Above the tide line FlyLife’s writers describe a clear, quick coastal river. That clarity decides how you fish it: the bass can see you as well as you can see them, so the fish hold where the water gives them cover and brings food past. Look for the heads of pools where a run drops in, deep banks under overhanging trees, and snags or rock that break the current. On a bright day the fish tuck into shade and depth; at dusk they come out to the edges.

Below Bellingen the river becomes an estuary, by FlyLife’s writers’ account, and the fishing changes with it. Here the water rises and falls, colour comes and goes with the tide and the rain, and the fish move with the bait. Drop-offs, bank structure and the edges of flats are the places to start looking.

The flow charts show how the river’s flow runs through the year, and the live card gives you the current level. As on any coastal river, heavy rain in the hills can lift it quickly; when it runs high and brown, give it a day or two to clear.

Australian bass are the reason to fish the upper river. They are recorded in the Bellinger, and FlyLife’s writers describe the valley above Bellingen as wild bass water with strong, plentiful fish. In our experience river bass like these fight hard in current.

The estuary is a longer list. FlyLife’s writers name mangrove jack, giant herring, diamond trevally, jewfish, bream and luderick, each at its own time of year, and a run of juvenile giant trevally over the warmer months. Sea mullet and pinkeye mullet are recorded in the river, as are freshwater catfish and longfin eels. Bull sharks are among the fish recorded too.

The small fish matter more than they look. Australian smelt, Pacific blue-eyes, several gudgeons, Port Jackson glassfish and crimsonspotted rainbowfish are all recorded here, and those are the baitfish a bass or a trevally is eating. In our experience that makes a small, slim streamer in olive, grey or white the most useful fly in the box, from the top of the valley down through the estuary.

For the bass, carry a surface fly (a popper, a small slider or a big foam beetle) and a Woolly Bugger or similar dark streamer in sizes 4 to 8. For the estuary, carry weighted baitfish patterns in a range of sizes and a few that sink quickly for the deeper edges.

Summer is the heart of the season on both halves of the river. In the upper valley, warm evenings bring bass to the surface along the banks, and a popper worked slowly at last light is a good bet from November through March.

In the estuary the warmer months are when FlyLife’s writers describe the juvenile giant trevally arriving, and they note that the other estuary species move through at different times of year. Treat the calendar bars as a guide’s read, not a timetable.

As autumn cools the water, the bass go deeper and slower. Switch to a streamer fished near the bottom of the pools. In our experience winter is a quiet time in the upper river; check the current NSW guide before you plan a cold-weather trip.

For the bass water, a five- or six-weight with a floating line covers most of it. Wade quietly, fish upstream or across, and put the fly close to cover: a cast that lands a metre off the bank often goes unanswered where one that lands against it gets eaten. Let a popper sit, then give it short, sharp pops with long pauses. If nothing comes up, go subsurface with a slow-stripped streamer through the deepest part of the pool. Trees crowd much of the bank on rivers like this, so a good roll cast saves flies and time.

For the estuary, step up to a six- to eight-weight, which is what FlyLife’s writers recommend for the juvenile trevally. An intermediate or sinking line helps on the deeper edges. Look for bait being pushed to the surface, cast ahead of the movement and strip fast; trevally rarely chase a slow fly. For the structure fish, work a weighted baitfish pattern tight along the bank and let it sink before you move it. The streamer fishing page covers the retrieves.

The access card lists the angler access points and the boat ramps along the river. Treat each as a way to reach the water, not as permission to cross the land beside it; where a track runs through private property, ask first.

As on any clear coastal river, the rocks in fast water are slippery and the pools are deeper than they look. Wade slowly, feel your footing and carry a wading staff if you have one. Check the live card before you set out and keep off the river when it is rising after rain. As on any bush river, wear sturdy footwear on grassy banks in summer and watch where you step.

No water-specific rule was found for the Bellinger River. The upper valley is freshwater and the lower river is estuary, so read the current NSW Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development guide for both before you fish.

Before you leave, open the current NSW fishing rules and regulations and check the rules that apply to where you plan to fish.