So I bought myself some 2.5" grubz in watermelon red, some 1/4oz jig heads with 1/0 hooks, and a pack of these pre-rigged red and white minnow type plastics about 3" in size and headed down to Patonga yesterday. Highway was pretty foggy so it took me longer than I expected to get up there, but I still managed to arrive and have a rod in the water by 7:30am, about an hour before the top of the tide. Started off just up from the little boat rmp near the camping ground and slowly worked my way upriver from there. second spot I stoped at I managed to hook what felt like a pan sized flatty, but I mist have tied a crappy not as it busted me off after a couple of runs (was using 12lb braid and a 20lb flouro leader so I doubt it cut through....)
I worked a good section of the bank up and back again but unfortunately other than that one decent hook up I had no other takes. Could feel (and see) plenty of little pickers having a go at my plastics but no other takers unfortunately, except for one poor unfortunate little poddy mullet that I somehow managed to foul hook just behind the gills (I think it was more embarrased than I was!) - if only I'd had my normal tackle with me I would've sent it out as a livey, but I was on a mission to try these SPs that everyone raves about so it wasn't to be. by 10:30 the rest of the fam had arrived and it was time for a swim and a muck around on the beach so I had to pack it in. Anyways it was good to get a morning to myself in a beautiful part of the world, fish or no fish. I'm thinking though if I head there again I should probably park the car on that little road that runs to the back of the town so I can get further up river away from the boat ramp and all the houses as I might have more luck there, a couple of yak fishos managed some nice flatties a bit further up where it was quieter
Also, do they make jig heads with smaller hooks on them? the 1/4oz seems to be a good weight for casting a good distance then getting to the bottom in the current, but the 1/0 hook especially on a little 2.5 grub seemed a tad big to me in hindsight - maybe I would have had more luck with a slightly smaller hook, but they were the smallest ones I could see when I was at BCF on friday (I'd prefer a local place but I've got one 5mins away from my work and didn't have much spare time)
Either way still al ovely day, and thank to everyone for their tips so far. persistance might have to be the key here
Oh and @Jaybe - did you have any luck at all?