BarryOliver

I've been irregularly fishing in Lake Macquarie for over 40 years. Maybe once every few months. I have family on the Lake and live in Canberra so only get up there irregularly over the past 20yrs. However I lived there for 20years growing up so fished a bit more often but still not that often. Up until a few years ago I didn't notice too much change in my fishing results (apart from normal seasonal changes in species). I never caught too much of any size- a flathead here and there, a few tailor every now and then. But I did catch lots and lots of little ones. Little bream, squire, trumpeters, toadies etc. They'd often take the bait before it hit the bottom. I usually fish off a jetty in Secret Bay near Fishing point but sometimes go out in a boat. A year or so ago I fished off the jetty and got five of the largest bream I've caught anywhere, let alone off the jetty! I caught a few more over the following months but nothing like the first haul. I heard reports of others catching nice bream close by as well. Then about 6 months ago the place was inundated with Australian Salmon- I'd never seen them in the Lake before. I had fun catching them with some coming and taking my bait of cooked prawn right in front of the jetty in about 30cm of water! Also around this time I came across Razor clams off the end of the jetty, again never seen them before. Then, maybe 2-3months ago I noticed a major change- there were no fish- no Salmon, no Bream but what concerned me more was no little fish. Nothing. Not even a toady! A mate and I went out in a boat and fished from Dora Creek around Pulbar and up the Swansea Channel- Wangi point, Fishing point- nothing! no little bites, no big bites. Last month I went out again and fished around Fishing Point down into Bayswater- 3 flounder. But no little fish- nothing would take my bait of cooked prawn or plastic lures. We paddled the boat up the creek that runs to the golf course at Kilaben bay. I expected to see lot of little fish here but nothing. The water seemed to be void of life. Not only was nothing biting there was nothing in the water. It looked clean enough and in some cases I thought it very clear, even up in the creek. But no little fish. I don't care about not catching big fish- I've never been that successful anyway but not even seeing the numerous little fish that I would have always seen over the past 40yrs concerned me quite a bit. If anyone has any thoughts I'd love to hear them. Maybe the changes I've noticed in the Lake are long-term normal changes- ie razor clams, salmon, bigger bream, no little fish...out of all of these the 'no little fish' are the most worrying. Also over this time there's been lots of external changes- professional fisherman gone, sewer put on in all the houses around the area, Wangi Power Station gone but Eraring coming on...I don't think Pasminco (or Sulphide) going probably had much impact down the southern end but who knows. Also, I noticed many more 'serious' fisherman around- those in boats that look like high performance speed boats...but also those with electric motors just crusing around the many moored boats...many more recreational fishers than I'd seen before (ie 10 yrs ago). Anyway, I felt concerned enough about the lack of little fish to post this for someone else's ideas...