Iluka NSW

[Hornet]

G'day

Planning a weeks holiday at Iluka shortly. Hoping someone out there can give me some idea on what I can catch and the availability of fresh bait.
I have a 4.35 Hornet. Any information will be greatly appreciated [smiley=laola.gif]

Regards

Peter

[Gorilla_in_Manila]

Peter,
Are you looking at heading outside, or just estuary?
Should be plenty of mullet in the river, just about to make there way out for the easter run up the coast. There is a little beach on the river side of the Iluka wall that usually has heaps of mullet (pros do a net shot there) but also they hang up along the inside of the wall. A livie in there at night or over the other side of the wall where it makes the corner with the beach is a real chance of jewies.
The sand flats leading up to the little beach in the river are usually good for whiting and flathead, but if the pros are shooting the net, probably wont be much chop.
There is a bit of rock wall that sticks out at the far end of the little beach inside the Iluka wall. Fish off the end of that at the turn of the tide (either land based or in your tub) if you want breambos.
If the prawn trawlers are coming in with catches, cooked prawns at night fished around them in the boat harbour can get some real snogger bream I've heard. Just check with the co-op where you are allowed access. Think some of the area is private and I'm sure the boat owners will be wary of someone lurking around there after dark.
In the river on the Yamba side just opposite the Iluka boat harbour, there is a isolated wall. There is ususally a good melon hole and swirl at either end. Fish the seaward end on the run out and inland end on the run in. I actually arsed a 55cm schoolie on that wall (tied my boat up to it and fished off the wall) a couple years ago about this time of the year. Caught it on a size 6 longshank with beach worm and 6lb line about 2pm I think. What a fluke. Around any of the river's bridge piers at night should have jewies as well.
Then there is all the beach fishing at back beach (halfway between Iluka and Woody), and around airforce beach. Headlands at Woody and in between or off the wall. Tailor, Jew, bream and always a possibility of snapper or LBG fish off Woody. There is a reef (just out of bloody casting distance) off Woddy Head that seems to get a fair bit of attention form smaller boats. Seen a fella pull a couple of squire one morning casting his guts out off the headland and landing just short of the reef. Will want to be pretty calm though. You get a fair sort of a rebound off the face of the rocks and it then throws the waves up. Can get quite sloppy and dangerous.
If you launch your boat at Woody and head across toward airforce beach, there is a reef over there (black reef or rock or something like that) that I've seen fellas come back from with good snapper.
Co-op at the boat harbour should have a good range of fresh fillets, squid etc if you don't want to go the frozen stuff. Heaps of beach worms and pipis around the beach toward airforce beach. Don't know where they pump yabbies or dig blood worms down there, but cant be too hard to find.
Haven't fished offshore there, so can't help too much with that.
Good luck, that should get you started at least.
And make sure you leave some fish for me. Should be back to aus and down that way in a month or so. Let us know how you go.
Cheers
Jeff

[setthehook]

should be some northern bluefin tuna around about now, i got a few of the breakwall april last year.

[kracker]

peter, if your into fly fishing head down river to the wharf at goodwood island,just before the top of the tide cast under the wharf with a fast sink line and a bait fish prophile fly ;),you never know whats lurking under there :),Or if you like trolling lures head further down and around to the left and look over to the west and you will see old cane barges on the shore,trolling past them and further down the same side is excellent trolling ground.

hope this helps .kracker.

[Hornet]

Thanks Jeff and Kracker and Setthehook for your info about Iluka. Top stuff !

I want to go now - not next week. Havn't checked my numbers yet.
Another question. I know it is illegal to use a casting net in NSW. How about jigging - any restraints ?
Also, I don't really know how to catch mullet for bait ie hook size, bait and tide ?

Tried to catch these critters at Brunswick Heads- they just ignored me.

Are Herring available there ?
Hoping to spend two weeks at Iluka. You have got me excited

Peter
[smiley=laola.gif]

[Tony_N]

I'm no expert on catching mullet or on Iluka for that matter - but since noone else has responded to your last questions I'll put in my 20 cents FWIW.

I've caught mullet mostly with unweighted #12 hooks with either bread or small bits of prawn. Many years ago I saw a guy catching heaps of mullet with a rig that was made with a rubber band and lots of (maybe 20) little hooks tied onto the rubber band with approx 50 mm leaders. He shoved a bread roll in the rubber band and stuck the hooks into the bread roll. I have tried this technique and it works fine - but not really any quicker than the single hook after berlying the mullet with crumbs. Not sure about herring - but they should be about - I usually fish the Ricmond at Ballina and can often burley herring up, so you should be fine. I am not aware of any limitations on bait jigging in NSW - (but of course there are size limits on some fish that might be unintentionally jigged.) Also I guess you know that you need a licence for any fishing in NSW.

You'll love Iluka - beautiful spot

Cheers - Tony

[Gorilla_in_Manila]

No Worries Peter,
As for the herring, I'd say you should be able to jig some up. Not sure where at Iluka, but my brother used to get them with one of those milti hooked bait jigs around the piers of the highway road bridge where it crosses the Richmond at Wardell just south of Ballina. Night was the best, the light on the bridge seemed to attract them. Guess you might be able to do the same if you checked out around the various bridge piers or jetties in the clarence. Maybe in the boat harbour at Iluka or the little pier beside the town boat ramp has a light on at night i think. My brother seems to prefer the jigs with the more solid triangular feathers on them, rather than the ones with little muticoloured strands as the feather or fly.
Have a look through the older pages of saltwater chat (don't have time at the moment to dig up the link for you sorry). I'm sure there are a couple of posts on catching mullet, with some pretty detailed responses. There was even a guy who suggested a rig with a ladies hair roller stuffed with bread and the multi hook setup tied to the plastic roller and hooks with a little bread on them. Planning on learning the catching of mullet myself when I get back soon.
Cheers
Jeff