Hargraves (North of The Entrance)

[spook]

Hey all,

This is my first time posting so please forgive any mistakes. Let me also say that I'm fairly inexperienced. I mainly fish around The Entrance when I come up from Sydney (beach fishing mostly). I've pulled a heap of whiting, bream and flatties out of Tawoon Bay, but what I am really after is Salmon, which I go after at Hargraves Beach (Just north of Magenta Shores)... Problem is I have never caught one!!!

I started with looking at tide times, moon phasing, good and bad days, but now go whenever I can. I never really deviate from ganged hooks with pillies, a 60cm leader, swivel and a running sinker. Now I don't want to say exactly how long I have been going for Salmon, but trust me, its a LONG time.

A few months back I was fishing Hargraves. I arrived around 9am and the beach was deserted except for one old timer. After the customary 'Any luck?', followed by 'Not a thing' I set up and cast off. The clouds looked dark, swollen and angry, but I decided to stick it out. 40 minutes later the old fella packs up and leaves. I eye off the spot he was at and consider moving up, however, as I had just recast I thought I would give it another 10 minutes before moving.

3 minutes later a newcomer comes to the beach and takes the spot I was eyeing off, 'Oh well' I think, it would have been bad luck to change anyway. The new bloke rigs up, casts off, sets his rod in its holder and starts to walk the 10 meters back to his esky for a drink. His movement caught my eye when I see his rod bend and zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz. "Oh your f&^king kidding" I think to myself. Old mate rushes back to his rod (he never made it to the esky) and proceeds to pull in the biggest bloody Salmon I have seen in my life. I make my way over and examine his catch. I congratulate him (genuine, it was good work) just as the heavens open and I run to pull down my gear and make my way back to my car.

Fast forward to today. I have a few days off work so decide to make the most of it. After stinking hot weather yesterday I figure today will be perfect. I wake up around 5:30am planning to get an early start, before I hear rain pouring outside. 'Oh well' I think, I'll stay in bed until it clears. 8:30am and the rain has stopped. I go to the bait shop and stock up on pillies before making my way up to Hargraves by 9:10am. The moon is above and its an hour past high tide. There are about 6 other blokes on the beach. I quickly rig up and cast out.

Two pillies later, both torn apart by crabs, I decide to try a drop shot rig (after looking at what the experts were doing). The only problem was I had no idea how to go about it. No matter, I whip out the iPhone, do a quick google search, and bobs your mothers brother. By this time all but one bloke have packed up and left (it was about 10:30am and an hour and a half away from low tide). I cast out a couple of times, both terrible casts. Before I know it, the last bloke has left the beach, leaving what I know to be the 'prized spot'. Well, fool me once shame on me etc, I run over to said spot and claim it as my own. I move my gear, put on a fresh pilley and cast out (a most perfect cast if I do say so myself). Well now I have to think that luck is on my side, I have a good spot, I have a rig where the crabs wont get a my bait, a had a good cast, everything seemed to be going right. I settle down to wait for the inevitable. Guess what people, the inevitable happened... it started raining!!!!!!

I pack up my gear, run to the car thinking, 'Tomorrow will be my day'. I have patience, after all, I am a St George supporter!!!

Sorry if the post is a little long, but I hope it at least made you chuckle and remember the days when you guys (and girls) were first starting out

[Guest]

Spook,

You need to be on the beach before sunrise or 2 hours before sunset and a high tide or incoming to high tide.

Go forth to North Entrance Beach or Budgewoi at these times and you will score a salmon for sure.

Look for the darker water which will be deeper and will hold the fish and lob said pille in that spot with a ball sinker and 1 metre trace and 4 to 5/0 gangs and you quest will be done.

Regards Stewy.

P.S getting to the beach after the salmon have moved out to sea is what your problem is.

[bennoz]

mate i feel for ya. Sounds like your doing everything right, so keep at it.

Frazer beach in the national park was where i caught my PB salmon last year. went nearly 90cm. It was one of those days where the sky was dark and the water was angry! you really need to pick your gutter too !

Are you getting hits and not hooking up?

also maybe try some berly. rip apart a pilly into about 10 tiny peices and drop them at your feet. let the wash take them out. that way the birds dont get em either. Each time i rebait i drop a pilly worth of berly.

have you tried a different rig ?

the running sinker to gangs is a tried and tested one, but maybe try a 2 hook paternoster. Goto your tackle shop and ask for a premade surf popper rig. they are bout 3 to 5 bucks and come with a plastic surf popper on the top hook, and ganged 4/0 on the bottom. Add a sinker and Just attach it to you line and bait up. i find these the easiest as they dont tangle. You can make your own, but buy the 1st one and see how its done. PM me if you want to make em.

they look something like this:

[outdoordan]

To increase your chances, don't underestimate berley off the beach. Keep any left over pillies from your fishing trips, re freeze them(doesn't matter if they turn to mush)and use them as the basis for your next sessions berley.

Dan

[Central coast Mariner]

Mate, its just unlucky.

I grew up on hargraves beach and it can be fickle, really need to fish the gutters as with any beach.

An option there not many people look at is the southern end of the beach, say the southern third, it is dotted with lots of little reefs and rocks that can hold a variety of fish.

Used to Fish - spearfish and surf this area for 20 yrs. Get a livie or butterfly tailor out there at the right time, and you should find Jew, as the water movement here is less than up on the point.

Have caught a few and seen Snorkelling heaps of jew there over the years.

THe northern point is a little overrated if you ask me, and sometimes are better off heading up to the deep gutters at 3rd or 4h carpark up at Budgeiwoi (same beach, just a few klm's up.)

Good part of the world...

[Catchin Jack]

Try getting there around sunrise and try either a paternoster rig or just the pillie with a small sinker so the pillie floats around more and let the current take your line, may mean you have to walk a bit up and down the beach but it works. I also find using a sliding snell rig with 2-3 hooks works better than ganged hooks.

[kiwipea]

Try getting there around sunrise and try either a paternoster rig or just the pillie with a small sinker so the pillie floats around more and let the current take your line, may mean you have to walk a bit up and down the beach but it works. I also find using a sliding snell rig with 2-3 hooks works better than ganged hooks.

Have fished Hargraves a lot over last few months and have pulled in plenty of salmon. Fully agree with above post from "Fezza" on the Paternoster rig with a sliding snell hooks (much easier to put hooks in pillie and can adjust sliding hook to size of pille) I also wrap some really fine elastic "string" around pillie, really helps in keeping bait on hooks longer. Fine elastic can be bought from shops like Spotlight, bout $3 spool.

More than half the salmon I caught were on a surf popper. I just have a second short trace with a surf popper on about 20cm above above pillie bait trace. If your pillie bait is chewed off early at least the surf popper may pick up a fish.

One problem with surf poppers though, the hooks in them are pretty much rubbish and had several hooks snap when winding in a fish, big 60-70cm salmon tho.

Stick with it you will hook up, and chat to some of the locals they're a friendly lot, most don't mind passing on advice

kiwipea

[spook]

Thanks guys I really appreciate the input I'll try all of the suggestions and let you know how I go the next time I'm up this way. Bennoz my problem is I'm not even getting hits, but looking at the replies I think my problems are timing and also rigs It really is a credit to the forum the way everyone chips in to share their experience and tips in so short a space of time, keep up the good work!

Edited October 26, 2011 by spook

[mattyv86]

Mate i have fished Hargraves heaps of times and alwwya end up catching a bunch of salmon. My mate actually landed an double header of salmon using 2 droppers with gang hooks and pilchards on a paternocsa. This rig works really well for me.i usually find it fires up at around 9am 4 some reason. And make sure u only use the size sinker u need, dnt have 2 throw out an anchor and use line around 20lb , no heavier.