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Kate Shelton - Bay Explorer Fishing

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Kate Shelton - Bay Explorer Fishing

Mid North Coast fishing, hunting & maritime life. Fish for food • Hunt for food
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02/11/2026

There’s still plenty of quality snapper in our local waters gang. After a delayed start yesterday morning due to ‘sizzles, bangs and rain’ from an early morning storm, good mate Steve and I headed north to try our luck. The plan was to look for some new ground in 60 to 70 metres off Big Hill. We fished with pilchards and soft plastics on a couple of spots we found with equal success.
One thing to note though is that sharks were somewhat annoying. We didn’t lose any fish to sharks but hooked several on the drop. Shark numbers seem to be on the rise.
Pictured is Steve with a nice snapper typical of the fish we caught for the day.
Tight lines everyone 🎣

01/11/2026

🏆 Congratulations to PMGFC junior angler Indi Garvey

At the GFAA Awards held in Adelaide last night, Indi was awarded the prestigious Tom Roche Trophy 2025/26 NSW State Champion Junior Female Angler Capture for the GFAA National Junior Tournament.
GFAA Junior Tournament Indi Garvey NSWGFA
A fantastic achievement, Indi! We are very proud of you! 🎣👏

31/10/2026

Share via: Facebook X (Twitter) DEAR News Of The Area, PORT Macquarie-Hastings Council has begun notifying property owners about its updated Draft Hastings River Flood Study, leaving many residents questioning what the new mapping could mean for their properties, insurance costs and future plans. I....

31/10/2026

Spring Fishing Set to Improve as November Approaches

Spring fishing has been a mixed bag this year, with changeable weather making conditions challenging at times. However, signs of improvement are emerging, with water temperatures gradually warming and water clarity starting to improve in several areas. With November approaching, anglers will be hoping for more settled conditions and plenty of opportunities to get out on the water.

Anglers in the Macleay region have enjoyed some great fishing, with consistent reports of quality catches. The local reefs have been producing snapper and pearl perch. Kingfish have also been spotted around Fish Rock and in deeper waters off Crescent Head. Beach fishing has been rewarding, particularly around Horseshoe Bay, Goolawah Beach and Big Hill, where bream have been taking fresh worms, squid and prawns. In the river, flathead remain plentiful, while whiting numbers are increasing, with some solid fish being caught near Jerseyville.

In the Hastings River, the breakwalls have been producing bream, with mullet strips proving an effective bait. Settlement Point and Limeburners have also yielded flathead and the occasional hard-fighting trevally, while the canals remain a popular spot for targeting trevally.

The Camden Haven region has also been fishing well, with rock anglers enjoying success at Crowdy and Diamond Head, particularly for drummer and luderick. Cunjevoi and prawns have been the preferred baits. Evening sessions around Perpendicular Point have produced quality bream and the occasional tailor. Beach fishing has been productive too, with Grants Beach delivering bream and the occasional school mulloway, while Bonny Hills has been a good option for bream and whiting. Mulloway activity has also been encouraging at Grants Beach in North Haven.

With November just around the corner, the outlook is promising for local anglers. Warmer water, improving clarity and the potential for more settled weather should provide plenty of opportunities across the region. As always, checking local forecasts before heading out is worthwhile, but there is plenty to look forward to as the spring fishing season continues to build.

Photo - Young Kayden Didio Didio’s country 2 coast fishing with a fantastic pearl perch caught on a recent fishing trip with his dad, Jason. A great catch and a special memory to share!

25/10/2026

🎣 ENTRIES ARE NOW OPEN! 🎣

🔥 The 43rd Garmin Golden Lure Tournament is officially open for entries!

📅 8–16 January 2027

📋 Entry forms, tournament rules and all the details are available on the PMGFC website.

👉 Enter now: www.pmgfc.com.au

🎣

24/10/2026

Spring Fishing Continues Despite Wet and Windy Weather

The past few weekends have made fishing difficult for many anglers, consistent rainfall, combined with winds swinging between north-easterlies and southerlies, has made it challenging to plan a fishing trip. Unfortunately, the long-range forecast doesn’t appear to be getting any drier until November, so anglers may need to make the most of any short weather windows that come their way. I’m certainly looking forward to a decent break in the weather to enjoy some spring fishing.

Down south, local beach anglers have reported that whiting numbers continue to improve. The best approach is to target the shallower sandbars on the rising tide using worms or pipis, while avoiding the deeper gutters. A few reasonable bream are also still on offer, with Grants Beach continuing to fish well. For night-time anglers, school mulloway remain a viable target, with the beaches south of Lake Cathie again producing the better results. Offshore, those who have managed to take advantage of the limited weather windows have generally been rewarded with some good fishing. Snapper numbers remain solid, with both bait and plastics working well. The reefs off Bonny Hills have produced the better results recently. If conditions improve over the coming weekend, kingfish would be worth targeting on the wider reefs using live bait and knife jigs.

In the Hastings River, bream numbers have improved, with the breakwalls and Settlement Point producing the better catches. Mullet strips and brined prawns have been working well. Flathead numbers remain solid, with a variety of lure profiles producing results, while whitebait continues to be a reliable option for bait anglers.
Whiting should start to show up in better numbers, lures should produce some excellent fishing and become a go-to option over the coming months once the water clears up. For luderick enthusiasts, the breakwalls are holding the odd fish, with both sea cabbage and w**d flies producing results over the past week. School mulloway remain in good numbers in the Hastings River between the highway bridges and Wauchope. Along the rocks, a few tailor have appeared around Point Plomer, although most have been in the chopper-sized class. The odd luderick is also being caught locally, with Shelly Beach and Miners Beach the pick of the locations. Offshore conditions have again been challenging, with only limited opportunities to get out over the past week. Unfortunately, this is not unusual for this time of year. Those who have made it offshore report good numbers of snapper and pearl perch holding on most reefs.

Further north in the Macleay River region, bream numbers remain excellent, with the better reports coming from anglers fishing with bait during the day. The river is also producing good catches of mud crabs further upstream. With the warmer months approaching, hopefully we are in for a productive mud crab season and plenty of anglers will get to enjoy a fresh feed over summer.

With persistent rain and strong winds continuing to dictate fishing opportunities, flexibility will be key over the coming weeks. Keep an eye on the forecast, make the most of any suitable conditions and, hopefully, November will bring some much-needed drier weather and more consistent opportunities to get out on the water.

Photo –
Henry Ferguson has been landing some greatsized flathead in the Hastings River recently, with all fish
released to fight another day.

16/10/2026

🏆⚓ Congratulations to Our Very Own Geoff Shelton! 👏

A huge congratulations to Geoff Shelton, who has received a Commendation in the Long-standing Contribution to Search and Rescue category at the 2026 Australian Search and Rescue Awards! 🇦🇺🚤

Geoff has dedicated an extraordinary 37 years to marine search and rescue, serving our local community through Marine Rescue Port Macquarie and, before that, Sea Rescue.

💙 Earlier this year, Geoff was awarded Life Membership of Marine Rescue Port Macquarie, recognising his decades of commitment and service to our unit.

Now, that dedication has been recognised on the national stage!

👏 Geoff, this commendation is thoroughly deserved. Thank you for everything you have contributed over the years, for the countless hours volunteered, and for your commitment to keeping people safe on the water.

Your service has not gone unnoticed, and we're incredibly proud to call you one of our own!

🎉 Congratulations, Geoff! ⚓💙

🔗 https://www.amsa.gov.au/national-search-and-rescue-council/natsar-awards/natsar-award-and-commendation-recipients

10/10/2026

FADs Return Along the Coast for the Warmer Months Ahead

With the warmer months approaching, Fisheries Aggregating Devices (FADs) have once again been placed along the NSW coast, giving offshore anglers another exciting option as summer fishing begins to ramp up. FADs have a long history in NSW, first being introduced as a resource for recreational fishers following the introduction of the Recreational Fishing Fee in 2001. They are strategically positioned offshore during the warmer months and are particularly popular with anglers targeting mahi mahi, also known as dolphinfish.

Monitoring by the NSW Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development (DPIRD) has shown just how productive these structures can be, with mahi mahi making up around 95 per cent of the catch recorded around NSW FADs. With water temperatures beginning to rise and the East Australian Current pushing warmer water down the coast, anglers will be watching closely for the arrival of mahi mahi and other pelagic species.The return of the FADs is always a welcome sign that the summer offshore season is getting underway, and they can provide some fantastic light-tackle fishing when the fish move in.

Over the long weekend, I spent some time on the water and successfully put together a feed of mud crabs in the Maria River. The Hastings River is also producing good numbers of mud crabs around Wauchope, particularly in the deeper sections.
In the Hastings, flathead and whiting have remained the dominant species, with Rawdon Island, Hibbard and Pelican Island proving particularly productive. Lures, especially surface varieties, have been highly effective for targeting larger flathead in the shallows. Mulloway have also been caught, with larger soft plastics producing fish around the deeper sections during the tide change. Freshwater anglers have enjoyed a strong start to the bass season, with conditions expected to continue improving as summer approaches and insect activity increases.

In the Camden Haven River, anglers fishing the breakwalls have been catching some decent flathead and bream during the daytime high tides. Beach fishing for tailor has been fairly average, although around the beaches of Crowdy have been producing some fish. For luderick anglers, Bonny Hills is worth exploring, particularly around the washes where cabbage w**d can be floated through the right areas.

With the weather warming, the FADs back in position and the first signs of the summer pelagic season beginning to appear, there is plenty to look forward to for local anglers in the weeks ahead.
FAD locations

South West Rocks 30° 50.534'153° 11.803'
Hat Head 31° 00.636'153° 07.795'
Port Macquarie 31° 24.567'153° 04.725'
Laurieton 31° 39.601'152° 56.235'
Crowdy Head 31° 47.000'152° 55.200'

06/10/2026

Yellowfin Action Highlights Spring Fishing

With the warmer weather arriving, there are plenty of signs that spring fishing is starting to build across the region.

In the Camden Haven area, a few drummer are still hanging around, with some impressive fish, including models close to three kilos, being landed from the rocks. Cunjevoi has been producing some good results for those targeting them. Tailor fishing has been fairly average, although Crowdy Head continues to be worth a look when conditions allow. For luderick anglers, the breakwalls are worth exploring. Beach anglers have been finding some nice bream, along with the occasional solid salmon. Inside the river, anglers have been picking up some good flathead and bream around the daytime high tides. As temperatures continue to rise, it is also worth keeping an eye on Lake Cathie, with school prawns and mud crabs likely to become more active as we move further into the warmer months.

In the Hastings River, luderick fishing has been quiet, although persistent anglers can still find fish around the breakwalls using green w**d and w**d flies. Bream numbers have been a little slower, with better results being reported towards the mouth of the river using bait. Flathead numbers are continuing to increase, making most sections of the Hastings worth exploring. With the warmer water arriving, this should only improve as we move further into spring. Offshore fishing has been quieter recently due to the unsettled weather, and the forecast strong north-easterly winds are likely to make conditions difficult over the long weekend. However, if a suitable weather window presents itself, snapper should be worth targeting off Lighthouse Beach in around 25-30 metres of water, with soft plastics and frozen pilchards both good options. Further offshore, Trag Rock should be worth a look for pearl perch and kingfish when conditions allow. The flathead grounds in around 50 metres of water should also provide a reliable option for anglers looking to put a feed together.

While the long weekend forecast may not be ideal, there will still be opportunities for land-based and estuary anglers to get out and enjoy some fishing between the winds. As spring settles in and water temperatures continue to rise, the fishing across the Mid North Coast should only continue to improve.

Graeme Allen made the most of the recent offshore conditions, landing this impressive yellowfin tuna solo off South West Rocks.

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