The Ever Reliable Georges River Jewfish 23/3/08

[jewgaffer]

Hi Everyone. I had a phone call on Sunday from Paul Esky6 seeking my opinion on the conditions for a hit at the Georges River Jew in regards to having a night session in the early part of this week.

The southerly swang to north east on Sunday as we spoke, which made the timing just right to strike fish in general feeding again, on the next run up in the late afternoon and the first high afterwards for the jew coming in over the Bay.

After the poor results during the ongoing southerly on Good Friday and Saturday, naturally, following the complete turn around in wind direction and conditions, I gave Paul the thumbs up and suggested we have a hit at the jewfish straight away.

I suggested Paul bring his wet weather gear and come over and to save time I would supply all the jew rods and gear.

We had to move quickly in order be right there as the change came and not a day late in my opinion to get the best results, even if it meant fishing in the rain.

During the night there were quite a few bursts of drenching rain over the session. However we were pretty cosy and dry and we had plenty of casting room under the high bimini on my savage side console. I am very pleased with this boat, it has plenty of room for four busy fishermen. It is by far the most stable boat that I've ever owned, a really solid platform on the water with hardly any movement when fishermen are moving around quickly at the same time.

It always works best when targetting marauding night jewfish if you get yourself out there for the first high tide around midnight following the change from an on going cold southerly front, particularly if it goes the opposite way towards the north and if has an easterly aspect in it as well the baitfish are forced to come in close with the wind in the run in tide. I thought we should go straight away to catch the first wave of high tide feeding after the change. Otherwise if the good conditions didn't hold or held on too well or if the conditions stay steady for the next couple of days, there might be a chance we might miss out on the sudden binge by fish to stock up on food, and the bite rate would slow down. That's how it works for most other species as well !!

We picked up my close friend Taren Point Julius, a well known land based jew fisherman, and were on the water before sunset and proceeded to get yellowtail which were prolific down wind in the north easterly wind. In the area around the bridges, the yellowtail were packed in on the same side of the river and close to the Doll's Point Water Police base because of the wind direction, which is very important in that it saves baitfish using up energy particularly in a fast moving in coming current.

We had over twenty yellowtail in no time and released just as many whiting that were well and truly undersize.

It should be noted for next time that we had two hooks pulled straight on our bait jigs by stud bream in about 15 feet of water around an old Saturday night boat that has been docked there for some time. Bream however were not our target at the time. We had neither nippers or worms so we didn't rig up for them.

The bream being down deep at that time of day, with everthing else in feeding frenzy down deep on smidgeons of prawn, meant to me that it would be better to fish the deeper pylons for our jewfish session, which after all were to be our main target for the rest of the night.

During the rest of the run in tide our yakkas were absolutely slaughtered by tailor. I have never seen so many tailor being hooked up on the 6/0s and 8/0s. We thought the tailor would never stop killing our yellowtail.

We went over to the shallower water near the moored boats as I was expecting the jew schools coming in across the Bay thinking might decide hit the cover behind the moored boats in the shallow water first as usua as the baitfish come into shallow watr with the last part of the run in.

Having so many tailor in the deeper water, I didn't think the tailor would chose to swarm up in the shallower water in such numbers as well. This wasn't to be the case on the night, tailor were everywhere, so we went back to the deeper water as we were losing too many yellowtail.

The tailor quietened down and the water went very still right on the top around midnight. It become very eery and noticably quite and still for over an hour. It was like a monotonous count down of seconds anticipating a jew hit. I must have tried to light up the same spent durry fifty times rather than roll a new cigarette which would take my eyes off the rod spread.

I could see Julius's vibes come out and Paul was sitting back nervously getting the drift that the jew were going to come out of nowhere and they did just that !!

All of a sudden my penn 750 drag went off and the tiger rod buckled solid and the jew hooked up immediately on the very tight drag. I grabbed the rod and Julius and Paul gaffed a nice fat specimum around 65 cm or so. Suddenly Esky's rod on one of the Ticas growled as the drag gave a short burst and the tight drag pressure alone set the hooks. Esky played and landed a nice jew which gave him a good couple of hard runs to add to the excitement, a male I think that fish is, as it was much leaner than my fat and shorter fish.

The water suddenly turned millpond and the choppy ripple dissappeared completely in a rather strange way. It became absolutely still, calm and flat and the breeze just shut off.

Birds suddenly came out of nowhere as the whole surface erupted closer in, a couple of pylons away from us and even a pelican joined in. I wonder where these birds came from and how they get the message so quick as there were not many birds at all around until then.

The surface eruptions and the big splashes came closer and closer but stopped about half a pylon length away from us. We had six rods in the water with livies and fillets on, holding our breaths and not willing to speak or make the slightest noise.

Unfortunately as can happen, we were in the wrong place in the deep water as this jew pack had contradicted the pattern of the day and attacked in the shallows!! The pack did not come over to where we were but the rings petered out just short of our lines. By the look of the frenzy of the birds, that attack on the baitfish may well have come from a pack of larger jew.

We waited an extra couple of hours and apart from me finding a floppy looking frightening speciment of a neanderthal called a numb ray at the lousy part of the run out, on one of the rods, that was it, so we headed for home.

It goes to show how the Georges can be reliable provided you wait it out when the conditions are right.

I would like to thank Paul Esky6 for his help with the boat and also my good friend Taren Point Julius for his faith in me in going to Taren Point rather than around to Baldface where good size jew were caught before the southerly hit early last week. The other boats which were taking part in a club event missed out on jewfish at Baldface according to a chap who was fishing there, but most boats got a few real good sized bream, I believe.

Here are the pics. Excuse the photography on my jew photo as it didn't come out well on a mobile. The pic of my good friend Esky6 with the jew in the post following is better quality.

Cheers

jewgaffer

By the way my grandson Little jewgaffer who turned 11 years old on Easter Sunday says thanks for the birthday wishes.

He wants to send a special thank you to Steve Ungry Warnie, Marcel twin1, Mallacouta Pete, Alex Frangkie and Ray Lumpookey for the nice birthday messages and pm's they sent to him.

Edited March 27, 2008 by jewgaffer

[jewgaffer]

This is the pic of Paul Esky6 with his jew.

Thanks for everything and for helping me out with the boat afterwards Paul !!

Can't wait to hit Sandy Point during the week !!

Cheers

jewgaffer

[robeebee]

great report as usual Byron

you really put the effort into your Jew fishing mate

well done on a well planned session , couple of good fish there

[Jewhunter]

Well done on the schoolies Byron & esky6.

Shame the pack stayed out of range. Would have been fun if they blew up at the boat.

Glad your happy with the new boat. Sounds perfect!

I'm sure the next couple of months will see more good fish hit her decks. Gotta love Autumn.

Cheers,

Grant.

[heavy]

jewgaffer thats what i like to see..

well done,, this week is the week to be getting out there...

[mrmoshe]

Excellent report again Byron and well done to you, Esky and Julius and what sounded

like a good allnighter. Nice pics too.

Shame about the pack being just out of reach but there's always next time.

Byron, you sure know how to read the conditions and very kind to share that knowledge with fellow raiders.

Glad Little Jewgaffer had a great birthday.

Cheers

Pete.

[gretsch]

I love Jewies.. great report Byron.

[Steve07]

Nice little jewie session,great to see a good plan come together

and a great report too.

[arpie]

Yay Jewgaffer! Onto them again!! Esky6 would have been very happy! Well done - shame the big boys didn't want to come out to play tho :(

Cheerio

Roberta

PS Many happies for the little Jewgaffer

[frangkie]

nice work byron and co!

i've decided i will take your advice Byron and buy myself a weatherstation with a barometer built in. still it won't make up for the years that you have put in chasing those mysterious jew, but any help i can get the better ay!

I bet you wish you had anchored a little closer to the action, i'm sure you will next time. All up a good session none the less. Great report I always get a laugh when i read your reports. eg. numbray.

Any way I'm in Brisbane now so it's back to the drawingboard for me and fishing spots etc. but it should be fun. see you on the northern rivers somewhere.

cheers Alex

[jewgaffer]

Hi Frangkie back in the old happy hunting grounds ay, did they get the boat up there alright?

Alex I'll be up in Ballina for the April school holidays, may stay at Jimmy's for a couple of months myself if the mullet come in.

We'll catch up with you at Jacobs Well when we go to Labrador.

Cheers warrior and I hope you enjoyed your stay in Sydney and will always remember the sessions on the Hawkesbury, Little JG can't wait to fish with you again at the Pin, he said you sure put your mark on our kingfish

Jewgaffer

Hey I reckon Barker will have a ball. I'll bet he'll get amongst a few of your bust offs as well !!

[aussie big bob]

Hope you do well at sandy point bryon

cheers

bob

[OSHISWET]

Top report Byron,. and good to see you helping out fellow raiders. I enjoy reading your reports as they really show the amount of time and effort you put in into catching these

wonderful creatures. You are the JEWGAFFER>

[Ouliis]

GOOD REPORT, HOPE YOU DO WELL ON THE NEXT TRIP