February Fishing in NSW
Catching snapper, marlin, dolphinfish and flathead on the New South Wales Coast in summer.
Mid North Coast, New South Wales
Christmas delivered good numbers of table fish, pelagic action and billfish — and the good news is it’s only going to get better. We had catches of dolphinfish, striped marlin and wahoo every day that you could get out to sea due to a hot current of 24°C. Bottom fishing resulted in some great snapper, teraglin and mulloway being caught.
From the back end of February we should see fewer crowds at the ramps, and the dolphinfish will be strong around the Fish Aggregation Devices off Crowdy Head and Forster. Billfish will also be prolific, and we should see decent numbers of spotted and Spanish mackerel from Australia Day onwards. Trolling live slimy mackerel will be the best method for these.
Words: Pete Johnson — Alvey Reels Ambassador, PJ’s Fish’N’Outdoors
South Coast, New South Wales
February is shaping up to be a carbon copy of January, when the recent cyclone activity stirred up the demersal species along the coastal reefs. Snapper in particular went on the chew straight after the storms and big swells. Now the blue water focus is firmly on the arrival of the hot water delivered by the East Australian Current, and the bulk of the striped and baby black marlin that go with it.
As Jervis Bay is one of the closest places on the east coast to the continental shelf edge, it’s not uncommon for land-based anglers to hook marlin on live baits while fishing the deep-water ‘Tubes’ hotspot inside the northern entrance to the bay.
Words: Greg Reid, Pro Lure Australia
Sydney, New South Wales
Small black marlin are pushing south and can now be found surprisingly close to land, including just a few hundred metres offshore. The colourful and tasty dolphinfish were less common in January, despite the hot water pushing down the coast, but some big bulls were reported. Meanwhile, inside the bays and estuaries, flathead have been ignoring the boat traffic and snapping at both bait and lures.
The great flathead fishing inshore will continue, and the whiting will be up on the flats if you want some fun casting tiny poppers. Dolphinfish should now stack up on every fish trap and Fish Aggregation Device (FAD) in big numbers, and striped marlin will hound the offshore baitfish schools.