I'm fortunate to have visited and fished at many places around Australia. Everyone has their favourite place, a place where they feel most at home, most a part of. For me that place is Yamba. It has a bit of everything, a family connection, great fishing, great beaches, a relaxed atmosphere, a great climate and probably one of the best located pubs in Australia.
Photo is of Yamba Main Beach taken from below the lighthouse
The fishing is generally excellent. Bread and butter species such as whiting, bream, flathead and blue crabs are very common. In the river, those that target them can catch good jewfish, bass and even mangrove jacks. There is also a very healthy offshore fishery with snapper and pearl perch for the bottom fishos and tuna and both spottie and spanish mackeral for the surface fishos. I love fishing for many of these species, but for me Yamba will always make me think of the humble blackfish.
When it comes to float fishing for Luderick, the centrepin reel is the best tool for the job. Debatable perhaps, but in my opinion, and for the purposes of this article lets assume that this is correct.
Photo 1 - TopLeft Grice & Young Avon Royal Supreme, TopRight Okuma Aventa Pro, BottomLeft Alvey 475B, BottomRight Grice & Young Golden Eagle
I prefer to use a centrepin for a number of reasons. Centrepins give you the ability to let a float drift unencumbered, they let you maintain your line easily, they don't introduce line twist, they allow direct contact when playing a fish and they are easy to maintain. They do have one disadvantage in that they are harder to cast, and you will never get quite as much distance as you could get with a sidecast, for example.
