Keep an eye on those offshore water temps

South West Rocks

Vic Levett

May started off slow with some large swells, little to no current, dirty water and average fishing. The water temperatures were also down to below 22°C, and the baitfish were scarce to non-existent. The second half improved though; the water clarity came good, the temps were up and it was business as usual, with some great fish available.

Offshore

There have been some good fish landed offshore this past month. May/June are generally transitional months, with the warm water pelagic fish being dictated by what the fickle northern currents bring down.

To target offshore fish this month, you need to keep a close eye on water temperatures as they can fluctuate daily and influence the target species for the day. There can be a late run of run of wahoo and yellowfin

The last of the spotted mackerel and the odd Spanish mackerel are nearly always encountered in the month of June.

Snapper are definitely my target fish this month, and casting soft plastics such as the Berkley 7” Gulps on the inshore reefs has got to be the best way to secure a trophy fish. A long 20lb leader and jigheads of around 3/8oz in weight cast around the any inshore reef holding baitfish is the key. The prime bite time, as per usual, is the chilly dawn and cooling dusk period for the shallows. When the sun is at its highest, it’s time to move to deeper water.

A light berley trail and floating baits back such as pilchards is another awesome way to target these offshore favourites.

Out in the deeper water there will be plenty of trag, pearl perch and snapper this month. Local charter boat Sea Scout has been consistently scoring plenty of delicious table fish out in

Big cobia are also on the cards, and this time last year, we (Oceanhunter Sportsfishing) landed a 34kg fish out in 70m.

Mahimahi are also on the cards, so long as the DPI FADs haven’t been removed for winter.

Estuary

The Macleay River has been fishing really well of late. The mullet run has commenced, and the mulloway won’t be too far behind. The odd trophy jewie has already been taken, but the majority are the smaller school fish to around 90cm. Live mullet and herring have been their undoing, with the local estuary charter boat

Beaches

Even though the swell has been large and consistent, some incredible fishing has been taking place. Mitch from MDC tours has landed some outstanding fish of late, including snapper to over 90cm, longtails to 22kg and some line-burning sharks, all taken land-based and off the sand. Mitch has just started his business and can be contacted via Outdoor Adventure SWR. Mitch has perfected targeting big fish with drones, and can give clients the experience of a lifetime: doing battle with a big fish with your feet firmly placed in the sand.

to cunje fished in a bread berley trail. Tailor have been thick but mostly undersized. The larger ones have been taken off the beaches.

Mulloway are also a great target at this time of year. We have landed some great fish on soft plastics fished into the evening off the local rock ledges.

tuna around Fish Rock, and in June the longtail tuna become more prevalent across all of the inshore reefs. Kingfish are also on the improve, and hopefully the ever-hungry sharks move off with the cooler water temps, allowing us to finally land a whole fish.

islands fish well for Spanish mackerel late in the season, so consider fishing a bit wider if you’re targeting Spaniards.

As the pelagics head back north, we will start to see a greater focus on bottom fishing, with the number one target being snapper. From the 80m reefs to right into the headlands, some big snapper will start to be on the move, so dust off the plastics and floatline gear and have yourself a ball on our local snapper.

Kingish, amberjack, pearl perch, trag and tuskies will all start to fire up now it’s June, so there’s plenty of fun and food to be had despite the frosty starts!

70m of water. Deep dropping the shelf now that the currents are slowing has also been productive. ‘Big Fish’ Brad and Jacky Ginger have been scoring gemfish, John Dory, bar cod and perch in 170m on a recent trip.

(Estuary Charters South West Rocks) scoring plenty of school mulloway, bream and flathead drifting the walls with their clients.

The Jew Bite and the Tavern have been producing for the land-based guys. Jerseyville Bridge is also a great land-based location.

The blackfish are chewing, which is good news. Zane Levett has been scoring up to a dozen a session, drifting weed flies under a float with the incoming high tide.

A few mangrove jack to 60cm have also been captured this past month in the river, along with plenty of ravenous bream.

The headlands will also be productive in June, with drummer and bream falling

June is arguably one of the best months for offshore snapper and estuary mulloway. Luderick and bream are abundant, the whiting are hungry and the flathead are bulking up for the winter. While the mornings are chilly, the days are warm and mostly calm. It’s a great time to take advantage of the low crowds and go fishing on the Mid North Coast.