Hawkesbury River Decent Fishing? Tips?

[Loco Mofo]

Gday raiders,

First off, awesome site! It's provided a wealth of handy tips for a struggling aspiring angler like myself.

I've been bitten by the fishing bug recently and have been keen to throw in a line the last few weekends. I had the idea of checking out the Hawkesbury River around the Brooklyn area as I used to go there semi regularly when I was a kid with great success (some 15 - 20 odd years ago). We used to hire a boat for half a day and always bring back a nice mixed haul of tailor, yellowtail, flatty and even a few hairtail just on handline.

I was interested in trying out the old river again, but this time around I'm looking for a decent land based spot I can throw in a line early morning preferably for a relaxing 2 - 3 session. I tried under the bridge there near Kangaroo Point a couple weekends ago and found lots of snags, but brought in a decent legal bream and a slimy catfish looking eel. I was happy to get any action after not fishing for so long. I decided to have another crack last weekend with a mate, but try moving away from the bridge to see if I could find a less snaggy spot. No luck unfortunately, had one decent tug all morning with my mate having a similar experience. It was relaxing nonetheless.

I've been reading about the trawling they still do there which has me worried. Even more worrying are some of the reports from this forum of the state of decline the river has been in over the years. Obviously the old river isn't what it once was, but I was still hoping it would still be a decent spot to hit up for a casual fish away from the city when the urge presented itself as I also enjoy the drive from Western Sydney where I am.

I'm looking to catch any good eating fish (bream, flatty, etc). I've been using fresh and frozen Hawkesbury prawns as bait on a 3m rod. Was thinking of trying under the bridge again next time I get a chance, targeting the pylons as that's where I had luck a fortnight ago.

So I guess I wanted to ask the guys that still fish or have fished these waters recently what I can expect there today? I am wasting my time here? Should I find a better spot to kill some time? I was also thinking of trying Wisemans if Mooney Mooney Bridge I think it's called has just had its day. If anyone else has any spot recommendations or tips for the area, It'd be much appreciated.

Cheers,

Loco

[Jamestown]

Illawong Bay walk the shore line up coal and candle take some berley and you should be in luck. Land base around the bridges is a bad idea to much current. Unless you want to fish an hour either side of the tide change

Edited February 3, 2015 by Jamestown

[bessell1955]

Yes at that part of the river the tide really does hoot along.

[foulhooked]

I'd steer clear of fishing near the bridges. While they may hold some good fish occasionally the amount of gear you lose is ridiculous not to mention the current. I cant give you any locations to fish from as i dont fish the river from shore but google earth may help you, combined with a chart of the river to check the depth. The most important thing however is fresh bait. The amount of times I've fished with servo bait and not caught anything in the river really annoys me because i knew what i had to do but i was just too lazy. Hawkesbury prawns from the fish markets is the only bait i would buy but nothing beats bait you've caught yourself. Fresh tailor is my favourite bait at the moment which you can catch from flint and steel quite easily with small metals lures. Another thing I've been experimenting with is poddy mullet traps to catch poddies obviously. The water edges near the marinas in brooklyn are a good place to start trapping. Just finding a spot is the hard part. Youtube has a few videos on how to trap poddies if you're not sure. Just make sure the traps you're using are legal in NSW.

Goodluck!

[Loco Mofo]

@Jamestown

Cheers mate. I may try out Illawong Bay with my daughter, looks like a good family spot to spend half a day.

@bessel1955

Yeah you're not wrong. Think I'll have to find a more tackle friendly spot.

@foulhooked

Yeah, judging from the feedback so far, think I'm going to give up fishing that spot under the bridge. As you and others have mentioned, the current is just too much to deal with along with the snags.

I think I'm pretty sorted with bait. I usually buy freshly caught prawns from a tackle shop in Thornleigh on my way up to HR. Hawkesbury prawns are my go to bait as I've heard you can't go wrong with that there. If I get the chance to use some fresh tailor though, I'll definitely give that a try, cheers for the tip!