Autumn fun for Central Coast shore-based anglers

Jamie Robley

Welcome to what should be another cracker month for fishing. We’ve had a pretty good run of things so far this year, and at this stage I see no reason why that shouldn’t continue to be the case. Perhaps the most noticeable difference now is the cooler weather and some rather cold nights.

Tailor numbers are peaking at the moment, and they’ve been consistent for rock and beach anglers in recent weeks. There were plenty of quite small tailor around through March and April, and in past years I’ve experienced these little choppers hanging around right into June. They help to attract predators like kings and jewies, but they can also make a pest of themselves, as bait wasters.

With a bit of luck these little ones will dwindle away, and be replaced by larger tailor.

Bream are also normally in full swing along the beaches and around shallow rocks and points. They inhabit pretty much the same places as tailor, but bream will generally remain in closer and be more willing to feed through the day, whereas tailor are more active around sunset, sunrise and at night.

Although casting baits like pillies, fish flesh, prawns or bread is very reliable for inshore bream right now, they’ll also hit the same lures you catch bream with in the estuaries. The heavier, better casting lures are a better choice than lures that are quite light and don’t cast so well.

Shallow, reefy spots adjacent to beaches, where there is a mixture of rock, sand and whitewash, are the areas to look for. In our part of the coastline, the stretch between Wamberal and The Entrance has more of this shallow reefy structure that’s also accessible. Of course, it pays to be careful when throwing lures around rocky places, as snags can be expensive!

At this time of year there is normally a noticeable drop in ocean temperature. Each year can be different, but typically, we see temps go from 21°C down to 18°C in the lead-up to winter. This encourages mullet and salmon to increase in numbers, while bonito and kingfish may decrease in numbers. It’s also a period when the bigger bonito and kingfish are more commonly encountered close in around our headlands and shallow reefs.

Offshore anglers should hopefully find a few more calm days