Central Coast

CENTRAL COAST Jamie Robley

As has been the case so far this year, the weather is very much a dominant force, which is fishing, which resulted in a handful of average bream, a few tailor and a lone whiting.

WINTER SURF

I’m not going to lie; we are coming into the deadest period of the year have no nervous system, wet feet means freezing and very uncomfortable. So the most logical thing to do when beach fishing in winter is to wear waders.

I used to hear and read things in the past about

The author with a solid lake bream that fell for a small metal vibe. July isn’t one of our best months for bream, but it is known to yield a bigger class of fish. The area adjacent to the boatshed at The Entrance is generally a reliable luderick spot in winter. However, if success doesn’t come your way here, try over on the north side of the bridge, down near the channel mouth or further west in the deeper channels.

Silver trevally are reasonably common at this time of year. This one was caught at Mannering Park, but they can turn up anywhere from Lion Island, throughout Brisbane Waters and along the coastal rocks, beaches and reefs.

directly influencing what happens on the fishing front. After enduring a particularly wet first half of the year, I wouldn’t be alone in wishing for some drier times over the coming months.

Historically, July can either be dry and windy or those dreaded east coast lows cause heavy rains and giant swell. As I type up what you’re reading right now, we’ve just enjoyed a few days of absolutely perfect, sunny weather, which is a rare treat! I took advantage of the conditions to do a spot of beach for fishing, and it can be tough on all fronts as we move through the coming weeks. However, July can still produce the goods at the beach.

It is possible to fish local beaches through the middle of the day and still catch a few bream or maybe a couple of salmon at this time of year. Realistically though, the chance of success is much higher when beach fishing early in the morning or later in the afternoon and into the night. Obviously in July that means you’re going to be cold, and unless you waders being potentially hazardous at the beach. The theory is that if you wade too far into the water or an unexpected wave surges up the beach, water could start pouring into the waders and perhaps drag you into the surf. While that could possibly happen if you’re not careful, the truth is it’s highly unlikely if you remain cautious and simply don’t try to wade into the surf. Our beaches along the Central Coast are much steeper than those along the North Coast and Queensland. This means you don’t have to wade into the surf, you can just walk down towards the surf and cast out. Think of your waders as keeping your feet warm, rather than something that allows you to wade further out. With that sort of thinking you should remain perfectly safe and comfortable.

Tailor and bream have been the mainstay of our beach fishing pretty much since the start of the year, and I would expect this to remain the case this month. I would also expect