Coffs Coast

COFFS COAST Rob Taylor

Despite La Niña’s best efforts to stifle early summer fishing on our part of the coast, the waters recent floods.

In the saltwater creeks and rivers, the jacks have turned up right on cue, with red devils being caught from snags in the upper reaches to the rock walls and bridge pylons down around the dropping out wider. There have been plenty of kingfish around the islands with the majority being rats. The occasional bigger model has been cruising under the rats.

Further out and the gamefishing season has

Rhea Taylor with a beautiful mahimahi taken from fish traps.

around Coffs have been producing some pretty consistent bite windows for those willing to put in the time. From bass up in the hills to marlin out beyond the continental shelf, it’s actually been a solid start to summer.

With the bass season now in full swing and the cod rivers officially opened, it’s been a great time to be in the sweet water hunting natives. The Clarence has been on fire, and rivers such as the Mann, Nymboida and Bobo are now all open and hopefully returning to fishable levels following mouths. The mangrove jack bite will pick up as we head into Christmas, so now’s the time to bag a jack if that’s your thing. Big flatties have also been taken on the flats now the water is warming up, and there are plenty of summer whiting also falling to baits and lures.

Offshore has seen a cracking start to summer, with several species really turning it on for boaties. Snapper have been consistent although we haven’t seen many huge fish coming over the sides, and pearlies and trag have both been filling fish boxes for anglers bottom started strong, with most boats raising billfish when the weather permits. I’ve already boated a few stripes and had an epic 3-hour struggle with a 180kg+ blue that won the day in the end. Hooking it on a mackerel rod didn’t help.

Let’s take a look at what’s on offer for December.

CREEKS, RIVERS

AND ESTUARIES

As mentioned, the fish on everyone’s lips at the moment is jacks. Plenty of local fishos wait in anticipation for summer to arrive so they can target mangrove jacks, and the There should be some solid reds around over the Christmas new moon period.

local creeks and marina are good places to start. Floating live mullet or casting lures into snags will find jacks, and also drifting the break walls with bait or lures will no doubt turn up some fish. Other man-made haunts such as the local marina and Urunga train bridge at night is a sure-fire way to find them, and I find the larger fish tend to come from these places. Live baits are deadly.

Also worth targeting at this time of year are big flathead and whiting. Quite often these two species will be in the same area: sand flats. I like to drift with a live yabby behind the boat

There have been some epic striped marlin captures already this season. Expect this to continue throughout December.

while I work a lure for flathead. This allows you to cover ground and have a presentation out for both species. Big glide baits will also prove deadly this month for big female flathead, but please remember the rules on these precious fish.

In the freshwater, recent flooding put a pause on what had been an epic bass season start. So many big fish were taken, and it was great to see a lot of people getting their PBs before the rain hit. It’s anyone’s guess as to how the fishing will be now that the rivers have receded, but these are resilient fish and you just have to find where they’ve moved to. The Nymboida and Mann rivers are now open so there’s plenty of good water available to get out amongst them. ROCKS AND BEACHES

Aside from bread-andbutter species such as bream and whiting, our local rocks and beaches are generally quiet at this time of year as the winter fishing dies down and the summer run starts to kick into gear. You’ll still find tailor and jewfish but you might need to work for them. At the time of writing, the solid run of mid-size mulloway was showing no signs of slowing down off our beaches, and I daresay these fish will still be here through December.

The exciting news is that by the end of this month it will be time to dust off the LBG gear, change the aerator batteries and get ready for the pelagics. I, for one, can’t wait for this time of year to roll around and bring with it pods of longtails cruising the local headlands. OFFSHORE

The big news offshore this month will be the start of the gamefishing season proper. There have been plenty of blue and striped marlin action out wide, and we can expect the little blacks to start moving in to our part of coast and hang around the bait schools. Look for big schools of balled-up bait on the sounder and slow troll bridle-rigged slimies for blacks, ranging in size from 20kg to 80kg.

There’s usually a good run of snapper in the lead-up to Christmas, so don’t overlook reds in close and with a little bit of luck we should see the first spotted mackerel and Spanish mackerel caught before the man in the big red suit arrives.

On that point, I wish you all a safe and merry Christmas with lots of fun and fishing. See you in the New Year!

Lachy Sullivan with a huge bass.