Wisemans luderick

[Duffy75]

Hi all, does anybody know if luderick can be caught landbased at wisemans ferry or between there and Spencer?

[Little_Flatty]

Hi @Duffy75,

I have often pondered a similar question as to how far Luderick might be found up the Parra. Plenty of cabbage down at Meadowbank, some weed if you look hard enough, so at least the food is there...our resident guru @wazatherfisherman seems to think they may be around. The other thing I have pondered is whether you can catch Luderick in the dark!

Interested to hear the answers, on both the Hawkesbury and Parra fronts.

[Duffy75]

I know someone who catches them as far up as silverwater in good numbers, wisemans is a lot further though,I do remember my grandfather talking many years ago that they caught big numbers at Spencer, I have noticed a bit of weed on the rocks around wisemans near the ferry I'm sure they would be there, just not sure of where and tides etc, I'm guessing tide changes when there is less run would be necessary 

Edited August 4, 2023 by Duffy75

[Blackfish]

Back in the day we used to catch them up just past the Bridge in Mangrove creek.

[Little_Flatty]

2 hours ago, Duffy75 said:

I know someone who catches them as far up as silverwater in good numbers, wisemans is a lot further though,I do remember my grandfather talking many years ago that they caught big numbers at Spencer, I have noticed a bit of weed on the rocks around wisemans near the ferry I'm sure they would be there, just not sure of where and tides etc, I'm guessing tide changes when there is less run would be necessary 

Interesting @Duffy75. I really should try a bit harder to target them. Another option for when I get bored of chasing bream and flatties (which is almost never, but they aren't always around or willing to play!).

[Green Hornet]

@Little_Flatty You can target luderick at night mainly on the flats. Most catch them using yabbies /nippers or squirt worms down my way, though peeled prawns work as well. It’s also an effective way of catching them in daylight hours just after their spawning cycle.

[JimT]

5 hours ago, Green Hornet said:

@Little_Flatty You can target luderick at night mainly on the flats. Most catch them using yabbies /nippers or squirt worms down my way, though peeled prawns work as well. It’s also an effective way of catching them in daylight hours just after their spawning cycle.

use to catch heaps in the Cooks River near the breakwall on wriggler worms around Aug/Sept spawning time.

[wazatherfisherman]

12 hours ago, Little_Flatty said:

Hi @Duffy75,

I have often pondered a similar question as to how far Luderick might be found up the Parra. Plenty of cabbage down at Meadowbank, some weed if you look hard enough, so at least the food is there...our resident guru @wazatherfisherman seems to think they may be around. The other thing I have pondered is whether you can catch Luderick in the dark!

Interested to hear the answers, on both the Hawkesbury and Parra fronts.

Hi Mike the cabbage found up around your area is great to use- the soft 'sheet' type works really well, you just have to use a couple of 'layers' to make a tough enough bait. Like Pete says above, night time they become more 'carnivorous' and nippers, prawns and squirt worms are the go. We used to get a few on bloodworms while night time Whiting fishing around Drummoyne and have caught them in quite a few locations using worms. Both Luderick and Surgeonfish readily take nippers also. They will readily take tiny shrimps day and night, but pretty much all fish eat them- a good bait to try when they are 'off' green bait.

Off the ocean rocks, when the sea is rough they are a common catch on cunjevoi and we used to see big catches of them weighed in during competitions- all caught at night on cunjevoi. Curracurrang Bay in the Royal National Park is a well known spot to fish for them with cunje after a few days of massive southerly seas. The cunje gets broken off the platforms and ends up in the corner off the southern end of the bay, in turn attracting heaps of Luderick and Drummer who get at it at high tide.

Bread also accounts for plenty off the ocean rocks, but more of a 'sight' thing in my experience during the daylight hours.

One of our Luderick mentors- Wally McLuckie- caught a few on standard float tackle off the rocks in the dark, so they do feed on vegetation also.

To @Duffy75's original question- they go right up major rivers during winter and spawn amongst the Mangroves, my own theory is they 'need' some 'meat' in their diets around spawning time, even if they are feeding on vegetation during the day, they readily take the above mentioned baits of a night. How far up the rivers they end up might be related to how much fresh (rain) there's been. Definitely worth a try, but not overly familiar with the area up there.

[Burger]

3 hours ago, wazatherfisherman said:

my own theory is they 'need' some 'meat' in their diets around spawning time, even if they are feeding on vegetation during the day, they readily take the above mentioned baits of a night.

Pretty sure I read this also, they are ‘needing’ the protein pre/post spawning.

[Little_Flatty]

23 hours ago, wazatherfisherman said:

Hi Mike the cabbage found up around your area is great to use- the soft 'sheet' type works really well, you just have to use a couple of 'layers' to make a tough enough bait. Like Pete says above, night time they become more 'carnivorous' and nippers, prawns and squirt worms are the go. We used to get a few on bloodworms while night time Whiting fishing around Drummoyne and have caught them in quite a few locations using worms. Both Luderick and Surgeonfish readily take nippers also. They will readily take tiny shrimps day and night, but pretty much all fish eat them- a good bait to try when they are 'off' green bait.

Off the ocean rocks, when the sea is rough they are a common catch on cunjevoi and we used to see big catches of them weighed in during competitions- all caught at night on cunjevoi. Curracurrang Bay in the Royal National Park is a well known spot to fish for them with cunje after a few days of massive southerly seas. The cunje gets broken off the platforms and ends up in the corner off the southern end of the bay, in turn attracting heaps of Luderick and Drummer who get at it at high tide.

Bread also accounts for plenty off the ocean rocks, but more of a 'sight' thing in my experience during the daylight hours.

One of our Luderick mentors- Wally McLuckie- caught a few on standard float tackle off the rocks in the dark, so they do feed on vegetation also.

To @Duffy75's original question- they go right up major rivers during winter and spawn amongst the Mangroves, my own theory is they 'need' some 'meat' in their diets around spawning time, even if they are feeding on vegetation during the day, they readily take the above mentioned baits of a night. How far up the rivers they end up might be related to how much fresh (rain) there's been. Definitely worth a try, but not overly familiar with the area up there.

@wazatherfisherman,

I'm heading out tomorrow for a shot with a mate. Will see how I go.

Found some of the stuff you were talking about this arvo just before dark, along with some green string weed (right):

The browny green weed on the left, is that stuff ok too?

Brought my eldest with me and she found the outing much more fun than I expected her to! I guess kids really enjoy bait collection...maybe I need to do more of this! I'll clean the browny stuff up a bit when I get more light, we ran out of light after doing a bit of beachcombing.

Mike

[wazatherfisherman]

13 minutes ago, Little_Flatty said:

@wazatherfisherman,

I'm heading out tomorrow for a shot with a mate. Will see how I go.

Found some of the stuff you were talking about this arvo just before dark, along with some green string weed (right):

The browny green weed on the left, is that stuff ok too?

Brought my eldest with me and she found the outing much more fun than I expected her to! I guess kids really enjoy bait collection...maybe I need to do more of this! I'll clean the browny stuff up a bit when I get more light, we ran out of light after doing a bit of beachcombing.

Mike

Hi Mike the stuff on the right is the guru bait, the stuff on the left works at times but I'd concentrate on the box on the right. If the stuff on the left is slimy after washing it a bit it mightn't be much good. The fish sometimes feed on it in canals though- The cabbage looks fine.

Try and keep the flat strands together and the round strands (roots) at the top of your bait. The round strand-ends are good for half-hitching as they are a bit tougher

Good Luck when you go!

[Duffy75]

42 minutes ago, wazatherfisherman said:

Hi Mike the stuff on the right is the guru bait, the stuff on the left works at times but I'd concentrate on the box on the right. If the stuff on the left is slimy after washing it a bit it mightn't be much good. The fish sometimes feed on it in canals though- The cabbage looks fine.

Try and keep the flat strands together and the round strands (roots) at the top of your bait. The round strand-ends are good for half-hitching as they are a bit tougher

Good Luck when you go!

That's what's so interesting about catching luderick you just never know,you could brain them one day on the cabbage go the next and they will prefer the weed on the left doesn't hurt having both but i would also concentrate on using the cabbage

[Little_Flatty]

1 hour ago, wazatherfisherman said:

Hi Mike the stuff on the right is the guru bait, the stuff on the left works at times but I'd concentrate on the box on the right. If the stuff on the left is slimy after washing it a bit it mightn't be much good. The fish sometimes feed on it in canals though- The cabbage looks fine.

Try and keep the flat strands together and the round strands (roots) at the top of your bait. The round strand-ends are good for half-hitching as they are a bit tougher

Good Luck when you go!

Thanks Waza,

Stuff wasn't slimy after washing it initially in some saltwater, except I was getting too much loss in the water, so decided to wait till I had a bucket before washing again. Going to throw some into berley as one of my game plans is to attempt one on fly. Shame about the brown stuff not being the best, there was tonnes of it on the beach!

1 hour ago, Duffy75 said:

That's what's so interesting about catching luderick you just never know,you could brain them one day on the cabbage go the next and they will prefer the weed on the left doesn't hurt having both but i would also concentrate on using the cabbage

Thanks Duffy. I might rig my mate with a double dropper rig and see what happens.

Apologies for the segway out of the thread by the way. I'll next pop up in a report.

[Duffy75]

5 hours ago, Little_Flatty said:

Thanks Waza,

Stuff wasn't slimy after washing it initially in some saltwater, except I was getting too much loss in the water, so decided to wait till I had a bucket before washing again. Going to throw some into berley as one of my game plans is to attempt one on fly. Shame about the brown stuff not being the best, there was tonnes of it on the beach!

Thanks Duffy. I might rig my mate with a double dropper rig and see what happens.

Apologies for the segway out of the thread by the way. I'll next pop up in a report.

All good mate,I'd definitely give it a go you never know at the very least use it for burly 

[Burger]

Some good advice from wazza and Duffy!

Remember to balance your float if using one.

Good luck LF!