Weather wise, it’s been a ‘back to winter’ experience over the last few weeks with strong southerly winds, cold rain, and rough seas. The beaches have been flattened out and formations washed away by big seas. It will take a couple of weeks of north easterlies to form up the beaches again – consequently, very little fishing has been done from the beaches and headlands.

The Manning has provided nearly all the action for the past few weeks. Bream to a kilo are still being bagged from the retaining walls at Harrington and Manning Point on baits of mullet, yabbies and prawns. Further upstream bream have been caught on baits and soft plastic lures from around the oyster racks, along the edges of the weed beds, and from the dredge beds up river. At the same time flathead are moving downriver and many have moved into the backwater at Harrington as well as along the shore at Manning Point. Some of the flathead are only just of legal size, however most are in the 38-42 cm range. A few fish up to 70cm have been caught just up river from the mouth of the backwater. Luderick have been fairly quiet during the bad weather but when the wind and rain ceases they will be back on the bite from all parts of the river.

Due to poor conditions, not many fish have been taken from the beaches and rocks. The southern end of Crowdy beach near the surf club has fished well for bream late at night. This area of beach is not affected by the strong southerly winds and when the beach settles down at night – without the disturbance of vehicles, people, and surfers – the bream come on the bite.

Tailor been really scarce, with only a few bagged. However, good catches are being made to the south. Inevitably, these fish must make the move north though, so make the most of them. Big schools of salmon have also been found on beaches to the south, but will migrate north in the next few weeks as well.

Things have also been quiet for the offshore fishos with catches of small to medium snapper making up most of the bags. A few schools of bonito turned up briefly before the southerlies set in but at present nobody is going out to look for them.

November is usually a good time for river fishing with luderick and flathead on the bite from the rock walls and whiting on the sand flats in the mouth of the river. The further you travel up the river, the more bream and luderick appear moving up to the end of the salt water part of the river. Around the rocks, drummer and groper can be caught on cunjevoi and crabs, while tailor will take lures spun from the rocks, and garfish presented on a bobby cork rig. The north easterlies blow fairly consistently at this time of the year so there is usually a fairly calm period from daylight to midday, just before dusk, and into the night.