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Rock fishing the Macleay
Brett Kirk | May 2015

Sean Watson a prized Spanish mackerel taken from Hat Head Point.

Thousands of land based anglers head to the Macleay Valley each year to fish the rock ledges for a huge variety of species that seasonally visit our shores. There are many reasons rock fishing is so productive along this area of the mid north coast, however, the close proximity to the continental shelf and the fact that this region is visited by both southern and northern species of fish in huge numbers are 2 leading factors.
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Beach fishing the Macleay
Brett Kirk | May 2015

The author with a nice Smoky Beach mulloway.

Beach fishing is arguably the most popular way of participating in our sport on the NSW mid north coast. The very young to the very old and everyone in between can get in on the action, whether it be soaking a bait, spinning lures or flicking soft plastics from the sandy shores. A 4WD vehicle may be required to access some of the more remote areas, however, plenty of quality fish are located on the doorstep of the villages and populated areas of the Macleay Valley.
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Bass fishing the Macleay
Brett Kirk | May 2015

A healthy bass taken from a shallow gravel area around Kempsey on a spinnerbait.

The Macleay River system originates well inside the Armidale Shire, and flows uninterrupted for nearly 300km to the sea at South West Rocks. A healthy population of Australian bass inhabit a large percentage of this waterway, from the tiny creeks in the upper Macleay to the tidal zones of Kinchela Creek.
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Offshore fishing the Macleay
Greg Clarke | May 2015

Cobia move in during late January and, being quite a mysterious creature, they can pop up just about any where at any time.

The offshore fishing from Crescent Head in the south to Stuarts Point in the north can't be described in just 1 word, as a single superlative doesn't do it justice.
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The weekend is here, the weather is fantastic, and for miracle number 3 the lawn hasn’t grown a millimetre since you mowed it last Saturday. You’ve finally got some free time and what better way to spend it than by heading off for a fish. You start packing the gear and then that inevitable question sounds out from behind you: “Where are you going, daddy?”
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The adjustable Dacron loop
Glen Booth | December 2012

For this we’ll need: 45cm of 130lb Dacron; Black Pete splicing pipe and puller needle to suit the mono and Dacron being used; braid scissors; lighter; dental floss.

Have I just bought my last packet of No 32 rubber bands? I certainly hope so.
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Summer bream tactics
Phil Bennett | December 2011

Some solid bream edge their way up-river during the warmer months. This one, and a few of its mates, had set up camp under a road bridge.

The light nor’-easter is still puffing away but as you spear off the main river and scoot your way up the narrow feeder creek, you’re greeted with kilometres of mangroves and glassy under-cut banks.
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In search of river bass
Mick Wickham | December 2011

Worth coming for: A healthy Macleay River bass.

My mates and I have been fishing together since our early teens. We’ve fished for trout, Murray cod and estuary species.
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The Alvey offshore
Glen Booth | November 2011

‘It’s the Alvey reel that fills the creel’. A nice little morning session on floaters, with the big brute at right weighing in at 9.2kg – the others aren’t bad fish, either!

It’s probably fair to say that most sheds, garages and tackle cupboards in Australia have an Alvey sidecast or two lurking in them. They’re as iconic as football, meat pies, kangaroos and Holden cars, and are definitely our national reel.
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