Thursday, September 5, 2013

Bream and Turtles abound at Broughton - ABC Online


"I've never seen anything like it."


Stinkpot was on its way around the island when it came across an enormous school of fish.


"You wouldn't believe the numbers! There were thousands.


"And we're still in a mass of them!"


Just off Little Broughton Island, Stinker killed the motor so that Hammo could soak up the experience.


The surface of the water glittered and rippled with the splashes from literally thousands of Muswellbrook Bream.


The ocean was teeming with life.


The temptation was too strong for seasoned fisherman John Stinker Clarke, and within minutes he had landed a beautiful bonito.


Hammo was still dumbfounded when Stinker brought the fish over for him to inspect.


"He's close enough to interview!"


With the massive school of fish still swirling beneath the boat, and several powerful sea eagles soaring above, the day had unfolded quite an impressive vignette of nature.


But it wasn't over yet and while spotting just one turtle in the ocean is quite remarkable, Stinker and Hammo spotted four or five different turtles in the space of about five minutes.


"You would have to describe this place as turtle-ville!"


Stinker had driven his little tinny around to the northern side of Broughton Island to a place called Flat Island, and apparently it was a real turtle hotspot!


The site of so many of these beautiful creatures got Stinker reminiscing about the last time he came to Broughton, when he came across one of the biggest and oldest turtles he's ever seen.


Covered in barnacles and kelp, this turtle came up from the bottom of the sea, "and he looked at me with those dreamy eyes."


Flat Island is more of a rocky outcrop than an island; there is no vegetation on it whatsoever, and it doesn't have a whole lot of character about it.


It is, however, a very popular spot for birds.


Seagulls, terns, cormorants and oystercatchers can almost always be seen on Flat Island.


Not eagles, though.


"Eagles are the royalty of this island, and they wouldn't be seen dead hanging around this mob here".


Listen to Stinker's regular fishing reports each Saturday on Breakfast with Craig Hamilton at around 6:15am on 1233 ABC Newcastle.



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