Fishing Blacksmiths Beach, Lake Macquarie Guide

Ocean Beach Best: Dawn, Dusk, Night Tide: High tide

Southern end of Nine Mile Beach, anchored by the Swansea Channel northern training wall. Dynamic sandbars and gutters that reform after swells. Sand builds into a deeper corner against the wall at the southern end.

Blacksmiths Beach is the southern end of the Nine Mile stretch, running north from the Swansea Channel training walls toward Redhead. It is the easy-access end: free parking at the Swansea Belmont surf club, toilets and showers, a takeaway across the road, and flat sand all the way to the water. The same dynamic sandbars that make Redhead fish well run this whole coastline, gutters form and shift after every decent swell, and the skill here is reading them. Scout at low tide, mark where the dark water sits, come back and fish it.

Tailor are the bread and butter. Dusk into dark on small metals is the local play, and when a school moves through the gutter it can go fish-a-cast. Salmon push through in winter and spring, chrome slices wound fast through the white water. Whiting work the sandy wash on summer mornings, and after dark the gutter mouths are genuine mulloway water, especially around the corner where the beach meets the northern training wall, sand builds against the rocks there and bait stacks in the deeper corner. The odd quality bream comes off the same corner in winter.

The west to northwest winds that make a mess of the lake blow offshore here, flattening the surf and cleaning up the gutters, so a winter westerly is a Blacksmiths day. For solitude, a 4WD permit for Belmont Wetlands State Park (online only) opens the long empty stretch north where the crowds thin out with every kilometre. The beach is patrolled in season, fish well away from the flags.

Depth: Gutters 2-4m, sandbars 0.5-1m. Deeper corner where the beach meets the training wall.

Best day to fish Blacksmiths Beach this week

The standout looks like Fri 11 Sept, 6:00 pm for Tailor.

You're on the run-in, water pushing bait up onto the flats. You've got the evening bite as the light drops off, and there's a solunar bite window running through it.

Scored from the live 7-day outlook, updated Thu 5:00am. Re-check the live rating above before you head out.

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Best bite times at Blacksmiths Beach this week

Fish the hour either side of each tide change. Windows that have already passed drop off this list.

On now

6:37 – 8:37am today

High tide · matches this spot's best tide

Strong

Today 10 Sep

6:37 – 8:37am High Strong matches this spot's best tide
12:24 – 2:24pm Low
6:42 – 8:42pm High Strong matches this spot's best tide

Tomorrow 11 Sep

1:08 – 3:08am Low
7:18 – 9:18am High Strong matches this spot's best tide
1:11 – 3:11pm Low
7:25 – 9:25pm High Strong matches this spot's best tide

Rest of the week — Sat 12 to Tue 15 Sep

Sat 12 Sep

1:43 – 3:43am Low
7:57 – 9:57am High Strong matches this spot's best tide
1:56 – 3:56pm Low
8:06 – 10:06pm High Strong matches this spot's best tide

Sun 13 Sep

2:16 – 4:16am Low
8:35 – 10:35am High Strong matches this spot's best tide
2:40 – 4:40pm Low
8:45 – 10:45pm High Strong matches this spot's best tide

Mon 14 Sep

2:47 – 4:47am Low
9:12 – 11:12am High Strong matches this spot's best tide
3:25 – 5:25pm Low
9:24 – 11:24pm High Strong matches this spot's best tide

Tue 15 Sep

3:17 – 5:17am Low
9:48 – 11:48am High Strong matches this spot's best tide
4:12 – 6:12pm Low Strong near dawn/dusk
10:03pm – 12:03am High Strong matches this spot's best tide

Tide data: TICON-4 (DGFI-TUM), CC BY 4.0, updated Thu 5:00am. Not an official tide table.

What You Can Catch

Tailor Good Australian Salmon Peak Sand Whiting Slow Mulloway (Jewfish) Good Yellowfin Bream Good

How to Fish Each Species Here

Tailor Year-round, best May-Aug numbers (bigger fish Mar-May)

Tailor herd bait into the gutters on the high and feed hard as the light drops. The southern end of Nine Mile gets the same winter runs as the rest of the stretch.

Best conditions: Dusk into dark, high tide pushing bait into the gutters. Offshore westerlies clean the surf up.

How to fish: Small metals (20-40g) cast into the gutter and wound quick - when the school is in, it is a fish a cast. Ganged pilchards after dark if the metals go quiet.

Exact spot: The nearest deep gutter to the surf club, or walk south toward the wall corner where bait concentrates.

Australian Salmon Jul-Sep (winter/spring run)

Migrating schools work the whole Nine Mile stretch, trapping bait against the beach. Birds and surface bust-ups give them away.

Best conditions: Dawn, high tide, after a blow. Offshore wind days are prime.

How to fish: Chrome slice 40-60g wound fast through the gutter or white water. If heavy surge keeps skipping the metal, a big 5-inch plastic on a 3/4oz head holds the zone.

Exact spot: Wherever the birds are working. No birds - fish the deepest gutter and keep moving until you find them.

Sand Whiting Nov-Mar (summer run)

Whiting follow the tide onto the sand to root for worms and pipis in the wash.

Best conditions: Calm mornings, incoming tide flooding the wash zone.

How to fish: Beach worm or pipi on a #4 long shank, unweighted or tiny ball sinker, in the shallow wash. Feel for the taps.

Exact spot: The clean sandy wash between gutters. Walk until you find working water.

Mulloway (Jewfish) Apr-Aug (winter)

The wall corner and the gutter mouths funnel baitfish after dark - classic ambush water at the quiet end of the beach.

Best conditions: Night, last hours of the run-out draining the gutters. New moon or overcast.

How to fish: Fresh tailor chunk, mullet fillet or whole squid on a 6/0 circle, 50lb leader, enough lead to hold. Soak it in the corner or a gutter mouth and wait.

Exact spot: The deeper corner against the northern training wall, or a gutter mouth you marked in daylight.

Where to Cast

The corner where the beach meets the northern training wall Sand builds against the rocks creating a permanent deeper corner. Bait stacks here when a sea is running, and mulloway and bream patrol the edge after dark.
Gutters and their mouths Same dynamic sandbar logic as all of Nine Mile. The gutter holds the bait, the mouth funnels it out on the drop - predators sit at the funnel.
The 4WD stretch north of the wetlands entrance Kilometres of gutters that see a fraction of the pressure. The crowd thins with every kilometre of sand.

Casting technique

Cast to the EDGE of the gutter where it meets the sandbar and work the transitions. On dusk, small metals wound quick; after dark, bait soaked in the gutter or the wall corner.

Seasonal Calendar

Species	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
Tailor	Peak	Peak	Peak	Peak	Good	Good	Good	Good	Good	Good	Good	Peak
Australian Salmon	-	-	-	-	-	Good	Peak	Peak	Peak	-	-	-
Sand Whiting	Peak	Peak	Good	Good	-	-	-	-	-	-	Good	Peak
Mulloway (Jewfish)	Good	Good	Good	Good	Peak	Peak	Peak	Peak	Good	Good	-	Good
Yellowfin Bream	Peak	Peak	Good	Good	Good	Peak	Peak	Peak	Good	Good	Good	Peak

Current month highlighted. Peak = best months, Good = adjacent months, - = slow.

Local Tips

Dusk into dark on small metals is the tailor play - when a school is in the gutter it can go fish-a-cast
W to NW wind blows offshore here: surf flattens, gutters clean up. A winter westerly that wrecks the lake is a Blacksmiths day
Scout the gutters at low tide after a swell, then fish them on the high
Patrolled beach - fish early, late or after dark, well away from the flags
Keep a small tailor: fresh chunk on the bottom in the wall corner is the classic after-dark mulloway play here
The channel breakwall itself is its own spot (see Swansea Training Walls) - the beach corner and the wall fish differently

Getting There

Parking

Free car park at Swansea Belmont SLSC (Ungala Rd). 4WD beach entry via Belmont Wetlands State Park, permit required (online only).

Facilities

Toilets, showers and picnic/BBQ area at the surf club. Takeaway across the road. Swansea shops 5 min drive.

Tackle & Bait

New Age Fishing - 76-78 Pacific Hwy, Swansea. Lure and tackle specialist, opens 7am weekends. In Swansea town, minutes over the bridge.

Access

Beach

Open in Google Maps

Safety

Hazards

Strong rips like the rest of Nine Mile. Patrolled swimming area - stay well clear of the flags. 4WD traffic on the sand north of the access point. Waves break over the wall corner in a big sea.

Nearby Spots

Swansea Channel Training Walls

Lake Macquarie · 1.4km away
Luderick (Blackfish) · Yellowfin Bream · Dusky Flathead

Pelican Foreshore

Lake Macquarie · 1.7km away
Yellowfin Bream

Swansea Channel Flats (Naru Beach)

Lake Macquarie · 1.9km away
Sand Whiting · Dusky Flathead

Marks Point Sand Flats

Lake Macquarie · 2.1km away
Dusky Flathead · Blue Swimmer Crab

Explore more

Frequently Asked Questions

When is the best day to fish Blacksmiths Beach this week?

Based on the live 7-day outlook, the best day to fish Blacksmiths Beach looks like Fri 11 Sept, 6:00 pm for Tailor. You're on the run-in, water pushing bait up onto the flats. You've got the evening bite as the light drops off, and there's a solunar bite window running through it. Conditions shift through the day, so check the live rating on this page before you head out.

What fish can I catch at Blacksmiths Beach?

At Blacksmiths Beach you can target Tailor, Australian Salmon, Sand Whiting, Mulloway (Jewfish), Yellowfin Bream. Southern end of Nine Mile Beach. Gutters for tailor and salmon, the wall corner after dark. Best tide: High tide. Top spot: The corner where the beach meets the northern training wall. Tip: Dusk into dark on small metals is the tailor play - when a school is in the gutter it can go fish-a-cast.

When is the best time to fish Blacksmiths Beach?

The best times to fish Blacksmiths Beach are dawn, dusk, night on a high tide. Southern end of Nine Mile Beach, anchored by the Swansea Channel northern training wall. Dynamic sandbars and gutters that reform after swells. Sand builds into a deeper corner against the wall at the southern end. This month (September), peak species here: Australian Salmon.

How do I get to Blacksmiths Beach?

Free car park at Swansea Belmont SLSC (Ungala Rd). 4WD beach entry via Belmont Wetlands State Park, permit required (online only). Toilets, showers and picnic/BBQ area at the surf club. Takeaway across the road. Swansea shops 5 min drive. Nearest other spot: Swansea Channel Training Walls (1.4km away). Nearest tackle: New Age Fishing (76-78 Pacific Hwy, Swansea). In Swansea town, minutes over the bridge.

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