I WAS reading through some old articles I wrote years ago when I came across this story of squid. I can clearly recall when catching squid did not offer a challenge. Anywhere from Kiddies Corner in Fingal, south to Big Rocky, squid could be found in every protected bay. Simply by tossing out a squid […]

MY wife Ella and I arrived in Fingal Bay in 1975. My first impressions were how beautiful the beaches, conical mountains, islands and rocky headlands were. Coming from a fishing family in Tweed Heads, I weighed up the fishing opportunities inside the port, along the beaches and the offshore reefs. The reefs off Fingal come […]

Part 3: See earlier editions of NOTA for Parts 1 and 2.  “In 1945, my first year in the Narrowgut Crew, I earned £450 in two months. That was a lot of money for a young bloke,” said Ken Barry. “Did you ever come face-to-face with a great white shark?” I quizzed “Probably have,” replied […]

FROM recent reports black drummer, also known as rock blackfish, are keen to rumble off the rocks anywhere between Fingal and Rocky Point. Best baits include fresh or salted cunjevoi, or bread and prawns tossed into a bread berley trail. A 2/0 hook and just enough lead to get you into the strike zone, which […]

I AM sure you have heard it before. About two years after purchasing a new boat, just about everyone starts to think that they should have bought a bigger one, with a bigger motor, to presumably catch bigger fish further out to sea. Let me tell you my tale, which is something akin to a […]

WITH the availability of AI and other means of distorting photographs I was a little skeptical when these amazing images landed on my desk. This is the biggest tailor, a Jumbo, I have ever seen! Netted off the beach, this huge fish estimated close to 10kg, by local Greg Tarrant and his commercial fishing crew […]

ROCKY Point is one of the best kept fishing secrets in Port Stephens. Accessible by both 4×4 and boat, this rocky outcrop and the surrounding beaches and bays have a fascinating history of fishing, lobstering and the mining of shell grit. Big Rocky, as the name suggests, is a big rocky outcrop just far enough […]

CONTINUED expansion of the Australian colonies placed increased pressure on the building industry, which relied heavily on lime for mortar for stone buildings. It was well known that oyster shells could be burned to produce the lime – cheap and in ample supply. At first only the empty shells of eaten oysters were used but […]