Clyde River Breakwall & Bridge Foreshore (Batemans Bay)

The Clyde River meets Batemans Bay along a kilometre-long rock training wall that runs from the Batemans Bay Marina on Beach Road down towards Hanging Rock, and every tide in and out of the river squeezes past it. That wall and the Clyde Street foreshore beside the southern end of the Princes Highway bridge about 2 km upstream are the town's two easy land-based estuary spots. Mulloway, flathead, bream and luderick all work the lower Clyde, and bridges, rock walls and the river mouth are where they gather — which covers both of them. It is all inside Batemans Marine Park, but the water off the wall and the CBD foreshore is special purpose and habitat protection zone, where line fishing is allowed.

On the wall, fish the river side into the channel rather than the shallow sand behind it — that is where the current runs and the bait gets pushed. Bream and luderick sit tight to the rocks: a lightly weighted prawn or a 2–3in grub on a 1/16–1/8oz jighead for bream, and green weed under a stem float for luderick through the cooler months. Flathead patrol the sand edge where the wall drops into the channel, so a soft plastic hopped back down the slope covers them on the falling tide. Mulloway are a night and change-of-tide job, with a live mullet or fresh squid on the bottom near the deepest water off the wall or around the bridge pylons from the foreshore. Tailor push bait through the mouth in the cooler months and will hit a small metal slice cast across the current at first light.

Yellowfin bream are year-round at 25 cm on a bag of 10 shared with tarwhine. Dusky flathead must sit between 36 cm and 70 cm to be kept, the bag is 5, and the big fish over 70 cm, nearly all breeding females, go back. Luderick are 27 cm with a bag of 10, and tailor 30 cm with a bag of 10. Mulloway are the prize here and the rules are tight — 70 cm minimum and a bag of one per person. In the habitat protection zone that covers the channel off the wall, sharks and rays other than gummy and school shark are protected — release any ray that picks up a flathead bait.

Fish the first half of the run-out on the wall, when water draining from the river lines bait up along the rocks; the slack at the top of the tide is usually the quiet patch. Bring fresh prawns or nippers rather than relying on frozen bait, and leave the cunjevoi on the rocks — collecting it is banned in every habitat protection zone of the park. At the bridge end, fish from the Clyde Street foreshore, not from the highway deck. Marine Park sanctuary zones sit a short way off in three directions — Cullendulla Creek across the bay at Surfside, and Pelican Inlet and Waterfall Creek upstream on the south bank — so do not wander off with a rod looking for a quieter spot without checking the FishSmart map.

The wall starts behind the Batemans Bay Marina on Beach Road, with parking, toilets and a café at the marina, and runs south-east towards the Hanging Rock boat ramp. It is armour rock rather than a paved walkway, so footing is uneven and it is not suited to prams or wheelchairs. The bridge foreshore is on Clyde Street in the town centre, with parking, toilets and a flat sealed path along the water, which makes it the easier option for kids and anyone who does not fancy rock-hopping. The two ends are about 2 km apart along Beach Road, so pick one per session.

This is the sheltered end of the bay, so it fishes in most weather and makes a reliable fallback when a southerly swell closes the ocean rocks. A strong north-easter blows straight up the river and makes light lines hard work on the wall. Tide is the trigger — the run-out flushes bait past the rocks, and the bite tends to die at slack water. After heavy rain the Clyde runs brown for days, which can put bream off but often brings flathead and mulloway down to the mouth.

The wall is uneven armour rock with gaps between boulders, slippery with weed near the waterline, and there are no rails, so wear closed shoes and carry a headlamp for night sessions. The channel beside it is deep and runs hard on the tide, so a fall is serious. Boats and jet skis use the river constantly between the marina, the Hanging Rock ramp and the bar, so watch your casts. The Batemans Bay bar itself is a boat hazard rather than a shore one, but swell can still surge along the outer end of the wall in a big south-easterly. Eurobodalla is not one of the ten council areas declared under the Rock Fishing Safety Act 2016, but a lifejacket is strongly recommended on the outer end of the wall. Fish from the foreshore, not the bridge deck, and keep clear of the boat pontoons.

The Clyde River training wall behind the Batemans Bay Marina on Beach Road and the Clyde Street foreshore beside the southern end of the bridge are the two easy options in town. Both fish for bream, flathead, luderick and mulloway, and both sit in the special purpose and habitat protection zones of Batemans Marine Park, where line fishing is allowed.

Not from the highway deck — it is a busy road bridge with no safe place to stand and fish. Fish from the Clyde Street foreshore beside the southern end of the bridge instead, where the pylons and deep water are within easy casting range.

Yes. Batemans Marine Park covers the bay and the lower Clyde. The town foreshore and the water off the wall are a special purpose zone and habitat protection zone where line fishing is permitted, but sanctuary zones at Cullendulla Creek, Pelican Inlet and Waterfall Creek are no-take, and cunjevoi cannot be collected in any habitat protection zone.

Mulloway must be at least 70 cm and the bag limit is one fish per person. The Clyde's deeper holes and bridge pylons are the local mulloway water, best at night and around the tide changes from October to May.