NSW Fishing Monthly editor Tony Zann’s weekly fishing report
Bruce at Dave’s Bait Shop in Ballina says a few good flathead are turning up in the lower reaches.
The bream numbers are thinning out a little but there are still a few decent fish here and there.
Blackfish are holding on very nicely in their usual haunts from the ferry downstream.
A few whiting moving into North Creek and the lower reaches.
Mud crabs are beginning to move around in the lower river – remember, no traps are allowed downstream of Burns Point, only witches’ hats and dillies.
Beaches have been OK with a lot of salmon around and the odd tailor but whiting and flathead are also starting to turn up.
Offshore has been OK on the wider reefs for snapper and pearlies when the weather allows.
The beaches around Evans Head have been fishing reasonably well for mostly smallish bream along with some better whiting. Salmon have been making pests of themselves and whiting up to 25cm have been found in the guts of those which have been kept.
There are plenty of good beach formations, mainly long gutters with a good smattering of interesting potholes.
I haven’t heard of much from around the rocks at Evans apart from the occasional bream and more salmon.
Offshore catches have mainly been squire, the odd fair red to 8kg and the occasional patch of small trag.
The river has a few bream and blackfish around the walls with small flathead and bream further up.
Tony Zann t.zann@fishingmonthly.com.au
