Travelling fishos looking for a destination that offers a mix of northern and southern sportfish at a variety of locations will find that the Coffs coast has options galore. MICK FLETORIDIS reports. Images by SHANE CHALKER.
WORKING for Fisho occasionally provides opportunities for visits to exotic fishing destinations. While it’s nice to get a taste of that sort of fishing, in reality such experiences sometimes prove a let down. Travelling big distances usually means there’s a limited window of opportunity to change plans if things go wrong. Thankfully, the average Aussie fisho has the opportunity to experience top class sportfishing without having to travel thousands of kilometres or pay a similar dollar figure to do so. Australia’s coastline is dotted with ports that provide access to the open sea, while also offering a good mix of venues for land-based or inshore anglers.
One such destination is Coffs Harbour on the NSW mid north coast. My first trips to Coffs were in the company of a couple of gun fishos who knew the area well. That first visit with Michael Guest and “Captain” Mark Phillips in 2005 led me to speculate that Coffs might be one of the best kept secrets in Aussie sportfishing.
On the first day out with Guesty and Captain, along with Fisho’s Jim Harnwell and good mate Guy Yaffa, we were treated to some top class fishing for big snapper on softbaits as well as frantic jigging action for solid kings, pearl perch and a mess of tasty bar cod that had to be cranked up from around 100 fathoms.
That trip proved an eye-opener to us Coffs first-timers and led to regular Fisho jaunts up the Pacific Highway in ensuing years. On those first few visits, the snapper-on-plastics thing was just taking off and we saw the technique at its most deadliest. One memorable trip I did with Guesty, Captain and Guesty’s pig hunting mate Blake saw us hook a stack of big reds on some lightweight spin gear the boys were testing. We experienced some monumental wipeouts on unstoppable fish close to the washes at South Solitary Island and I certainly got a good taste of the sort of fishing Coffs can deliver.
The Dave Irvine Memorial Snapper Classic, which is held over the June long weekend each year, has also been the catalyst for recent Fishing World visits to Coffs. This lure-only catch & release event pays homage to Dave Irvine, inventor of the Environet, and has grown from strength to strength to become one of the most popular feel-good events on the tournament calendar. The event is run like clockwork out of the Coffs Harbour Fisherman’s Club, situated directly above the town’s main boat ramp – a great venue for a post fishing meal or cold ale or two. For Fisho, the Classic has provided a great excuse to head north of Sydney at the peak of winter, play around with a stack of new fishing gear and sample some of the most diverse fishing available on the east coast. Hopefully the trend will continue, as we unfortunately missed out on last year’s Classic due to mag deadline schedules.
While the Coffs Harbour region offers a variety of fishing for boat fishos, there are also various land-based options available – but more on that later. For boaties, there’s plenty of pelagic and reef species on offer pretty much all year round. The Coffs coast experiences a bit of a “crossover” effect due to its location in northern NSW where a rich mix of northern warm water species and the sort of fish southerners are more familiar with are all on offer. Venture offshore on a day when things are happening and you can tangle with anything from mega snapper to kings, pearl perch, jewfish, Spanish and spotted mackerel, bar cod, cobia, samson fish, amberjacks, yellowfin tuna and marlin.
The really nice thing about this fishing is its accessibility. Good reef fishing is on the cards virtually a few hundred metres outside the harbour’s breakwall, only a few nautical miles in an easterly direction of the main ramp in the heart of town. For those who like to explore options further afield, the Solitary Islands group stand out like beacons on the sea and draw trailer boats from near and far. A run to North Solitary Island from the harbour ramp is around 20km, but can be well worth the effort as the snapper fishing available on the many reefs and shoals north of Coffs can be as good as it gets. Local fishos and spearfishers in the know tend to access these areas from locations such as Arrawarra. With no ramps available, these keen guys opt to beach launch – a tricky manoeuvre at the best of times and one not recommended for newcomers.
Smash & grab
All of the Solitary Islands – North, South and Split – offer great fishing, especially for kings and other pelagics. In a “working” sea the wash areas around these massive rock formations can deliver heart stopping action on big reds that have the “smash and grab” technique down pat. Casting softbaits to the foam close to outcrops of cunjevoi covered rocks can be a recipe for disaster, but it’s where presentations need to be for consistent results. Big tailor, salmon, bonito, mack tuna and kings are also found in these wash zones, especially in periods of low light. Fishing the wash is exciting but requires someone to man the helm at all times and keep an eye on the swell, as well as ensuring the boat is close enough for tight presentations. Getting casts in where they need to be is paramount, but you also need to be able to make a quick exit if things get hairy.
It’s important to mention here that the Solitary Islands Marine Park has impacted on fishing in many offshore areas at Coffs Harbour, including at the Solitary Islands where there are marked sanctuary zones closed to fishing. Make sure you get a map outlining the region’s marine park zones from local tackle shops or the Marine Parks Authority before you venture out. Be warned, many marine park zones aren’t clearly defined out on the water and unknowingly fishing these areas won’t save you from a hefty fine.
Fisho’s most recent visit to Coffs Harbour was for the filming of a series of video clips for our website’s How-To video series, in conjunction with sponsors of the videos, Fishing Tackle Australia.
Fisho’s Scott Thomas, Chris Yu and I had travelled up to Coffs for the shoot, but unfortunately we didn’t have the Fishing World Bar Crusher at our disposal as editor Jim Harnwell couldn’t make the trip (he was back in the office doing all the work, or so he says!). We had to settle for roping in a couple of Coffs locals who had offered to take us out for a day’s filming offshore: Mark Luttrell of Coffs Harbour Marine and Mark Mikkelsen of Shimano kindly offered to skipper us on their boats for the day.
In pre-planning the trip, we’d hoped for some typical Coffs big snapper action to complement one of the videos. In the days prior to our arrival there’d been reports of good snapper action just after a rough-up and the two Marks were fairly confident of our prospects of catching a few on film. Unfortunately in fishing there are no certainties and Mr Red proved camera shy on our only available offshore day. In hindsight, a full moon, pancake flat seas and zero current proved an unfishy combination. While we managed only a pannie sized snapper and pulled the hooks on our only good red of the day, we changed tack and settled for chasing pelagics that were sporadically busting up around us on the glassy sea. We also did plenty of whale watching as the annual humpback migration was in full swing and whale spouts and big forked tails were on show as far as the eye could see.
Fisho photographer Shane Chalker joined us for a couple of days to help out and look for opportunities to shoot some of his brand of brilliant fishing images. While the photo opps were few and far between, Shane caught the only fish of bragging value for the day, offshore late in the afternoon on Mark Mikkelsen’s boat – a cracking pearl perch of around 5kgs.
As the week’s filming unfolded we saw another side of Coffs as we visited some land-based locations south of town. We covered quite a few kilometres and saw a lot of different terrain, including a beach location near Urunga south of Coffs that we got to via 4WD over the sand. There we caught some nice salmon in the surf as the sun rose out to sea, bathing the setting in a warm orange glow. It was an impressive vista with whales frolicking on the horizon and dolphins cruising by in the surf zone, and unfortunately shutting the salmon bite down …
We did some more beach driving down to the river mouth where we found some inviting flats and did some filming of wade fishing for bream, flatties and whiting.
Another afternoon we visited the picturesque Bellinger River to film a camping/bass fishing clip. Typical of our timing that week, a low pressure system moved in during the afternoon and pretty much shut the bass down. Either way, the Bellinger is definitely one river any bass fisherman should visit at least once. It’s easy to access and, despite this, continues to produce excellent bass fishing each season.
There are also plenty of little known creeks in the Coffs area that offer good bass fishing as well as some honeyholes that produce tackle destroying mangrove jacks. It’s just a matter of checking some local maps, talking to the guys at Fishing Tackle Australia and heading out for a spot of exploring.
Coffs Harbour really has a lot to offer travelling fishos and locals alike. Even though we’ve been regular visitors in recent years we’ve really only sampled a small portion of what the region has to offer. An excuse for more Fisho trips to the place if ever there was one …
For more information on the Coffs Harbour region check out www.midnorthcoasttourism.com.au. While you’re online make sure you visit www.fishingworld.com.au for the practical how-to fishing clips shot at Coffs as well as “road trip” videos from Fisho’s past visits.
FISHING TACKLE AUSTRALIA
FISHING Tackle Australia is the world’s biggest tackle shop and is situated in Coffs Harbour right along the Pacific Highway (No.144) as you head north into town. No travelling fisho should miss out on stopping at FTA to get the latest fishing reports and tips from the knowledgable staff, as well as stock up on any gear, bait and tackle items you may need. A word of advice: make sure you allow yourself plenty of time for a visit to FTA, as the store itself is massive and you’ll find yourself wandering the aisles checking out all the products for much longer than you expected! Alongside the main fishing store there’s also another huge retail outlet devoted to camping and water sports equipment. As well as the enormous shop front, Fishing Tackle Australia also operates a thriving online mail order service for all of its products. Check it out at www.motackle.com.au or get yourself a Mo Tackle catalogue from your newsagent.
VISITING COFFS
COFFS Harbour is a thriving coastal town well blessed with all the amenities any travelling fisho could ever need. The Fisho crew had previously stayed at farm stay accomodation north of town and last visit to minimise travelling time we stayed at the Pacific Marina Luxury Apartments, which as the name suggests are located a short distance from the harbour marina complex and a short drive to the boat ramp, Harbour beach and Fisherman’s Club. These modern and spacious self-contained apartments offer views of the harbour and are within an easy stroll to shops, cafes and restaurants. Ideal for a family holiday or a fishing trip with a bunch of mates sharing expenses, the apartments also feature secure undercover parking and all modern facilities. The Pacific Marina Luxury Apartments are located at 22 Orlando St, Coffs Harbour Jetty. More info at:
www.pacificmarina.com.au.
