Whiting season in full swing.
DECEMBER means warm water, Christmas Bush, growing excitement and whiting. Big, broad shouldered, bright eyed, 40cm whiting swimming onto all the beaches between Stockton and Fingal. Recent reports suggest we are in for a bumper season as schools of whiting have taken up residence in the shallows on the beaches. Catching a whiting is not […]
AUSTRALIAN rugby union international Mark Gerrard took a break from his Warringah coaching duties to spend a few days walking the beaches and catching fish on and around Broughton Island. A Wallaby on 23 occasions, Mark was a first-time visitor to Broughton Island and has vowed to return. Accompanying Mark was Scott Levi, announcer of […]
A unique snap of Esmeralda Cove on Broughton Island.
THE “Broughton Islands” were named after Captain William Broughton, whose first visit to our coastline was in August 1795 when he sought shelter, during adverse weather, in the lee of the islands near the entrance to Port Stephens on board HMS Providence. The name “Broughton Islands” appears to have been adopted by the 1860s with […]
OVER the coming weeks, if my Bureau of Meteorology (BOM) site is accurate, we are in for some rough weather accompanied by a bumpy sea. As the sea continues to settle the local headlands and rocky outcrops along our coastline, between Birubi and Tomaree, become a focus for those who chase a tenacious scrapper we […]
Local champ Benny Doolan with an offshore monster snapper.
OFFSHORE fishing from Birubi north to Broughton Island is as good as it gets. Snapper is without doubt the most sought after fish because of its tenacious fighting qualities and outstanding performance in the kitchen. The offshore coastal stretch to Seal Rocks, including the islands, is dominated by reef – ideal habitat for snapper. Mulloway […]
A Greek hut on Broughton Island.
IT was early in the 1900s when two Greek merchant mariners were paid off on the docks in Melbourne and headed north searching for somewhere to start a new life, hopefully somewhere that reminded them of their homeland. Nick Catsicas and Spiro Spathos agreed that Nelson Bay and Broughton Island in particular was that special […]
Broughton Island, a fishing paradise.
ONCE a little-known NSW island, Broughton has become a ‘must visit’ destination for fishermen, boaties and day trippers. Over recent years the island has changed socially, for the better, with an influx of families rather than a domination of fishermen. Bird watching, hiking, photography, snorkelling and of course fishing are all part of the island […]
The crane, wharf and boathouse became of lesser importance after the light house became increasingly automated from 1960 when it converted to electricity and finally to solar.
ON the northern aspect of Fingal Island, facing Broughton Island, is a small cove known by fishermen and islanders as the “Crayfish Hole”. It was on the rocky shoreline of this natural harbour that a wharf and boathouse existed in 1918. Here the Government Department kept two boats, a whaler of 20 feet and a […]
“SILVERTAILS” were a fascinating species. They were made up of doctors, lawyers, school teachers and even wrestlers. Generally holidaymakers, “Silvertails” were those who, it seemed, always had an inner desire to be a fisherman, but fate had led them elsewhere in life. Their method of operation was to start talking to the fishermen and slowly […]
DID you hear what I heard? For the past 40 odd years I have been reporting fishing in and around Port Stephens. Something happened this week that, to my knowledge, has never happened before. Fishing around the deep water off Middle Island, Soldiers Point, John Latter hooked and landed a 58cm Mangrove Jack! So, what […]
