Coffs, Snapper, Plastics!

[UNDEROVER]

I've recently moved to the coffs coast, and am in the process of finding some decent/reliable ground for some knobbies. If anyone can steer me in the right direction, it'd be much appreciated!:) I'd be launching from Arrawarra for the most part, as it's close to hand, but as I'm in a 4.5m tinny, long range stuff I'll leave to the bigger boys.
I got out last weekend and after a bit of sounding, found a reasonable rise which had a good show of fish on it. I was east of the closest solitary island to arrawarra (north west solitary I think) and managed a couple of pan sized squire and a handfull of pearlies on a 5 inch stickbait, but none would be regarded as quality fish, but I rounded up a feed on my first trip out, so I was pleased. I guess it would fish better earlier in the morning, as it was about 8.30-9 by the time I got there.
I hope you're all getting a few...

[LandyAndy]

Thanks for a post,she has been very quite here lately.
Hoping to get out on a mates boat in town soon,must catch up with him asap and sort it.
Andrew

[UNDEROVER]

It looked a bit quiet in this forum, so I thought I'd put my 2 cents worth in. How are things in west oz? What's on offer at this time of year? aside from snapper, I had a crack at the tiny estuary popper fishing scenario the other day in Corindi creek, which produced a couple of fairly spectacular strikes, but unfortunately no hookups. Definitely worth more effort I think.

[Disco44]

Thanks for a post,she has been very quite here lately.
Hoping to get out on a mates boat in town soon,must catch up with him asap and sort it.
Andrew

Is it true that they have recently limited the bag limit and where you can fish for WA snapper.They are a truly mouth watering fish. I feel for them on my visits over there.
Cheers,
John ( disco 44 )

[long stroke]

Hey UNDEROVER:)
We live in Woolgoolga just north of Coffs, i do abit of fishin but mainly into the river and rock stuff in my Kayak. my brother is dead keen and he often gets out off Woolgoolga or Arrawarra chasing snapper, mackeral etc in his Kayak.
So i might have to see if he will give away a couple of spots for you:D


CHEERS TIM.

[LandyAndy]

Yes new rules John.
We have just finished a 2 month ban on ALL demersal fishing(Dhuies/snapper ETC ETC).
New rules include bag limit of 2 demersal fish per licenced fisher on the boat.Skipper MUST have the licence,any unlicenced fishers come under his licence.All boats must have on board and use release weights for any demersals being returned to the ocean.
Andrew

[UNDEROVER]

Hey UNDEROVER:)
We live in Woolgoolga just north of Coffs, i do abit of fishin but mainly into the river and rock stuff in my Kayak. my brother is dead keen and he often gets out off Woolgoolga or Arrawarra chasing snapper, mackeral etc in his Kayak.
So i might have to see if he will give away a couple of spots for you:D


CHEERS TIM.

That'd be awesome tim. I'm not after any hard won spots, just a bit of direction to the more productive areas. I guess that there would be a few, but I'm just trying to speed up the process!:) I'm stoked I came away with one half decent spot after the first outing...

[long stroke]

That'd be awesome tim. I'm not after any hard won spots, just a bit of direction to the more productive areas. I guess that there would be a few, but I'm just trying to speed up the process!:) I'm stoked I came away with one half decent spot after the first outing...

No worries, he reckons the best spots in close are off/around any headland south of Arrawara, the bombies off Darkum (darkum bombies), or the reef around North rock, this is just a few.
He is heading out tomorrow morning off woopi so i'll let you know how he go's.
He seems to land the most snapper around Woolgoolga reef and woolgoolga headland, also often gets them around flat top island south of Woolgoolga:)

CHEERS TIM.

[UNDEROVER]

Hey Tim, how's it going?
I've been up in Brissy for the last little while. How'd you bro go? I managed to get out again just before going to Brissy, and managed a keeper trag jew plus a handful of undersized snapper and pearlies for the hour and a half I fished.
The current was a bit hectic, and thus a bit hard getting plastics to the bottom with all but some fairly hefty jig heads. A point of note though, there was an absolutely massive school of bait in the area that arvo, no visible fish chopping, but my plastic got hammered on the wind in after a drift, but no hookup. I guess the macks can't be too far away either at the moment, if they're not getting them already. The water seems a bit cold at the moment though.

Cheers, Matt.

[UNDEROVER]

Well, it's been a while since the first post of this thread and I'm pleased to say that I'm getting a bit more success on the fishing front.
Got my first half decent snapper (measured 80cm) recently about 1km offshore after a couple of bust offs during the year on good fish, so I'm stoked.:D

[bcj]

Nice
what's the ramp like launching from Arrawarra? We've been camping there a few times but I've never taken the tinny, she's only small but I used to put in at Bellambi (wollongong) no worries when we lived down south, unfortunately I'm usually in wife's soft roader when down that way.
Brett

[Matman]

Nice
what's the ramp like launching from Arrawarra? We've been camping there a few times but I've never taken the tinny, she's only small but I used to put in at Bellambi (wollongong) no worries when we lived down south, unfortunately I'm usually in wife's soft roader when down that way.
Brett

Arrawarra is the easiest place to put in on the coast lol.Gets cramped at high tide tho when people are all trying to get there boats back on.

[UNDEROVER]

Nice
what's the ramp like launching from Arrawarra? We've been camping there a few times but I've never taken the tinny, she's only small but I used to put in at Bellambi (wollongong) no worries when we lived down south, unfortunately I'm usually in wife's soft roader when down that way.
Brett


Hey Brett,

various launching areas around the northern beaches are ok. Arrawarra would be the easiest and most protected, but Woolgoolga is quite good and I've been launching in the corner at Sandy Beach when there is either a lot of south in the swell or very little swell at all. Soft roaders should pose no dramas as I've seen Falcons launching at Arrawarra as the sand is hard packed, as is Woolgoolga and Sandy.
I'm fishing out of a 4.5m tinny and have had no problems at all with launching. Mind you, and extendable drawbar helps keep the salt out of your vehicle!
Plenty of close reefs for a small boat to access without too much trouble.;)

[UNDEROVER]

Another trip out with the young bloke this morning, and i got shown up by a 6 year old! :eek:

Fish measured 85cm and weighed just shy of 7.5kgs.

Caught on a 5" gulp in a pillie colour (not sure of the name) and to his credit, all I did was net it.

I wish I had a video camera...

[Pilbara130]

Good to see the young bloke getting into it.Much better than sitting around playing computer games.Good work little falla.
Looks like you have found your self some nice ground.

Dan

[UNDEROVER]

Yep, while his mates are playing computer games, he's outfishing his old man!

The ground though, was actually quite flat. Had a good show of bait on the sounder which was enough for me.
He got a Pearlie about 2kgs straight after that.

Gradually working out a few areas to fish which is nice.

Lots of time on the water though, but "I no complain". :D

[Chenz]

Great stuff. All the big reds I have caught on plastics have not been on ther reefs but on the gravel between reefs.

As for times, 11am and 2pm it doesn't seem to matter. It is the tide that seems to be the influence. Just after the turn - the first hour or two in or out as long as it is moving.

The smile on the young blokes face is worth a million bucks

[UNDEROVER]

I'm also finding that even though you'll catch snapper by finding a show of fish on the sounder, the pattern I'm finding when looking for the larger models is that there is a reasonable bait ball in the vicinity.

Either way, it's all good fun and who could complain when you're catching fish like that within half an hour of leaving the house!

It makes that late arvo session after work all the easier...