It was originally built in the 1980s to protect the commercial fishing fleet, game boats and visiting craft from the roaring west wind.

Since then the rock wall has grown in reputation as a home for bream, seasonal luderick, and the occasional kingfish, snapper and mulloway.

Depending on the strength of the tide and the direction of the wind, local and visiting fishers choose to target either the outside of the wall, facing Tea Gardens, or the inside where the water is calm and significantly warmer.

Monsters lurk in the calm marina, cruising under the trawlers and charter boats.

Giant flathead and bream get fatter and fatter as they lounge around with nothing to do but to eat.

Local breakwall champion Dean Bird, fishing off the Fisherman’s Coop wharf, thought he had hooked a motor boat when his bread bait disappeared.

After a mighty struggle Dean landed the biggest bream I’ve reported in Port Stephens in over 30 years. 

This thumper weighed in at 2.2 kilograms.

If you’ve got a picture of a whopper, or a great fishing yarn to share, you can email it to stinkerfishing@yahoo.com with your contact number and details about your catch.