Plan a first fly-fishing trip for Australian bass on the Macleay River on the NSW coast, where nets are banned in the fresh water above Belgrave Falls at Kempsey.
The Macleay is a coastal New South Wales river you drive to for Australian bass on a fly.
Think of it as two waters: the tidal river near the coast, and the non-tidal water from Belgrave Falls at Kempsey up to the source. In our experience the fresh water is where the fly fishing for bass lives. Belgrave Falls is the one place name worth learning, because the state’s net restriction on the non-tidal water starts there.
Start in the fresh water on a warm evening between December and March. That is when, in our experience, bass come up to take a popper or a cicada fly off the surface beside overhanging trees and fallen timber. Nets other than a landing net are banned in the non-tidal Macleay and its tributaries from Belgrave Falls upstream, which in practice means your landing net is outside the ban; the notice does not itself close the water to other methods, so check the current NSW recreational fishing guide for anything else before you fish. The access card shows the public boat ramps on the river; check where each sits before you plan a kayak or small-boat trip.
For a second trip, come in spring or autumn and fish subsurface. In our experience a small dark streamer worked past snags and rock bars keeps producing when the surface bite is off. The net ban still applies; for seasons, bag and size limits, read the current NSW recreational fishing guide before you go.
In our experience a cold snap is no time to drive up expecting surface bass. The fish sit deep and the fly fishing gets slow.
Check the flow chart and the live gauges, then pick your evening.