For an angler, the mid-north and north coasts of NSW has just about everything; which is a big drawcard for me.
Summertime is lure time, with Bass, Mangrove Jacks, Flathead, Bream and Whiting being favourite targets. Autumn means warm water and Mackerel, Wahoo and Marlin. And then there’s winter, whom many would argue provides the best fishing of the year.
The sweltering humidity of January and February has left us and the warmth of autumn turns to cool, and sometimes coldish mornings with offshore winds and fog spewing onto the ocean through coastal valleys. Mid-mornings see the removal of long sleeves and beanies until later in the day. Sunny sheltered spots might even need an angler to keep their fluids up. Southerners rag us out if we complain about the cold “What are you talking about, this isn’t cold” they say with a grin! Victorians seem particularly comfortable with our winter weather.
Winter is the time when the autumn run of tropical sportfish are replaced by a variety of southern species, which to a fault, all taste great to someone. Luderick: bled, filleted, skinned and boned in light batter; Tailor: bled, filleted and smoked in hickory or banksia chips; Snapper: ike jime’, bled, iced, filleted and
