Hawkesbury

[gibodfisho]

Had a loose plan to cover a lot of Broken Bay and the river chucking blades and a few new hard bods I have collected recently. The washes around Lion Island was the first stop. No luck and the water was a funny colour with lots of floaty bits in it so made a move towards Cowan.

Second spot I score a fat little bream about 30cm down deep on a blade on a suttle lift and pause. The water looks better up here and I get another bream soon after. Things are looking good but the action soon slows and another move is called for.

A quick blast up river near Bar Point and bomb down another blade. On the second set of double hops the lure gets thumped and then after about a seconds pause line starts vacating the little bream reel. I ramped up the elctric and gave chase but the 4pnd leader gave way anyway.

Cursing the fact I was still using such a light leader in dirtier water on the change of tide in a spot where a jewie was a good chance I brought the big plastics out rod but it was too late the horse had already bolted. It would have been funny if I had hooked something, there is no doubt it would have been poled into the boat I had the drag wound up so tight.

Another move was called for up river past spencer. I had never been in this section of river before and it looked like it has potential although I only landed another few undersize bream. Time was running out now headed for home but had to stop over where I had lost the good fish earlier. Snagged a blade and spat the dummy and packed it in.

All told 2 legal bream, 2 snagged Blades + 1 LOST to "the" fish, and > 60 litres of fuel.

Lucky they tasted good.

Cheers Gibbo

[iMick]

Had a loose plan to cover a lot of Broken Bay and the river chucking blades and a few new hard bods I have collected recently. The washes around Lion Island was the first stop. No luck and the water was a funny colour with lots of floaty bits in it so made a move towards Cowan.

Second spot I score a fat little bream about 30cm down deep on a blade on a suttle lift and pause. The water looks better up here and I get another bream soon after. Things are looking good but the action soon slows and another move is called for.

A quick blast up river near Bar Point and bomb down another blade. On the second set of double hops the lure gets thumped and then after about a seconds pause line starts vacating the little bream reel. I ramped up the elctric and gave chase but the 4pnd leader gave way anyway.

Cursing the fact I was still using such a light leader in dirtier water on the change of tide in a spot where a jewie was a good chance I brought the big plastics out rod but it was too late the horse had already bolted. It would have been funny if I had hooked something, there is no doubt it would have been poled into the boat I had the drag wound up so tight.

Another move was called for up river past spencer. I had never been in this section of river before and it looked like it has potential although I only landed another few undersize bream. Time was running out now headed for home but had to stop over where I had lost the good fish earlier. Snagged a blade and spat the dummy and packed it in.

All told 2 legal bream, 2 snagged Blades + 1 LOST to "the" fish, and > 60 litres of fuel.

Lucky they tasted good.

Cheers Gibbo

Hey mate,

The Hawkesbury can break your heart, on Monday I had something on my 7" Jerk Shad so heavy that at first I thought I was snagged... then it shook it's head... no fight just a few large bumps and thuds but due to my lack of strike action it spat the hook. It upset me so much that I'm not going back there for a while... turning my back on a Jew spot that is finally starting to work for me. Time for me to start fresh in the Georges I think.

Mick

[gibodfisho]

60 litres of fuel from lion island to spencer? Thats like 1 litre per km

What motor are u running an old leylend or sumthing?

Thats a lot of area to cover for one session. Maybe next trip stick to the upper reaches where u hooked the fish and be ready with a heavier leader. You could be in with a good chance mate

Good to see u got sum activity anyway, sumtimes its great just being on the water.

Musty

Its a bit of a dinosaur compared to some of the newer tech engines but I was travelling flat out the whole way there and back and all bits in between. My 115 Yamy and I have developed a understanding relationship, I love it and it loves fuel (when driven flat out).

Talking of heavier leaders what would you use when say for example using the 1/8 or 1/4 TT switchblade and targetting jew. I use 3-4pnd when targetting bream as blades seem to be sensitive to leader length and diameter.

[gibodfisho]

I'll go up to about a 10lb, ideally 8lb.

Here's another spanner in the works for u though...

small blades arn't the best jew lures i find. Jews WILL happily take them but i tend to only ever hook the smaller fish. Anything above a few kilo's seems to pull the hooks VERY easily. This is because those tiny blades have such small and light gauge trebles, they don't hook and stay hooked very long under pressure. Sum of the cheaper ones also have REALLY soft split rings which will open up on a snag sum times b4 ur leader even gives!

Musty

Thats a good point about small lures and small hooks. Its a wonder why such big predators bother with tiny morsels. Both my biggest jew were by-catch, 3inch bass minnow and the other on a 2inch piece of gulp sandworm. They surely are a special fish. I think I better go fishing for another species before I get hooked.