Yamba Luderick

[Luderick Hunter]

Usually fish the south coast for Luderick but having read so much about Yamba over the years and having a month off work I decided to head up for a few sessions.

Arrived yesterday and spent the day researching spots and collecting and buying weed.

My first point of attack was to be the middle wall but I awoke to some pretty stiff wind and I found it near impossible to fish there with the cross wind causing line loop and a non favourable drift and waves, so I motored over to the T piece and spent a couple of drifts adjusting float depth and on my first serious drift I landed a fat 37cm model,this continued for the next few hours and I ended up bagged out with good solid healthy fish all between 35-40cm. Could only keep 5 fish as I am in a camper van with small fridge so the rest were released.

I was armed with green weed, black weed, and cabbage. Fish showed no interest at all with the green or black and all fish were taken on cabbage.

Made for a beautiful dinner and a nice introduction to Yamba.

I love the fact that so many people target Luderick here, just about every boat has floats sticking out of it, everybody on the wall is targeting them, people riding bikes up the road with luderick rods strapped to the frame, its like a luderick paradise.

Its raining quite hard tonight so we will see what happens tomorrow.

John.

Edited July 6, 2012 by Luderick Hunter

[Guest]

Nice report John

[stormy]

Good one. Last time I was up there, we fished off a flat rock some 50m east of the T piece and got good fish, if you need to go landbased. Saw a pod of dolphins herd a school of fish into the corner of the T piece and take turns at smashing into them for a feed. Water was only a couple of feet deep and the dolphins were well out of the water. Amazing sight.

[luderick -angler]

Well done John,

Yamaba certainly is a luderick mecca, interesting about the bait! I have heard fresh run fih just coming in the river will only take the cabbage until they get acclimatised!!!! Awesome report, my father used to make a pilgrimage every year there until just after I was born sounds like nothings changed with al the guys running around with blackfish gear!

[Luderick Hunter]

Well done John,

Yamaba certainly is a luderick mecca, interesting about the bait! I have heard fresh run fih just coming in the river will only take the cabbage until they get acclimatised!!!! Awesome report, my father used to make a pilgrimage every year there until just after I was born sounds like nothings changed with al the guys running around with blackfish gear!

It sure is nice to see the interest in this great art of Luderick fishing, I thought that it was a dieing art as there are only a couple of us left that target them down home, everybody just chases flathead down there. But I see its alive and well in Yamba and I also seen a heap of guys killing them off the vacant block at Lake Illawarra on the way up.

Spoke to some other guys who had a bag from further up river and they also had best success on cabbage, they were smaller fish from up there but plenty of them.

There is something very exciting about seeing long soft rods and floats everywhere you look, it takes me back to my childhood on lake Illawarra.

Looks like this could become my July pilgrimage too:-)

Edited July 7, 2012 by Luderick Hunter

[Luderick Hunter]

Good one. Last time I was up there, we fished off a flat rock some 50m east of the T piece and got good fish, if you need to go landbased. Saw a pod of dolphins herd a school of fish into the corner of the T piece and take turns at smashing into them for a feed. Water was only a couple of feet deep and the dolphins were well out of the water. Amazing sight.

Hey Stormy, I seen this myself today, I didnt fish today but I went down for a bike ride and seen 2 dolphins doing this. Must have spooked all the fish away because nobody was catching much.

[Luderick Hunter]

I hit Yamba again today, the conditions were much better, the wind was not really a factor so I decided to fish the middle wall, I got out there about half way up the run up tide and nailed a fish on my first drift and another on my second drift, this was followed by 3 bream in a row all caught on cabbage!! I have caught the odd bream and flathead on weed before but not 3 in a row, then 1 more luderick and then someone turned off the switch, didnt get another down for hours. They were decent fish but not the size of the ones down at the T piece.

The 2012 Luderick tour moves on tomorrow, I am going to head up tweed/gold coast way and see if I can track down some Luderick. I will return for some more sessions here on the way back down.

Anybody got any spots at tweed they want to share??? hopefully estuary boat or bank spots.

John.

Edited July 8, 2012 by Luderick Hunter

[Anthony Delaney]

Hey John,

I have just got home from a week holiday in Yamba. I fished the wall as well on a few sessions however I did well on bream all around 28 - 30cm and a flathead 65cm on a vibes. We also trolled the wall found taylor and Salmon just for fun.

I did not target Ludrick as I never have fished for them before but I also saw people of all ages targeting them. (How good are the bike set ups with trailers and rod holders all over them). I stayed at the Blue Dolphin which the kids just loved and on our drive home we stopped at Port Macquarie for a 2 night stay and it seems to me that Port loves Ludrick fishing as well in Pelican Bay along the breakwall.

If you want a good feed with a great view over lunch try the Yamba Hotel above the beach it has an awsome view, great food and beer.

Have fun I just love Yamba but next time I really want to go Snapper fishing I saw many big frames at the boat ramp cleaning tables.

I'm back to work tomorrow but fortunately for me I'm doing my South Coast country trip which means I'll have to take a rod and get a couple hours in down Narooma and Merimbula. (Now I wish i knew how to Ludrick fish!)

[Luderick Hunter]

Hey John,

I have just got home from a week holiday in Yamba. I fished the wall as well on a few sessions however I did well on bream all around 28 - 30cm and a flathead 65cm on a vibes. We also trolled the wall found taylor and Salmon just for fun.

I did not target Ludrick as I never have fished for them before but I also saw people of all ages targeting them. (How good are the bike set ups with trailers and rod holders all over them). I stayed at the Blue Dolphin which the kids just loved and on our drive home we stopped at Port Macquarie for a 2 night stay and it seems to me that Port loves Ludrick fishing as well in Pelican Bay along the breakwall.

If you want a good feed with a great view over lunch try the Yamba Hotel above the beach it has an awsome view, great food and beer.

Have fun I just love Yamba but next time I really want to go Snapper fishing I saw many big frames at the boat ramp cleaning tables.

I'm back to work tomorrow but fortunately for me I'm doing my South Coast country trip which means I'll have to take a rod and get a couple hours in down Narooma and Merimbula. (Now I wish i knew how to Ludrick fish!)

Hi Vsea,

I am staying at the dolphin too, its a great park here, I will definately be returning. Yeah the guys with their luderick trailers are cool.

Thanks for the tip of Port Macquarie, I have never stopped there but might set aside a couple of days on the way home if its a Luderick town.

John.

[macman]

G'day John,

I am at Yamba as well, having been here all week. You have probably seen Yamba at its blackfish best. I have been catching fish from the T-piece, have only used black weed and no problems catching all the fish you want. Fish have been taking green, cabbage and bull weed, really depends on what people have had. The dolphins were smashing around the light pole off the T-piece and even then it didn't put the fish off. The weather has been crap the last couple of days but today was good, unfortunately not able to fish today. Shame I only saw this post today, could have caught up and gone for a fish, I have been land based though, mostly riding the bike down for a few hours, haven't even put the boat in the water this trip. Report here from the other day.

My link

Matt

[Luderick Hunter]

G'day John,

I am at Yamba as well, having been here all week. You have probably seen Yamba at its blackfish best. I have been catching fish from the T-piece, have only used black weed and no problems catching all the fish you want. Fish have been taking green, cabbage and bull weed, really depends on what people have had. The dolphins were smashing around the light pole off the T-piece and even then it didn't put the fish off. The weather has been crap the last couple of days but today was good, unfortunately not able to fish today. Shame I only saw this post today, could have caught up and gone for a fish, I have been land based though, mostly riding the bike down for a few hours, haven't even put the boat in the water this trip. Report here from the other day.

My link

Matt

Hi Matt,

Good to hear from you, I actually emailed you last night via your website to thank you for your Yamba articles, your site is how I discovered that Yamba is the Luderick mecca. Pity we didnt catch up, you could have shown me some of the boat spots up stream. I nearly feel like staying on a bit longer!

I didnt persist with the black or green weed the other day as they were taking the cabbage freely and didnt seem interested at all in the others.

John.

[macman]

Hi Matt,

Good to hear from you, I actually emailed you last night via your website to thank you for your Yamba articles, your site is how I discovered that Yamba is the Luderick mecca. Pity we didnt catch up, you could have shown me some of the boat spots up stream. I nearly feel like staying on a bit longer!

I didnt persist with the black or green weed the other day as they were taking the cabbage freely and didnt seem interested at all in the others.

John.

Hi John,

Looks like a cracker day today, unfortunately we are heading back to the big smoke. If you are going to stay around today, the better upstream spot is the Sleeper.Head past the Tavern, which is the big pub on the river, head upstream and stay clear of the leads, ie to the right of the sandbank. the river splits, the Oyster channel goes left and the main river continues and where they join is a steep bank with fallen over trees. At this time of year there are nearly always boats sitting there with floats etc. Its tricky to fish but a lot of fun.

Matt

[Luderick Hunter]

Hi John,

Looks like a cracker day today, unfortunately we are heading back to the big smoke. If you are going to stay around today, the better upstream spot is the Sleeper.Head past the Tavern, which is the big pub on the river, head upstream and stay clear of the leads, ie to the right of the sandbank. the river splits, the Oyster channel goes left and the main river continues and where they join is a steep bank with fallen over trees. At this time of year there are nearly always boats sitting there with floats etc. Its tricky to fish but a lot of fun.

Matt

Hey Matt, I ended up moving up to the tweed for a few days, but will be returning for atleast another week at Yamba on the way home and will give the sleeper a go, it sounds like my spot at home in durras lake, we have been getting some big bruisers in the fallen tree snags there since January up to 46cm. But they have now gone quiet.

Maybe we can catch up at Yamba next July.

John.

[macman]

Hey Matt, I ended up moving up to the tweed for a few days, but will be returning for atleast another week at Yamba on the way home and will give the sleeper a go, it sounds like my spot at home in durras lake, we have been getting some big bruisers in the fallen tree snags there since January up to 46cm. But they have now gone quiet.

Maybe we can catch up at Yamba next July.

John.

Cool,

Have fun up at the Tweed, great river as well.

Matt

I forgot to add,

Ther is a lake in tweed heads itself an where the water runs in from the main river there is always luderick around the entry way, it would be filthy wih them at this time of year.

Edited July 9, 2012 by macman

[Luderick Hunter]

Cool,

Have fun up at the Tweed, great river as well.

Matt

I forgot to add,

Ther is a lake in tweed heads itself an where the water runs in from the main river there is always luderick around the entry way, it would be filthy wih them at this time of year.

dropped into the tackle store here today and he reckons there is no luderick around yet, your spot sound good though. I just seen a old bloke come into the boat ramp here with 17 nice big bream taken on mullet gut. Not planing on hanging around here too long, I havent been here for a long time and cant believe the growth and lack of atmosphere. not digging it at all.

[Luderick Hunter]

Back at Yamba this week, the weather has been shocking with gael force winds every day, so havent got out for a fish much, found a spot out of the wind up at the tavern today and got 8 fish up to 42cm, they are prefering the black weed now, i only took 1 on cabbage.

[arpie]

Hi John

Sounds like you are in Luderick Heaven!! WHen Keith & I are returning from Byron Bay Triathlon, we usually drop in on Yamba on the way home - at the camp ground right on the break wall, so I only have to walk to my spots! I love it! For land based, walking from camp, I've done really well around the Fisheries boat in the harbour there! Also that little rocky bit off to the left, down the first part of the the breakwall. I've also picked up a couple of really nice blackie rods in the 2nd hand shop there too!

Can't wait to get back there! Funny how they go for one weed or the other or only cabbage! I've never caught on the black weed yet! Cabbage has always gone well for me there.

Where will you be stopping on the way back home? Sounds like Port Macq may be on your list now - if you think of dropping in on FOrster for a day or two, let me know! I could join you!

cheers

ROberta

Been a bit blowy here too! Hopefully the worst is over now!

[macman]

Catch one for me mate,

Have a great time up there, very jealous. Are you fishing the inlet to the residential quays or the rockwalls near the tavern, and did you get a chance to try out the sleeper ?

Matt

[Luderick Hunter]

Hi Roberta,

Yeah its a great place here, except for the never ending wind which is making it hard. I am not much of a rock hopper and prefer the comfort of boat fishing so gettting out of the wind has been a real problem. I have to be back to work on Monday so I havent decided if to stay here the entire time or spend a couple of days at Port Macquarie yet, this wind is supposed to drop off tomorrow.

Hi Matt,

I was fishing the rockwall at the tavern drifting the float in behind the floating pontoon, unfortunately someone beat me to that spot today. I tried the slipper for a while but no downs, was one other boat there and didnt see them get anything either.

The rockwall near the marina entrance is pretty quiet too, heaps of landbase fisho's there, not many getting fish, apparently it was alive last week but has gone off.

I went out middle wall and picked up a few along with another pair of bream on cabbage:-)

The T piece is where it is all happening.

[Luderick Hunter]

Had a phone call from home and they are back on at durras lake again too, its full of big healthy mid 40cm fish taking cabbage.

[Luderick Hunter]

Hey Guys, Just started to plan my July Yamba luderick tour, anybody else going in July? Anybody know how the floods earlier this year is likely to effect the luderick run?

Thanks John.

[luderick -angler]

Should not be an issue John,

they are starting thier run here in Sydney off the coast and good reports from the central coast and short North around Newcastle and Port Stephens. They are on the way my friend!

[Luderick Hunter]

Should not be an issue John,

they are starting thier run here in Sydney off the coast and good reports from the central coast and short North around Newcastle and Port Stephens. They are on the way my friend!

Thanks Mate, Cant wait to get there.

[macman]

Thanks Mate, Cant wait to get there.

They were already starting when I was up there in the April School holidays

http://www.macman.id.au/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=95:21-2742013-yamba-report&catid=39:fishing-reports&Itemid=61

I will probably be up there in July, it should be pretty good, floods tend to improve the fishing if anything.

Matt

[Luderick Hunter]

Thanks Matt, might see you up there.