimetres, which was tagged and released, on Sunday morning in Port Stephens.
Another contender was the team of Louis Stirling and Luke Weston, who caught a 1.3-metre, 18-kilogram dolphin fish off the Swansea FAD with a pink skirt trolling bait.
That catch and Mason's would be worthy winners most other weeks and may be promoted if we get no entries in weeks to come.
Keep your contenders coming in.