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ILUKA 16/08-19/08

1555 Views 8 Replies 6 Participants Last post by  KieranBass
G
Well I headed down to Iluka for some work and was hoping to get a few fishes in as well, but as is often the case the work took longer and so I was limited to only a couple of trips in the Kayak.
On the first afternoon I fished a falling tide at Turkeys Nest wall from 3.30pm to 6pm towing lures (red and white Rapala 1m and Halco scorpion silver/black 3m+) up and down the Yamba side of the wall. The water was very clear and there was little or no surface action from bait so I wasnt holding out much hope of any fish and after paddling up and down the wall a few times I was suspecting this to be the case. As I finished one drift on the last section of the wall the rod with the Halco started to lose line so I grabbed the rod from the holder and a few minutes later boated a chopper around 30cm a drift/paddle through the same area again brought in another around the same size, I was bit dirty on myself at this point as I had planned on live baiting with any legal fish for a jew but I had left my traces in the car so the tailor were released.
Back out went the lures and I focused on drift/paddling the last section of the wall a couple of circuits later and the rod with the Halco seriously doubled over and was losing a fair bit of line I think people on the shore heard me go WOO HOO any way a few minutes later after a bit of tussle I had nice schoolie around the 70cm mark after an eternity of trying to remove the hooks without also being hooked the fish was revived and released I am seriously thinking of flattening all my barbs to aid in removal. Well after that I thought its time to head back to shore but I better do one more pass just in case which turned into 5 or 6 more, when the same rod and lure were on again and I brought in another schoolie a little smaller than the first but a solid fish none the less which was also released. After that I paddled back to the house.
My second trip was a late night affair drifting the North Wall using bait (pillies) on a float on the first pass up the inside of the wall I hooked into a fish which spent a bit of time trying to get into the rocks and after a fairly tough fight a cod around the 45cm mark was boated I couldnt believe the fight put up by this fish I thought I had something much larger on, the fish was released and the drift continued as I rounded the end of the wall the reel started screaming and the kayak started to turn as a large fish had taken the bait I grabbed the rod and held on as we headed to the Bluff after a few minutes I was pretty sure it was shark and so didnt mind to much when the line went limp after I had retrieved the line the 80lb leader was neatly cut. After quite a paddle back down the inside of the wall I called it quits and paddled back to the house.
So even though I didnt get out as much as I would've liked it was a good trip, there are so many options there for kayak fishing I think it would take a year to do them all, I am particularly hoping to get down when the longtail tuna go through as catching them off the wall is great fun so off the kayak would be a hoot.
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Iluka sure is a great spot, and wis where my mum grew up. I remember holidays there as a kid, fishing in the tinny with dad in the mornings and pulling the boat up on the sand at the front of the Sedgers Reef hotel at lunchtime, drinking a pub squash and munching on a steak sandwich. Bloody fantastic!

Great work on the jewie, he would have given you a good bit of fun.
You drifted the north wall at night and went around the tip out to sea??? I hope the seas were low! I have not have the guts to do that yet. :shock:
John good to hear of the luck with the fishing, and the schoolies are a lot of fun; like Gavin I am amazed you were outside, thats a big call at night and good on you for giving it a go.

Dave when we have holidayed at Iluka the pub and Co-op were regular lunch spots being in such a top location on the waterfront
G
The conditions were fantastic the swell was well under 1m there were no waves breaking anywhere but on the beach, conditions at the Bluff were the same absolutely perfect I was disappointed I didnt have the time to get out at the Bluff as it was like glass and I really want to explore some of the rocky bits off there.
G
It's funny how the night seems to change things for people, I am so used to fishing at night it is usually my first preference as the fish I usually target bream, jew, tailor and now squire tend to be better through the night. I think the risks are about the same as day time except boat traffic is much less power boats rarely fish too close to rocks in the day and never at night, at Margate I'll see heaps of traffic in the morning and none after dark.
its gonna take me some time before i go out to sea :?
Top report and fishing John. I dream about any jew, and that cod would have been real fun.

I agree that there are very few boats around in the evening. It is a magic time to be out on the water, with due care being taken.
camp at Woody Head over easter ... went to the hotel/pub for easter sunday night dinner... took my rod down and got some yabbies and pulled in a whiting off the rock wall out side the co-op... where all the trawelrs are... nice down there. going down at xmas... 22nd - 30th
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