Waiting for warmer water THE HAWKESBURY
Dan Selby dan@sydneysportfishing.com.au
If the rain holds off we will see the water temperatures rise significantly this month, and with it there will be an increase in activity in and around the main river and its vast tributaries. Dry conditions will see the bulk of fish in the upper tidal reaches around Wisemans Ferry in the main river and towards Crosslands in Berowra and Bobbin Head in
Hawkesbury River or Sydney Harbour Specialised Charters!
Cowan, where the bait and fertile, nutrientrich water is. Estuary perch and bass didn’t have to travel very far to spawn this past season due to the dry conditions, so they will still be found in the very upper tidal reaches from lower Portland to north Richmond. They tend to hold deeper on the snags and rock walls, and will continue to hold in schools until a good patch of warm weather will spread them out. To locate active schools try lipless crankbaits, soft plastics and spinnerbaits with willow blades worked
deep in areas like rock walls, along weed beds and major tree snags. Bream have been biting well on the rock walls, from Slippery Rock through to lower Portland, with small 2-3” soft plastic grubs and minnows taking some quality fish. As the small black crabs start to reappear on the intertidal zones, throwing a Cranka Crab would be a great idea when the current slows up around the tide changes. Alternatively, gathering some live crabs at low
the Hawkesbury. Casting and retrieving around creek mouths on a run-out tide is an age old but very effective approach, as is trolling along the mangrove-lined mud flats and over sand bars with deep divers. Drifting with a few baits out and casting a soft plastic or blade ahead of the drift is another great technique for finding active concentrations of flathead in what can seem like an endless body of water. Mulloway will be high on most anglers’ lists this
Some great estuary perch will be on offer in the upper tidal reaches. Soft plastic grubs and paddle-tails worked down deep is the preferred technique for finding active schools and trophy fish like this 49cm beast.
Big Fish Light Line!
• Mulloway • Kingfish • Bream • Bass • EP’s • Flathead
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www.theboatpimpers.com.au 12
OCTOBER 2018
Josh was switched on to big bream mode on a recent charter with the author. These hungry post spawners were eating 4” paddle-tails aimed at mulloway. tide and fishing them with a small sinker and size 1/0 hook on 8lb line will account for some good fish too as the tide floods back over the rocks. Fresh Hawkesbury prawns are a great back-up and will take all manner of fish in the upper brackish reaches, as this is where the majority are trawled up. Like crabs, prawns should be presented on light line with minimal weight. It’s very important when fishing light line to check your leader/trace regularly for any abrasion, especially if you are picking up a few flathead or fishing over rough terrain. Cut the abrasion out and retie your knots to dramatically increase your chances of landing fish. Flathead numbers remained pretty consistent over winter, with higher than normal water temps, but they will really kick into gear with the rising water temps this month. Soft plastics, blades, vibes, swimbaits, deep diving crankbaits plus live and dead baits will all account for good-sized table fish in
month. Keep in mind that the new bag limit for mulloway is now one per person, with a minimum size of 70cm, which came into effect from 1 September 2018. Spring is a great time to encounter some bigger
20kg+ fish, and there should be some hungry and willing legal-sized schoolies to keep you occupied in between the bigger bites. This can be bolstered by some good rain in the upper catchment, but let’s not hold our breath on that one. Finding live bait starts to become easier as tailor and salmon schools push into the warming estuaries, and can be found busting up on smaller bait. Tailor of legal size (30cm) can be caught by casting and retrieving small metal slices and poppers into the feeding frenzy. Alternatively, you can troll some shallow diving minnows along the many foreshores around Broken Bay until a school is located. Live yellowtail can be caught from West Head and into Cowan around the public moorings. In most
bays squid can also be found in similar areas to where you find live yellowtail, so having a jig tied onto another outfit or hand line can come in handy while berleying up baitfish. Kingfish will start to make sporadic appearances around the headlands, also into Pittwater and Cowan. They can be fussy feeders as they gorge on the microscopic baitfish referred to as ‘eyes’. Smart anglers will present a small fly or soft plastic on 30-40cm of trace behind a bubble float, which allows enough weight to be cast a significant distance into the feeding fish. Downrigging with small live squid and yakkas will also take some good fish as they start to take up residence on the deeper reefs, points and wrecks.
Mulloway can be very fussy, especially in colder water. Downsizing tackle and lures/baits can be the difference between success and failure. This fish was taken on 10lb tackle and a 3” pumpkinseed soft plastic grub after bigger presentations were ignored.