PhD student Toby Piddocke from the University’s National Marine Science Centre based at Coffs Harbour is using acoustic telemetry to follow the movements of mangrove jack in northern New South Wales. Anglers are being offered a gift voucher to the value of $50 for each of the first 20 live specimens donated to the study.

The research is funded by the NSW Saltwater Recreational Fishing Trust.

At this stage, the research team is seeking live fish from the NSW North Coast locations of Deep Creek (near Valla) and the Clarence River.

“The use of acoustic tags will enable us to track the jacks over a two-year period,” Toby said.

“We’re particularly interested in seeing whether they move from estuaries to offshore reefs once they reach maturity. As well as that, we’re interested in seeing how jacks move around within an estuary. For example, where they spend the day as opposed to the night, and where they go on high tide versus low tide.”

Mangrove jack (Lutjanus argentimaculatus) are found in estuaries, coastal swamps and rivers across northern Australia, stretching from northern NSW into Queensland, the Northern Territory and down to Shark Bay in Western Australia.

Toby said that southern mangrove jack possess some unique characteristics that make them highly prized by recreational anglers.

“In North Queensland estuaries, mangrove jack are relatively abundant but their average size is fairly small, around 45 centimetres. However, in southern estuaries, between Coffs Harbour and the Queensland border, they tend to be fewer in number but considerably larger, up to about 60 centimetres and three kilograms in weight,” he said.

The research will determine whether the size difference might reflect longer inshore residence times by adult fish.

“Not only does the size of mangrove jack in northern NSW waters make them popular with anglers, but they’re seen as being really challenging. They’re elusive and when you do snare one it puts up a good fight,” said Toby.

In addition to the tagging component of the research, mangrove jack frames (filleted skeletons with head and guts intact) are also being sought to study the age, growth, diet and reproduction of the species.

The outcomes of the research will be used to help ensure the long-term viability of the recreational mangrove jack fishery in Northern NSW.

Anglers interested in taking part in the research can find out more information by contacting Toby Piddocke at the National Marine Science Centre on 02 6648 3900 or via email mangrovejackresearch@gmail.com

PICTURE: Toby Piddocke measuring a mangrove jack.

For more than 50 years Paul has been fishing and repairing rods. He eventually extended his skills into building rods from scratch.

He still lives in Lennox Head and continues providing advice on all matters related to the world of fishing.

Paul owned and operated Lennox Head Bait & Tackle for more than eight years, until 2007.

However, closing the shop did not mean that Paul was ready to retire. With a steady stream of fishing enthusiasts knocking on his door to repair and build rods for them, Paul is now the proud operator of Lennox Custom Rods.

Paul specialises in custom-designed rod building including the inscription of the angler’s name and artwork on their rod.

“You can even have your rod built to suit your preferred style of fishing, which will improve your chances of making a catch,” said Paul. “You use shorter rods for boat fishing, different lengths for various types of beach fishing and rock fishing.”

Building a rod from scratch normally takes about four weeks, while repairs usually take from one to two days. Reel repairs are also part of the service offered.

Pricing is negotiable, depending on the individual’s requirements.

For more information, drop in to Lennox Custom Rods at 1/11 Gibbon Street, Lennox Head. You can email Paul at lennoxrods@scherchen.com or phone 0438 877 682.

The walls and beaches have been more productive with jewfish of varying sizes on prawns and worms, with some ambitious big whiting taking a bunch of worms on a 3/0 hook meant for schoolies.

Tailor also have reappeared with reasonable numbers of fish to around 3kg up along Seven Mile Beach at Lennox Head and a few along South Ballina Beach.

Cleaner water is pushing up the Richmond on the high tide to about the RSL club, with bream, whiting and flathead on the bite up to about Burns Point on the top of the tide.

Light southerly building at Evans Head on Friday morning with about 20 boats out.

Some snapper and trag yesterday but nothing in the way of surface fish, although the warm, clear water pushed in about mid-morning just as the nor-easter blew up.

Bar good today and if the swell comes from the south it could stay OK for a while.

School jew, bream and tarwhine around the breakwalls and there could be a run of blackfish on the high tide if the swell does come into the bay.

The beaches have had a few school jew and the odd patch of tailor to go with the usual bream and whiting.
Evans River has some whiting and flathead.

Flathead along the Porpoise Wall from about opposite Trevans up to Burns Point.

The pro crabbers are working up almost to Pimlico and there have also been muddies of various sizes in the lower parts of North Creek and Emigrant Creek.

As the tide turns and dirty water comes down, it’s heading south when it reaches the bar, so the beaches north of town are fishing best, with bream and dart on most and some good whiting up towards Lennox.

Whiting along the beaches at Evans Head along with some bream, and the trawlers are working over the school prawns between about Boundary Creek and Airforce Beach.

Boats heading out over the past few days have scored some nice snapper and trag but there are no reports of mackerel, and the water in close is still quite coloured.

The Evans River has blackfish at the mouth on the rougher days, and there are still whiting and spiky flathead above the bridge.

Better water around the walls on the run-up, it’s quite fishable to about Missingham Bridge and reasonably good numbers of whiting, bream and a couple of school jew.

The major action so far has been on the beaches with the closer ones fishing well for bream, whiting and school jew.

Crabs in the bottom end of North Creek.

At Evans Head there’s been hardly any rain all week, believe it or not.

Very few people about to enjoy it, except for a few locals.

The river is still quite dirty from the Richmond overflow at Woodburn but it’s cleaner on a rising tide and should improve this week as the tides grow from neaps to springs.

Some bream, whiting and blackfish around the walls on yabbies, and school jew at times on yabbies, worms and blades and soft lures.

There are miles of hard-gut mullet up the beach but there’s not much chasing them apart from the netters.

The odd whaler shark and just the occasional school jew as well. Some quality whiting at times but they want live worms, not preserved ones, although the bream aren’t as particular.

The bar is still bloody awful and nobody in their right mind would want to be out on a sea like that, anyway.

Whiting, flathead and bream around the walls.

The high tide is pushing in clear underneath but don’t go much past the ferry or you’re back into the fresh.

Mud crabs in the lower creeks but not a lot yet.

A few school jew around the walls.

Beaches have showed whiting, flathead and a few bream.

No reports from outside.

I’ve been away from Evans for much of the week but it seems the onshore weather has remained right at home, with a north-east chop and slop on the ocean and a shallow and sandy bar. Nobody out today (Fri).

The beach formations are unreal at low tide with abundant holes and gutters but there’s not much bait apart from mullet, and the main catch all week has been shovelnose sharks, although there have been a few school jew, mainly after dark.

Whiting and trevally on poppers up the river and a few spiky flathead.

The whiting have arced up, with best spots behind the sailing club and up around Pimlico Island on the run-up tide, with bloodworms and beach worms working well.

A few mud crabs in Emigrant and North creeks but they’re not as thick as they should be.

Beaches have produced whiting, a few dart and some good flathead.

Nobody sane has been offshore apart from the trawlers and big trap boats.

Been a pretty grim week at Evans Head with incessant onshore wind and sloppy seas, sometimes deceptively big and breaking way out.

Blackfish around the walls on the high tide on overcast days, a few whiting up the river taking poppers and some flathead well upstream and a few down deep near the mouth.

Whiting in the corner of Main Beach and a few over at Chinamans and New Zealand beaches; not a great deal up Airforce despite some good formations.

School jew on Snapper and Red Hill but the swell can be bigger than you think.

If your boat is over about 8m it’s probably OK outside once you can get over the awful bar!

Some tailor jew and bream from the rocks, with the high tides this weekend looking promising for the bigger jewfish from the beaches and breakwalls.

Crabs improving in the creeks and heading upstream.

Not many reports from out wide but those who have got there have come home with stories of jig trips for kingies and there are still pearl perch as well.

A dismal week of weather at Evans Head with howling northerlies followed by days of light rain and a southerly.

Some school jew and whiting up the beaches earlier in the week and there should be some schoolies around the headland over the weekend.

The bar is pretty shallow and crappy at present but there have been some snapper trag, jew, pearlies and kings out there for the brave ones. Current has fluctuated, raging one day and almost still the next.

The Evans River has good whiting above the bridge, with bream over the rocky or snaggy sections, and a few blackfish along the walls when the seas are up.

Whiting taking live bloodworms around Shaws Bay and up North Creek.

A few crabs starting to turn up in the lower river – remember, no traps below the ferry, only witches hats and lift dillies.

Beaches have a few tailor along with bream, flathead, whiting, dart and one or two school jew.

On the 32s and 48s snapper, pearl perch and amberjacks on jigs. Striped marlin on the 48s and out wider.
 
I’ve been away from Evans Head all week but the beach this morning looks to have plenty of character, and a few grubs left bream and whiting heads on Airforce Beach.

I wouldn’t be surprised to see a few school jew coming in as well.

No boat trailers at the ramp this morning.

Whiting have come the bite and they’re taking live beach worms.

Mud crabs further up the system and there’s a possibility that mangrove jacks are beginning to move in as well.

The beaches have had flathead, whiting and school jew, with only a scattering of tailor. Some decent jewfish to 20kg as well taking live mullet.

Tailor, school jew and some reasonable bream from the walls with the ever-present flatties.

Outside there have been snapper on the 32 and 42 with amberjacks, pearl perch and kings. Wider for blue eye cod and bar cod, with mahi mahi and blue marlin sighted.

At Evans Head there have been some reasonable snapper in close with teraglin and school jewfish on some of the pinnacles and ledges.

Plenty of humpback whales moving through as well.

Out wider for reds, pearl perch and some kings and amberjack.

Whiting biting well in the surf on live worms and some patches of reasonable bream with the odd whopper in there as well.

Also flathead and school jew if you happen on the right gutter.

Soapy jew around the walls and in the river along with a reasonable class of whiting and they’re starting to take poppers quite well. Bream up around the Iron Gates.