How to access bluefish pt north head

[Flickking]

Hi everyone

I’ve been wanting to fish bluefish pt north head for a while now, I’m well experienced rock fishing and planning to give it a go when the conditions are right, I’m wondering if anyone can share how to get down and access the ledge? 
Cheers 

[Steve0]

 

[Rob81]

I think Ive read its closed down. New fence/gates errected and the chains on the cliff cut, after someone fell and injured/died a couple months back.

Its proabably best shown the way by someone know the ledge, rather than go and explore based on directions given, type of ledge. 

[DerekD]

I had a friend who went down to Bluefish point recently and also mentioned that the chains had been removed. Not sure about the new fence and gates but that sounds pretty likely.

[faker]

7 hours ago, Flickking said:

Hi everyone

I’ve been wanting to fish bluefish pt north head for a while now, I’m well experienced rock fishing and planning to give it a go when the conditions are right, I’m wondering if anyone can share how to get down and access the ledge? 
Cheers 

I heard old man's hat is still fishable despite removal of ladder but I wouldn't know how to get down

[Rob81]

15 hours ago, DerekD said:

I had a friend who went down to Bluefish point recently and also mentioned that the chains had been removed. Not sure about the new fence and gates but that sounds pretty likely.

Yeah I heard some people just walked around or through it anyways.

 

[Flickking]

17 hours ago, faker said:

I heard old man's hat is still fishable despite removal of ladder but I wouldn't know how to get down

Yeah I went down to old man’s hat on Sunday, it’s about a 10 minute walk to the rocks from the restaurant there. Didn’t have my rods with me though

[Flickking]

20 hours ago, DerekD said:

I had a friend who went down to Bluefish point recently and also mentioned that the chains had been removed. Not sure about the new fence and gates but that sounds pretty likely.

Thanks Derek,  do you know if they managed to find a way down to the ledge or is it only accessible with the old chains/ropes?

[DerekD]

13 minutes ago, Flickking said:

Thanks Derek,  do you know if they managed to find a way down to the ledge or is it only accessible with the old chains/ropes?

I'll ask around. The guy was a rock climber in a past life so was pretty good at reading routes.

[wazatherfisherman]

18 hours ago, faker said:

I heard old man's hat is still fishable despite removal of ladder but I wouldn't know how to get down

There was never a ladder at Old Man's Hat- it wasn't needed. You just followed the old wall all the way from the road to the end, stepped through the huge break in the wall, walked back to your right a short distance to where the gully is and follow the lowering ledges back towards the water. Other than a few 'larger' steps, there is no climbing involved to get to the spot.

The ladders down north head proper were removed by council years ago.

Bluefish was barely a climb either, the rope was there more as a 'steadier' than a climbing device. You carried all your gear and rods and only used one hand on the ropes to get down. Most 'climbing' spots you have to lower your gear down.

From the guys who fished there regularly, it was the blocking of parking that was more of an issue. We used to access the spot just north of Bluefish called 'The Gutters' via the same closed carpark, which was on the eastern side of the treatment works. Walking north down the fence-line until reaching another spot with a large hole in the fence, hop through the hole and walk down the treatment works road to it's lowest point and then straight down a steep track to the bottom. There are 3 'gutters' (as they're called) and they are top Luderick spots, with Black Drummer, Groper (no take now!) Bream also available, plus gutter's 1 and 3 are good spots to spin for Tailor at dawn. No good for Kings due to the terrain.

The gutters can still be accessed from the Fairy Bower end by going down the ravine at the end of Bower St (east side!) then walking back south. It's a much longer way in (about 25 mins) as opposed to going from the treatment works end (5 mins straight down), however you could still go that way.

Last couple of times I fished the Gutters, the entire steep track up had tomatoes planted all over the hill, presumably to help bind the soil together, because in heavy rain, it became super muddy clay and a bugger to walk the steep track up. That was many years ago now though.