Jump to content

Hawkesbury - 15/01/2009


ritchie

Recommended Posts

Well..well..after alot of planning me and my mate Richard managed to take a day off from work to go Fishing!! a well deserved day off i'd say given we worked few nights from home the week before..

put up a post here asking for suggestions and advice and oh boy it was an information overload (in a GOOD way, given im still an amateur fisho! :biggrin2: .. ) ..special mention to Mr.Jewgaffer who gave me ALOT of tips to hook a jewie.. :thumbup:

anywhos...we left my place around 5am (it was already 22 degreees outside!!) , got to Brooklyn around 5.40..paid for the tinny, bought some fresh hawkesbury prawns and frozen squid..Jewgaffer mentioned i should get some fresh arrowheads but apperently that bloke who sells them been sick lately (according to the gentleman @ the boat hire place) .. also baught a simple crab net just to try our luck as we've never tried it before..

Jewgaffer also mentioned to go around the Juno point but found out that are is off limits for hired tinnies.. :(

Anyways, got all the baits, ice and munchees and launched the tinny around 6.05..

first stop was just pass the rail bridge around the narrow corner (forgot the name of that spot!) .. I was casting towards under bridge as the tides were running in.. first few casts resulted a few under sized bream..and few cat fishes..kept 2 good size cat fish to be used with the crab net..

Dropped the crab net with them catfish hanged (i hacked the cat fish before hooking up so it'd create a blood trail = berly+crab magnet?? my idea !! :tease: ) under the bridge towards the shore..

nothing special untill 7.15am.. i was lighting up a smoke and all of a sudden my 4lb fluro setup went VRRROOOOOMMMM!!! ..i was sooo excited (and half a sleep too!) jumped to the rod and set the drag and started reeling in..oh boy that fish gave a good fight..!! after 5 mins fight fish gave up and i took that nice 38CM Model in...

post-4048-1232588270_thumb.jpg

post-4048-1232588357_thumb.jpg

...10 mins later...landed this model..around 38-40cm mark again..didnt put up much of a fight..

post-4048-1232588374_thumb.jpg

..Things went quite after that fish..waited for another 1 hr or so then started moving towards the Dangar island..fished around the Island for a bit, very quite not even a bite...

...so i decided to drift around the island for a bit given there's not much boat traffic or winds..and mind you them temperature was rising like crazy..it was hot as.... i was puting up the canopy and all of a sudden my reel went off !!! ...TADAHH!!!! a 40 cm flattie!!!

...things went quite after that fish, again..few bites here and there, nothing major.. by the way, i;ve had a 20lb set up rigged and baited with squid for (some unlucky) Jewie to no avail..not even a nibble on that big squid..

..Around 2pm, caught ANOTHER flattie and my mate Richard dropped 2 more!! they were all around 40cm mark..

..Started to pack up things around 3 pm, on the way picked up the crab net to find two MASSIVE blue swimmers!! .. that was the first time i EVER cought blue swimmers (cant use the word "Crab" in this sentence cos it may sound politically incorrect :tease: ) ...

..so the final tally for the day...

2 GOOD size Breams

2 Good size Flatties

2 BIG Blue swimmers!!

post-4048-1232588427_thumb.jpg

post-4048-1232588437_thumb.jpg

...Blue swimmers went in to the pot and later became some sizzling Sweet corn and Crab soup and the Flattie fillets and Bream went in to the BBQ straight away with some lime, butter and pepper!!!

post-4048-1232588444_thumb.jpg

...Whatta day...!! :thumbup:

Edited by ritchie
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Well done Ritchie..glad to see you guys got into some fish :thumbup:

though i recon you would have enjoyed it regardless!

Good to see those damn catties are good for something..nice crabs and that soup looks delicious!!

Thanks mate..

Yeah, even thought i wouldve loved afew more fish...it was an AWSOME day! the feed was still enough for me and my :wife: so yeah, the day was well productive!

hahaha...no worries, the soup turned out good, given its fresh crabs!!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Quote Ritchie Dropped the crab net with them catfish hanged (i hacked the cat fish before hooking up so it'd create a blood trail = berly+crab magnet?? my idea !! ) under the bridge towards the shore....

........Started to pack up things around 3 pm, on the way picked up the crab net to find two MASSIVE blue swimmers!! ...............

Nice session Ritchie!! The fish and crabs just about paid for the hire boat and the new hat as well :thumbup:

I got a good supply of those wrap around Japanese fishermen's hats off a friend and everyone who uses their boat for a jew session with me and doesn't catch a jewfish gets a hat, and I'm running out of boats and hats fast :lol:

You got the crabs in deepwater rocky bottom country ay, there's eighty feet on the Newcastle side of the Rail Bridge near between the first isolated Pylon and the main bridge pylon and thirty odd on the railway platform side and only a short run to the rocks on each side.

Not good news on Hawkesbury arrow squid, the suppliers are battling to get any at the moment.... Apparently the ongoing plague proportions of leather jackets destroyed a lot of the small arrows forced out with the cold and fresh and the jackets wiped out a lot eggs off the seagrass and the kelp. The Hacking is the go, no connection to the fresh and a top calamari squid spot with arrows more often around the lower reaches of the main river and the arm/s

Cheers

jewgaffer :1fishing1:

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thanks Mr.Jewgaffer!!

actually i got that hat with my very first tackle box from ******! how good are they eh?... when untied, them hats keep ur neck and ears covered! i LOVE my hat!!

True, not a bad feed given it was my very first time out on water in a boat by my self..usually i go out with mates with boats but they know where the good spots are..so last thursday's session was a good learning curve for me..

Shame i couldnt fine any arrowheads, the tinny's off limits from choppy waters and couldnt hook up a jewie but hey, i'll be around for a while so would them jewies!!!!! :1fishing1:

overall, it was an AWSOME day on the water and the $$$ well spent (not according to my :wife: but she loved the Crab soup!) ..

..going to invest on more crab nets and try my luck! :)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thanks Mr.Jewgaffer!!

actually i got that hat with my very first tackle box from ******! how good are they eh?... when untied, them hats keep ur neck and ears covered! i LOVE my hat!!

True, not a bad feed given it was my very first time out on water in a boat by my self..usually i go out with mates with boats but they know where the good spots are..so last thursday's session was a good learning curve for me..

Shame i couldnt fine any arrowheads, the tinny's off limits from choppy waters and couldnt hook up a jewie but hey, i'll be around for a while so would them jewies!!!!! :1fishing1:

overall, it was an AWSOME day on the water and the $$$ well spent (not according to my :wife: but she loved the Crab soup!) ..

..going to invest on more crab nets and try my luck! :)

You did well with the fish and the crabs. The deep water must be the go for the crabs as I only got 1 crab in my 5 nets in 6 hours setting them in 3 to 4 metres .

Making crab bait from catfish seems like a good use for them as long as you are aware that even when dead the result of a scratch from any of their spines is likely to be an absolutely agonising 5 or 6 hours.

I am sure jewgaffer can confirm this. After a sting some fisherman never even bring them into the boat.

Regards

Link to comment
Share on other sites

quote Saltrix :- You did well with the fish and the crabs. The deep water must be the go for the crabs as I only got 1 crab in my 5 nets in 6 hours setting them in 3 to 4 metres .

Making crab bait from catfish seems like a good use for them as long as you are aware that even when dead the result of a scratch from any of their spines is likely to be an absolutely agonising 5 or 6 hours.

I am sure jewgaffer can confirm this. After a sting some fisherman never even bring them into the boat.

Regards

......................................................................................................................................................

Yes absolutely Saltrix.....It looks like the deepwater in the Hawkesbury for your crabs at the moment.... I don't know why....... I might have tried Mullet Creek for the early morning run in tho and I think I mentioned that in a post for a Road and Rail Bridge fisherman..... I just rate catfish like pike eels and hairtail as a monetary penalty of a dollar fifty for hooks and leader.

Cheers mate

jewgaffer :1fishing1:

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Gentelmen, I made sure the cattes are "well Dead" (thus the "Hacking") and yes, ive been REALLY carefull!

Well, crabbing, as ive mentioned it's my very fist time and didnt even have a clue where the crabs would hang out! Just took a wild guess that they like to lurk in the rocky/shore area with a big drop and seems like it worked or the crabs were just too unlucky! :biggrin2:

..it was rewarding though... :thumbup:

Link to comment
Share on other sites

catties and eel get the sharp filleting knife in half treatment in my boat.....but might give em a go as bluey baits saves on the mullet i figure. if any ones after some blueys there have been a heap over on the flats out the front og mooney creek......

ps ritchie thats a brooklyn central boat right???:P

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Gentelmen, I made sure the cattes are "well Dead" (thus the "Hacking") and yes, ive been REALLY carefull!

.....Well, crabbing, as ive mentioned it's my very fist time and didnt even have a clue where the crabs would hang out! Just took a wild guess that they like to lurk in the rocky/shore area with a big drop and seems like it worked or the crabs were just too unlucky! :biggrin2:

......it was rewarding though... :thumbup:

Hi Ritchie You did very well on the crabs for your first time at it and gave us all a lot to think about when the sandy, weed bed sections are not working...... By your results, it's worthwhile trying the rocky sections bordering on the deeper water with witches hats, rather than going to the standard sandy sections with longer shallower runs to shore and trying to guage crab activity on those areas alone, and just keep on crabbing there for the sake of preventiving wire traps which I use myself or the cheaper witches hats from being torn or the wire traps from getting wedged in the rocks.

I think it would be worthwhile in future trying both areas before blue swimmer activity is guaged.

Cheers

jewgaffer :1fishing1:

Link to comment
Share on other sites

mate, how about putting up a recipe for that crab and sweetcorn soup - it looks sensational!!!

pete.

haha..no worries...will do soon i get some time..

ps ritchie thats a brooklyn central boat right???:P

Thats right mate! firt time hiring a boat from them but wont be the last!!

and guess what, ive found heaps a poddy mullets in the marina it self right next to the stone wall (where the car park is)..saw 'em in massive groups upon my return :( too bad for me but next time i'll def catch a few of 'em before heading out..they LOVE beef pie crust! lol

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hi Ritchie .

.........Those two blue swimmers are quite big . Good on you for turning them annoying catties into something with a bit of decency .

Cheers , Rhys :1fishing1:

Well said young Rhys :thumbup: .... That was a real act of kindness and decency by Ritchie rewarding those catfish with some quality cuttlery and giving them a couple of big crabs for the sheer pleasure of dealing with them :lol:

Cheers

jewgaffer :1fishing1:

Edited by jewgaffer
Link to comment
Share on other sites

and guess what, ive found heaps a poddy mullets in the marina it self right next to the stone wall (where the car park is)..saw 'em in massive groups upon my return :( too bad for me but next time i'll def catch a few of 'em before heading out..they LOVE beef pie crust! lol

try the little wharf between ripples and brooklyn central just behind that there is a heap of em and a few big mullet as well

Link to comment
Share on other sites

try the little wharf between ripples and brooklyn central just behind that there is a heap of em and a few big mullet as well

THANKS mate...cant wait till the nest session....

.... That was a real act of kindness and decency by Ritchie rewarding those catfish with some quality cuttlery and giving them a couple of big crabs for the sheer pleasure of dealing with them :lol:

Cheers

jewgaffer :1fishing1:

HAHAHA...who told you that im NOT my mother's favourite son! hahahaha :beersmile:

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
×
×
  • Create New...