Wallis Lake in Mid-Coast: How and When to Fish It

• Overview

  Wallis Lake is one of the Mid-Coast waters in New South Wales. It sits 3.3 km in from the sea. Forster lies 10 km from the water. For a city, Newcastle is 99 km off. Also on the doorstep: Smiths Lake within 13 km, Myall Lake a shade over 21 km, Boolambayte Creek within 27 km, Two Mile Lake a shade over 30 km and Eurunderee Lagoon within 31 km. The regional boundary is nowhere near, so one local authority covers the water.

• Where to Fish on Wallis Lake

  There is a figure for this one: 5 m. Look for the band where the shallows give up and the bottom falls away. The productive water is a rod length or two out, not a hundred. Records collected within a few miles name brown-back mullet, Australian freshwater herring and sandy sprat. The list reflects reported sightings and surveys rather than what is stocked. At Wallis Lake light and wind decide more than tackle does.

• Seasonal Patterns

  The warmest month averages 23°C, the coldest about 13°C. The calendar barely matters here; the time of day does. Spring runs September to November and autumn March to May, and both fish well. Summer, December to February, brings heat, so fish early and late. Time your trip to Wallis Lake by conditions rather than dates.

• Tackle & Baits

  The shoreline is public, so the licence is the main requirement. Nothing built is recorded close to the bank here. A light spinning outfit with a small box of lures and some bait covers most of what swims here. Rules differ from one water to the next round here. Barbless rules turn up on managed water more often than not. Smiths Lake, 13 km away, makes the obvious fallback. Treat access at Wallis Lake as something to verify.