Mixed Bag in the Surf at Kingscliff

[Daryl McPhee]

I hadn’t been fishing for a while and with some clear skies and light winds – the surf beckoned. Off I went to just over the border into northern NSW and I was confronted with a much larger than anticipated swell. I spent about an hour driving around looking at potential beach formations. I often find that this is a good investment of time. With keen eyes you can often spot the shimmer of fish in the waves and gain an understanding of water movements. There were quite a few formations on the beach, but none were really what I was looking for. Nonetheless, I settled for the first spot that I checked out which was between Kingscliff and Fingal Head.

I had planned chasing big bream and tarwhine, but had also taken my tailor gear along. Things started very slow, but there was little run despite the swell so I was able to drop back to only a 1 ball sinker. This sinker change soon resulted in bites using surf worms and I quickly caught about 10 whiting and 1 dart. Most of the whiting were between 25 and 27 cm and since I was in NSW, they were released, but I did manage a couple of better fish. By this time there were some big dart prancing out wider, but I resisted the urge to put on a heavier sinker as they weren’t the main quarry on this occasion.

On dusk, I got out the tailor gear and whacked out a pilchard. It didn’t really look like good tailor water but you can usually get a chopper or two at dusk in most locations. A few bumps and missed fish before I started to extract some fish from what proved to be a school of very small fish. Only one fish over 35 cm, with most around 30 cm and one about as big as the pilchard. I didn’t even know I had hooked it.

With the cover of darkness and a bit bored with the small tailor it was back to the light gear and some surf worms and I ended up getting what I came for – some nice bream and tarwhine. The best fish was a tarwhine just under a kilo which was great fun on 6lb line and a 4 wrap rod. In the end it was about 5 hours fishing for 5 species in the one gutter.

[Angus]

Nice haul.

I know a little panda heading that way soon so this will be appreciated.

Angus

[crazywalrus]

Well done Darryl - That is a stonker of a Tarwhine, I have never seen one that big.

[Daryl McPhee]

Thanks Crazywalrus. It's a fair bit short of my PB, but they are always fun to catch on 6lb line and I do like eating them.

Thanks Angus. I will probably head back down there myself soon.

[Runty66]

Well done Darryl - That is a stonker of a Tarwhine, I have never seen one that big.

Keen as fisho ( Denis) has seen plenty haha

[Do$tylz]

Awesome. Thanks for that report Daryl. I'm heading down there for 3 days next week with the Mrs and was wondering how the fishing was going on the beaches

Were you just doing the usual in finding a gutter in the surf?

[Daryl McPhee]

I usually put a bit of time in when I can to look and assess the gutters, I generally look for one with a bit of white water and one where you can cast in the vicinity of the outer bank.