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Time for a jewie
  |  First Published: October 2005



It doesn’t matter if you are fishing the river, the beaches or the rocks, October traditionally is the best month for big jew at Harrington.

The period around the full moon is best. About three days before the moon to two days after is the prime time to fish for a big one but jewfish have to eat like any other animal so as long as you have a bait in the water then you have a chance of hooking a big one.

Beach worms, squid heads and fresh slabs of mullet, tailor, bonito or slimy mackerel are the preferred baits. When fishing the walls at the mouth of the river or the headlands, a heavy line is required – about 20kg to 30kg.

On the beaches it is a different ball game and line of 6kg to 10kg is sufficient.

Hook size is important because jew have big mouths and even 10/0 hooks are OK for rock and estuary fishing, while a 4/0 to 6/0 will do for beach fishing.

Of course you must bait your hook appropriately. It is no good filling a 6/0 with a slab from a 2kg mullet. The bait must fit the hook size to give you the best chance of a hook-up.

ESTUARY

At the time of writing the river is clear and clean with a good flow going out to sea along the wall.

There are plenty of luderick to catch on green weed during the day and on live yabbies at night.

Bream are still on the bite but only the top anglers are getting a bag limit a trip. A few flathead are being taken on soft plastics and flesh baits a bit upstream from the river mouth.

Jewfish have not shown up yet but they should be plentiful in October.

BEACHES, ROCKS

The rocks are the best place to look for a feed at present. Rock blackfish (drummer) and blue groper are on the bite from Crowdy Head and Diamond Head. Abalone gut, cunjevoi and hermit crabs are the best baits for drummer while red crabs are the best for groper.

A few tailor have been caught on bobby cork rigs around the rocks on pilchard bait or sea garfish.

The beaches are re-forming now that we have some settled weather and a few fish are being taken, mostly bream, salmon and the occasional tailor.

OFFSHORE

Those who have been able to seize the opportunity to go out when the seas have allowed have caught some nice snapper to 3kg. By October there should be some more bonito and mack tuna to chase with trolled lures.

The full moon this month is also good for live-baiting big jew and snapper near the close bommies.

October is the time to chase a big jew; estuary, beach or rocks, it doesn’t matter. Fish the high tides and the low tides, particularly around the rocks, and you should get a hair-raising run.

Junior angler Jordan Ridderford with two bream taken from the Harrington wall.

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