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Luderick, bream in droves
  |  First Published: May 2012



May is marks peak spawning activity for luderick and bream and the estuary has plague numbers of both.

You don’t have to travel far to find quality fish.

The breakwall at Nelson Bay is just as good as any spot to drift a floating bait on the incoming tide for a big blue-nosed bream. Fresh bait such as mullet fillets or peeled endeavour prawns work –don’t to use heavy line, 8lb is ideal.

It’s standing room only if you want to target luderick as the locals make their daily pilgrimage with their trolleys packed with home-made floats, green weed and sand berley. Luderick over a kilo are being caught but be sure to use a quality fluorocarbon leader.

Further up the estuary it’s much the same but if you’re keen on lure fishing then my suggestion is to fish the rock walls and oyster racks from Soldiers Point to Karuah.

Casting soft plastics hard up against the rocks is a good way of finding quality bream, especially on an in coming tide.

Casting smaller hardbodies over the flooded oyster racks will tempt those larger kilo fish but remember to lock that drag.

BEACHES

If you like fishing the beaches then May is the month for you.

Some solid bream are bouncing up the sand with Fingal, Samurai and Birubi beaches all fishing well early morning and late afternoon. Smaller circle hooks are deadly with cut baits such as mullet fillets and the best part is you can leave the rod in the sand spike and let the fish hook themselves.

With plenty of spawning mullet moving up and down the beaches, it’s no wonder there are predators following them. This month is always good to target larger mulloway and if you can fish a rising tide after dark you’re in with a chance of landing a trophy fish.

Good tailor will also cruise the gutters during the low light periods and it’s just a matter of casting metal lures or using garfish or salted pilchards.

You can catch just about any species from the rocks at the moment; they will be most productive.

Early morning around the outer points such as One Mile and Boat Harbour will yield plenty of tailor with the odd snapper and kingie.

Fresh garfish or brined pilchards tossed into the washes will get plenty, as will metal lures and some of the new hardbodies such as the Maria Duplex or Duel Adagio. Boulder Bay and Fingal are fishing well for Drummer, Bream and Luderick. A little bread berley tossed into the wash will stimulate all three species and encourage others to join in.

OFFSHORE

Offshore fishing is sensational and it looks like being a great Winter for snapper. Signs are looking good with plenty of fish are being caught on the shallow reefs around Fishermans Bay and Boat Harbour.

Anchoring and starting a berley trail is the best way to attract numbers and a fresh slimy mackerel fillet or a pilchard tossed unweighted out the back of your boat will tempt plenty of reds.

The islands are fishing well and you will find kingies chasing garfish along the wash zones. Casting pencil poppers will be an exciting way to tempt a bite.

Out wider, around Allmark Mountain, should be great for jigging kings and also for dropping larger bottom baits on circle hooks for bar cod, snapper and the odd hapuku.

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