I’VE spent the last week with a friend visiting from Bunbury WA.

Thankfully my friend is keen on fishing and boating. Early in the week we took a trip up the Myall River with commercial fisherman Glyn ‘Glyno’ Tarrant to the historic prawning village of Tamboi.

What an experience.

Launching in Nelson Bay, on a perfect day, we motored across the port to Pindimar before travelling under the Singing Bridge to Tea Gardens.

From Tea Gardens it’s about 30 to 40 minutes up the river to where the river empties into the Myall Lake system.
It is a trip that everyone should make.

The Myall River is famous for prawns that run out of the lakes into the river and are netted by commercial fishermen.

We watched as a couple of cracker bream were bounced up onto the bank by one of the prawners who was having a fishing break.

In the afternoon I introduced my friend to ‘Stinkpot’, my 11-foot tinny, which we launched off Fingal Beach before heading for the shallow reefs off the Outer Light.

In a bumpy sea we tossed unweighted yellowtail baits into the white water.

“Whammo!”.

Snapper to 6kg were keen to attack.

Hooking and landing the biggest fish of the day managed to overcome my friend’s nervousness at being in a little boat at sea.

A great day and a great week in Port Stephens.

By John ‘Stinker’ CLARKE