RexSenior

Well done mate, hopefully they let that monster lizard go to fight another day and populate the river!

Well done! I recently went on a weekend away in Little Wobby where we caught a fair few crabs as by-catch just on a line. I had never tried them before this time however by the end of the weekend we would put the water on the boil the second a legal male was landed - that's how tasty they were! Cheers, James

I'll send you a PM.

Thanks for the advice guys, had a great weekend and put a full report up in the fishing reports section. Happy to provide any additional info on the fishing over the weekend, just leave a comment with what you need to know on that report and if I can help out I will. Cheers, James.

Thanks Scratchie and Seasponge. There must be an abundance of crabs there, we lost a few also so definately bringing a couple of crab pots next time. I'm in the process of negotiating with the boss (my wife) to make this a bi-annual event, been home for a day and I miss the place!!

Thanks Yowie - We did not have anything to weigh it unfortunately. It was caught on a small Hawkesbury prawn, about 60-80cm of 6lb leader and a sinker roughly the size of a pea. Papafish - All land based as we do not own a boat, all off the one jetty. We burleyed in the shallows all weekend I think that definately helped! Cheers James.

Hi Raiders Just returned from a great weekend fishing the hawkesbury after hiring a house in the Dangar Island area. Despite many reports of no quality fish due to the cooler water, rain up-stream and plentiful catfish and pike eels we managed 30+ keepers for the weekend (some were released) all off the one small jetty. Bait - Cooked prawns done most of the damage, closely followed by Hawkesbury prawns (fresh) and live hardy head. We had some fresh beach worms caught in Newcastle with no luck and also bummed out on squid, pilchards, chicken and strip baits. Tides - Without a doubt that 1 hour either side of high undone most of the flatties and the larger bream, with the odd fish caught in between. Tackle - We experimented with different rigs and techniques, in short - basically the lighter the gear the more hookups we had. 1m of 6-8lb trace with a 1/0 Mustad Baitholder hook loaded with a cooked prawn was the winner, with just enough lead to cast (smaller than a pea). We found that the catfish were less likely to take an unweighted bait for some reason, even though the bottom dwelling flathead did. Even with the light leader not that many fish were lost due to teeth - poorly tied knots (thanks bourben) and chafed line (thanks oysters) were the main reason fish were lost. Challenges - CATFISH!!!!!! we must have caught at least 60 over the weekend. The first night saw around 15 pike eels however they calmed down after that. The run-out tide was also difficult as it was hard to get the baits down fast enough off the jetty, we found that as soon as we loaded up on lead the fish weren't interested. Also managed a few crabs, we were unsure if crab pots are legal in the hawkesbury so we steered clear however still managed some on a line. Cheers, James

Thanks Steve, I'll keep that in mind and stock up on lead! Chappo, that's some great info thanks for taking the time to reply. I'd be over the moon with 1 jew for the weekend. Anything else would be a bonus. I went out today and bought some 30lb mainline and 30lb flouro carbon leader on the advice of the staff, also snagged 2 55lb handlines so it will be interesting if I get a hit on one of them! A friend has said don't be shy with bait size and go up to the 500g mark for both livies and strip baits, I'll also look at snagging some little herring as you mentioned. I will give some feedback after the trip on this post in a little over a week Allen, thanks for the post. A great website with many cottages in the area (most with private jetty's) is HawkesburyRiverRealEstate/HolidayLettings - I almost booked a place on Dangar Island which is also a ferry/boat access only. Cheers, James

Hi Raiders I have bit the bullet and booked a little cottage in Little Wobby - Hawkesbury River with a private jetty next weekend on a solid recommendation from a friend that I may finally get my first jew. I have been given some basic landbased tips on the area however I have no idea how it is fishing at this time of the year - especially with all the rain. More than willing to share my experiences of the weekend to anyone who may fish the area from time to time. The basic plan is to fish unweighted strip baits at night for bream and live baits for Jew, hopefully there are some worms about in Newcastle early next week to take for some whiting etc (PM me if you would like some info on the few beaches good for worming in Newy). Cheers

Cheers for the response, I have secured a cottage in Little Wobby and will make another post in chat to hopefully gain and swap some info on how it's currently fishing.

Hi Raiders I'm hoping someone can assist with any possible locations to host an annual fishing weekend, this year I am hoping to secure a place on the eastern side of the Hawkesbury River (Preferably with car access) and private jetty. Last year we went to Soldiers Point where I received and shared some great info from Scratchie and others in private messages and turned out a great and productive weekend. My main aim is to book a place with a private jetty which is extending into deep water (Anywhere 3 hours or less from Newcastle will do) however upon calling many places there is a reluctance to book if it's for 4-6 males (Even though we are getting old and love our sleep). Has anyone else had similar experiences or can suggest any places? (Private message is OK if need be). The reasoning for the suggestion of the Hawkesbury is the possibility of landing a jew - of any size. 25 Years fishing and I am yet to land one despite my nickname being Rex. HELP!!

Cheers for the info Mate. Good to see that they're out there, just have to keep trying.

In Lake Macquarie we have cockles, pippis & mussels. I haven't tried the technique (partly because I thought the old fellas were having a lend of me) however i've been told if you crack the shell open half way and hook the flesh while finishing the straight section of your hook along the base of the shells that big bream etc go crazy over it. The idea is that it mimics the form of a dead or dying mollusc (hence no shutting of the shells when predators approach), with the bonus of the fact that only the bigger bulls can get to the flesh / hook. Sounds OK to me but I still can't get my head around throwing out a bait with the shell on! I'll give it a go one day though!.

Well done mate! Nice to see some decent fish being caught locally. I posted a report a couple of hours ago about an Easter Sunday night fish @ Blacksmiths Beach. We had the same result as you, had these random big tarwhine up and down the beach I've never caught one over 30cm until that night where they were all 30cm+ with the biggest over 40cm. Wonder why that is? Anyway great work. Cheers, James

Cheers guys. As for the dart my uncle loves them, the taste is similar to a trevally however I find them a lot of work for a small amount of boneless flesh. Yes I remember plenty, not many things better than bunkering down in a great fishing area for the night with good company and having some luck on your side After gaining the nickname Rex 20 years ago by schoolmates (which is now my 4yo son's name) and fishing most weekends of my life I'm still yet to land a jew - big or small! I've almost given up hope as I only fish land based and have had countless attempts with many techniques. The illusive catch..... I almost don't want to catch one now seeing as though I've built it up to be something so awesome it may not live up to expectations haha. My wife finds it funny every time I leave to go fishing to ask me if I'm going to catch that jew today.... I'd be cracking up if it wasn't me she was making fun of!

Well done mate. I love hearing about these awesome catches and that these monsters exist, makes fishing that much more fun! Sorry for the long post however I've always wondered why every time I catch a bream over 35-40cm's it's stomach is full of shells/ barnacles/ oysters etc, so I did a little research a while back - the best explanation is detailed below: Q: I would like to know how fish digestive system works. Most fish eat other fish, prawns and crabs with hard shells. How do they digest the hard shells, bones, etc or the hard parts just got discharged ? A. The mechanisms of digestion vary considerably between the different groups of fishes. Some of the cyclostomes (lampreys, hagfish, etc), a primitive group of fishes, do not have stomachs, and their digestive system is much reduced when compared to the other fishes. The gnathostomes have a much more complex digestive system, and the mouth and jaws are considerably more developed. Many of the Osteichthyes have a complex arrangement of muscles, nerves and ligaments associated with the jaws, all of which facilitate the ejection of food particles. Many predacious fish appear to regurgitate large food items from the stomach with great facility. It has been suggested that this is made possible by the pronounced development of striated muscle in the walls of the esophagus leading to the stomach. The periodic regurgitation of stomach contents allows the fish to selectively expel non-digestible food particles and reingest nutritional food particles. However, many species of fish that feed on crustaceans and insects have been found to have a relatively high chitinase activity in their stomachs. The chitinase is an enzyme that breaks down chitin, the material that makes up a large proportion of the arthropod exoskeleton. The presence of these enzymes allows the fish to obtain some nutrition from the chitinous shells of prey items such as crabs, squid, and insects.

Hi Raiders Just a quick report from my local Blacksmiths Beach on Easter Sunday night. I had all but given up on fishing over the weekend as the rain didn't stop until midday Sunday. I called my uncle Les for his thoughts and he made my mind up for me "Stuff it, lets go fishing for the night down the beach and if it rains we will just soak it up!!". We headed to the secret worm location and were lucky in catching our 20 worms each for once and bought 2kg of brined pillies on the off chance the tailor were on. Fished from 6pm to 1am however our last fish was caught just after 9pm (this possibly had something to do with beer & his good friend bourben). Caught my PB Tarwhine which went 42cm with a couple of his mates, a few bream, a flathead, sand crab, a dart and a few tailor! Happy days. Cheers, James.

Cheers Guys. I usually take a photo with a ruler or phone however chose the dinner plate this time. The below pic is from last Monday 8th March, still on Belmont Beach (didn't post these as there didn't seem to be much interest). Not the largest Whiting by measure but I'm sure they would give the PB a run for it's money in weight! Cheers, James.

Hi Raiders Just a quick report with some success on Belmont Beach the other morning. Arrived just before sunrise with light rain and an annoying onshore breeze. That said I've just had baby no. 2 and have not been fishing in 3 months so nothing was stopping me! Using beach worms caught the day prior I threw out two rods in a deep gutter and within minutes both were going off - unfortunately Salmon which were thrown back. After some consistent by-catch (Bream, small Flathead and many, many dinner plate sized Stingray) I moved on to the flats. I wouldn't usually try this with the waves dumping so hard in the knee-deep water and little room for the whiting to swim however this paid off for the next hour or so. Ended up with my P.B. Whiting of 45cm and a few others. Just goes to show it pays to try everything and decent fish can be caught where you least expect it! Cheers, James.

Hi Raiders Just sharing some info on today's fishing in Swansea. Spent the first hour without a decent touch and decided to fish lighter despite the rough bottom and fast flow. First cast on the 6lb leader gave me a decent bream around 34cm. Continuously hooking up for the next hour or so but lost most fish due to the leader coming in contact with the rocky ledge 30m out. Fresh local mullet strips were the gun bait over pillies & worms, plenty of Salmon and a few smallish Kingies were there over the morning busting up schools of fish close to the bridge - not really worth a shot tho as the splashes were few and far between. Happy fishing! Rex

Thanks Guys! It's all sounding good so far! I'll post a comment after the trip to let you know what worked and what didn't for us. Cheers!

Thanks Scratchie! I was talking to a friend today who said that particular jetty can only be accessed off the end with a key as it's privately operated, that's a shame as it was a big selling point in booking the accommodation next to it. I guess wading out a bit could be an option with the soft plastics, looks quite shallow in pictures. We will have fun up there I'm sure! In Newcastle I regularly catch beach worms from Nobby's beach (lighthouse end 2 hours either side of low), are you aware of any beaches such as Birubi that hold any? They are my bait of choice and as I adhere to the 20 worms (or part there of) restriction, driving back to Nobby's for 20 worms isn't how I pictured my weekend away. Thanks again for the info Scratchie, much appreciated as I know you're quite busy on here! Cheers, James.

Well done! Great to see a young fella getting amongst them! I'm taking my 3.5yo Son Rex and a couple of friends to Soldiers Point in late Sept for a boys fishing weekend, hopefully there are a few around then. We will be staying near the jetty which is just down from the Soldiers Point Marina, has anyone fished off the jetty or had any luck around that area? Once again great work with the flatties

Hi All This is my first post (hopefully of many) as I have just joined Fishraider today. I'm a keen fisherman from Belmont NSW and would like to gain some tips on fishing techniques and locations for a weekend away in Soldiers Point (Port Stephens) in late September 2014. I'll be land based, would like to stick with the Soldiers Point area if possible and will be fishing day and night. In return I would be more than happy to share tips on my 25 years of land based fishing in Newcastle - specifically Lake Macquarie, Swansea and surrounding beaches. Any info would be appreciated. Cheers, James.