Lets talk Jewie Hunting - Narrabeen Lagoon and the Beach

[night_rider]

Hey Raiders,

I've put a fair few hours into beach sessions trying to align my line wetting with the tides and maybe even the moon by coincidence to try and hook myself a land based Jewie.

So far I have only managed to catch and release 1 silver ghost that was just under legal on a boat but really keen to get a bigger model off the sand.

Has anyone had any luck in Narrabeen lagoon for Jewies? I was thinking maybe at the mouth(although don't think it's overly tidal at the moment seems very shallow) or in the deeper sections at the back of the lagoon via my Kayak...?

I've read the Jewie uber thread so I think I'm on the right track but haven't cracked the code yet... Thanks to all the seasons Ghost hunters that put there 2c into there.

Maybe I just haven't found myself the right gutter at the right time.. I think half the time I'm casting into what I think is a gutter when in fact I'm probably just hurling my bait into the breakers...

Some of the bycatch ie 1m+ School shark, salmon, shovelnose, tailor etc haven't been so bad but I'm still really keen to see that silver flash and enjoy the pungent stench of a beach Jewie.

Any comments or directions would be greatly appreciated!

Cheers,

M

[PRED-ATOR]

Hey mate,

I am in the same boat as you. we are putting in a lot of time on the beaches trying to crack a jew. So far, only caught a baby under 60cm.

Caught some big port jackson sharks, salmon, shovels and bronzies though.

Mate, keep at it, thats what im doing becuase when i finally get one I will be over the moon. Heres some of the spoils from the beach so far, would be keen to see your pics too : )

Stan

[Scratchie]

Mark,

There are many variables to finding, hooking and landing that elusive jew.

Firstly, find an area or beach that is renown for jewfish. They are creatures of habit and frequent the same areas.

Different areas are more productive at certain times, so make note of the tide and times you fish a certain area.

For example- my Jew spot is most productive when it's 2hrs before low tide and especially if this coincides with a low light period.

In short- know the area. Not every beach or hole will produce jewfish.

Bait- what works for some areas does work for others. So, what are they feeding on in the area you are fishing and get the freshest you can. Catching bait in the area you are fishing is a must. Be it beach worms, tailor, mullet etc.

The next thing and most important part, is TIME itself. Game fisherman are often saying they came home with zeros. This doesn't mean they don't know what they are doing or didn't cover enough ground. It simply means it wasn't their time!

To summarize,

Find a known jew spot

Fish different times

Use fresh bait for that area

And remember that the more time you put in, the closer you are to catching your target.

And when you do finally land that target, note down the time, tide, barometer, bait, weather, wind, rig etc. and then try it again when the conditions present themselves.

Hope that helps.

Cheers scratchie!!!

[night_rider]

Hey mate,

I am in the same boat as you. we are putting in a lot of time on the beaches trying to crack a jew. So far, only caught a baby under 60cm.

Caught some big port jackson sharks, salmon, shovels and bronzies though.

Mate, keep at it, thats what im doing becuase when i finally get one I will be over the moon. Heres some of the spoils from the beach so far, would be keen to see your pics too : )

Stan10527366_10152538386210993_4044852791844372757_n.jpg10502540_10152531131105993_3060909912698324049_n.jpg10414452_10152531131200993_2557416828142301595_n.jpgJew 2.jpgPJ11.jpg

Thanks Mate. Gotta keep at it. I think I'm going to seek out a few new spots that show good signs of food and try to match the catch as such... Here's the man in the grey suit I landed:

I seem to of misplaced the other worthy snaps.. I'll ask the misses if she still has them.

Mark,

There are many variables to finding, hooking and landing that elusive jew.

Firstly, find an area or beach that is renown for jewfish. They are creatures of habit and frequent the same areas.

Different areas are more productive at certain times, so make note of the tide and times you fish a certain area.

For example- my Jew spot is most productive when it's 2hrs before low tide and especially if this coincides with a low light period.

In short- know the area. Not every beach or hole will produce jewfish.

Bait- what works for some areas does work for others. So, what are they feeding on in the area you are fishing and get the freshest you can. Catching bait in the area you are fishing is a must. Be it beach worms, tailor, mullet etc.

The next thing and most important part, is TIME itself. Game fisherman are often saying they came home with zeros. This doesn't mean they don't know what they are doing or didn't cover enough ground. It simply means it wasn't their time!

To summarize,

Find a known jew spot

Fish different times

Use fresh bait for that area

And remember that the more time you put in, the closer you are to catching your target.

And when you do finally land that target, note down the time, tide, barometer, bait, weather, wind, rig etc. and then try it again when the conditions present themselves.

Hope that helps.

Cheers scratchie!!!

Interesting set of tactics Scratchie. Thanks bud. I think I'm following most of them other than maybe the bait. I have used frozen Hawksbury squid and slabbed Tailer/Salmon but the freshest I've used was Yakkas caught the night before... I'm hunting a north shore beach that I'm told has produced Jews before but I'm starting to think it was back in the 90's....

I'll get there.

[Razzell]

Thanks Mate. Gotta keep at it. I think I'm going to seek out a few new spots that show good signs of food and try to match the catch as such... Here's the man in the grey suit I landed:

Jaws JNR.JPG I seem to of misplaced the other worthy snaps.. I'll ask the misses if she still has them.

Interesting set of tactics Scratchie. Thanks bud. I think I'm following most of them other than maybe the bait. I have used frozen Hawksbury squid and slabbed Tailer/Salmon but the freshest I've used was Yakkas caught the night before... I'm hunting a north shore beach that I'm told has produced Jews before but I'm starting to think it was back in the 90's....

I'll get there.

Hey bud,

We've tried specifically for Jewies at least 20 times and have only ever blanked. We've tried various good looking spots in the estuaries and the northern beaches, primarily Narrabeen. My fishing buddy has had them on SPs while fishing the kayak as by-catch, but I've never had any luck.

Honestly, I genuinely don't know if I can be bothered to try for them again! Too much blanking dampens the spirit, I reckon...

Wish you all the luck in your hunt!

[Crossfire63]

I'm with Scratchie on this one.

Jewie spots are usually closely guarded. One thing I will tell you is that where you are trying probably isn't the best spot for a jewie in that area, you need to be further South .

Another tip I've picked up over the years, if you see a heap of people fishing there.........give it a miss. So many baits and that much burley brings sharks and not a lot else in the shape of a Mulloway

[PRED-ATOR]

Thanks Mate. Gotta keep at it. I think I'm going to seek out a few new spots that show good signs of food and try to match the catch as such... Here's the man in the grey suit I landed:

Jaws JNR.JPG I seem to of misplaced the other worthy snaps.. I'll ask the misses if she still has them.

Interesting set of tactics Scratchie. Thanks bud. I think I'm following most of them other than maybe the bait. I have used frozen Hawksbury squid and slabbed Tailer/Salmon but the freshest I've used was Yakkas caught the night before... I'm hunting a north shore beach that I'm told has produced Jews before but I'm starting to think it was back in the 90's....

I'll get there.

Nice noah!

[night_rider]

Nice noah!

Thanks Predator. I was pretty stoked the fight was pretty solid, great way to start my beach fishing adventures!

I'm with Scratchie on this one.

Jewie spots are usually closely guarded. One thing I will tell you is that where you are trying probably isn't the best spot for a jewie in that area, you need to be further South .

Another tip I've picked up over the years, if you see a heap of people fishing there.........give it a miss. So many baits and that much burley brings sharks and not a lot else in the shape of a Mulloway

Yeah I'm usually pretty keen to move to the next spot if there's more than 1 angler already setup. How South are we talking Crossfire? Further south than the city?

Hey bud,

We've tried specifically for Jewies at least 20 times and have only ever blanked. We've tried various good looking spots in the estuaries and the northern beaches, primarily Narrabeen. My fishing buddy has had them on SPs while fishing the kayak as by-catch, but I've never had any luck.

Honestly, I genuinely don't know if I can be bothered to try for them again! Too much blanking dampens the spirit, I reckon...

Wish you all the luck in your hunt!

Couldn't agree with you more, a few donuts in a row make the next trip out tougher and tougher.

[PRED-ATOR]

went last night for a donut

[larsey]

I think the main thing with jewy's is persistence i finally caught my first big jew a couple of weeks ago and at the time wasn't expecting it at all, it was and hour or so after low tide on the beach and the gutter we were fishing was pretty dismal but i have kept on trying within a few k area north and south over the last few years and had plenty of smallish jews (4-8 kg) but this time a 32kg whoppa jew out of the blue and I still can't keep the grin off my face so keep on trying its definitely worth it in the end oh and use the freshest bait u can (obviously) although i have caught plenty on pillies

[night_rider]

I think the main thing with jewy's is persistence i finally caught my first big jew a couple of weeks ago and at the time wasn't expecting it at all, it was and hour or so after low tide on the beach and the gutter we were fishing was pretty dismal but i have kept on trying within a few k area north and south over the last few years and had plenty of smallish jews (4-8 kg) but this time a 32kg whoppa jew out of the blue and I still can't keep the grin off my face so keep on trying its definitely worth it in the end oh and use the freshest bait u can (obviously) although i have caught plenty on pillies

Wow 32kegs that's huge mate. Was that in Sydney? Shame there was no report for us to drool over. Ha

I think I need to change spots. I've been around whale beach and newport a few times with next to no luck.

[luderick59]

try nth curl curl just in front of steps to pool rod holes are there in rocks safe spot in any tide cast in direction of south curly surf club fresh baits of tailor squid and slimeys are best this spot can really fire but you have to fish it often to get it wired

tip

allways take a 6ft gaff and have it handy put it in one of the rod holes

[JimT]

I remember years and years and years ago I use to go prawning around Easter time in Dee Why and Curl Curl lagoons. With this time coming up maybe the beaches near where lagoons open to sea may be prudent to try.....Nth Curlie being one

Jim...

[night_rider]

try nth curl curl just in front of steps to pool rod holes are there in rocks safe spot in any tide cast in direction of south curly surf club fresh baits of tailor squid and slimeys are best this spot can really fire but you have to fish it often to get it wired

tip

allways take a 6ft gaff and have it handy put it in one of the rod holes

Thanks Luderick! I've not fished Curl Curl before. Will definitely give it a whirl. Sounds like I'll need a gaff.

I remember years and years and years ago I use to go prawning around Easter time in Dee Why and Curl Curl lagoons. With this time coming up maybe the beaches near where lagoons open to sea may be prudent to try.....Nth Curlie being one

Jim...

Thanks Jim. The Northern beaches are usually plagued with holiday makers at Easter.. I usually try and avoid them where possible.. Good thought on the prawns though!

[Pat Williams]

Thought I'd chime in with my $0.02. This might sound like a cop out, but in my opinion if you really want to catch more jews, stop wasting your time and energy in Sydney. Sure, there are jewies around, and there are some dedicated guys who get onto them semi consistently, but the population of jews in the northern Sydney region is fairly small, and catches are slim for the vast majority who target them. I no longer fish for jews in Sydney, I just don't have the time nor patience to be going out and coming back fishless time and again. Instead, I've got a handful of spots a number of hours drive north that produce consistently. Spots that I know I can fish hard for a couple of sessions and generally catch at least a couple of soapies, with occasional encounters with larger fish.

Others make some great points. Scratchies list is spot on. I guess the key point being to fish known jewie spots. The fact is that there are a multitude of spots up the north coast that hold so, so many more jew, that I find my time and energy better spent planning a few trips up there each season, and generally catching a few jews each trip, and spend my time in Sydney targeting other species.

Pat

[Ryder]

I agree with PatW, they are few and far between, but it doesn't stop me having a go.

Most of the jewfish in Sydney don't come off the beaches, they come from the estuary systems.

Here is a link to an ongoing DPI research project . Be sure to click on the newsletters.

It will give you an idea of when, where and how many are being caught by dedicated fishos.

http://www.dpi.nsw.gov.au/fisheries/recreational/researchangler

[night_rider]

Thought I'd chime in with my $0.02. This might sound like a cop out, but in my opinion if you really want to catch more jews, stop wasting your time and energy in Sydney. Sure, there are jewies around, and there are some dedicated guys who get onto them semi consistently, but the population of jews in the northern Sydney region is fairly small, and catches are slim for the vast majority who target them. I no longer fish for jews in Sydney, I just don't have the time nor patience to be going out and coming back fishless time and again. Instead, I've got a handful of spots a number of hours drive north that produce consistently. Spots that I know I can fish hard for a couple of sessions and generally catch at least a couple of soapies, with occasional encounters with larger fish.

Others make some great points. Scratchies list is spot on. I guess the key point being to fish known jewie spots. The fact is that there are a multitude of spots up the north coast that hold so, so many more jew, that I find my time and energy better spent planning a few trips up there each season, and generally catching a few jews each trip, and spend my time in Sydney targeting other species.

Pat

I've lost count the number of hours I've put in north of the City that has resulted in donuts or missed runs.. Most likely sharks anyway.

Am happy to put in some travel time getting up the coast, as it's taken me upwards of 90 minutes to get to Narrabeen sometimes thanks to Sydney traffic..

Are we talking Gosford, Lake Mac or further?

I agree with PatW, they are few and far between, but it doesn't stop me having a go.

Most of the jewfish in Sydney don't come off the beaches, they come from the estuary systems.

Here is a link to an ongoing DPI research project . Be sure to click on the newsletters.

It will give you an idea of when, where and how many are being caught by dedicated fishos.

http://www.dpi.nsw.gov.au/fisheries/recreational/researchangler

My one and only Jewie was caught at the mouth of the Lane Cover river, and know that a large number of them get caught off the piers in the Harbour a fair bit, the Beach units seem to be fewer and far between...

Wow Ryder, there is so much useful information in that newsletter!

I think that's more or less confirmed it for me. Need to get myself my first boat and stop wasting my time throwing baits into the surf at North Sydney ...