Illawong Bay

[Fyshtryker]

Ei!!!! Raiders, G'day!!!

Need some input on how to fish Illawong Bay, as I'm heading there this saturday with

my family for a picnic in celebration for Mothers Day.

It's my very first time in the area and we'll ber trying to drop some line.

a snag on a breams lips would make the highlight of the day.

Thanks heaps in advance for any input.

Cheers you Guys and Keepfishin. Bsafe.

Happy Mother Day to all Raiders' Mississess

Fyshtryker

[ozeash]

Mate,

I've fished Illawong Bay hundreds of times, one of my fave LB spots because it's so kid friendly with the dunny close by and all. I've also snorkeled the area to get a feel of the terrain.

Here's what you want to do -

Fish only 3 spots -

First right in front of the ranger's guardhouse for whiting and flathead. Cast into the sandy area to your left or into the weed right adjoining the sandy area.

The second spot is 100m along the road (visible from the guardhouse), you'll see a clearing where cars are parked. This is the actual Illawong Point. You want to be standing at the top of the curve (where the metal guard rail ends) and casting to the middle of the channel about 50 metres away. Get the bait to the bottom and you'll be rewarded with Bonito and Bream at this time of year. Use the guard rail as a cheap and nasty rod holder!

The third spot is 10 paces to your right from spot 2. Just cast 20m or so straight ahead and you'll find a drop off where I've seen >75cm flatties caught.

Pillies and prawns are gun bait there, especially salted pillies work better.

Anywhere else along that area, you will be snagged and lose a crap load of gear, be warned.....

Good luck, enjoy your fishing and happy Mother's day.

Cheers,

Ash

[Fyshtryker]

Mate, i reallyx3 appreciate your advise and the time you spend responding to this query,

Now i know the exact spot to target, it will save me heaps of time scouting the area.

Mate, sorry to be a pest, but I'm gonna abuse you now.

What would be the appropriate rig to use.

Will let u know how I go

Cheers

Edited May 10, 2006 by Fyshtryker

[ozeash]

Mate,

For the whiting, flathead and bream I'd use a simple rig - running sinker to suit conditions and a 60 - 90cm trace. I'd use size 4 bait holder hooks for the whiting and a bigger long shank hook for flatties. For the cast out to the middle of the channel, I use a paternoster rig (2 droppers) attached to a snapper lead. I'd go with 1 longshank and 1 classic bream hook (2/0) with a prawn and pillie on each dropper.

Good luck, and post your report when you get back.

Cheers,

Ash

[Fyshtryker]

Mate,

For the whiting, flathead and bream I'd use a simple rig - running sinker to suit conditions and a 60 - 90cm trace. I'd use size 4 bait holder hooks for the whiting and a bigger long shank hook for flatties. For the cast out to the middle of the channel, I use a paternoster rig (2 droppers) attached to a snapper lead. I'd go with 1 longshank and 1 classic bream hook (2/0) with a prawn and pillie on each dropper.

Good luck, and post your report when you get back.

Cheers,

Ash

Thanks, Man!! , now I'm all set.

Will do, watch out 4 my report.

In the meantime, U Avaniceday and happy fishing.

Cheers

[arthur06]

Shoot i go here all the time but somehow i never caught flathead, maybe it is because of the time. ive seen whiting caught there but never caught bonito. tailor, butter bream, bream, eels and leatherjacket caught by the truckload there. going tmr so i will try my usual but also chuck in a paternoster for whiting too.

thanks

[arthur06]

also 20 metres right to your 2nd spot there a huge bream and tailor there so try there to if you go there again.

[fiwsh]

In colder months u can catch hairtail in night with pilchards. In the morning there were some odd mackerel tunas are there sometimes. I normally go there for hairtails but you can go for jews and tailors too. Fish near the guard house or near the tree on the edge i find those two areas work the best.

Edited September 22, 2017 by fiwsh

[JewCraze]

Guys,

 

Illawong bay is part of the national park right? I understand I'll have to pay entry fee to get in there, but is it also subject to opening and closing time? Is there a boom gate that would close at closing time which means I won't be able to there and fish at night?

[Brew]

No boom gate or closing time. Good luck. 

[JewCraze]

9 hours ago, Brew said:

No boom gate or closing time. Good luck. 

Thanks Brew!

[JewCraze]

Went there tonight. Too many people there bombing the water with their heavy sinkers. They reeled in and re-cast so frequently, but what is worst is they kept TALKING. So annoyed by those people. 

[GoingFishing]

39 minutes ago, JewCraze said:

Went there tonight. Too many people there bombing the water with their heavy sinkers. They reeled in and re-cast so frequently, but what is worst is they kept TALKING. So annoyed by those people. 

Im curious ! Does talking scare away fish? Or are u after some peace n quiet when ur fishing

[JewCraze]

11 minutes ago, GoingFishing said:

Im curious ! Does talking scare away fish? Or are u after some peace n quiet when ur fishing

I reckon all the talking (and a girl screaming too) scared the fish way. I can't believe they took really young kids there, and by the looks of it they look like they were planning on staying late. It was already 8:30 pm when I packed up and left and they were still there, and the young girl kept screaming while the old blokes yell from one side of the bank to the other side.

[GoingFishing]

13 minutes ago, JewCraze said:

I reckon all the talking (and a girl screaming too) scared the fish way. I can't believe they took really young kids there, and by the looks of it they look like they were planning on staying late. It was already 8:30 pm when I packed up and left and they were still there, and the young girl kept screaming while the old blokes yell from one side of the bank to the other side.

Im no acoustic engineer but i think physics might disagree !! That sound would have to be really loud to enter and then move through water.

PS....like you...id find it really annoying too !!

[JewCraze]

5 minutes ago, GoingFishing said:

Im no acoustic engineer but i think physics might disagree !! That sound would have to be really loud to enter and then move through water.

PS....like you...id find it really annoying too !!

Oh, you went there tonight too? You think physics disagree? Well, I don't know, but I'm sure I'm not the only one who believe noise can spook the fish. I've always been told noise can spook the fish!

[JewCraze]

Just now, JewCraze said:

Oh, you went there tonight too? You think physics disagree? Well, I don't know, but I'm sure I'm not the only one who believe noise can spook the fish. I've always been told noise can spook the fish!

The fact is no one seems to be getting any bites or hookup there at all tonight.

[GoingFishing]

Hopefully ull have some better luck next time Jewcraze ! PS nope I wasn't there, just agreeing id find all that noise making and disruption quite annoying.

[podtrailler]

10 hours ago, GoingFishing said:

Im curious ! Does talking scare away fish? Or are u after some peace n quiet when ur fishing

Hi, I fished yesterday in Jerusalem bay a party boat was anchored with dozen drunk blokes screaming, swearing the night and music so loud your hear them a mile away. It annoyed me crazy but fishing was good it didn't bother the hairtails. 

[JewCraze]

5 hours ago, podtrailler said:

Hi, I fished yesterday in Jerusalem bay a party boat was anchored with dozen drunk blokes screaming, swearing the night and music so loud your hear them a mile away. It annoyed me crazy but fishing was good it didn't bother the hairtails. 

Nice catch there! So were you fishing from a boat? From Google maps I can't see any land based spots in or around Jerusalem bay. 

Having read ozeash's post above about breams and bonitos in this spot (Illawong Bay) I was excited to go and try it out. I used cooked prawns which I'm told is gun bait for bream. But no bites. Maybe hairtails are not bothered by the noise, but maybe breams are different. Or maybe the spot has been fished out. Anyway the 20 to 30 (or maybe 40? not sure) people there last night didn't seem to be getting any bites either. They all seem to be targeting hairtails too! Using pillies, LED float lights and glittering lights that are supposed to attract hairtails, but no one seems to be getting any actions except their constant castings.

Edited August 12, 2018 by JewCraze

[podtrailler]

3 hours ago, JewCraze said:

Nice catch there! So were you fishing from a boat? From Google maps I can't see any land based spots in or around Jerusalem bay. 

Having read ozeash's post above about breams and bonitos in this spot (Illawong Bay) I was excited to go and try it out. I used cooked prawns which I'm told is gun bait for bream. But no bites. Maybe hairtails are not bothered by the noise, but maybe breams are different. Or maybe the spot has been fished out. Anyway the 20 to 30 (or maybe 40? not sure) people there last night didn't seem to be getting any bites either. They all seem to be targeting hairtails too! Using pillies, LED float lights and glittering lights that are supposed to attract hairtails, but no one seems to be getting any actions except their constant castings.

Hi mate. I was on a kayak out in bay 6km.

Came by illawong bay the  sounder picked up a lot of fish even hairtails. People were casting at wrong spots.

I told them what depth and how far. There is fish there.

Use fresh bait hawkesbury prawn and pillhards.

Last night it was so windy could not fish there.

I caught breams when it was noisy there, or maybe I got lucky. There are sensitive fish.

Good luck.

Cheers

[JewCraze]

51 minutes ago, podtrailler said:

Hi mate. I was on a kayak out in bay 6km.

Came by illawong bay the  sounder picked up a lot of fish even hairtails. People were casting at wrong spots.

I told them what depth and how far. There is fish there.

Use fresh bait hawkesbury prawn and pillhards.

Last night it was so windy could not fish there.

I caught breams when it was noisy there, or maybe I got lucky. There are sensitive fish.

Good luck.

Cheers

You are awesome! You told them what depth and how far? That's such important info. I might have left when you stopped by. I cast to the centre of the channel, paternoster rig, and let it sink tot he bottom just like ozeash described, but got no bites. I was hoping for bream last night.

Thanks for sharing the info that your sounder picked up a lot of fish there. Hopefully I'll get a chance to go fishing again and I'll try Illawong bay again.