Footy Poms Get Fine Fish Feed

Newcastle Herald

Friday November 7, 2008

Fishing Simon Walker

A SCRUM of England rugby league players warmed up for tomorrow night's World Cup clash with New Zealand at EnergyAustralia Stadium with a spot of fishing off Newcastle yesterday.

Fishing with Trevor Notley on his Sandy Bottoms charter boat, the boys set up off Bar Beach and got some trag and snapper before shifting out to the Dumping Ground to chase squire.

Lock forward Kevin Sinfield, second-rower Ben Westwood, hooker Mickey Highan, back-rower Jamie Langley and second-rower Jamie Jones-Buchanan made up the all-forwards fishing party.

"We've got a day off today, so we thought we'd have a crack," Kevin Sinfield said.

"It's the first time I've been fishing like this we don't really get the chance back home.

"We've all caught a few. It's been good, we've all caught some different fish."

The boys revelled in the perfect conditions off sunny Newcastle yesterday morning.

"Hopefully we'll catch enough for the team," Kevin announced ambitiously.

"We started off like a house fire, but we've a long ways to go before we get there."

The good people back at Wests Executive Inn, where the England team is staying, were on standby to cook the catch when the boys got back.

"They've done well," skipper Trevor Notley said.

"They've been using a mix of prawns and pillies. Ben's absolutely cleaned up."

Trev reports that last week, despite rough conditions, he got seven very handy snapper off Merewether.

Cup dramas

CHRIS Weeks took out the annual Fishermans Warehouse Melbourne Cup fishing tournament on Tuesday.

CJ, as he prefers to be known, nailed a flathead, bream and whiting to back up his pre-match boast that, "I've got more chance of beating you blokes, even if I was fishing in a puddle".

Jason "One For" Nunn hooked a couple of bream and the odd tailor was spotted too, but the big drama came from a late-charging Luke Lea.

Too late, that is.

Luke ran amok in Belmont Bay, catching 14 whiting from 27 cm to 33 cm, one bream and two flathead (one was a 70 cm female which was released), but failed to make the 1pm cut-off and was disqualified.

Penny ante

GEOFF "Kanga" Ruse, from Freddy's Fishing World, reports a couple of marlin were caught way out wide last week, but nothing major.

"I've had at least three reports of marlin taken at least 40 miles off Port Stephens," Kanga said yesterday. "Been a few tuna around, up to 30 kg, but not any albacore.

"Anglers have been getting snapper off the islands off Port Stephens up to 2 kg. And there's plenty of kingies to be got with knife jigs. The trick with the kingfish is to find any deep reef in the 80- to 110-metre depth range, locate a bait school and jig through them.

"It's been dynamite, anywhere from Port Stephens to Sydney on reefs in this range."

Lake Macquarie Game Fishing Club president Neil Grieves reports a few LMGFC boats ventured to the Shelf last weekend but found no birdlife, no bait and no fish, and were back to base by 2pm.

"Everybody's watching their pennies at the moment so activity has been down," Neil reported yesterday.

Follow the sharks

JASON "One For" Nunn reports there's plenty of flathead in the channel and lake taking lures and bait.

Tailor have been patchy, but to find them, just look for the sharks which have been seen in Belmont Bay and around the Swansea flats.

Moon shines

"THE Moonwalker from Maitland", Pat Walker, got another 30 kg-plus mulloway through the week in Newcastle Harbour.

Trevor Notley, meanwhile, reports another angler landed a 28 kg mulloway in the harbour last Saturday.

Expect more big jewies in the next couple of weeks as the moon cycle kicks in.

Joint's jumpin'

NEWCASTLE Harbour is alive with bream and they're biting on lures.

Hard-body lures like the Chubby, Attack and Camion have been very effective, as have the vibrating-style lures like the Sonic Booms and TT Switchblades.

If you're into vibe lures, give the newly released Jazz Rayza a go. It's quite heavy, so you can throw them a mile and they vibrate like crazy.

Alluring trip

MARTIN Belk escaped up the Williams River in canoes last weekend with Aleks Todoroski and Russell Reynolds, and had an absolute blinder.

"We launched Saturday morning, and between that time and Sunday afternoon we genuinely landed 100 fish between us," Martin reported yesterday.

"Several more threw the hooks, and the best fish were up around the 38 cm mark.

"We only kept three fish in total for the campfire Saturday night in amazing surroundings despite the poor weather forecast for that weekend, the overcast conditions suited lure casting perfectly and the water was warm as well, around 20 degrees.

"Hard-bodied lures worked best, including deep divers and sinking lures. The only downside was losing a good rebel lure to an eel around 3 kg!"

Reports of 50 cm-plus bass have been coming out of both Lake St Clair and Glenbawn Dam this week.

The Williams, Paterson and Allyn rivers have also been fertile.

The fish out of the Paterson and Allyn have been bigger (35 cm-40 cm) but not as prolific as those from the Williams.

GOSFORD

TUGGERAH

LAKE

THE

ENTRANCE

BROKEN BAY

BOATING TIP

Under maritime

laws, ski boat

observers and skiers come under

the same alcohol laws as drivers.

All must be under .05, or zero if

younger than 18.

FORECAST

Saturday

Rain and isolated thunderstorms,

easing to isolated showers.

Min: 17. Max: 25.

Wind: N/NW 15/25 knots, easing

ahead of a W/SW change 10/20

knots afternoon/evening, then

tending S/SE later.

Sunday

Isolated showers

contracting northwards

and clearing.

Min: 15. Max: 23.

Wind: SE

10/20 knots,

turning NE

5/15 knots.

© 2008 Newcastle Herald

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