To date Medowie champion Rob McMahon (pictured) has the strangest story to tell.

Fishing the heavy sea, off the beach, up towards the Little Gibber, Rob was onto a hot bit of tailor and salmon. Tossing pilchards on a ganged hook into washing machine water Rob was clobbered by something unexpected - a 3kg snapper. Over the years I have reported catching snapper off the beaches however it doesn't happen very often. Rob also managed to land tarwhine, trevally and cracker bream. Strangely enough the best bait for the bream were frozen green prawns. The prawns were more successful that the fresh mullet, squid and worms on offer.

The heavy rains and building seas that we have been subjected to recently have combined to produce some very exciting fishing. The fresh water flowing down from the surrounding high land has flushed all the feeder streams and river systems that flow into the port. This has resulted in a gathering of bream, jewfish, luderick and flathead closer to the headlands particularly around the Nelson Bay Breakwall. The heaving sea outside the heads has forced schools of fish into the port for protection from the rough and tumble. Bream, luderick and jewfish have moved inside for some peace and quiet and have gathered - you guessed it - along the breakwall in Nelson Bay. I did receive a report earlier in the week that a jewfish with 2 luderick in it's belly was caught off the breakwall .

If the sea continues to build your chances of catching a snapper inside the port will continue to improve. Not surprisingly snapper are being caught on floating baits off the Torpedo Tubes at South Head, Tomaree.

STINKER