Blackwood River
Spent the weekend dinghy-fishing the stretch of water between the river mouth to a few kilometres upriver. We trolled a range of lures which have scored tailor and small salmon in the past, without success. Seaweed, washed in through The Cut, didn't help trolling much... and we fouled the prop several times in drifting weed almost a metre thick in a few places.
We were most impressed with the clarity of the water... and large schools of baitfish. At night, the water was alive. We released five or six dozen small yellowfin whiting and a dozen or so tiny bream. Lots of action for very little result. We didn't really see a single impressive fish caught all weekend. Maybe they're just too well-fed!~
Ended up with one very large herring* and three KGs, all on bait.
* Caught well upriver. Reminiscent of the kind / size of herring we used to catch off Grant Street fifty years ago. It took a whole prawn... .
Jorie
Posts: 260
Date Joined: 04/09/12
was there Saturday caught
was there Saturday caught more bream then any other trip there in the past. We where at Alexander bridge caught about 50-60 between me and my brother in kayaks.. about 25 legal ones bighest 35cm got 16 keepers and smallest was 29 biggest 35 was a good day!
HondaHoncho
Posts: 49
Date Joined: 18/03/12
Great Catch!
Lures?
choc
Posts: 669
Date Joined: 05/01/12
Bream will definately be
Bream will definately be further up river like Jorie has said this time of year.
HondaHoncho
Posts: 49
Date Joined: 18/03/12
Further upriver
Makes sense considering the amount of saltwater entering both the mouth and The Cut at high tide, I guess.
No shortage of very small bream within one - two kilometres of the mouth. When you consider that Deadwater is a nursery for three or four species, it may mean that part of the migratory pattern is upriver, as bream, KGs, yellowfin, etc., age(?)
What surprised us this time was the complete lack of tailor and salmon. This is the first Blackwood trip in years we (and everyone else I spoke to) lucked out trolling... .
choc
Posts: 669
Date Joined: 05/01/12
This time of year we always
This time of year we always troll between the ski area and Alexandra bridge, the tailor go that far up aswell.
HondaHoncho
Posts: 49
Date Joined: 18/03/12
Tailor in Blackwood
Thanks, choc. Wasn't aware of that. I wrongly thought the presence of so many bait schools near the mouth would keep tailor around.
Something pelagic was playing havoc with the baitfish (yellow-eyed mullet/pilchard) in the shallows near Turner Caravan Park at night!
(Caught a flathead 3 kgs+ nearby two decades ago, using a trolled red, bibbed articulated lure. Haven't seen a Blackwood flattie that size since... . I've been bitten off twice in the same area, over the years. No idea what did that. Definitely not a ray, tho'... .)