Central Coast

Keep fishing flexible

CENTRAL COAST Jamie Robley

Amazingly, the year is heading towards the finishing line. Fingers crossed, we still have plenty of good fishing to squeeze in before it’s over. December is tailor, bream, whiting and mulloway. The inshore water temperature at the time of writing is about 19°C, which is a pretty good temp for most species.

One of the biggest problems we’ve endured this year, aside from too much rain, is big swell. As far as enough calmer weather and safer sea conditions over the coming weeks to allow us to enjoy a bit of rock fishing. The two main styles of rock fishing that are likely to bring success this month are casting a whole pilchard on ganged hooks for tailor and salmon, or dropping baits close in

The author with a late season silver trevally that took a soft plastic aimed for flathead. Although trevally are more of a winter species, you can still encounter them here in almost any month of the year.

normally one of our better months here, so let’s take a closer look at the local situation.

Just before sitting down to type up this month’s column, I got out for a quick fish at the beach this morning. The period from 30 minutes before sunrise, to about two hours after sunrise produced half a dozen salmon and a few other missed bites, which I’m also assuming were salmon. That’s very typical of fishing the surf zone along our local beaches for this time of year. A few sambos may linger on through this month, but should be joined by more fishing goes, it makes things difficult for beach fishing, but if you’re into rock fishing then it can totally wipe out any fishing plans altogether. We do have quite a few sheltered bays and beach corners that allow for safe and productive rock fishing if the seas are a bit on the rough side, but unfortunately, a lot of the big swell we’ve had this year is the really big, bad stuff. So I wouldn’t alone in feeling a bit ripped off by a lack of good rock fishing opportunities along our home patch this year.

However, I’m reasonably confident that there will be the washes for luderick or drummer. The odd bream and trevally may also move in to take a bait this month as well. A few smaller kingfish and early season bonito are also very possible at the deeper ledges like South Avoca, Wybung or Snapper Point. Keep an eye on water temperature charts, and if the water right on the coast is up around 20°C then head out with some heavier lure casting tackle or live baiting gear. December is still a bit early to expect red hot action, and I wouldn’t get too serious about this sort of fishing until next Bream have been very active throughout the lakes and Brisbane Waters lately, and this should continue. A wide variety of baits and lures will interest bream at this time of year.

month, but it’s certainly worth going if conditions and sea temperatures seem favourable.

Offshore fishing can be a mixed bag this month and once again, it largely depends on ocean currents, temperature and weather conditions. Thankfully, technology these days means we’ve got a much better idea of weather and ocean currents than the old days, but fishing is still fishing, which means it’s not always a sure bet. All going well though, keep an eye out for kingfish and bonito closer in over the shallower reefs and adjacent to the main headlands and bommies. If that sort of fishing isn’t working then try baits for snapper, trevally and other bottom species around the

Flathead should be very cooperative this month. This 60cm fish fell to a small vibe worked over the shallows while the author was targeting bream.

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