DESPITE the freezing westerlies and the clear, cold water in the upper parts of the estuary there have been some good catches of fish in the estuary and on the beaches during the past few weeks.

The 34kg jew caught by Alan McIntosh is an example of the quality of fish being taken in our area. This jew was hooked at 12:20pm on low tide and took an hour and 40 minutes to land. The jew took Alan from the Blue Hut to Abbeys Creek. While playing the fish he saw eight other mulloway swimming along with the hooked fish just behind the break. All the fish were of a similar size, which goes to show there are still some big fish out there. This particular fish was hooked on a size 1 hook and landed on 7kg line.

School jew are still being caught in the lower part of the estuary. Fish to 5kg are being taken on soft plastics at night around the gantry. Luderick are plentiful during the dark nights, as are bream. The oyster leases are top spots to fish with bait and plastics for bream.

In the parts of the river around Taree and up above the bridge there are some nice flathead being taken on plastics, and some bream over the kilo mark have also fallen to the plastic lures. A monster flathead was taken from this area last week on a lure but was not weighed.

Tailor have been scarce on the beaches but the occasional fish has been landed. A fish of 2.5kg was caught from the end of the Sea Wall along with heaps of salmon to 4kg. The beaches are yielding a few bream, plenty of whiting and the occasional school jew on beach worms. By the time you read this the chopper tailor should be pretty thick and the salmon around in droves. October is the best month for big jew in our area. Usually the most fish are caught from the rocks but a few are taken on the beaches, especially around the full moon.

The westerlies have been flattening the sea in close but out wide there have been some considerable swells that have stopped most boats from venturing far afield. On the close-in reefs, jew and big snapper have been taking livebaits of slimies and yellowtail. Anglers fishing on the drift have been picking up good bags of flathead. The surface fish should be here in October and those who like to troll or spin a lure should have plenty of action.

October is a month where so much is happening in the fishing world. Flathead are starting to move down the river, schools of baitfish are pushing into the estuary and bringing with them the tailor and jew, and the water and daytime temperatures are rising. It’s a great time of the year for early morning sessions on the rocks or late afternoons on the beach fishing for a jew. There are plenty of luderick in the estuary for daylight anglers and a few bream for the night anglers.