PHP Warning: Use of undefined constant VBA_SCRIPT - assumed 'VBA_SCRIPT' (this will throw an Error in a future version of PHP) in ..../includes/functions_navigation.php(802) : eval()'d code on line 1 Advice on where to stay and fish at Yamba
I am planning on holidaying in Yamba in September I am going to camp out in our family tent and I was wondering about parks on the river. I also would like advice on where to fish and what fishing is like at this time of year. I have a tinny and prefer to fish estuaries.
I've just come back form a week at yamba. Stayed at calypso caravan park www.calypsoyamba.com.au , very well priced and my unit was right on the water. Only a few hundred metres form the break wall and a short walk to the bowls club or the pub 'the pacific'. After hooking up with a few locals and learnt the know how between myself and a couple of mates we landed a couple of big jew, bream, choppers, sharks, whiting etc. Awesome place and very worthy of a holiday.
For the fishing I would always stay at Iluka - far less developed and better access to more coastline. That said, if you've got a tinnie then you can access the famous 'middle wall' for bream and luderick and the other rock walls near the river mouth, or travel a bit upstream to Browns Rocks for bream, flathead and whiting. Inside the river mouth on a rising tide to full around dusk or dawn you should get some tailor and there are plenty of jew in the river - fish dawn, dusk or at night with a fresh slab of tailor or luderick across the change of tide in the deeper holes. It is a fabulous estuary that will provide fish at any time of year. For land based fishing from Yamba walk out towards the end of the main breakwater and fish the washes along the walls around and just after dark for good bream and tailor. The headlands south of Yamba, down towards Angourie have produced a few fish for me in the past but the water in front of most of them isn't very deep and these days I prefer the Iluka Bluff.
Cheers Freeeedom
The blue dolphin caravan park is another park you could stay at, and also there is another up the river at Palmers channel, however not real sure what its called, has cabins also tent sites, it also has a boat ramp right at the park so you can just motor across to Browns rocks from there. I would also try the middle wall and browns rocks. Also fishing under the harwood bridge on the top of the tide with some herring can produce some good school jew. There is also the lakes, it can produce good blue swimmer crabs, good flathead and whiting. The break wall is definately a good spot for bream, jew, and tailor, fish the end of the wall on the river side if there is a southerly blowing, will get some good water coming in there, and you won't get blown off the wall. You can pump yabbies on any of the sand banks down there also, and jig for herring at the top of the tide in close along the break wall, might even get yourself some gar.
go to the tackle shop in yamba. The locals produce a map of the area with tidal information for about 3 months. It has excellent information on areas to fish and bait.
If the family is there, like rob said, the calypso is your best bet. It is right in town, close to the beaches and close to the river and fishing spots.
If you're bringing the boat, there is a ramp just before the marina near the BP. It has a fairly large amount of space to turn and park and get boats in.
General spots for landbased would be the breakwall, which can be risky at times. Went for a walk this morning and the swell was breaking over it so watch out. Jew, bream, blackfish, tailor and tuna can all be taken along with sharks, rays, and all your usual vermin.
Lovers point, the headland between the beachs, convent and pippie, has a great ledge for groper, kingfish. And on a low tide the front of the headland produces good trevally and tailor.
The garfish school up around the convent side of lovers point and at times the bluefin (longtails) can be seen smashing into them. Hooking up to them is relatively easy but getting them in without getting busted or sharked is a totally different ball game.
Whiting, bream, flathead and dart can all be caught on pippi beach in the right gutters.
At the southern end of pippi beach is a rock known as flat rock which has been the downfall of literally hundereds of jew.
Landbased estuary is a bit harder. You may have to walk a bit but there are some easily accesible spots. Walking the length of whiting beach and flicking plastics around the dropoffs on the end are usually productive as is drifint live yabbies or worms around.
The T-piece on the breakwall has some great water for blackfish. Starting out by casting your weed and float up towards the beacon and drifting it back produces without fail. (ok, chances are they will be famous last words)
Any other questions feel free to pm me if you need phone numbers for sites or places too stay. If you're staying here during school holiday periods or w.e i'd be happy to put the little tinny in and take you to the middle wall if you needed.
Good luck
Matt
As an after thought, there are alot of free tourist maps of the area available at alot of different shops, it is a good idea to get one with the islands of the clarence so as you can safely make your way back to the ramp and not get lost.
Also, the broadwater at maclean is an awesome place for flathead as is Lake Wooleweyah.
I like to spend time at Iluka. I now have a river boat to take there and from your post it sounds as though the middle wall, Browns rocks or the lakes are the go if you have a boat. Any other areas that should be explored? Also how far upstream should I go to look for muddies?
The lake is full of blue swimmers at the moment and the best plan of attack is what we've been doing lately.
Heading to the lake and dropping out 5 dillys and the motoring around till you find a better mangrove bank for a crab pot. Drop the pot in and work the dillys for a few hours and fish and then at the end of the session drop back to the pot. Generally pot thieves are few and far between. We've only had one pot raided in our entire time here.
Around Harwood bridge at the moment, the school jew are running thick. Up to 7-8kg. Browns rocks has been patchy at this time of year but come winter/spring the bream and big flathead will be around in numbers.
Matt
Just a little tip for catching good flatties there (we used to go there yearly for the family holiday and this spot never failed). we would catch a heap of livies with the bait jigs on the main jetty at Iluka (herring, tailor, mullet etc) then put them straight on a hook as fresh as possible and throw them in as close to the rock wall straight out from the iluka jetty (will need your tinny for this). they seemed to always line up on the Iluka side of the wall but not as much on the other side. I recon you would do ok there with plastics also but we never tried them there. (this was about 6-7 years ago but would probably still be a good spot.
Some great fishing to be had in the clarance, Fished it the last 2 weekends for roughly 40 Flatties a few bream dropped a decent enough jew. Just chucking SP's around the mouth of one of the small creeks.
No great size in the flathead all around the 40-50cm mark. Great eating size.
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