Consistent catches from the Clarence . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . by Tye Porter

Above: This nice pan-sized flathead bit off more than it could chew when it attacked Mischa’s jewfish lure.

Consistent catches from the Clarence

FISHING along the Clarence Coast of northern NSW has improved markedly over the past month, due mainly to the absence of any substantial rain – something I was wondering if I was ever going to be able to say, given the previous six months.

From the mighty Clarence River excellent catches of bream are being taken far and wide throughout the lower reaches, with some of the most consistent catches coming from boat anglers fishing the reef upstream at Browns Rocks or the deep water at the eastern end of the Middle Wall.

As the clean water continues to push further upstream with each tide, so too will the fish and, while we did have a minor flood warning issued for the Orara River last month, thankfully it did not send a heap of dirt downstream as it does normally.

Both the Yamba and Iluka breakwalls are yielding plenty of bream and school jewfish from the back of the surf, with bait such as yabbies, beachworms or white pillies being the best by far.

Luderick are another species that have finally come on the chew in a big way inside the river, which is to be expected with July and August being the best months of the year for this fish.

The old ferry approach at Iluka, both breakwalls and the approaches to Oyster Channel Bridge at Yamba are the pick of the spots for land-based anglers, while those folk with a boat are cleaning up along Middle Wall, Turkeys Nest and Collis Wall over the high-water period.

Flathead can be found year-round, both in the river and along the beaches, which is great for those of us who enjoy chasing these tasty little critters.

Yamba angler Travis Porter couldn’t hide from the pesky little bream on a recent trip to Goodwood Island.

Even though the sea mullet run has ended, there are still plenty of nice jewfish being taken from the river during a slack tide at night, with Collis and Middle walls being the best spots for boat fishing.

Lismore angler Guy Stewart spent a couple of nights inside the river, standing in knee-deep water hooking and landing sharks on bait meant for jew and all I can say to that is… he’s a braver man than I.

To me, the words ‘night, knee-deep water and sharks’ don’t sound quite right together.

Though speaking of jewfish by-catches, my son Mischa hooked a nice pan-sized flathead on a 6” hard-bodied lure meant for a jew, while his girlfriend Rebekah landed two smelly forktail catfish on live mullet that were also meant for jewfish.

There has been no shortage of jew along either breakwall, with both Yamba and Iluka walls providing solid numbers of school jewfish to 15kg on soft plastic lures during low water.

Mischa Porter of Iluka with a nice 16.8kg jewfish taken on a hard-bodied lure inside the Clarence River.

Meanwhile, the T-Piece at Yamba has been producing a good run of bigger fish to 24kg on both lures and live mullet during the slack high water at night.

Iluka Bluff and Lovers Point on the Yamba side have fished very well for jew around the 15kg mark on shallow-running hard-bodied lures, along with ample numbers of chopper tailor around 1kg.

Talking of tailor, these toothy critters finally showed up in good numbers along Main Beach and Back Beach Iluka, with the average fish tipping the scales around 1.4kg and the occasional bigger fish to slightly under 5kg.

Hopefully, tailor hang around this month and don’t do one of their disappearing tricks, because August is one of the best months to see great shoals of pillies move along the coast.

Back in the 1980s, my friends and I would always fish the headlands at Evans Head during August, as huge schools of big mack tuna used to come in to feed on the bait shoals travelling along the rocks.

Snapper, teraglin, sand flathead and the occasional small lost and lonely longtail tuna have kept the offshore brigade happy during the past month and, as long as the sea continues to behave itself, August should fish in a similar vein.

Given all the talk of an early La Niña starting soon, fishing will continue to be a month-by-month or even a week-by-week proposition, so you should be out there making hay while the sun shines, so to speak.

All things being equal, August should see the rivers fish best for bream, luderick and jewfish, while along the headlands and beaches tailor, jewfish and bream will be the most prolific species being taken.

I am yet to pick up a rod in anger this year.

Though I reckon this could be the month I fire up.

But then again, maybe not.

Until next month, safe fishing.

Lismore angler Guy Stewart with a river whaler shark that took his live bait meant for a jewfish inside the Clarence River.