Another week at Iluka

[Freeeedom]

After a pleasant and reasonably successful stay at Iluka a couple of weeks ago I decided to have another go while the cold weather is still with us. This trip was just as enjoyable but less successful from the fishing point of view. For the whole week the seas were just about dead calm, the water incredibly clear and, as a result, the rock, beach and estuary fishing was quite difficult. I fished my various favourite locations across the dawn and dusk each day and tried a few spots for niggers during the daylight and bream at night. The most successful location was the main breakwater which produced reasonable bream numbers (but not much in quality), some solid niggers and the odd tailor. Plenty of niggers were visible along the wall, but the clear water usually made them difficult to approach. I got many lovely pictures of sunrises and sunsets since the fishing action was usually pretty slow. Still, another great week at one of my favourite places!
Cheers Freeeedom

[Freeeedom]

Sunrise at the Iluka Bluff - notice the big swell, and niggers along the breakwater in the dirtiest water I could find!
Cheers Freeeedom

[masterdusky]

nice pics mate,Iluka is a great location...

did u berley for the luderick, I often find thathelps alot in gin clear water

[scoocer101]

I lov Iluka, nice peaceful town. Nice pics, nice fish. How is Woody Heads fishing for tailor of late?

[Freeeedom]

nice pics mate,Iluka is a great location...

did u berley for the luderick, I often find thathelps alot in gin clear water

No Masterdusky - I didn't berley in that situation although I did (without success) in a location I tried inside the river. On the wall you're about 5 or 6 metres above the water making it a bit difficult to get your berley where you want it.
Cheers Freeeedom

[Freeeedom]

I lov Iluka, nice peaceful town. Nice pics, nice fish. How is Woody Heads fishing for tailor of late?

I only talked to 1 or 2 guys who had tried Woody this time and it was the same story as Iluka - everyone was having difficulty finding a fish due to the clear water. The only ones who would have been happy were the boaties who were able to go offshore in the smallest of tinnies due to the flat seas. The only danger to them would have been running into a whale, of which there were a few about. The Clarence bar which can be very hairy was dead flat without a wave in sight for days on end. I knew I should have taken my boat this time!
Cheers Freeeedom

[mattooty]

Freeedom, its been horrible like that. Ive fished every afternoon for the last week and a half and all thats produced is a dozen and a haf wayward jew baits (3-4kg salmon) and a handful of just legal choppers.
Did manage to pick up some blackfish on the run out tide last week though when the water gets slighty..SLIGHTLY dirty.
From what ive heard lately, you did very well compared to the rest of us.
Any salmon on the iluka side?
Matt

[Freeeedom]

Hi Matt - I was looking for you on the Yamba wall every time I was out on the Iluka side. I was surprised by how few people seemed to be fishing on the Yamba side - must be that the yuppies go to Yamba and the fishos go to Iluka. I didn't get any salmon at all this time, but I did get into a couple of monsters on my trip down there in July - my report would have been posted about the 24th July. They were too big for me to lift and they were both lost at the wall. On both trips there were heaps of small silver trevally knocking the pilchards around as soon as they hit the water when I fished the headlands or the wall.
I normally only go down there in winter for the bream, tailor and niggers. What do you chase through the summer?
Cheers Freeeedom

[mattooty]

I usually fish off the ocean side when i can as the river side, unless at the top or bottom of the tide is far to strong to hold a bait still.
Funny oyu mention the silver trevally, i got a full string of them on a bait jig yesterday which gave me some fun on 6lb gear. 6 of the little buggers going off.
Off the rocks in summer its usually the trevally and jew, if im not floating big liveys out for early run tuna and macks.
And through the estuary its much the same as the goldcoast canals offer except a less explored jack fishery (which im sure will fire given the right amount of exploring).
I think it is the yuppies that are at the yamba walls through the day. Every guy you walk past is just being a pillie tosser and tells you about how theres no fish. It feels good when you can show them the kind of fish that can be pulled out of that water and give them some tips.
I would love to hit iluka more often but being a student and having a lack of funding i find the petrol dilemma a bad one.
Matt