Central Coast

CENTRAL COAST Jamie Robley

Let’s not beat around the bush – we’ve now landed on what is typically the toughest month for fishing in our part the ocean is at its coldest right now and there’s a good chance of plenty of wind this month.

However, it’s not all doom and gloom. By keeping a close eye on weather forecasts and choosing the right species to

The author has been catching plenty of drummer in recent weeks, although they’ve mainly been smaller fish just under the 30cm size limit.

of the country. Despite a bit more sunlight creeping into the days and a hint of warmth here and there, chase, it’s still quite possible to enjoy some decent fishing and even score a feed to bring home. So let’s take a look at some of the more logical options to pursue in the coming weeks.

Rock fishing may not be for everyone, however it’s certainly one of the more reliable options at this time of year for simply catching a feed. Bream have been around in pretty decent numbers for a few months now. While August isn’t normally considered a great month for bream, the local rock ledges are quite likely to yield a few over the coming weeks. The better rock spots for bream along our stretch of coastline are the lower, more broken reef and boulders adjacent to a beach. The beach could be one of the main long ones or just a smaller beach between headlands. Whatever the case, bream definitely prefer to be close to a sandy bottom, rather than kelp or gravel. Shallow, more sudsy water is also generally preferred over the deeper spots.

Drummer are another traditional winter rock fishing species here. I’ve seen lots of smaller to mid-sized drummer this year, with no shortage of fish just under the legal size of 30cm. Despite them being a bit too small to take home to eat, they still go hard for their size and provide a bit of entertainment between bigger fish. Drummer also like the churned-up water and aren’t afraid of the shallows.

The third of the trio is the luderick. They can be found in exactly the same spots as bream and drummer and it’s certainly quite common to catch all three species in the same place, using the same techniques. However, luderick are often targeted separately by using green cabbage or weed baits.

Drummer will quickly devour a green cabbage bait and the very occasional bream on cabbage does happen, but smaller pest fish like toads are far less likely to take the bait. So if you’re finding the pickers and pests a bit too annoying when using baits like prawns, cunje or bread, tie on a smaller hook and swap over to the green stuff. It can often be a way of turning an average session into a good one.

At this time of year other fish that may show up around our rock ledges are tailor, silver trevally, snapper, groper and of course salmon. However, to give yourself the best chance of just catching something decent to eat, I’d strongly advise sticking to bream, drummer and luderick as the main target and fishing the shallow, washy spots, without trying anything too advanced or challenging.

BEACH SALMON

If you’ve got a pair of waders (or your nervous system isn’t connected to your feet), I’d also be inclined to head to the beach and chase salmon this month. A simple formula of whole pilchards pinned to a set of ganged more adventurous may prefer to cast lures from the sand. While pillies are normally the best bet overall, lures are certainly more convenient, less messy and can be highly effective at times.

At this time of year, our beaches can either be pretty dead or the sambos can move into the gutters in good numbers. I have also run into jewfish, bream, trevally and some quite solid tailor during August in years gone by. For that reason, if you’re not a great fan of salmon, don’t neglect the beaches altogether.

Perhaps the two toughest arenas this month are offshore and within the estuaries. Each year is different and hopefully this August isn’t too bad, but I’ve certainly seen the entire month be wiped out with strong westerly winds.

My overall tips this month are to keep things simple,

From page 64

these fish, and some of them are moving into Salts Bay and down as far as Swansea Bridge during the high tide. They’re big salmon too, up to 3.5kg.

Fishing in a bit of current seems to produce more bites, perhaps because it carries the scent of your bait. In the deeper water we’re seeing some really good fishing, with some nice snapper, long-fin perch, and quite a few kingfish south of Swansea down towards Norah Head. Most are caught on a paternoster rig baited with pillies and squid in 90-100m of water. I use squid on one hook and a pilly on the other, because the soft pilly creates a natural berley while the squid stays on the hook better.

Some fish are caught during the day, but a lot more snapper are caught late in the afternoon, from around 4pm onwards. It’s a similar story in the shallows. Yes, you can do well fishing early in the morning, but the sun rises quickly so the bite window is shorter.

Some of the deepwater areas such as the Farm have yielded some nice snapper, but leatherjackets can be a problem. These pests will become more numerous this month, so you’ll have to move around to get away from them.

Another unwelcome species that’s started to arrive off our coast is the dreaded barracouta, which are getting caught in both shallow and deep water. The only good thing about them is that they make good strip baits due to their oily flesh. They will head back down the coast when the water warms, usually in September.

Fishing along the beaches has been yielding plenty of salmon, tailor and a few bream. In the coming weeks the salmon numbers will increase along our beaches as the westerly winds kick into gear.

Rock fishing along our coastline in August is generally good because of the prevailing westerlies. This month anglers will enjoy some good black drummer fishing, along with luderick and bream, and the action will continue in September. Drummer fishing is very exciting, because these great sportfish are very determined, dirty fighters that like nothing better than burying you in the rocks. The best eating size drummer is around 45-50cm; the big 3kg models are fun to catch but they aren’t very good on the plate.

Black drummer need a bit of white water and a bit of swell (just make sure the conditions are safe). You have to berley quite hard, with bread or laying pellets. My favourite bait is white bread, followed by peeled prawns. I use a small ball sinker direct to a double strength 1-1/0 hook, such as a Mustad Big Gun. If you use hooks that aren’t double strength, they will be straightened by bigger drummer.

White bread kneads well around the hook, and prawns really suit that style of hook too. Prawns can produce a bycatch of bream and trevally and even luderick at times.

You don’t have to cast far to catch drummer; you just lob your bait into the wash, and let the water push it around. You do lose a bit of year, but that’s par for the course in a snaggy location like this. Some anglers fish with floats, but a sinker straight on the hook is my preferred away to go. It means a lot less rigging, and it lays naturally, freely washing in and out of the shallows and wash.

When it comes to timing, my pick is the high tide, where you tend to get a bit more water pushing up in the gutters. If you can time that with late afternoon, so much the better. We’ve also done well fishing for them off the rocks at night, but I don’t recommend that unless you’re an experienced rock fisher. ILLEGAL

FISHER CAUGHT

Last month, multiple anglers contacted DPI Fisheries to report a man catching huge quantities of tailor. He was illegally anchored on the seaward size of the bridge, poling in piles of tailor over several nights. Fisheries watched him, and then waited for him at the ramp. He was caught with 67 tailor, and will have to front court and face a hefty fine.

Some anglers think there’s no point in reporting suspected

A nice kingfish caught out wide on a trip with Sandy Bottom Boat Charter. Image

courtesy of @sandybottomboatcharter.

illegal fishing, assuming that Fisheries officers won’t respond. However, it’s always worth reporting what you see, because the offender may well be caught. Reporting is anonymous and doesn’t take long. You can either call the hotline on 1800 043 536 or Google ‘NSW illegal fishing’ to fill out an online form. • Fisherman’s Warehouse Tackle World has a large range fresh and frozen bait as well as a huge range of rods, reels, lures and accessories. They also sell and service outboard motors, and have a competitively-priced selection of new and second-hand boats. The friendly staff are all experienced local anglers, and they’re always happy to share their knowledge, whether you’re a novice or experienced angler. Drop in for a chat at 804 Pacific Highway, Marks Point, or give them a call on (02) 4945 2152. You can also find them on Facebook, or check out their website at www. fishermanswarehouse.com.au.

A nice catch for the dinner table. Although August can be a very tough month for fishing in this part of the country, it’s still possible to bring home a feed from the local rock ledges.

Rock fishing is generally a reliable way of scoring a few fish this month. The main problem is timing your outing with the right weather and sea conditions. Persistent westerlies can make the seas too flat and calm one week, and then huge ground swell may flog the coast the next.

hooks is the most reliable form of attack, particularly early in the morning or later in the afternoon while the tide is rising. Of course, the fish early or late in the day with good bait and target the more abundant species like bream, drummer, luderick and salmon.