Fish Port Stephens by John ‘Stinker’ Clarke.
John ‘Stinker’ Clarke’s latest book is about fishing in Port Stephens. John is an expert amateur fisherman and has written a fishing column for the Port Stephens examiner for the last 25 years. He is passionate about Port Stephens and the sport of fishing.
John separates fishermen/women into “anglers” and “danglers” and his book will be of interest to both. The first few chapters are an autobiography of John’s fishing experiences up to the time he came to Port Stephens as a high school teacher in 1975. The next chapter describes some of his adventures in his two boats “Stinker” and “Stinkpot”, mostly launched from Fingal Bay.
The remainder of the book is about fishing in and around Port Stephens. John describes which bait and tackle to use and the habits of the various fish species in Port Stephens. These chapters are sprinkled with many fishing yarns featuring John and his mates. There is a list of GPS coordinates at the end of the book for anyone who wants to try their luck at some of the spots mentioned in these chapters.
I found the book enjoyable to read. It concentrates on John’s experiences fishing from Fingal Bay and the outer Port, but there are some useful hints and techniques that can be implemented by anyone fishing in Port Stephens. The book was published in 2014 and is a good reference on fishing as well as a lovely coffee table book for your visitors with great illustrations and pictures of our wonderful waterway. It can be purchased at local book retailers as well as on line at www.stinker.com.au
