ABC fishing star John ‘Stinker’ Clarke rescued in Fingal Bay after boat capsize
25 June 2026 John Clarke, known to thousands of ABC radio listeners as “Stinker”, has survived a harrowing ordeal in rough seas north of Newcastle.
The 77-year-old took his boat, Stinkpot, fishing near Port Stephens lighthouse, near Fingal Bay, late on Wednesday afternoon.
The experienced angler was pulling up his anchor when a wave hit the tinnie, causing it to capsize and smash into rocks.
“As the boat drifted closer to the rocks, I made the decision to let go and drift out into deeper water,” Mr Clarke said in a statement he posted on social media.