Iluka – The Clarence River – April 2023

Posted on December 30, 2023 by Landangler

March and April are traditionally excellent months for flathead fishing in the Clarence River. In 2022 after the catastrophic floods the fishing had bounced back very quickly and I had caught good numbers of flathead throughout the system. But in 2023, April was less successful than it had been the year before. Perhaps the shift from the La Nina to El Nino weather pattern had something to do with it. There was definitely a little less bait around despite comparatively warm water temperatures.

Bait prawn trawling in the Clarence River has been suspended due to an outbreak of white spot disease in the prawn farms that are adjacent to the river. The disease was detected in August 2022 and then again in early 2023 so all of the prawn farms destroyed their stock and and have stopped operating. Its very disappointing for the local economy but it will allow the river bed to recover its weed beds and other fish habitats if the trawling ban stays in place.

I still caught plenty of flathead, a good mangrove jack and a few good trevally. The juvenile jewfish and tailor were also always on the bite around dawn and dusk. The bream, however were noticeably absent (even around the full moon).

Iluka – The Clarence River and the Bundjalung Headlands – March 2023

Posted on December 26, 2023 by Landangler

In March 2023, I was able to spend a bit more time fishing the rocky headlands of the Bundjalung National Park at Iluka. The swell came down to around the 1 metre mark on a few days and this meant I could safely fish in very close to the base of the various rock ledges at Woody Head, Frazer’s Reef and Iluka Bluff. I think the jewfish are always around, but when the swell is light you have much more chance of getting a lure in front of them for long enough to entice a strike.

I caught plenty of jewfish/mulloway through the month. I was mainly successful around the tide changes, particularly when these coincided with dawn or dusk. In one of the best sessions I caught five mulloway, all of which where over the 70 cm size limit. After a quick spell in the recovery rock pool I released them all. I often keep a fish for dinner but find the smallest fish (i.e. those closest to 70 cm) tend to taste the best. A 70 cm fish will yield about 1.2 to 1.3 kg of boneless fillets and I also roast up the frames and wings for a good meal. The head is usually given away to a neighbour for his crab pots.

The biggest mulloway that I managed to stop and land was just over 90 cm. I caught it at Woody Head, using a 5 inch GULP Crazylegs Jerkshad soft plastic in the nuclear chicken colour on a 3/8th ounce 3/0 hook jighead, 40lb fluorocarbon leader and 30lb braid. I was fishing with my Daiwa Saltist MH962 rod and Saltist 3000 reel. The moon was in the waning crescent phase and was 47% full. The tide had been running in for about an hour.

There were also a few tailor around as there usually are at this time of year and I caught quite a few spinning metal slugs around the rocks.

The fishing was also good in the river with jelly prawns and herring lining the banks. I caught plenty of flathead, small jewfish, bream and a few flounder.

Iluka – The Clarence River and the Bundjalung Headlands – February 2023

Posted on December 3, 2023 by Landangler

January rolled into February and we had a bit of rain and a south easterly blow. After the massive floods the year before everyone was on edge. But the rain did not last long and there was to be no repeat inundation in northern NSW.

The river was full of jelly prawns and other bait schools and fished well for flathead. The small tailor were everywhere. They were a pest when trying to fish for flathead with a soft plastic lure. You would feel a bump and grab on the drop and pull up a munched and now useless soft plastic.

I caught plenty of flathead and had a few good fishing sessions on the flats nearer the mouth of the Clarence River at Yamba. On one occasion I hooked a small flathead that was then eaten by bigger one at my feet. I dropped the rod tip and waited for about 30 seconds and when I took up the slack, sure enough the bigger fish took off. I pulled it around for about five minutes and then it either regurgitated the fish or just spat it out. I reeled the little one back in it looked completely unharmed. I took the hook out of its lip and it swam off.

I was able to get out to fish the rocky headlands on a few days. I caught plenty of small jewfish/ mulloway at Woody Head and Iluka Bluff, but none of February’s fish were big enough to keep. There were also a few tailor schools hanging around at dawn and dusk.