Safety First For All Rock Fishing
Illawarra Mercury
Saturday October 25, 2003
OCTOBER has always been the month for rock hoppers to catch fish, the water temperatures are rising slightly and you don't have to rug up to ward off the cold.
The South Coast is blessed with many productive rock-fishing platforms, from Coalcliff to Jervis Bay.
They include the Honeycomb rocks at Port Kembla, Bass Point near Shellharbour, the Kiama Blow Hole rocks and the Beecroft Peninsula.
Rock fishing from any of these locations can be fantastic, but can also be very dangerous, so much so that the Wollongong Sport Fishing Club has installed life rings on all the blackest rock-fishing spots between Coalcliff and Kiama.
A rock hopper can catch a variety of fish off all these rock platforms, including bream, drummer, blackfish, trevally, groper, kingfish, jewfish, salmon, snapper, and tailor, while black marlin can be caught off Bass Point and the Beecroft Peninsula, during summer.
If you are new to the rock-fishing caper, or using a rock-fishing spot for the first time, try sitting on a high spot overlooking a rock platform and watch all the action below.
See what the rock fishers are doing when they are fishing and what species they are catching, then take a closer look at their tackle and rigs and what type of bait they are using.
When rock fishing, remember safety comes first, second and third and the standard rules of rock fishing must be obeyed.
The first rule is never fish alone, the second is never fish at night and always let someone know where you plan to fish.
When fishing off a rock platform never turn your back on the ocean when you are unhooking a fish as a tricky wave could well crash over you and drag you back into a boiling sea.
© 2003 Illawarra Mercury
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