help needed for the hacking..

[rigga]

hey guys, ive been to the hacking about 5 times by boat. (bright orange tinnie) and ive never ever been able to land a legal size fish in this water system, i usually launch from wally's wharf and not sure whether to turn left towards the heads or turn right and go inland up the river. i decided to go up the river and the current was so strong was hard to tell if a nibble was occuring cause the sinker was bottom bouncing.

Not asking for any secret spot X's just any general information to help. tried for 2 hours, got frustrated pumped some nippers and went to botany bay and got 3 flathead 43/39/36 and 2 whiting both 28cm and a large octopus.

cheers

[wazza69]

Your not on your own finding the Hacking difficult in recent months. Me personally, I like to live bait with poddies near the drop offs or other similar structure, but lately its been difficult. I have found that in the absence of rain, the Hacking is visually spectacular, but doesn't fish as well. A little bit of rain, and the following weeks I tend to do better.

[Guest no one]

There's no fish in the Hacking - Yowie caught them all!

But seriously, you need to pick your times, Burley hard and be patient. I've been taking legal snapper but have had to catch 30 pinkies to get 2 legals. With the recent clear sun I'd assume the flatties are trying to find a bit more cover from the bright sun.

Last weekend proved to be hard fishing all over Sydney by the sounds of it so scratch that one off the list of crap trips. I'm heading out this weekend there so will let you know if there's anything moving about.

[Fab1]

For me fishing early mornings before the sun gets up to high and the boat traffic becomes too much gives the best results.

I drift the flats with a variety of baits such as yabbies, pillys, squid strips, whitebait and prawna with varying success.

I use 8lb line with a running sinker rig with a 2meter leader down to a #4 to #2hook depending on the bait used.

This rig has caught whiting, flounder, flathead over the plentiful sandflats throughout the hacking.

In general if your anchoring up in deep water your results will increase berlying and fishing lightly weighted baits down through the trail.

There's a spot I fish in Swa that if you cast close to the rocky shore you get cleaned up with those tiny snapper, but cast a couple of meters away and you can pick up some legal fish.

Like I said try drifting over the flats on a rising tide using various baits, on the falling tide concentrate your efforts in the channels and fish the edges of the weedbeds, rocky outcrops, the main channels, deeper holes.

Remember to berley, fish the tides and fish as light as possible.

Sometimes you do all this and come home empty handed, I have plenty of times.

But when the planets are aligned the fishing can be great.

But that's fishing.

The main thing is not being afraid of trying new things and not giving up.

Cheers.

Sent from my GT-I8730T using Tapatalk

[Yowie]

Just a matter of trying different spots.

I have fished Port Hacking for over 50 years, still some places I have not yet tried, other places I have not fished for a long time. Burley does help when anchored, although it can bring on the little pickers as well.

[filthmonger]

Pump yabbies and fish the flats, I find anything else to be a waste of time unless targeting squid or kings. Pretty sure the hacking has the worlds largest population of baby snapper.

[Guest no one]

Pretty sure the hacking has the worlds largest population of baby snapper.

Agree - however the mommies and daddies are down there... just have to catch 50 pinkies first!

I really feel the hacking is about patience. The big fish are there but you are going to have to work for them! Personally, its my favourite fishing sport at the moment!