Hawkesbury Jewfish Session 12/05/08

[jewgaffer]

Hi Everyone.

Tony (Slinkymalinky), Grant (Arked) and myself had a Hawkesbury upriver jewfish session on Monday to try and determine if the spawning size jew schools had settled into the upriver sections as yet. Grant and myself were to test the rivermouth sections today as well but decided to leave that one untill a later date or maybe we'll do a probing session tomorrow, as I will be spending a couple of days with Grant and his family in their home on Brisbane Waters.

Tony's Quintrex is such a well set up boat that we were able to fish ten well spread rods on various live baits to give us the best chance to coverour spots and report back to the members on the current jewfish situation on the Hawkesbury.

Results for the day were Slinkymalinky 2 jew - Arked 3 flaties 1 jew - jewgaffer 2jew. All were released except for 2 take home jew.

One of the highlights of the day was the 6lb pound toad fish caught by Tony that I believe would need to be indentified in the archives of the Museum of lost species.

I would like to thank Tony for arriving at first light and getting our live bait and calamari squid supply. All jewfish were caught on fresh Hawkesbury arrow squid. Grant and I joined Tony at Brooklyn wharf at 2.30pm so that we would be there at the end of a few days of southerly conditions for the start of the north easterlty wind and beginning of the run out tide.

Cheers

jewgaffer

[Braidbuster]

Nice report 'Gaffa,those soapies must be the only fish escaping the pro's nets right now !

[slinkymalinky]

First let me say what a pleasure it was to spend a day on the water with Jewgaffer and Arked. You'd have to wait a long time to find 2 more pleasant fishing companions. And as you can see from the photo it was a beautiful evening to be on the water. Thanks guys for a great time on the water and for your generosity with information!

As a real novice to catching Jew (my lifetime tally now stands at 3) I learned a massive amount from having Byron and Grant on my boat. I've got 3 or 4 new knots, a heap more knowledge about what makes good Jew spots/times/conditions, new bait rigging techniques and the confidence that I can start my 75hp outboard by hand when the battery is flat (not a nice feeling at 3.00am to turn the key and get nothing... time for having the electrics checked and to investigate a dual battery set up!)

Jewgaffer has given most of the detail but a couple of other interesting notes...

First, to follow on from my 'experience vs technology' post, I was amazed when Jewgaffer directed me in the dark to a very specific mark using landmarks and we ended up 19m from a spot I had in my GPS that I had previously been shown by someone else using another set of landmarks... interesting.

Secondly, I finally took a photo of my sounder screen and will try to do more to show some of the interesting things you can identify on screen when you start to learn how to use one efficiently.

Cheers, Slinky

[james7]

Great informative report on the jewfish situation on Hawkesbury.

Thanks Tony, Grant and Byron. Nice photos too.

Good to see the sounder images Tony. Very interesting.

However, I can't imagine having ten rods out. A photo of how you set that up would be great next time. Did you have any major tangles?

Also would've liked to have seen a photo of that big toad. What a monster! (But then again, he probably looked a bit like my mate Pick-A-Box Syd! )

Great work boys

Cheers

Peter

[BrettP]

First let me say what a pleasure it was to spend a day on the water with Jewgaffer and Arked. You'd have to wait a long time to find 2 more pleasant fishing companions. And as you can see from the photo it was a beautiful evening to be on the water. Thanks guys for a great time on the water and for your generosity with information!

As a real novice to catching Jew (my lifetime tally now stands at 3) I learned a massive amount from having Byron and Grant on my boat. I've got 3 or 4 new knots, a heap more knowledge about what makes good Jew spots/times/conditions, new bait rigging techniques and the confidence that I can start my 75hp outboard by hand when the battery is flat (not a nice feeling at 3.00am to turn the key and get nothing... time for having the electrics checked and to investigate a dual battery set up!)

Jewgaffer has given most of the detail but a couple of other interesting notes...

First, to follow on from my 'experience vs technology' post, I was amazed when Jewgaffer directed me in the dark to a very specific mark using landmarks and we ended up 19m from a spot I had in my GPS that I had previously been shown by someone else using another set of landmarks... interesting.

Secondly, I finally took a photo of my sounder screen and will try to do more to show some of the interesting things you can identify on screen when you start to learn how to use one efficiently.

Cheers, Slinky

G'day Tony,

Sounds like a great day. I think i know where the spot 19m away was. Did u have any luck there?

Cheers

Brett

[King slayer]

Good one guys,

As you all know many of us, me included, can't even manage a soapie so far. Tell me did you ever use BIG baits? if so do thelittle ones still take them?

I managed to collect some good baits this week for use on the weekend. Big mullet, tailor, Arrows and bream. Had to freeze em all of course.

Slinky your boat looks pretty cool, ten rods out is a great effort and a top set up, especially for species like jew where you want heaps of variety out (I'm told).

Nice report Gaffa. Lets organise that session soon.

Dave

[arpie]

Well done guys - sounds like a fun time on the water ...... looks a little chilly tho :)

Cheerio

Roberta

[flatty hunter626]

good report need to head and chase some myself getting that itch

[jewgaffer]

.........However, I can't imagine having ten rods out. A photo of how you set that up would be great next time. Did you have any major tangles?

Cheers

Peter

Hi Peter We had no trouble running ten rods, I was fishing in a well set up boat with two accurate casters, Slinkymalinky and Arked. To make a larger than usual rod spread work you have to work as a team to avoid tangles. When casting you have to avoid line crossovers. When setting up extra rod holders like rail mounts the rod holder angles have to be set and adjusted usually once under actual fishing conditions so that any one line won't bloom out onto the rod tip or over or under the line next to it. You need to leave every big bite alone till you hook up and carefully monitor the general bites only in order to know the status of your jew baits. If no action on a rod you don't pull the big bait you are using in, just move the bait a few meters and drop it down again looking for interest in another position etc., and for example a livie in trouble has a natural tendency to hide in weed etc. so moving them around a bit when necessary hopefully keeps a livie out in the open longer.

When the boat settles at anchor, rather than casting a rod out immediately, you have to just pause a moment and access the current and allow for the direction of unexpected boat swings and start off the rod casting accordingly as well. This can be determined by experienced boat fishermen and allowed for by accurate casters. Fishing a carefully directed 10 rod spread means more chances and better results. There were not many problems for us at all in spite of the many eels and sluggish Port Jackson sharks involving another line or two occasionally. It is very important that everyone rigs up equal size snapper leads throughout the session and Tony had a variety of snapper leads on the boat in plastic wallets to even up the other rods.

For example the aim of fishermen is to get better results, and a well staggered rod spread particularly when fishing for jew with a variety of large baits covers more avenues and shows the right bait for the day when you strike one or two on a particular bait as we did when we pcked up the five soapies on arrow local squid and getting no hits on live calamari squid. Staggering a larger number of rods with equally weighted sinkers is very desirable to achieve this aim and keeps the line bloom outs staggered and separated as well.

When fishing a large rod spread in a normal river current, the stern faces down current and all the lines will gradually bloom out towards the stern. There correct weight of lead doesn't move much if at all on its own and a livie will drag it along the sand only fractionally while struggling on drag as a desirable take and the snapper sinker will stir up a little sand which helps anyway.

When playing a fish everyone has to be on the ball and the other rods and their lines have to be kept out of the way

The fishermen forward of the stern fishermen have to cast their number one rod at 45 degrees out from the gunnel towards the bow side of the boat, and cast their number two rod out about twenty degrees towards the bow from the next rod holder before the centre of the boat, and their number three rod straight out at 90 degrees from the next rod holder which should be close to the centre of the gunnels. The same angles apply to the fishermen fishing towards the stern, with the centre rod casted accurately every time at 90 degrees out from the stern gunnel and the other stern rod holders are to be angled away at a suitable degree. Each of the other rods have to be casted acurately and staggered in distances as well, while of course moving each rod around to the next rod holder alternatively and continually revolving the rod spread and take up any slack at the bow or stern area when necessary. Each freshly baited rod should always be cast to the outside of the other rods and that is the sensible way to keep the lines separated, and of course staggering the rod casts being the spice of the day as far as properly covering an area which you regard as jewfish territory.

By the way Peter, before I forget let old Pick-A-Box Syd know he will still definately have the required casting angles fishing in a bath tub or sitting in a blown up truck tube, and when he realises that we'll probably tow him out to Browns. Tell Syd all he needs is his flares and a back pack of ten suitable sinkers and an antenna on his cap that's all

Cheers mate

JG

Tell me did you ever use BIG baits? if so do the little ones still take them?

Nice report Gaffa. Lets organise that session soon.

Dave

Dave unfortunately most of our yellowtail were small on the day and we got no interest from the soapies with the heavy guage 8/0 hoodlum hooks and relatively small live baits. It was as though the soapies were a wake up to the prominence of the hooks whereas big jew try and crush the hooks as well, and a large bait is more in proportion to well placed 8/0 hooks. Might go back to slimline, strong hi carbon 5/0 head hook with 6/0 control hook for a while in the Hawkesbury when we only have smaller live baits and if we have to use small fillets as well so as to better suit the bi catch we were missing on the big 8/0s.

Slinky was swimming a very large calamari squid for several hours and I even took it back alive with the other leftovers. Dave all five jewfish and the three flathead were caught on local arrow squid and our six to eight inch arrows did the damage being more in proportion to the 8/0s with the bait rig ups I passed on hardly showing upright barbs, but the heavy 8/0s on the heavy lead needed missed quite a few more soapie runs which were just as easily recognised by the action of the rod tips as were the bites and rod tip bounces and constant rod tip spring backs from the eel bites.

Hang on to that good freezer supply, thanks Dave, it will make a good quick start bait we can drop a few out in a channel about a hundred yards behind us as we coast into the bait grounds.

I reckon we need the outside currents to cool down a bit and balance better for the spawning size jew to come in and I reckon the Hawkesbury will be completely unnatural on the jewfish front if they don't.

Cheers

jewgaffer

Edited May 15, 2008 by jewgaffer

[james7]

Hi Peter We had no trouble running ten rods, I was fishing in a well set up boat with two accurate casters, Slinkymalinky and Arked.

Thanks for the reply Byron regarding running ten rods. It is clear that you need people well organised and who know what they're doing (like yourself, Tony and Grant). I usually explain to novice fishermen on my boat the importance of everyone using the same size sinkers. Still, when something like a small shark hits a line line and goes for a sideways run, a few lines always get caught up. If they don't panic it can usually be sorted easily.

Peter let old Pick-A-Box Syd know he will still definately have the required casting angles fishing in a bath tub or sitting in a blown up truck tube, and when he realises that we'll probably tow him out to Browns. Tell Syd all he needs is his flares and a back pack of ten suitable sinkers and an antenna on his cap that's all

Please don't suggest to Syd that he should wear flares! His dress sense is bad enough! He's still wearing the "Skipper's hat" from Gilligan's Island! There's a picture of him wearing it in my report "Cronulla and Kurnell" from last weekend. Please Jewgaffer, explain to him the importance of 'proper' fishing fashion!

Cheers and thanks

Peter

Edited May 15, 2008 by peterS

[jewgaffer]

Nice report 'Gaffa,those soapies must be the only fish escaping the pro's nets right now !

Hi Braidbuster I really think the late entry of spawning size jewfish schools this year is due more to an imbalance in conditions between off shore currents and in shore rivers. I've heard talk of it and noticed it before when rising type feeding pelagics were still coming into the Sydney area. It appears the warm currents have also affected places as far as the river Richmond in Ballina where the bull mullet have started their run but the jew are still schooling up around outside reefs according to commercial fishermen up there leisure fishing the offshore reefs for jew.

Anyway as you are interested, what I think are conditions in regards to jew not coming in as yet to congregate etc before spawning back outside is only more food for thought as to the missing school size breeding jew congregations at the moment and perhaps it may well be the temperature difference between the outside and inside water?

Cheers

jewgaffer

Edited May 25, 2008 by jewgaffer

[Penguin]

Well done guys on the fish you did get, and nice report as well

penguin

[glennmreid]

Nice report guys. well done

[TunOFun]

Well done boys, a great result!!

Some more great info there, thanks for helping us all out.

Cheers Brett

Edited May 15, 2008 by TunOFun