On the water

Welcome to our waterways

petercMon, 27/02/2012 - 9:39pm

Welcome to the wonderful waterways of Port Stephens and particularly North Arm Cove.

A great many of us came to North Arm Cove because of the access, scenic quality and relative peace of the place and its waters. The north shore of Port Stephens offers great opportunities for fishing, kayaking (kayaks are a must have in NAC!), waterskiing, sailing or just knocking about in boats from canoes to offshore yachts. The increase in moored powerboats and yachts in the past 10 years has been incredible, and many of the owners are not necessarily locals, coming from places as far...

Is it safe to swim after rain?

janinerSun, 08/01/2023 - 2:27pm

The rain started on Thursday 5 January 2023 with the biggest falls on Saturday 7 January 2023. Our weather station in Cove Boulevarde recorded a total of 125ml with 85ml of that being on Saturday. The rain was most welcome, as the ground was dry, many gardens were suffering, and some properties were running short of tank water.

However, big rain events also affect the quality of the water in the Cove. The advice of most authorities is not to swim for 3 days after large rainfall events or until the water is clear.

One way to determine...

You can Participate in a Fishing Survey- Wollongong University

janinerWed, 31/08/2022 - 12:02pm

How much do recreational fishers contribute to the NSW economy? Help University of Wollongong with their study.

Recreational fishers contribute to local and regional economies in NSW through their expenditures on fishing gear, and their expenditures on items such as food and drink, accommodations and fuel when they travel to fishing sites.

The University of Wollongong is asking fishers to complete a survey answering questions about their fishing-related spending in order to quantify the contribution recreational fishers make to the NSW economy. This will help identify the value in maintaining or improving recreational fisher access to key recreational...

Wild Weather

janinerMon, 04/07/2022 - 9:12am
Overnight wind recording

We woke up to bright sunshine but it was a wild night in the Cove.

Several boats have dragged their moorings and one large cruiser has broken away and ended up in the mangroves at the northern end of the Cove. Many oyster lines have broken.

What has caused the damage? I have attached our weather station graph showing a strong easterly wind overnight. The weather station is protected from the south and west, and we generally miss some of the strong winds. But not last night.

New Recreational Fishing Rules

janinerSun, 26/06/2022 - 12:33pm
A dusky flathead

New dusky flathead and lobster recreational fishing rules will come into force on 1 August, 2022.

Dusky Flathead- There will be a slot limit of 36cm to 70cm (previously 1 over 70cm). The daily bag limit will reduce from 10 to 5 per person. To allow for extended fishing trips, the possession limit will remain at 10.
Lobster- There will be an increase in the daily bag/possession limit from 2 to 3 per person of Eastern Rock Lobster or Southern Rock Lobster or a combination of these species.

For further information, check out the DPI website at...

Oyster Line Comes Loose

janinerSat, 08/01/2022 - 2:21pm
Loose oyster line

Over the New Year long weekend, a line of oysters broke loose in strong winds. It was near the boat launching area at Water Street. The line was outside the lease area but it it was bunched up and easily visible. On Wednesday, I tried contacting the phone number that DPI Fisheries had given us, but it was disconnected. I then tried DPI Fisheries, but they were on holidays until 10 Janunary. I then tried the mobile phone number that was on the XL Oysters website.

It was very pleasing to find that the problem was fixed within 24...

A Reminder-Crab Trap Rules

janinerMon, 03/01/2022 - 3:47pm

We ran into a crab trap line yesterday. The buoy was about the size of a ping pong ball and was difficult to see. There was a line of these traps with small buoys between the oyster lease and the shore and they were in the zone where a lot of people take their boats when the tide is low. We were lucky to avoid a rope wrapped around our propellor.

A fishing licence is required to use a crab trap. There is a limit of two crab traps or 4 hoop nets/witches hats per licenced person. The following...

Proposed Changes to Fishing Rules-Have Your Say

janinerTue, 23/11/2021 - 2:22pm

NSW DPI is undertaking community consultation on proposed changes to recreational fishing rules for Eastern Rock Lobster and Dusky Flathead.

The proposed changes for recreational fishers are:

Eastern Rock Lobster – increase in bag limit from 2 to 3 per person.
Dusky Flathead – introduction of a slot limit of 36 cm – 70 cm (previously only 1 over 70 cm) and reduction of bag limit from 10 to 5 per person.

All recreational fishers and the community are encouraged to have their say before Friday 26 November 2021.

Go to https://www.dpi.nsw.gov.au/fishing for...

Jetty Investigations

janinerSun, 21/11/2021 - 11:37am

A public jetty was a high priority in the survey done for the community plan. In the next couple of months, applications will open for the next round of goverment grants for boating access.

Last week at the NACCAi general meeting, Bob Reid gave a summary of the investigations already carried out into the possibilty of a public jetty at North Arm Cove. The attached report summarises these investigations. A NACCAi subcommittee has been appointed to take these investigations further.

If you are interested in being involved, please contact Bob Reid via this website or leave a...

John "Stinker" Clarke Fishing in Port Stephens

Information
janinerSun, 18/07/2021 - 9:03pm

John "Stinker" Clarke is a Port Stephens fishing identity. He was on ABC radio last Saturday talking about the fishing at Karuah. Next Saturday is about Tea Gardens. If you are interested in a few tips about local fishing, you can catch up by going to 

https://www.abc.net.au/radio/newcastle/programs/saturday-breakfast/stink...

John has written a few books about oyster farming and fishing in Port Stephens. Reviews of his books are on this website in 2015. 

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