josamill

Live beach worms guarantee success. Live blood worms from Narrabeen tackle shop good too.

Hi there Teddybear! - I have a house at Tuross and have been fishing the river since 1968 (4 year old!!)......the fishing in the last 3 years has, in my opinion been the best in that whole time. The river is famous for big flathead and generally accepted as one of the 2-3 best big flathead estuaries on the east coast of Australia along with Malacoota Inlet further south. September is tough, but with persistence the big fish are definitely around. Never tried prawning in the river, but we catch a feed in Coila Lake near the beach/entrance over Summer. If you can find half a dozen prawns, they will almost assure you of a flathead feed. Land based is really hit and miss - could be a very long time between fish at this time of year. Best to hire a tinny or even a kayak next door to Red Box I think - if you are going to do that I can PM good spots within 2KMs of the jetty to flick plastics. The only good land based options I have experienced are 500M back from the river entrance for blackfish, or in the southern corner of Coila Beach where we catch salmon & tailor and great bream - but always on beach worms. It is such a beautiful place! Cheers

I'm a bit late here but fully agree with Doublebarrel.........Maybe a kayak is the answer, or the dinghy suggestion. Hiring boats will send you broke. Flathead everywhere in Careel Bay.....the deeper sections between Stokes Point and Sandy Point..........in among the moorings on both sides.....and onto the extensive flats neat Barrenjoey Rd. One thing i do find though is that if you are going to have 100 casts with SPs, sitting down is very limiting and uncomfortable and the retrieve is awkward. When I was 20 and couldn't afford a boat (30 years ago!), I used to wade the sand/mud flats at high tide on dusk/dawn flicking hard bodies and rarely coming home without 1-3 fish. Mainly 30cm-45cm flathead, but also some stonking bream. Much better in warmer months, and wear old runners in case you tread on a ray!

In Pittwater last weekend chewing on baitfish.....late morning Sunday

The water in Pittwater is very clear and clean right now........we could see to a depth of 30+ feet on Sunday. I think squid, salmon and blackfish are the best bets inshore.........around in pretty good numbers. Obviously offshore is different, with a mate of mine and his son jagging 2 snapper 86cm & 84cm and a kingy 99cm off Warriewood. There were kingfish being caught around Scotland Island 3-4 weeks ago, but I reckon it would be a real long shot now until October/November and my experience last year was that live squid were a must at that time of year even if it takes an hour or more to catch one. The kingfish highway runs from Stokes Pt south past Taylors Pt to Scotland Island. I'm sure your daughter is happy hanging out with her dad, but maybe give those salmon a go in Pittwater on light tackle - always great fun!

Tell him this 51 year old hasn't caught one that big! Fantastic.

Hoping there may be a few seasoned raiders out there who can offer me some advice because I am well and truly out of my depth here! (excuse the dad joke) My sounder isn't working any more. It is a Furuno Fcv620 and I think it's probably seven or eight years old. I bought the boat secondhand and the sounder has worked really well for around four years so I guess I can't really complain. Not sure it's the sort of thing that you would get serviced? It has literally just gone dead..... No other power problems on the boat. I need to get a replacement but I didn't really want to spend too much. I do 90% of my fishing inside estuaries in less than 10 m of water so I don't need anything too fancy. The priorities for me are ease of use, quality of display, and accuracy. Can anybody make a suggestion around a unit that won't break the bank but will deliver as A solid estuary sounder? Thanks Ian

Great report Chris................I love beach fishing! Have heard about the chicken/Parmesan approach.........how does that work? Doesn't the Parmesan just wash off? Do you use the real deal cheese or the one in the tin? Cheers

Seasponge that is a great thank you....I'm not ambitious around jewfish either. A couple of flathead & crabs and a bream or two would have me over the moon. I put the witches hats down on the south east side of Dangar - there are 5 channel markers 100m or so apart, and they were all around the 3rd/middle marker. Left them there, with cut up pilchards (which have worked in the past) in stockings. Left them there from 8.30am-11am........tide was low at noon. How do you go drifting the incoming tide? Isn't the current too strong? I was thinking a sea anchor maybe? Good tip on the prawns versus pilchards. Just google mapping Parsley Bay now. Cheers Ian

Cheers Scratchie....makes a lot of sense

Yeah wasn't really having a whinge as much as looking for some Hawkesbury tips. Anyhow looks like you're doing pretty well shore-based. Cheers

Fished the last of the runout around Dangar & the Rail Bridge on Saturday for 1 catfish - so well done us!! Also put 4 witches hats down for zero......... We were using live nippers, pillies and plastics which work for us around Pittwater. I'm keen to fish the Brooklyn, Mooney Mooney area a bit more often and any Raider tips will be gladly accepted! Anyhow, with the sun shining and my 9 year old on board it was still magic day. (Discovered he is a train spotter - He counted a train with 125 carriages - at 20m a carriage that's 2.5kms of train.) Also, while at anchor, no less than 60 high horsepower ski boats - minus skiers - shot past us towards Broken Bay at 50 knots plus - slightly terrifying actually. Cheers

Thanks, ill give it a try for sure.

G'day Raiders......my son and I do 99% of our fishing in Pittwater and Broken Bay. This Saturday I'm thinking of a left turn at West Head and giving the Brooklyn - Dangar Island a go for a change. I've never fished up there and basically looking for some tips/spots/tactics! I will be equipped with plastics, live nippers and fresh fish strips. Low tide looks like 11am -ish...and we are planning to get there at 8am. I'll also drop some witches hats and any thoughts on 'where' appreciated as well. Cheers

Yeah fish cakes for me......steam the white flesh & mix with potato, egg, etc....the salmon kind of just bulks it out, but the kids smash 'em

Great fish.....and great to see the salmon turning up. The salmon eaters v non-eaters debates will start up now!

Awesome work......wish I didn't get seasick

Palm Beach to Brooklyn on a Winter's day like that is unbeatable Sydney beauty. I'll give up 10 of those hazy, choppy, crowded nor-east Summer days for one day in Winter when everything is so blue and still and you feel like you have the whole place to yourself.....not this weekend by the look of it! Great report, well done!!

Scary beast!!

We used to call them sea carp or cockies. Speared a few in the 70s when I was 11-12 years old because they were sitting ducks..........soon worked out they taste like crap and didn't deserve to be murdered by a trigger happy kid! Just dawned on me that fittingly 'carp' and 'crap' are anagrams....

Nice to see the salmon around - i'm going to hit Palm Beach tonight!

Wow!! What a day you had!! Looks like Central Coast?

Was doing a lap of the lake with my son on a bike and saw a well set up yak around the entrance to Deep Creek.........may have been you. Good session!

Salmon are so much fun......I've caught a heap over the years off Palm Beach and in Pittwater but I can never remember what time of year they are most prolific? Is it basically all year but with a spike in Winter?

Fantastic reports guys! Felt like I was on the trip with you!! I know the Hawkesbury & it's feeder creeks have fast running tides..........did you notice any patterns around best fishing tides? Run in, run out, high/low? Cheers