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12-08-2012, 09:04 AM
Left Fiji and then went to a wedding in Sydney. We stayed there a few days and then rented a car and drove up to Nelson Bay, about 200 miles north.
http://fishinghotpage.com/images/tmp/aus3.jpg
The area is known for marlin and dorado but also has a decent inshore fishery. We get there and get a room at the Nelson Bay motor lodge, right next to the harbor. I tell manager Tom that I want to do some fishing. He says he knows a few spots and breaks out a map and starts giving directions. Being new to the area and a "Yank" (short for Yankee, what Aussies call americans) he could tell I was a little confused so he says, "Tell you what mate, hop in my car and I'll show you all of the spots so you won't waste time." So we go for a ride and he gives us a tour of the bay - very cool people. Next stop was the tackle store and the guy says the best spot is the jetty surrounding the harbor. He says bream is the common catch and starts setting me up with some small hooks, bobbers and prawns. I'm thinking ok, but I want something bigger than a perch so I ask "what else is caught from the jetty?" He says sometimes the kingfish run through and points to a fish on the wall which looks exactly like a yellowtail. "You can also get a mullaway sometimes at night" and points to a fish that looks like a white seabass. I tell him "I want that!" so he sets me up with some larger hooks and frozen squid. I'm like "really"? He says "yeah they will eat squid but it's better if you can catch a live bait" so I get a few sabiki rigs as well.
Well, long story short I fished there for 3 days and nights and managed only a few perch and one legal "Bream" which looked like a tilapia. We bbq'd it with a couple of steaks, asparagus and potatoes from the market and it was delicious! I did see the "kingies" come through one evening. They boiled around on the baitfish and splashed up right next to the rocks but didn't want my squid or live perch that I caught. They were around 10-15 pounds each. I bet an LC would have got one!
http://fishinghotpage.com/images/tmp/aus2.jpg
http://fishinghotpage.com/images/tmp/aus1.jpg
http://fishinghotpage.com/images/tmp/aus3.jpg
The area is known for marlin and dorado but also has a decent inshore fishery. We get there and get a room at the Nelson Bay motor lodge, right next to the harbor. I tell manager Tom that I want to do some fishing. He says he knows a few spots and breaks out a map and starts giving directions. Being new to the area and a "Yank" (short for Yankee, what Aussies call americans) he could tell I was a little confused so he says, "Tell you what mate, hop in my car and I'll show you all of the spots so you won't waste time." So we go for a ride and he gives us a tour of the bay - very cool people. Next stop was the tackle store and the guy says the best spot is the jetty surrounding the harbor. He says bream is the common catch and starts setting me up with some small hooks, bobbers and prawns. I'm thinking ok, but I want something bigger than a perch so I ask "what else is caught from the jetty?" He says sometimes the kingfish run through and points to a fish on the wall which looks exactly like a yellowtail. "You can also get a mullaway sometimes at night" and points to a fish that looks like a white seabass. I tell him "I want that!" so he sets me up with some larger hooks and frozen squid. I'm like "really"? He says "yeah they will eat squid but it's better if you can catch a live bait" so I get a few sabiki rigs as well.
Well, long story short I fished there for 3 days and nights and managed only a few perch and one legal "Bream" which looked like a tilapia. We bbq'd it with a couple of steaks, asparagus and potatoes from the market and it was delicious! I did see the "kingies" come through one evening. They boiled around on the baitfish and splashed up right next to the rocks but didn't want my squid or live perch that I caught. They were around 10-15 pounds each. I bet an LC would have got one!
http://fishinghotpage.com/images/tmp/aus2.jpg
http://fishinghotpage.com/images/tmp/aus1.jpg