Help - Hawkesbury Flathead Drifts?

[LittleNoah]

Hi all, heading up to the hawksebury for a couple of days tomorrow, staying at bar point. Just wondering if anyone can advise of any good spots to drift for flattys around there and/or any good places to beach the boat, have some lunch, let the kids have a swim and dad have a fish from the bank thats not waisting my time. I've never been to the hawkesbury so any help appreciated.

Thanks.

Edited January 4, 2009 by LittleNoah

[hc88]

not that close but i caught 2 45cm flatties on the hawkesbury a month ago.

One in front of the houses at marlow (i was on the pier fishing at night)

Another was close to the shops at spencer (good excuse to go ). It's called something creek, and it's on the right as you boat to spencer through marlow. Fished it under the overhead cables.

Used a Berkley Frenzy diving lure in a purplish colour on both occasions.

Sorry i'd show you on google maps or something but my internet is capped

[xtosea]

Drifting anywhere there just along the channels should get you a feed for sure, they are everywhere, focus on the change of low tide from my experience, or at least the run out.

[hc88]

yeah and there's a guy there who trawls for prawns. If you can get a hold of him ask for some prawns for "bait" and you can eat em or use them as bait.

Don't actually say you're going to eat em tho as he's not allowed to sell it as food (licenses and whatnot)

hope you catch some good fish

When i went we had some bad weather (wind, rain) and i found that it really killed the fish. I guess since so much of the bottom is sandy, it must kick it all up and the fish must get really put off.

[jewgaffer]

Hi LittleNoah, Seeing you are staying at Bar Point, drift fishing as you are favouring would certainly be a very good way to go tomorrow. You can cover a good range of contours and depths by drifting diagonally between the two bridges, regarding drifting from the Newcasle side towards the Sydney side as being your main drift. Vary your drift by running your motor to cover the entrance of Mooney Mooney Creek, which starts at the northern side of the Road Bridge and you should also cover the entrance to Mullet creek which is also on the Newcastle side just east of the Rail Bridge, and don't forget to bring crab traps and be sure to drop some at the entrance to both those creeks.

You would need to motor back to the start each time but rather than going all the way back to the Vines (opposite Milson Island jetty) unless you've done well with bream and flathead there on the first run of couse, start your next drift from the very deep water in fairly close back back towards the Vines from the Mooney Mooney boat ramp, a good jew spot and also a good ground covering drift that not many people do including those launching at Mooney Mooney and motoring off towards the blue horizon.

You should be able to control the run tomorrow in the run out tide with the moderate north easterly by using a mid price parachute type sea anchor and a little bit of straightening up by running your motor occasionally.

It would pay to have a jew rod out as you will be covering a lot of ground while drifting and use that rod hands on, opening the spool occasionally to pause the bait, particularly over the sandy deepwater sections and keep on doing that then cast the bait again.

When you pass the Sydney side of the rail bridge keep drifting past the railway cottages each time and try to cover the sandy section about 100 yards out from the shoreline and drift right back to the red marker past the railway cottages. You will be fishing in about thirty foot of water that drops into near fifty at the reef which you'll find is between the red marker and the green roofed work shed.

Hope this helps

Cheers

jewgaffer

[Jewfishnetter]

Hi LittleNoah, Seeing you are staying at Bar Point, drift fishing as you are favouring would certainly be a very good way to go tomorrow. You can cover a good range of contours and depths by drifting diagonally between the two bridges, regarding drifting from the Newcasle side towards the Sydney side as being your main drift. Vary your drift by running your motor to cover the entrance of Mooney Mooney Creek, which starts at the northern side of the Road Bridge and you should also cover the entrance to Mullet creek which is also on the Newcastle side just east of the Rail Bridge, and don't forget to bring crab traps and be sure to drop some at the entrance to both those creeks.

You would need to motor back to the start each time but rather than going all the way back to the Vines (opposite Milson Island jetty) unless you've done well with bream and flathead there on the first run of couse, start your next drift from the very deep water in fairly close back back towards the Vines from the Mooney Mooney boat ramp, a good jew spot and also a good ground covering drift that not many people do including those launching at Mooney Mooney and motoring off towards the blue horizon.

You should be able to control the run tomorrow in the run out tide with the moderate north easterly by using a mid price parachute type sea anchor and a little bit of straightening up by running your motor occasionally.

It would pay to have a jew rod out as you will be covering a lot of ground while drifting and use that rod hands on, opening the spool occasionally to pause the bait, particularly over the sandy deepwater sections and keep on doing that then cast the bait again.

When you pass the Sydney side of the rail bridge keep drifting past the railway cottages each time and try to cover the sandy section about 100 yards out from the shoreline and drift right back to the red marker past the railway cottages. You will be fishing in about thirty foot of water that drops into near fifty at the reef which you'll find is between the red marker and the green roofed work shed.

Hope this helps

Cheers

jewgaffer

all the bait is up river thats where the fish will be.

start at bar drift to pumpkin 3 or 4 times on the mangrove side. very productive.

if that fails head to spencer

[LittleNoah]

Cheers for all the tips guys, just a little late as I was only there 2 nights (mon and tue) and got home earlier today. See report.