Fishing the Karuah River from the shore by Gary Earl

The Karuah River in the west of the Port Stephens estuary is a long, winding waterway that meanders down from the foothills of the Barrington Tops. This river is a major player in the oyster industry as well as being a major drawcard for boaties, canoes and kayakers.
The Karuah River is just over 100km long, and it has a variety of areas for everyone to enjoy. There are the freshwater pools in the upper reaches, which hold platypus and longfin eels, and further down in the midstream sections there are good numbers of bass in the brackish water. In the saltwater, which extends along the last 40km or so of river, there are large creeks running off to the north and the south, holding big bream, flathead, mulloway and large numbers of prawns and mud crabs. One of the best things about this river is that you can access the bank by car, and enjoy a hour, a day or a weekend of fishing without the need for a boat.
The township of Karuah itself has been bypassed by the Pacific Highway, so it's a sleepy little village these days. There's an RSL Club, caravan park, bottle shop and service station, but bear in mind that opening hours might not be as long as you'd find in the city, depending on the time of year. It's better to bring everything you need for your visit.
The township is an easy five-minute drive from the Pacific Highway. This is where most of the fishing takes place, especially around the bridge. All the fishing is accessible to you in the car if you're driving heading north, and you can catch some quality fish. It's true that a boat is always handy to find those deep holes, but the river has many places where you can just pull up in a car and toss in a line. Here are a few places to try.