Mullet Musketeer
12-01-2010, 09:08 AM
I have just returned from a great weeks fishing, land based, off the beaches and rocky headlands of the Bundjalung National Park (http://www.environment.nsw.gov.au/NationalParks/parkHome.aspx?id=N0041) at Iluka in Northern NSW. I mostly fished the rocks around Iluka Bluff, Frazer’s Reef and Woody Head. As usual I stuck with the plastics and had most success with the 5” Jerkshads and 5”Tback worms in Pumpkinseed although I caught fish on everything from shrimps to minnow grubs.
After all the rain I was not surprised to score good numbers of school jewfish mostly from around the 50cm to 75cm size. They seemed to come on just as the tide turned to the run in and I got the most hook ups when I just let the plastic sit on the bottom for long periods and used a very slow and gentle retrieve. Getting them the 10ft up the rocks without a bust off was always the challenge. In four morning sessions I landed a total of 16 fish and lost plenty more. Jewfish was the special at the pub and available all through Yamba in the fish shops so I can only assume the local trawlers were getting plenty as well.
I also got plenty of decent bream with a new pb 43 cm model that weighed in at 1.242 kg. He was caught at Frazers Reef on a trusty GULP 3” Pumpkinseed Minnow Grub. He was sitting right next to the bottom of the rock ledge I was casting from.
There were plenty of Tailor around. They were cruising up and down between the headlands in the early morning. I would get a couple every half an hour or so and I lost plenty to the rocks. The best went about 60 cm but I dropped plenty of bigger fish. I caught a few on 65g slugs but overall the 4” Minnows in almost any colour were more successful.
Dawn fished better than dusk but the Jewies were there all day. The weather was good but there was still a fair swell so I was principally using ¼ or 3/8 jigheads with 2/0 hooks. I stuck with 12lb Fireline and 20lb leader throughout and I was using a 8ft Rovex Rod with a Stradic 6500.
Before you all jump on me - a word on Jewie regs – In NSW you are still allowed to keep up to 5 Mulloway over 45cm or Teraglin Jew over 38cm. Each day we kept a couple of 65cm+ fish for a feed and threw the rest back. For a land based angler like me this was a great opportunity to catch and eat fresh Jew. With the new regs in QLD it is now very rare for me to get a fish over 75cm in the Brisbane area that I can keep for a feed. I know they are there but the keepers are usually out of reach without a boat.
I will abide by the rules whatever they are but I cannot see how scientific reasearch can support different sustainability plans for jewfish just north of and just south of, the Tweed River mouth. What is the logic for them being different in Northern NSW from Southern QLD.
After all the rain I was not surprised to score good numbers of school jewfish mostly from around the 50cm to 75cm size. They seemed to come on just as the tide turned to the run in and I got the most hook ups when I just let the plastic sit on the bottom for long periods and used a very slow and gentle retrieve. Getting them the 10ft up the rocks without a bust off was always the challenge. In four morning sessions I landed a total of 16 fish and lost plenty more. Jewfish was the special at the pub and available all through Yamba in the fish shops so I can only assume the local trawlers were getting plenty as well.
I also got plenty of decent bream with a new pb 43 cm model that weighed in at 1.242 kg. He was caught at Frazers Reef on a trusty GULP 3” Pumpkinseed Minnow Grub. He was sitting right next to the bottom of the rock ledge I was casting from.
There were plenty of Tailor around. They were cruising up and down between the headlands in the early morning. I would get a couple every half an hour or so and I lost plenty to the rocks. The best went about 60 cm but I dropped plenty of bigger fish. I caught a few on 65g slugs but overall the 4” Minnows in almost any colour were more successful.
Dawn fished better than dusk but the Jewies were there all day. The weather was good but there was still a fair swell so I was principally using ¼ or 3/8 jigheads with 2/0 hooks. I stuck with 12lb Fireline and 20lb leader throughout and I was using a 8ft Rovex Rod with a Stradic 6500.
Before you all jump on me - a word on Jewie regs – In NSW you are still allowed to keep up to 5 Mulloway over 45cm or Teraglin Jew over 38cm. Each day we kept a couple of 65cm+ fish for a feed and threw the rest back. For a land based angler like me this was a great opportunity to catch and eat fresh Jew. With the new regs in QLD it is now very rare for me to get a fish over 75cm in the Brisbane area that I can keep for a feed. I know they are there but the keepers are usually out of reach without a boat.
I will abide by the rules whatever they are but I cannot see how scientific reasearch can support different sustainability plans for jewfish just north of and just south of, the Tweed River mouth. What is the logic for them being different in Northern NSW from Southern QLD.