Hope Less in Coffs Harbour

Like many anglers recently I have been touched by the bream fever, all though I have been catching them for years on bait, I have only been able to capture 3 small bream while targeting them on lures. This to me is some what painfully as I have been lure fishing for bass and trout since I was about 6 with my dad, and over the past 14 years I have become an cast fish-addict. Even though armed with all this experience my biggest bream on a lure was about 20cm, its fell to a heavy rigged 75mm squdigy wriggler in avocado colour, my biggest problem with this fish is that it was taken from a made man tidal lake at the back of my house, there is nothing in this lake at all bugger all structure only a few pockets of mangroves and the channel that feeds it, a couple of fresh water nature drains that flow into it when it rains, its loaded with poddy mullet n bully’s and bait (prawn n shrimp) making it an the ideal flattie grounds I have caught up to 40 flatties in this 500, 300 meter lake in under 2 hours when they are running hot. So my problem is why is this the only place I can catch bream on SP's? its not what people would normally consider a good place to chase the humble bream. Keeping all this is mind have flogged the hell out of ever single boat in our marina every pylon boat hull rock wall even fishing the whole Coffs jetty from my boat all with a huge variety of Sp's in a huge range of colours from hr 55mm-80mm sizes with a variety I different jig heads n weights, I would really like to know why I cant catch these fish I know are there from experience its so frustrating any help would be mostly appreciated.

[chanlo]

Dont forget the little GT's in the lake and Mangrove jack in the creek inlet leading into it. I've also got a few flat head at the Y junction near the bridge as well.

In regard to SP's with bream, I have never caught one, I get them on blades though.

[jameshallam]

i just came back from red rock 30 mins north of coffs fish the corindi river baged out on bream everyday baits and placcies

[grichards]

good old Redbank River aka Corinidi creek aka Red Rock river. Hope you didnt flog it too hard my family lives in the upper reaches. Only house on the right side going up river.
Back to the original query. Jacob, IF, you fish around Caoffs itself maybe you should look further afield mate. Bonville Creek, Boambee Creek, Moonee Creek hold some decent Bream in theiir respective areas. Coffs Creek etc gets flogged everyday without fail, hence the smaller fish. Try going at night and having a go. Use hardbodies if you cant get outta Coffs. Cheers Gav.
P.S I can give you more info, but then I'll have no fish to catch when I visit family up there. It'll take time to suss each system out,TRUST ME.

[fowler]

Is this the tidal lake that boambe creeks runs to? up creek from the hitech industral boat ramp?

[chanlo]

Yes thats the lake, I have been there about 5 times now with mixed results. I had a good season on a 0.1m low tide a few weeks ago getting about 10 bream and 2 small flathead. I was in a kayak and was "paddling through the sand" most of the way there. Once i got to the lake not much was happening in lake itself.

[grichards]

i wouldnt fish in that arm of the creek. The industrial areas around South Coffs empty into it. I have tried up there years ago for a full weekend bait and lure fishing for no avail except teensy fish, may have changed now. Cheers Gav.