Nutz4Fishin

I am heading up to the hawkesbury in a week or so for a few nights on a houseboat leaving from lower Portland area. We are looking at doing a bit of fishing throughout the trip as I will be bringing my boat along. We went the same time last year and mainly anchored up in the vicinity of wisemans ferry near walkers beach caravan park although all we caught were eels. Looking for any information that may help us at least catch a fish this year. I have no knowledge on the hawkesbury whatsoever!!

Good luck mate. Let us know how you go will be interesting to hear your results on soft plastics!

Haha thanks mate on the 'poddy' spelling. Fixed it up. With the flatty was just a quick photo shot like that otherwise was pretty much laying flat on the boat. I can understand why but in supporting the belly. Cheers for the tip. Cam

Well the plan was to set out and catch me my first Jew. We had the boat in the water about 3.30pm and not long later had the poddy mullet trap set which I had only bought approximately two hours earlier. After the research I had been doing all the week prior I felt live poddy mullet was my best shot, along with some fresh squid I had brought along to get me that first Jew I so want to catch. With wanting to give the poddy mullet trap set a half hour soak we were off to do a few drifts around Como Bridge while the trap did its work. One drift, two drift, three drift and not a touch. A few other boats around who didn't appear to be doing all that well either. Decided on one last drift which again proved to be very quiet until my rod went heavy, I dropped my head in disgust and started swearing thinking I was snagged before.. BANG..KICK.. and she was off. A good couple of minute fight later which started on one side of the bridge and finished on the other had a 77cm flathead in the net. A bit big for my liking so a few quick photos and she was released! So with a smile on the face things are looking good, surely this will be the night. What can go wrong? Anyway back to pick up the poddy mullet trap, arrive at the location where it was set. We look.. We look and we look again. It's gone. Someone has flogged it I couldnt believe it. The money value I don't care about.. But taking someones trap? Really? Now with no live poddy mullet as I hoped I was still quietly confident of catching my first Jew. Not as confident as I would have been but wasn't going to let it stop me. Found our spot we thought was prime location and dropped the anchor. Baits went out and burley begun to flow. First hour went past, so did the second, the third and so on! No fish, not a touch. Did manage to pick up a 30cm bream off a prawn but other than that NOTHING. Started to get a bit chilly out their so called it a night around 1.00am. Maybe I should of stayed for the change of tide but in shorts and a t-shirt it was freezing. Will be out their again in the very near future still hoping for that first Jew.. Cheers Cam

Hey guys, Heading out in botany bay this weekend and hoping to land my first Jew. I have never targeted jews before and am hoping for a few tips. Going to get out there mid arvo and spend the night out there. Hope the weather is good! Bait? Livies? Gear? Rig? Location? Shallow/Deep Water? Tide? Any help will be greatly appreciated. Anyone had any success recentły? Cheers Cameron

I need help with catching squid in Botany Bay! I have spent long hours casting and casting with no results.. Anyone got any tips on any locations and what type of squid jig I should be using? Thanks Cameron

I used travacalm for years as a young bloke taking as just leaving home or at the ramp. Over the past few years I managed to cut it down too half a one and now I do not need to take anything at all. So I recommend travacalm original! Just take water n food and drys the mouth!

Great catch their bud.. Where you getting your squid? I can never seem too find them with hours of effort put in.. Also what type of squid jig you using? Cheers Cameron

Thanks guys will be giving it a crack next time I head out!!

Gday all, Just wondering if anyone can help with out with locating bait fish eg yakkas/slimys when launching from Bellambi boat ramp? Also is there is squid grounds nearby? Cheers

A great report mate. Glad the rain and wind went away for you all. Nice fish.

Try anywhere around the windang bridge mate. I have been getting them from the shore on the run out tide using worms. I have also heard they are taking peeled prawns but I am yet to try them yet. Goodluck mate, let me know how you go.

How'd you go mate? I just got home. Picked up 11 whiting all between 27-32cm. Released probably 20 or so which all went about 25-26cm.

Just a quick report, Fished Windang yesterday arvo from about 3.00pm on the run out tide. Was a slow start with only one whiting in the first hour but picked up a further seven in the second hour as soon as the tide began to really pick up and run out. All fish 30+ cm's. Didn't take the camera so no photos sorry. Heading back there this arvo, will make sure to get some photos. Cheers

Launched at Bellambi this morning about 630 and headed straight for the trusty snapper ground. Fished with both a lucanus jig and bait and struggled to get a bite. Wind was blowing 20/25 from the north west which made it quite hard to hold bottom unless you were right in close, even still then had to fish pretty heavy. No fish, the wind was still blowing and by this stage it would have been about 9ish so decided we'd try our luck getting a feed of flatties. Again the trusty flatty spot failed to produce. There was just no fish, where we were looking anyway! An hour or so had passed on the flatty grounds and still no fish in the boat. The only thing looking good was the seas as the wind slowly began to drop. Sighted twelve boats in the distance all relatively close together so thought something had to be going on. Motored on over and some boats down rigging, some anchored and some drifting. All within a very close distance. Put ourselves in the middle of them, started what turned out to be a drift off all a couple of minutes before it had to be re-started. Within seconds of the baits hitting the water both reels went off for two rat kings. This continued for the next half and hour or so then they went missing. No bigger ones amongst them either. Maybe they were there earlier? Spoke with a few other people at the ramp who also had a quiet day. Not much about at the moment. Fishing botany bay tomorrow with a mate so hopefully it can produce! Cheers

Well was out fishing this morning and had the lucanus in use! Again no fish.. No fish on bait either! Conditions were pretty tough and struggled to hold bottom until mid/late morning when the wind dropped. Managed to have fun with some rat kings on the way back in which made for not to bad of a day! No bigger ones around though. Atleast a dozen boats dragging livies within 200metre radius and didn't see one hookup. Maybe the bigger ones were there earlier not sure but no one had any at the ramp. We picked up our kings bottom bashing in the middle of these. Spoke with others at the ramp and no one got fish. One boat picked up a small mako. Try something different tomorrow and have a plastics day in botany bay. Had a mate fish there today. Hopefully something changes and the fish are on tomorrow. Any more tips on the lucanus jigs?

Thanks fellas.. I'll be out there In the morning giving it a go. Hopefully my luck changes!

G'day all, I need some help/advice. I have been giving the lucanus jigs a go over the past few weeks without any luck. I don't if I'm doing something wrong but I can't seem to get a fish. I have basically been dropping them to bottom over a few reefs,wind up slowly 15 or so feet before dropping it back down. Has anyone else been having much luck with them. I am heading out again tomorrow to give them another crack. I've also been told just leaving them sitting a few feet off the bottom and let the rocking of the boat do the work. Might give this a go whilst I drop some baits. Any tips would be great. Cheers

Thought I would add a few.. 1. Forgot the bungs (not only once).. Kept the boat going forward until my mate raced back and reversed the trailer down! 2. Left the muffs on! This happened going through the narooma bar on the way to montague island. This cooked the motor and was the end of the 2 week fishing holiday in the first few days!! 3. Pulled the boat in from a days fishing and begun driving home when we could hear line peeling off a few of our reels???? Stopped to check and sighted hundreds of meters of line down the road coming from our rods still in the rocket launchers. A very embarrassing moment! 4. Bought a new boat where the engine wasn't running.. A mate and I spent some time on it and eventually got it running so thought we'd take it for a spin.. All excited get down the ramp and yup forgot the boat keys! 5. Filled up the tank at the petrol station on the way to the ramp and put a bit too much in (no room for the mix of oil) No worries will run it for a bit at the ramp and can put in the oil once we had burnt a bit of fuel. Burnt some fuel and were slowly cruising, take the fuel cap off and yup Ofcourse a boat wave comes straight over the side with water going straight in the fuel. Not long later motor stopped and got a tow back to the ramp! Luckily none of these have happened for a few years now! Touchwood..

Hi mate.. Congrats on the kings. After seeing this I am already in the process of booking a trip with epic adventures. Did you go out of tairua or whitianga? Also is there any specific time of year that doesn't fire as the other times. Cheers

Took a few work mates out today who have barely fished in their lives and the morning could of not started any better. Arriving at the ramp at 6.00am we could not believe our eyes when we sighted 6 young ladies all in bikinis launching a surf club row boat. Ofcourse after some much needed unnecessary TLC on the boat we made it out a little later than expected. Stopped at a regular spot and managed to bag a nice pan size snapper although other than that only managed one more snapper which just went under size. We stuck that out for about an hour and a half and I could tell the boys were starting to get a little bored, one a little pale as well. We headed up to Stanwell Park in an attempt to get a feed of flatties and that we did. Within about half an hour we had 11 in the esky and many many throwbacks, the boys were rapped. The flathead were everywhere. All in all a good day, a few whales out and about, was back at the ramp by 11.30am.

What is the limit for how many rods you can have rigged per person?

On the run in mate and using prawns for bait

Well done mate on the port Jackson. Shame about not picking anything else decent up. I was in the bay on Tuesday and struggled to find a fish. We did well further up the river though towards como.

Yeah mate the georges river has been fishing well of late. My mate went out today and did well again. Surprisingly we weren't that far from the shore so I guess the boat is not always needed! In saying that the boat does come in handy.