Tag Archives: Iluka Bait & Tackle

Iluka – The Clarence River and the Bundjalung Headlands – June 2024

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June started with some light winds and swell so I could fish on the headlands. On the dawn falling and low tides I fished for tailor. I focused on metal slugs and big hard bodied lures. When the tailor slowed down I swapped to the lighter gear to fish for bream in the wash. I even caught a few mini queen fish on the metal slugs. During daylight there were plenty of small jewfish around and they kept things interesting by regularly hitting the bream soft plastics.

In the river there was ample bait schooling close to the banks. There were flathead everywhere and at dawn and dusk there were also schools of junior giant trevally marauding around and the odd decent sized tailor. I spent a few dusk sessions fishing for the trevally on Goodwood Island. I experimented with a few different lures and concluded that the favourite was the DUO Realis Pencil 110mm surface lure. I fished it with plenty of jerks and pauses. The trevally were not huge (the biggest was around 45 cm), but they are so much fun to fish for, especially when they strike a surface lure.

I caught a few keeper jewfish out on the headlands at low tide on the day of the new moon, on the 6th June. The bottom of the tide is the easiest time to fish on most of the ledges I frequent. I caught the two mid 70’s cm fish in successive casts at about 12.30 pm. The fish may well also bite on the top of the tide but unless its a very calm day with a low high tide, I cant get to them.

For the first time in a while both of these fish were very fat and the one I kept and gutted had a belly full of “yakkas” (yellowtail scad). Hopefully the bait will hang around for a while.

Iluka – Iluka Bluff – 14 March 2016

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Monday

I was up early and keen to see if the fish were still there at Iluka Bluff. This time I was prepared with a few more good poppers and some 45lb leader. I drove out to the Bluff but almost as soon as I got out of the car the heavens really opened.  The rain eased off slightly and I put in a few casts but the swell was still around the 1.6m level. When the rain started pouring again I decided to retreat to my unit.

In the early afternoon I dropped in on Iluka Bait & Tackle which is now run by Ross Deakin. Ross has given the store a complete makeover and now has a really good range of soft plastics, jigheads, hard bodies, poppers, line, hooks, reels, fresh bait and everything else. He and his team can give you an update on what is being caught, locally. So if you need tackle, get it here and support a local business. You can also see what’s happening via their face book page. https://www.facebook.com/Iluka-Bait-and-Tackle-608266152650241/ .

I also visited the rock wall where despite the swell , keen fisherman had landed a few tuna on live garfish baits and big lures, when they had come in close enough.

By late afternoon the rain had stopped so I drove back around to the Bluff. I tied on a 110 mm Halco Roosta Popper in the Chrome Gold Black back colour.  It was about 4.30 pm and the wind and swell has eased a little by the skies were grey and the water very choppy.

Halco Roosta Popper Poppers Popper fishing at Iluka Bliff

I started casting straight out of the front of the Bluff with the same Halco Roosta Popper. About four casts in….. whoosh, bang, a smash and grab, at just about the same spot as yesterday. I had the drag set much tighter this time but the fish was pulling hard. I never really managed to slow it. As it moved passed the extended rock ledges to my right I tried to go with it, but the line soon got caught in the cunjevoi and on the next big run it sawed through the braid.

I fished around with some soft plastics and a few smaller poppers but could not find the fish again. I determined that unless I was willing to use a much bigger rig I was not going to stop these fish. I retired just before dark.