EASTER is traditionally a time for the family to gather and to organize a seafood platter in the middle of the table. Fish are always a favourite; however, this year think about a tray of local crabs and oysters. The time is right as cracker muddies and blue swimmer crabs are tap dancing throughout the […]
Macquarie River champion Michael Reid with a cracker 60cm cod.
HAVING recently hosted a game fishing tournament in Port Stephens – involving big boats, big fish, marlin and sharks – I thought of how different it was to fishing in the bush, west of the Great Divide. We recently motored out of Fingal Bay, headed for the western town of Warren, where the plan was […]
Whiting to 40cms caught on Stockton Beach.
THERE is always debate over the best eating fish. Which fish performs best in the kitchen? To my mind it is hard to beat the tropical fish from the far north of the country – Coral Trout, Red Emperor, Mangrove Jack and others. Locally, my preference is for Snapper, Pearl Perch, flathead and whiting. All […]
MUD crabs, that rely on mangrove areas for protection and food, are pretty weird customers, with an extraordinary lifecycle. Few are aware that female mud crabs leave the estuary system for the open ocean where she releases up to five million fertilised eggs, in 20-40 metres depth of water offshore. The tiny beginnings of crabs […]
George Trinkler knows where all the snapper hide.
SO, you want to catch a snapper. There are many ways to do this, but I will tell you how I do it. The very first question to ask is: where do snapper gather? The best snapper fisher in the world will not catch a fish where they are not. Perfect underwater habitat for ‘reddies’ […]
The regatta developed into a huge social gathering with some families staying on the lake for up to a month.
OLD timers may recall the great days of the Annual Mungo Brush Regatta. Nestled in a protected corner of the Myall Lakes, on the eastern shore of the Broadwater, Mungo Brush was the perfect setting for the regatta conducted by the Port Stephens Regatta Club since 1903. As documented by Publicity Officer Tim Motum the […]
A typical Outer Light snapper.
IT seems to me that every time I go fishing in “Stinkpot” there is a story to tell. Something happens that has not happened during any of my numerous excursions out into the wild water off the Point Stephens Outer Lighthouse. Recently a solid southerly wind kicked in, building what was a flat sea into […]
Whiting arrive for the party.
FEBRUARY. You beauty! Peace, warm water, lonely beaches, deserted boat ramps and heaps of fish! This month must rate as my most favoured time of the year on the water. I’ve been in hibernation since mid-December when I am quite comfortable handing the local fishing grounds over to our holiday visitors and weekend warriors. 2025 […]
NPSGFC’s Sean Leeman and Noah Tubman featured on Junior Team Tantrum at the annual Garmin Billfish Shootout.
TWO of Port Stephens finest young anglers experienced a huge thrill when they competed in the prestigious Garmin Billfish Shootout last weekend. Sean Leeman and Noah Tubman demonstrated their fishing prowess against world class anglers in Australia’s premier game fishing competition. The outstanding duo from the Newcastle and Port Stephens Game Fish Club (NPSGFC) were […]
Just one of the cracker flatheads landed by the Coles boys.
IN THIS port there are many champion fishers, some are specialists in one or two species of fish – snapper, mulloway, kingfish and all the others. Only a very few local recreation fishers can lay claim to catching anything that moves. Lemon Tree’s Wayne Coles is one such champion. There is nothing that swims that […]
