Hays Inlet 17-03-12

[Chas & Clarry]

OK, your seried of threads has me very interested (thanks for the generous sharing ) I am going to check this out I think...any advice regarding accessing the creek that you'd be happy to share? I take it from other posts that it is only an option for a couple of hours on the top of the tide if you are in a tinny as opposed to a yak?

Thanks
Tim

[Drifty75]

Drifty did you launch at deep water bend? CLontarf looked a bit hairy when i went past it. I was down at DWB at about 12.30 til 3.30 trying to catch some prawns. A ute went in the drink along with his trailer down the ramp just before i got there . Saw it get towed away just before i left

I woke up at some ungodly hour and walked outside to feel the breeze.. Hmm I thought but figured I'm awake now, might as well go for a drive. (Live at brighton so hassle free) I got to Clontarf and grabbed my torch and looked at the water, didn't seem too bad.. I was on the plane all the way except for the rocks under the bridge.. (Just in case) Coming home was a bit choppy, I was half on the plane with a few slap's here and there but once I got out a bit from the bridges and turned left was back onto a slow plane to avoid a heavy pounding.

Poor guy in the ute!! I had a busted handbrake cable for a while and would only go if my missus would come so she could throw a leg over onto the brake pedal. I always worried about it rolling out of gear so never relied on it.

OK, your seried of threads has me very interested (thanks for the generous sharing ) I am going to check this out I think...any advice regarding accessing the creek that you'd be happy to share? I take it from other posts that it is only an option for a couple of hours on the top of the tide if you are in a tinny as opposed to a yak?

Thanks
Tim

Hi Tim,

Accessing Mullet Creek is hard if you don't have a GPS. My suggestion is to look up the tide and go in on about 4.5 foot of water. It covers the banks so it's harder to find the channel but there is enough water to get in on the plane if you stick to the channel (it's unmarked). Recently the tides have been around 7 feet so still a bit of run left by the time you get in. Once you're in the creek, you should still be careful as the sandbanks in the middle will still be quite shallow. (Maybe 2foot at most)

Once you're in the main part of the creek, it's on the right hand side, 6" from the mangroves... Stick as close as you can. I drifted and on shallow drive up that channel at almost low tide and made it up. Once it narrows up the creek a couple hundred meters it gets deeper and you can then get back on the plane again. However once around the big left bend and the next right bend it does have shallow spots. I suggest you get in as early as possible and then look around with a sounder to see what the creek is like. Once you see it at low tide, you know snags and shallows.

Oh, after you go past the sign (can't miss it), you'll go straight ahead and then a slight right hand bend... Keep a little wide on that one. (more than 7m from mangroves) as there's a branch in the water. Wouldn't do any damage I think but still.....

Cheers
Wayne

[Chas & Clarry]

Hi Tim,

Accessing Mullet Creek is hard if you don't have a GPS. My suggestion is to look up the tide and go in on about 4.5 foot of water. It covers the banks so it's harder to find the channel but there is enough water to get in on the plane if you stick to the channel (it's unmarked). Recently the tides have been around 7 feet so still a bit of run left by the time you get in. Once you're in the creek, you should still be careful as the sandbanks in the middle will still be quite shallow. (Maybe 2foot at most)

Once you're in the main part of the creek, it's on the right hand side, 6" from the mangroves... Stick as close as you can. I drifted and on shallow drive up that channel at almost low tide and made it up. Once it narrows up the creek a couple hundred meters it gets deeper and you can then get back on the plane again. However once around the big left bend and the next right bend it does have shallow spots. I suggest you get in as early as possible and then look around with a sounder to see what the creek is like. Once you see it at low tide, you know snags and shallows.

Oh, after you go past the sign (can't miss it), you'll go straight ahead and then a slight right hand bend... Keep a little wide on that one. (more than 7m from mangroves) as there's a branch in the water. Wouldn't do any damage I think but still.....

Cheers
Wayne

Thanks Wayne, that is really helpful I do have a GPS so will go carefully first time and plot a course for future reference. It is funny that I've fished the Pine a heap but have never gone into Hayes Inlet...(creature of habit). I am looking forward to exploring it now (might not happen for a couple of weeks though, the tides are wrong for me this weekend I think).

I'll let you know how we go.
Tim & Trace

[kingcray]

I woke up at some ungodly hour and walked outside to feel the breeze.. Hmm I thought but figured I'm awake now, might as well go for a drive. (Live at brighton so hassle free) I got to Clontarf and grabbed my torch and looked at the water, didn't seem too bad.. I was on the plane all the way except for the rocks under the bridge.. (Just in case) Coming home was a bit choppy, I was half on the plane with a few slap's here and there but once I got out a bit from the bridges and turned left was back onto a slow plane to avoid a heavy pounding.

Poor guy in the ute!! I had a busted handbrake cable for a while and would only go if my missus would come so she could throw a leg over onto the brake pedal. I always worried about it rolling out of gear so never relied on it.



Hi Tim,

Accessing Mullet Creek is hard if you don't have a GPS. My suggestion is to look up the tide and go in on about 4.5 foot of water. It covers the banks so it's harder to find the channel but there is enough water to get in on the plane if you stick to the channel (it's unmarked). Recently the tides have been around 7 feet so still a bit of run left by the time you get in. Once you're in the creek, you should still be careful as the sandbanks in the middle will still be quite shallow. (Maybe 2foot at most)

Once you're in the main part of the creek, it's on the right hand side, 6" from the mangroves... Stick as close as you can. I drifted and on shallow drive up that channel at almost low tide and made it up. Once it narrows up the creek a couple hundred meters it gets deeper and you can then get back on the plane again. However once around the big left bend and the next right bend it does have shallow spots. I suggest you get in as early as possible and then look around with a sounder to see what the creek is like. Once you see it at low tide, you know snags and shallows.

Oh, after you go past the sign (can't miss it), you'll go straight ahead and then a slight right hand bend... Keep a little wide on that one. (more than 7m from mangroves) as there's a branch in the water. Wouldn't do any damage I think but still.....

Cheers
Wayne

Mate you know the area like the back of your hand. I have been up and around those little creeks a million times and still hit the bottom every now n then. There is a little hole on one of the bends inside freshwater that drops to about 12-13ft at high tide. Generally really good for prawns - mainly greasies. I have seen a few decent estuary cod and 1 ripper Jack pulled outta there over the last couple years . + 15000 catties

[Drifty75]

Mate you know the area like the back of your hand. I have been up and around those little creeks a million times and still hit the bottom every now n then. There is a little hole on one of the bends inside freshwater that drops to about 12-13ft at high tide. Generally really good for prawns - mainly greasies. I have seen a few decent estuary cod and 1 ripper Jack pulled outta there over the last couple years . + 15000 catties

Up a few hundred meters where it narrows a little and starts going around that left hand bend it's pretty deep there, though there is a snag in that bend so I would be hesitant to throw my net there.

Plenty of spots to chuck for jack's, though I've never fished for them, my neighbour is keen to go give them a shot so might this week for a change.

[tunaticer]

Go to www.nearmap.com and flick back through the dates of images until you find a low tide one, you can lift the GPS coords off the nearmap by right clicking at a spot on the images.
I fish this area regularly when the weather is crap and it is a good producer but even in the yak you still get landlocked so I suggest you either plan for a 4 hour stint at the top of the tide or go for a landlocked session lasting about 7-8 hours, I normally opt for the latter as you get to learn the creek much better.
I still can not think why they whacked a greenzone in Hayes and Saltwater Creek, it was never what you would call over-fished, I belive they should have declared the mangroves and floodzones between Newport canal and Deception bay , plus the mangroves between the fisheries research at dec bay to the mouth of burpy creek greenzones instead. They are the ones most at risk of being developed out.

[Chas & Clarry]

Go to www.nearmap.com and flick back through the dates of images until you find a low tide one, you can lift the GPS coords off the nearmap by right clicking at a spot on the images.
.

That is smart, thanks HEAPS for sharing that trick. Have just done it...excellent ...just need to improve my skills with the GPS (it is a new toy on our new boat, never had one before but am looking forward to doing this)

Cheers
Tim

[Drifty75]

So after being on this forum for a while now and having contributed in several forums I thought after asking for some help/advice in another section I would be helped, but it seems my post got ignored. I thought maybe I wasn't polite enough, but after re-reading it again and again, I'm sure I wasn't rude...

It makes you wonder why people bother to share locations and information at all. However, even though some people are too selfish to share the love, I'm choosing NOT to be like them. Take this as a big **** you...



Now, onto the business end of this post... Back into the bream last night. Bagged 16 keepers, 1x 56cm flatty and and endless supply of catfish and small bream.




ps: I know there's only 13 in the pic.. Gave 3 away.


Had mullet gut with onion in aniseed.. However they really liked the mullet fillets.. (thank you cast net!)

I'm sure the top half of this post won't upset anyone, and for those it doesn't, you're the type I keep sharing for...

Good luck!!

[QuinTin]

nice catch drifty good to see a productive day well done

[Drifty75]

Mate it was an awesome night. A little blowy to start with but throughout the night it was fantastic. The bream were constantly on the bite, throughout the tide which is weird, but not a single complaint was heard.

I caught an eel as well which blew me away how much they can fight!! Man those teeth are dangerous!! lol

I got bitten by a small bream as I was helping a mate get it off the hook..(he's not confident in handling them) and I grabbed him front on.. bastard gave me a nip in the palm..

[Chas & Clarry]

You certainly have been generous with info mate and thanks for that.

Fantastic looking catch! Those big eels are great fun, we used to get huge ones in the South Pine on livies in the deep holes...not what we really wanted to get of course!!!

I still haven't been up there yet and won't be this weekend either, not that I have anything to complain about, we will be on the Pine (wrong time of the tide for a "first trip into Freshwater Crk") for a quick trip with Trace's dad (we have promised to take him to chase the flatties on the flats).

[Drifty75]

My next stint will be Monday morning so I'll re-post with that catch.. Though not as many hours are planned so I doubt we'll see as many. Either way, I'm just happy it's local, protected and cheap to travel to...




My father went out the other day, got 20 from the same spots... Dead set, there is that many it's not funny... Next weekend should be perfect tide's for mullet ck.

[kingcray]

I will be launching deep water bend ramp hopefully late afternoon tomorrow. Going to have a sleep over on the river and sink some pots and see if there any are prawns about.
Deano

[Drifty75]

If I was putting pots out, I'd be sitting on them as well... One eye closed, and one looking through my scope, finger on trigger.... I reckon the muddies will be on the way back in now with all that fresh gone. (almost)

I picked up a nice bream in the deep hole just at the mouth of bald hills creek ages ago.. (just inside the corner on the right) Might be worth a try to head up the creek maybe 200m to a small opening on the right hand side where I've frequently seen some flathead lay's.. Or I would be just outside bald hills creek flicking some plastics to see if any are laying, waiting for the creek to drain.

Another good bream spot is beside the rocks boat ramp, between the rocks and the first island as you head up the pine... Not all the way in, maybe sit in 3ft of water on the run-in tide and move in every 1.5 to 2 hours following the tide. It's only good for a short period though as soon as water is in there the bream are up in the shallows.

[Drifty75]

Last night bagged another 14 and 1 flatty... Got chatting to someone in another boat who was from here.. (never got your username)... Post up!!