Sussex Inlet (town foreshore)

Sussex Inlet is the channel that drains St Georges Basin to the sea, a winding tidal channel with the town strung along its western bank. The basin behind it is a Recreational Fishing Haven famous for giant dusky flathead, and every one of those fish has to come and go through this channel. The spot is the town foreshore at Jim Cater Park, where grass runs to a low bank beside the jetties and the main channel swings in close. It is a holiday town built around fishing, and on a summer weekend it shows.

Flathead are the reason to come. Work soft plastics or lightly weighted prawns and poddy mullet along the drop-offs on the edge of the channel, especially on the run-out when bait drains from the basin. Bream and trevally take peeled prawn, nipper or mullet strip fished close to the jetty pylons and the rocks along the bank. Luderick come to a float with green weed along the weedy edges in the cooler months. Whiting work the sandy shallows with worm or nipper in summer, and a live mullet or fresh squid fished into the deeper water after dark is the mulloway option.

Dusky flathead are kept inside a 36–70 cm slot with a bag of 5 — the big breeders over 70 cm go back. Yellowfin bream are 25 cm minimum on a bag of 10 shared with tarwhine, luderick 27 cm with a bag of 10, and sand whiting 27 cm on a bag of 20 across all whiting. Silver trevally are 30 cm on a bag of 10 shared across the trevallies, and tailor 30 cm with a bag of 10. Mulloway are 70 cm minimum with a bag of one per person.

Nets are closed in Sussex Haven apart from a dip or scoop net and a landing net, and spearfishing is closed too. Fish the run-out for flathead and the run-in for bream and luderick. The channel is a boat highway on weekends — cast between passing boats and keep your line low. Live poddy mullet are the classic big-flathead bait, fished on a running sinker along the drop-offs.

Jim Cater Park is on the river side of the main shopping strip, with parking, toilets and picnic areas, and the shops a short walk away. The foreshore is flat and grassed with a low bank, which makes it an easy family spot, though there are no rails. Several small jetties along the bank belong to businesses or are boat landings, so fish from the public foreshore and give way to anyone tying up. Badgee Bridge Park and Chris Creek Bridge Park are other public foreshore reserves on the water.

The channel is sheltered from ocean swell and fishes in most weather. The tide runs strongly in the narrow sections, and the change of tide is when baits sit best. A strong westerly blows down the channel and makes light-line fishing awkward. After heavy rain the basin drains brown through the inlet for days, which slows bream and luderick but can bring flathead onto the edge of the dirty water.

The channel is deep and the current strong in the middle of the tide, so keep children back from the bank edge and don't wade out after a snag. Boat traffic is heavy in holiday periods, including wake that can wash over a low bank. The far bank is bushland with no public access from town, so it is not a crossing. The lower inlet and bar towards the sea are dangerous to boats and swimmers in any swell.

The town foreshore at Jim Cater Park beside the main street is the easy option, with parking, toilets and the channel close to the bank. Badgee Bridge Park and Chris Creek Bridge Park are other public reserves on the water.

Dusky flathead, yellowfin bream, luderick, sand whiting, silver trevally, tailor and mulloway. Dusky flathead must be 36–70 cm with a bag of 5, so the big breeders over 70 cm are released.

Yes. St Georges Basin, which drains to the sea through Sussex Inlet, is a Recreational Fishing Haven, and it is known for large dusky flathead. Normal NSW bag and size limits apply, and nets are closed in Sussex Haven apart from dip, scoop and landing nets.

The run-out tide for flathead, when bait drains out of St Georges Basin, and the run-in for bream and luderick. Early morning and evening beat the middle of the day in summer, when the channel is full of boats.