Broomes Head - NSW - Last Week

[Mullet Musketeer]

Tuesday
I am just back from a trip down to Broome’s Head, just south of Yamba, in northern New South Wales. It is typical of the rocky headlands on that stretch of coast. You can fish on either side of the headland depending on the prevailing winds. However last week the weather really made things difficult. On Monday it rained all day while an enormous swell smashed over the rock ledges. I am pretty keen on my fishing but I could not find anywhere I could cast from.
Tuesday was better – well at least the rain had stopped. The seas were still enormous, with a three metre swell. Fortunately the northern side of Broomes Head has a sheltered lagoon. Just on dawn, I waded out into the lagoon and got as close as I could to its mouth. I cast out a 3” GULP Pearl Watermelon minnow soft plastic on a 1/8th 1/0 jighead. I wanted to keep my rig as light as possible to avoid getting snagged on the rocky bottom. I got a couple of touches and saw a few Long Toms following the lure in. After a few more casts, I hooked up with a small Bream – around 25cm. Then a couple of casts later I hooked up to a better fish. When I got him to me, he was a small golden trevally. I hooked a couple more undersize Bream and a Moses Perch from this position before deciding to try to get closer to the lagoon’s entrance.
At its eastern edge the lagoon is filled through a gap in a long ridge of rocks. Here at the mouth of the lagoon there is some deeper water on either side. The outside of the lagoon entrance was far too rough to fish. But by walking out along the rocky ridge I found a spot from where I could cast into the deeper water just inside the lagoon. I started with the 4” GULP Swimming Mullet soft plastic on a 1/6th 1/0 jighead. I could not really let it settle for more than a few seconds on the retrieve, for fear of losing it to the rocks or kelp beds. I gradually got a feel for where I could stop and start the retrieve and what the sink rate was. After about 30 minutes of peppering the area with casts I caught a very good Bream - just on 35cm. On the next cast I caught another Bream, a bit smaller but also a good fish. Then things went quiet on the fish front and the wind was really howling. I switched to a 3”GULP Minnow soft plastic in the Pearl Watermelon colour and cast it out into the wash at the foot of the rocks. Just as I was about to lift the lure from the water it was grabbed by a big dark shape. The fish took the lure down deep into the kelp at the foot of the rocks and then just sat there. I was only running a 10lb leader so I decided to ease off the pressure and let him swim out of his hiding place. I dropped the rod tip and counted to ten then pulled hard. It worked and I slid a very decent fish up onto the rock ledge at my feet. After giving it the once over, I decided it was a Morwong or Mother-in-law fish of some kind and kept it for the table. I now had plenty of fish for a family supper so I headed off for a hot shower.
I still not sure excatly what type of Morwong it was but it was not in the endangered / dangerous pics on the info board - If anyone knows exactly what it is let me know.

[smokindrag]

its a painted or spotted sweetlip!! quite common around the 2kg range off the rocks down that way!! there is obviously a huge variety of sweetlip and some of them look very similar!! good eating tho!

[ffejsmada]

You should have gone out to Plover Island at Sandon Mullet Man in that heavy swell.

[Freeeedom]

Thanks for the report MM. I know the Broomes Head area very well having lived in Maclean for seven years while I was in primary school in the fifties. Broomes head was our local 'beach resort' of choice. Despite visiting and holidaying there many times I've never fished it. When I stay at Iluka I often go for a drive (when the swell is up and I can't fish,) and visit the old haunts of Broomes Head, Yamba, Angourie, Red Bluff and the Sandon, just for a look to see how they've changed in nearly 60 years. I've often thought that the water below the lookout at Broomes Head looks pretty good for a night, or dawn and dusk fishing session if the seas would allow it. There's some nice deep reefy areas there that would probably produce a snapper or two I reckon.
Cheers Freeeedom

[Mullet Musketeer]

I reckon you are spot on about the Snapper Freeedom. The water looks great and i tried - but it was way too hairy last week - see pic.