Locals taking on the torpedoes

PORT STEPHENS

Paul Lennon

May would have to be my favourite month of the year to fish the waters of Port Stephens. It’s a real crossover period, with many winter species overlapping with summer fish.

In the bay, longtail tuna are still a real possibility, especially in the first half of May. Regardless of what mac tuna are also feeding in these same areas, and can provide great fun on light gear while you wait for the big boys to show up.

Flathead in the bay are starting to slow down but it’s still worth fishing for them around North Arm Cove, Tilligerry Creek and Tahlee areas.

May is probably the best month of the year to chase bream inside the bay, with big numbers along the rock walls and oyster racks around

Bay and the Anchorage break wall will be hot spots for them.

Fishing the tide change is the key to catching luderick, with the first of the run-out tide being the prime fishing time.

BEACHES game begins.

Some really nice bream have been coming from Fingal and Samurai beaches, with fish over 1kg being taken on worms and pipis, as well as some clunker whiting.

Spinning off these same ledges with smaller lures around the 20-30g mark is a great way to get connected to some smaller pelagics such as bonito and tailor.

Drummer will start to become more prevalent over the next few months around the white water, and be eager to eat a well-presented, lightly weighted peeled prawn or chunk of cunjevoi.

OFFSHORE you’re chasing at this time of the year, it can pay off to always have a 30lb casting rod rigged up with a stickbait or 30g metal lure ready to cast, because longtail tuna have a habit of erupting when you least expect them.

Outside it’s still a live baiting lucky dip, especially on the shallow ocean reefs and headlands. Longtail tuna, mac tuna, cobia, kingfish, snapper or even a late season black marlin are all within the realm of possibility at this time of year.

Snapper will be a good target late in the afternoon and early in the morning on the inshore reefs, with both soft plastic lures and bait fishing techniques working well.

The inshore marlin have slowed down after an incredible season, but the shelf is still producing a few striped marlin, with charter boats averaging a few shots a day.

The best areas to target them are around The Anchorage rock wall through to Middle Island. Bird activity is the greatest indicator of where to concentrate your efforts.

Smaller pelagics such as frigate mackerel, bonito and to head out this month, and some good long periods of stable weather. This makes it easier to plan ahead, so fuel or time won’t be wasted. Kingfish should be found close in over the coming weeks, but that’s not to say that heading out to the deeper jigging grounds won’t be productive. Snapper are another species that can be found closer or wider this month, and of course there are other species to consider, depending on your personal preference. I’d probably recommend chasing kingfish more than anything else this month though.

Soldiers Point and Tea Gardens areas. Anchoring up in these parts at high tide, casting unweighted nippers or prawns down a berley trail is super effective way to fish for bream. Alternatively, if you’re lure fishing, slowly cover ground with your electric motor casting either hardbodied crank-style lures or lightly weighed 1-2” plastics.

Luderick will really start to move into the bay this month, and the Tomaree Torpedo Tubes and Nelson

The lakes begin to slow down a bit from now on, as the shallow water cools down with the air temperature. Brisbane Waters takes longer to cool down as we come in to winter, because it’s deeper and is more influenced by the tides pushing in sea water. For the angler, this largely means that this month Brisbane Waters can be a bit more reliable to fish than Tuggerah Lakes.

Having said that, The Entrance and the lower reaches of Wyong and Ourimbah can still provide first-rate fishing for bream with baits or lures.

While most local anglers would generally consider

Late afternoons have been producing tailor along Fingal and Box Beach. Whole pilchards or gar rigged on gang hooks are the best way to catch them.

ROCKS

Longtail tuna continue to be caught from the ocean headlands such as Sunny Corner and Tomaree, as well as a few mac tuna and prized cobia. The preferred method for this style of fishing is a live yellowtail or slimy mackerel suspended under a float – and then the waiting

Brisbane Waters or Lake Macquarie to house bigger bream, I can assure you that Tuggerah Lakes also holds some very good bream at times. You just have to be patient and sift through the smaller fish in the lakes.

Luderick, flathead, whiting and tailor are also likely to be encountered at The Entrance, and we shouldn’t forget that May is also normally one of the better months for jewfish in Brisbane Waters.

All in all, this is a very good month for a variety of species. Just be prepared for the cooler temperatures and enjoy the nice, stable sunny days when they come.