Need Help In The Hawksbury

[lazydaniel]

I have been fishing the hawksbury now for some time. I have spent alot of time fishing berowra, calabash bay, but also have spent a fair time fishing most of the hawksbury. I just never seem to have any luck...at all . I have searched for spots on the internet, read other peoples posts, and also bought a top of the line fish finer. I would be wondering if any one could help my case, and would be willing to take them out for a fish on my boat with beer, bait and fuel supplied. Happy to try any where in the hawksbury for some tips and places on catching bream, flathead, jews. Any help would be greatly appreciated. I think i have tried every thing and nothing seems to make much diffrent. So i have come to the conclusion that the river has no fi sh in it, until some one proves me wrong.

[brickman]

the problem with the hawks is it gets hammered all week by the pro trawlers there not aloud to trawl on weekends

so to pick up a feed you need to fish were they ca'nt around stucture and morings or up little creeks

if your using bait make shore it is live or very fresh if this is not posible mullet and mullet gut is a good second choice

hope this helps cherrs gary

[rampage]

mate its afunny old river one day fishos paradise the next dead as a door nail.Fresh bait nippers(refuge bay or at the end of coal and candle)will definately improve your chances as will the tide timing and a bit of berley cross your fingers and toes!!DONT GIVE UP it will all fall into place and youll be sweet as!!!!!!!

[REBSS]

Ive had the same experience in the hawkesbury. Live nippers def increase your chances. I have friends that generally get a few in the hawks but they sit in the same spot from dawn to dusk.

[harold]

after 15 years or more of fishing the Hawkesbury, i can tell you i agree with the concept that it is great 1 day and hopeless the next. I have found coal and candle does produce some good fish at each end of it but you do need to be patient, try different baits and pray to the fishing gods.

Ken used to have some info on the best spots as he is a hawkesbury Fishing God but i am not sure if that section is still on this site.

I also ageree that since the pro's were kicked out of sydney harbour the fishing in pittwater has gone from bad to worse. That isnt going to change any time soon so you do have to go where their nets cant.

Good luck and dont despair, you can always get out the front of Lion and catch salmon at this time of the year and they are great fun to catch on silver lures.

[iMick]

Mate I always get a feed in the Hawkesbury, I'm not bragging but just stating the fact that you can catch some nice fish there if you know what you're doing in the right spots at the right time.

You need to get a system going eg. Top of the tide for Bream, run out and low tide for Flathead and run out and in coming tide for Jews. You must keep moving eg with an electric motor, or being bothered to pull anchor and shift spots if there is no action. Silence is important too, but in saying that the last time I took my cousin out we caught about 15 fish between us, talking and making noise all day.

Live bait or dead that day bait is a must. In saying that I have caught Jews on frozen squid in the past. Consider SPs and Blades and stick with it, that's all I use these days... You WILL work it out.

I admit that some days I only catch a few keepers but some of those days are riddled with miss hook ups, or big flattie hitting my Bream gear and wearing the 5lb leader, it happens.

I'm happy to show you a spot or two if I run into you at Parsley Bay ramp, PM me some day and give me some notice and we'll tee up a flick.

It is a convenient excuse to say the netters are taking all the fish but the netters can't take them all, serious fishos flick around structure where the netters can't get to.

That's my 2 cents worth.

Mick

Edited August 24, 2009 by iMick

[rooster]

Burley hard for 15 minutes if nuthing

after 20 minutes move spots and repeat burley.

10 to 15 metres from a bank or drop off

sound for structure

[jewgaffer]

Burley hard for 15 minutes if nuthing

after 20 minutes move spots and repeat burley.

10 to 15 metres from a bank or drop off

sound for structure

There's some top information there Rooster particularly using burley and moving off to another spot after twenty minutes or so if there is no action whatsoever, after fishing with live bait or dead bait and particularly local arrows if off cuts and squid ink etc are all included as the main ingredients of the burley mix

Cheers

jewgaffer

[rooster]

never fished before, I just read your old posts jewgaffer

and repost them a couple of months later to make

myself sound like i think i know what i am talking about

[what-a-mess]

never fished before, I just read your old posts jewgaffer

and repost them a couple of months later to make

myself sound like i think i know what i am talking about

Mate, probably a bit to late to reply, the hawksbury does get hit by trawlers and fishing can be on and off, i have found camping down there to be the best thing, i fish the broken bay area alot, i have found that a small selection of different baits can be good, a lot of patience is required though, i have found that the run in tide at the F3 bridge is great for jewies in the arvo and a run in at flint and steel is good for the flattys, broken bay is really great but you have to0 be where others arnt.

what-a-mess

Quinnie Escape 27.91mhz

[Day's Fishin]

Theres some good advise from the raiders. We fished the vines a couple of weeks ago & there was 2 pros trawling from the wreck towards the vines. We watched them follower each other then go 2 abreast for the 3 hours we were there, theres no wonder theres not many fish around. You have to fish where they can't & there is still plenty of those spots around. Unfortuantly the ones that know these spots are not likely to devulge there wareabouts easily, its up to you to find them. SORRY

Regards Jeff

[Reefking]

I have fished the Hawksbury for some 25 odd years since I was knee high to a grasshopper, and although it has declined in fish stocks somewhat, the river is still definately alive and producing some great fish.

As others have posted its a matter of having a plan for the day and targeting specific species, I have fished up some PB and won comps in my fishing club sveral times with some fantastic catches in this river.

Pinkies or nippers seldom will hit the bottom if you have bream on the bite and yes definately try SP they are a great alternative.

Don't be one of the people that sit with the masses around flint and steel all day waiting for something to commit suicide on your hook, move around and defiately use berley if the fish are not on the bite, but I tend to find that over use of berley in this river just seems to attract the rubbish.

I know it's not always an attractive alternative but try hiring a tinnie and talking to some locals, it's amasing what info will be devulged when handing over some cash for a days hire.

Edited January 6, 2010 by Reefking