When things go to plan - hawkesbury bream session

[seasponge]

I love it when things go to plan :-)

Took the wife and kids out on the boat all day on Sunday. I'm wary of them getting sick of sitting around on the boat watching me fish, so on sunday there was a conscious decision that it would just be a good day out boating - no fishing! Launched from Parsely Bay and spent the day cruising around Pittwater and the afternoon at Refuge Bay in Cowan Creek. Everyone happy, but I had a burning itch to wet a line. At the end of the day, rather than taking the boat out of the water, decided to leave the boat at the jetty overnight with plans of a quick and easy fishing trip the next day. Told my wife of the plans, and we're all good to have a quick fish for a few hours around the change of tide on Monday.

Recent fishing trips have been around Dangar and Patonga and have gone alright picking up some flatties, but I was itching to catch some nice big bream again. So on Monday we headed upriver to near the Parramatta wreck.

The tide chart showed the low tide at 12:15. We got there about 11:30 and anchored up, prepared to just sit and wait with lines in the water for a few hours (wasn't in the mood to go chasing). On the way to the spot, we spotted a couple of the prawn trawlers cutting laps up and down the lanes of the channel. Wasn't sure of that was necessarily a good sign or a bad sign.

Anyway, anchored up just off the bank and burleyed up with some rabbit pellets, bream and tuna oil. Cast out some prawns and waited. And waited. And waited.

Things had been quiet for a while when another fisher in a tinnie came over and gave us a small tub of fresh live prawns that he'd gotten straight from the trawler. He told me that bream had been very scarce in the river lately, but wished us luck with the fresh prawns.

Fished for another 45 mins for nothing but a few catfish! Just as I was convinced the ol' guy new what he was talking about and was contemplating hauling anchor and trying a drift for flathead, I got hit hard by a large bream. Got him in and he was 34cm. For the next hour we got regular hits, and in the end pulled in 5 nice bream. The last one was 39cm, 1cm short of my previous best. Put up a great fight on the light gear - 1-3kg rod with 4lb braid.

It was so good to have things go to plan. I'd purposely setout to catch some big bream, and targetted the change of tide in a known location. All fish came on as the current changed direction (which was about 1.5 hrs after the low tide time off the charts).

Location : near the Parramatta wreck

Time : 12 - 2:30 (low tide was 12:15)

Bait : fresh hawkesbury prawns, burleyed with bread, pellets and tuna oil

Dinner : BBQ bream

[Guest stephanb79]

MATE GREAT STUFF LOVE THAT SPOT.. THAT WHERE I GOT MY PB BREAM

[seasponge]

yeah stephanb79, when we set off on Monday I was originally heading to Juno, then I read your post on the boat and changed direction for the wreck. I've fished there before, but this was the first time it's gone off for me.

[Guest stephanb79]

yeah stephanb79, when we set off on Monday I was originally heading to Juno, then I read your post on the boat and changed direction for the wreck. I've fished there before, but this was the first time it's gone off for me.

Its a nice place there i love fishing the leases with blade should try bait there next time

[ahboy]

Nice work seasponge, I went out yesterday and caught 9 bream from legal to best being 40cm (not one that keep records but think it is a PB). I found the fish very engaging about 1 hour into the run out tide near the mouth of the river.

I am not sure where the wreak that you mention is but where I was also had the trawler cruising close by. Also had my anchor stuck (reef anchor) and managed to pull it off after 10 minutes of trying. If you don't mind, where is this wreck?

[Guest stephanb79]

Nice work seasponge, I went out yesterday and caught 9 bream from legal to best being 40cm (not one that keep records but think it is a PB). I found the fish very engaging about 1 hour into the run out tide near the mouth of the river.

I am not sure where the wreak that you mention is but where I was also had the trawler cruising close by. Also had my anchor stuck (reef anchor) and managed to pull it off after 10 minutes of trying. If you don't mind, where is this wreck?

Nice job on the bream what did u use bait or plastics / blades????

The wreck is hamas parrmatta.. if you go from mooney mooney ramp turn right and go straight up and stay on the right and you will see it its on the edge of the water in the bend

[seasponge]

The wreck is whgere stephanb79 said, but here are some maps

Whereabouts were you ahboy?

[Chappo]

Well done mate. I fished there for an hour or so with the family a few weeks ago and dint turn a reel. Wasn't a serious effort. No burley and no quality bait. Wasn't sure however of what depth you should be fishing near the wreck?

[harold]

Nice looking bream. I have never tried over there, will add it to my list of places to try.

[locodave]

Hey mate, good post and good on you for showing others a decent spot!

[woy woy col]

Great catch how did you end up cooking the bream eat them hole or fillet.

woy woy col

[seasponge]

Haven't quite honed my filleting skills so cook them up whole. I rubbed them with olive oil, garlic, finely chopped onions, salt and paprika then cooked them over charcoals. I grilled the big one whole, took about 15-20 mins each side. I butterfly out the smaller ones and they take about 10mins each side. Nothing tastes as good as whole fish grilled over charcoals!

[jtp]

Nice catch. It can be quite disheartening when every bait is taken by catfish... I used to fish around the vines quite frequently for good bream 5years back but would always get plagued by catfish in more recent years so now I always head out east of the railway bridge. Looks like your persistence paid off!!

[ahboy]

Nice job on the bream what did u use bait or plastics / blades????

The wreck is hamas parrmatta.. if you go from mooney mooney ramp turn right and go straight up and stay on the right and you will see it its on the edge of the water in the bend

Hi Stephan, I had pilchards and mullet from the fish shop and made myself some garlic, parmesan chicken left in the fridge for a day or so. They were taking the chicken regularly but did not fancy the fish bait as well.

There was a period of quiet spell for about +/- hour on both sides of low tide. The weather was a little overcast too on the day. I anchored just off patonga Brisk Bay at the mouth of the river.

Had the same set up a few days later and they were not interested in the chicken.