River Mulloway Fishing: Proven Old School Method

[@MarkCummings-qz3vb]

What an awesome video of simplicity and old school fishing. It jogged my memories of stories my dad used to tell me of fishing the rivers in VIC and NSW with this exact method back in the 70s with good success. He also used to say about being as quiet as possible. 👍👍

[@ShannonsFishing]

Glad you enjoyed it

[@paulschofield2630]

Yes, i thought you would know Geoff, he must be in his 80s now? Im 70 did my apprenticeship in Geelong, i worked on a friend's scallop boat in Portarlington during school holidays at age 12! Got a 50 foot aluminium game boat in survey at the Whitsundays 1980 ,diving and fishing 🎣 what an amazing place, cheers 🍻 all the best 👍 😊

[@0rdinaryguy]

I fished for jewies and nothing else for about 20 years or more. This video says it all,,,,,,,,,sssssssssssssshhhhhhhhhh,,,, and anyone who breaks this rule, never gets to play again. I moved north and fish for Barra now and the "window" of, low tide and the first few hours in, (following first or last quarter) are when 80-90% of Barra are caught as well. Thank you for a gem of a video.

[@ShannonsFishing]

Thank you mate for the Barra tips and the nice comment.

[@ronmb81]

Love to hear how the old school fisherman did it with great success! Thank you for your insight.. you are 100% correct about the noise, as my father in-law would say (also a hunter), stealth mode!!

[@chrisalexander6716]

Low tide turn of tide hits is the key, they love that time for some reason, also no noise is also important for mulloway, they spook very easily.

[@alanmoffat4680]

My father-in-law told me of the way he would catch big jewfish in about the 1930's as a young boy. he went with some older men in an old wooden rowboat and was the bait and pull-in boy. The men would buy some rum from the local distillery and imbibe. the gear they used were twine lines wrapped around milo tins, in which were some stones. He would bait the hooks and toss the line overboard. When a fish took the bait and ran, the tin would rattle and he would pull the fish in. He said that they would have 4 or 5 lines out at a time. This was in the Pine River, just north of Brisbane. The rum came from the old Strathpine Distillery.

[@ShannonsFishing]

Thank you for sharing this wonderful memory and the unique way they used to fish. It's amazing to hear about the experiences from that era.

[@the11theleven]

You're a legend for sharing this, thanks!

[@ShannonsFishing]

You are welcome mate. I hope it helps you catch a monster.

[@glenncampbell1176]

I remember reading about this technique bout 20yrs ago in a fishing mag

[@bigfishfishing-111]

Another way we fish the Port River is to tie off on the channel markers, which is illegal, mind you, and fish the markers with deep water all the way around. A trick when fishing the estuary with strong currents due to being skinny water 6 feet or so off the bottom is. Spread both arms apart because if you're 6 feet tall, your arm spread is generally 6ft also. With the live bait on and sinker wound up to the rod tip, with your left hand, grab the sinker and your right hand. Hold the rod tip and pull the line of spreading your arms apart. Doing the line of your reel is 6 feet. If the water is 30 feet, you do this 4 times, which is 24 feet of line pulled out, 6 feet of the bottom. That way you will always know where your bait is in the water column without guessing dropping the bait straight down with current flowing. You will need to adjust this slightly as the tide falls and slows down. I got taught this decades ago . This is a very handy trick if you fall asleep in the boat. The bait will never be on the bottom. I 100% agree. MULLOWAY love the low tide and start of the run in in my local estuary. I catch a lot on metal shinners in the surf on low tide as well at the Murray mouth in SA. Big estuary Mulloway ain't for the faint-hearted. Lots of patience and being OK with fishless trips is everything

[@ShannonsFishing]

Thank you mate for your info. This is so true and anyone that has spent time chasing large Mulloway in river systems will know this / Big estuary Mulloway ain't for the faint-hearted. Lots of patience and being OK with fishless trips is everything

[@mullowayonthemove171]

Good vid. Geoff Wilson (the knot man) did a great article on this method way back in the 80’s with some pics of monster Barwon river fish.

[@ShannonsFishing]

Thanks for the info!

[@mudgut69]

Horses for courses. I fish a 2500 size spinning reel, 3-6kg stick, 15 pound braid, 30 pound trace and use plastics and vibes. When I use bait it’s a 3000 size spinning reel, 4-7kg stick, 20 pound braid and 50 pound trace. I never drift. I’m either lock spot on my electrics and scanning for fish (lures) or lock spot and being patient either side of the turn (bait). I’m not leaving the structure. Your technique would work in certain sections of certain rivers. The fish run along the channels but you’d certainly need to know the river very well.

[@alberthabib4220]

Thanks for sharing. You hear a lot of bits and pieces from fishermen but nothing as detailed as you've described. Thanks again.

[@ShannonsFishing]

Glad you enjoyed it

[@paulschofield2630]

I bet Shannon knows Geoff Wilson, THE KNOT MAN on Rex Hunts fishing show, 🎣 he was doing this method way back in the 60s and 70s and was highly successful, heard Geoff had a 12 volt battery in small timber rowing boat for lights and a sounder ,my dad worked with Geoff at Alcoa Geelong/Geoff was also involved with Geelong Vets cycling club, did the handicapping, cheers 🍻 ❤😊

[@ShannonsFishing]

Nice guess Paul, Geoff is a family friend and wrote several articles about me when I was a kid catching Mulloway from the Barwon river.

[@teedee9361]

What an excellent video, thanks mate, appreciate you sharing this lifetime’s worth of knowledge. Might try it on some of the port river monsters in Adelaide.

[@ShannonsFishing]

Thanks mate and good luck.

[@bergerbroer1]

Thanks for the great advice, I will give it a go...

[@ShannonsFishing]

You are welcome and good luck.

[@bigfishfishing-111]

We did the same in the Port River in SA.

[@teedee9361]

How did you do? I want to get into it more in the port. Have caught a few 20-30 pounders but keen on a big beast.

[@craigparker4108]

Great advice mate, peace & quiet is the key imo.

[@ShannonsFishing]

Yep, leave the noisy fishing partner at home on this one.

[@mattdebritt8441]

Always great hearing your advice mate. I've only caught soapies as by catch down on the Hawksbury, Central Coast NSW. It would be great to catch a 30lb....

[@ShannonsFishing]

Hi Matt, next time your down the Central Coast give this method a try it should work really well in the Hawksbury.

[@Aaron_Hanson]

@Matt, for the best chances of hooking a 25kg+ Jew, try the stretch of river between Singletons Mill and Dangar Island. Occasionally you will hook a decent size Bullshark as a bycatch but I’ve had more success in this stretch of the Hawkesbury for Jews than anywhere else. Don’t be afraid to venture into the area around Spencer either, it’s good fishing. Tight lines 🍻🍻👍

[@qmp666]

Ahhhh the ol tellin how to fish. Great advice bud. Ol school is best

[@ShannonsFishing]

Thanks mate, old school still works

[@lauchlanguddy1004]

sinker on the hook was also used, did not seem to worry them

[@CamBill_ROBLOX]

Good one mate a lot of the older methods seem to have gone with all the advancements over the years. Some I recon worked better than some of the newer methods

[@ShannonsFishing]

I couldn't agree more.

[@CamBill_ROBLOX]

@@ShannonsFishing and half my gear seems to be antique now hahaha getting scared to use some of my rods when I see what people try to sell them for these days hahaha

[@dundadunda552]

Agree 100%...good advice

[@ShannonsFishing]

Thank you mate

[@patrickaustralia528]

Great vid and excellent advice. Cheers

[@scotttrevena9322]

Great advice. Electrics are noisy as hell underwater; so maybe the oars are better 🤔

[@TrailerYacht]

That drift system works really well. We used to troll live baits behind our 8ft rowing dinghy at night on Lake Mac & did well. Nobody wants to row anymore - LOL ! Got the idea from articles from the late, great Gene Dundon. The hardest thing about jewie fishing these days is getting people to shut up about your spots. Ended a friendship because of that behaviour.

[@grantwalker9367]

You brought back memories of my grandfather at wow woy , Parkes bay near the railway overpass. If he wasn’t out in the boat he would have a handline set out of the jetty with a bell alarm system. I remember a monster Jew he caught. Also a large shark. The house was close to the shore line and he would go to sleep but he never missed that bell. Bait was always live mullet. This was us kids job to catch them in oyster bottles filled with bread. I also loved those leather jackets under the jetty.

[@dillberry99]

No more big jewies in the Hawkesbury, like Greg Joyce said, place has changed and too much pressure on the baby jewies running with the prawns, commercial fishing has completely ruined the Hawkesbury river

[@ShannonsFishing]

Thanks for the story mate we like hearing about how people done it back in the old days, reminds me of my grandfather too.

[@ShannonsFishing]

Thats sad to hear mate. I hope there is a petition going around to try and get the pros out.

[@dillberry99]

@@ShannonsFishing it’s ruined, needs ALOT of work, years of barbaric thinking and catch and kill, the old blokes contributed to the decline in the river.

[@robertschober3231]

@@dillberry99 definitely big jews still in the hawkbury mate

[@99hilux6]

Grew up in Ocean Grove run over over on Orton st by 4wd and boat. The little ozone jetty was the spot for mullaway if no boat

[@ShannonsFishing]

Yep the Ozone jetty was the land based spot for Jewies. I caught my first one off that jetty way back when I was in Ocean Grove Primary with you Pat.

[@Stevos_HookedonRods4844]

Great info, Shall give it a go one day Thanks Shan Ya got a new Sub 👍

[@ShannonsFishing]

Thanks for the sub and your kind words. Good luck with your fishing adventures mate.

[@ncostigan9040]

I USE ALVEYS REELS WITH LIVES, 12LB SCHIENEDER LINE AND 12LB HERCULES FLUROCARBON LEADER. ALWAYS TREATS ME WELL. THANKS FOR THE VID🎣😁

[@ShannonsFishing]

Thanks for the extra info mate. Good luck with your fishing adventures.

[@FishThenRide]

Some great advice thanks for sharing! Just curious how many Bronzies you got in the Barwon and what other shark species? I know of 7 gills and hammerhead pups once but bronzies not surprising. Great video keep them coming 👍

[@ShannonsFishing]

Thanks mate, I never really came across a lot of Sharks in the Barwon, you catch more Eagle rays than sharks but every now and then you will hook a Bronzie up the river or a Gummy and 7 gill around the mouth of the river.

[@FishThenRide]

👍

[@paulsimmons4240]

I agree with everything you said. Great advice.💯percent.

[@ShannonsFishing]

Appreciate that

[@julianmarkus3885]

Do you get more hits from the bait below the boat or the one free swimming?

[@ShannonsFishing]

They both get hit but I would say the free swimming one gets hit more.

[@Colebilli]

Hey mate, I’m over in Perth looking at fishing the swan river. Unfortunately not cast nets are allowed so the only proper live baits available is tailor(300mm legal size) the mullet are close to impossible to catch in bread or traps, and blowfish are in plagues. Do you think it would be a viable option to live bait the tailor that live in the river or to catch yakkas from the ocean ? Any help much appreciated thanks 🙏

[@ShannonsFishing]

Mulloway love live Yakkas and Tailor they are both great live baits.

[@Colebilli]

@@ShannonsFishing thanks 🙏

[@kungfu5646]

Legend 👌 I will get that trophy 🏆 fish 🎣

[@ShannonsFishing]

Good luck mate.

[@deanboulton7980]

Will it work in lakes as we’ll drifting with wind?

[@ShannonsFishing]

It should mate. One way to find out go and give it a crack. Good luck buddy.

[@AnthonyLeavey-j1q]

Use catgut line and bamboo rods.

[@redtobertshateshandles]

Thanks mate. I really don't have a nearby river.

[@ShannonsFishing]

Bugger mate. Give this method a try next time your on holiday near a river and good luck with your fishing adventures.

[@redtobertshateshandles]

@@ShannonsFishing yeah. Thanks, will do. I usually just burley into a corner hole and use the " pickers doom sinker " method for Schoolies and a bit bigger.

[@silverslabs]

Great video mate, would that work in PPB?

[@ShannonsFishing]

Im not sure if it would work in the bay, worth a shot. Let us know if it works and good luck with your fishing adventures.

[@ramzv1035]

Hey mate great advice. Do you adjust the sinker fit out according to Depth as you drift ?

[@ShannonsFishing]

No mate I don't change sinkers a 6 or 8 ball is usually big enough to hold the live bait down under the boat.

[@moopius]

I put carpet on the bottom of the tinnie to keep the noise down.

[@ShannonsFishing]

Not a bad idea, Thanks for the tip.

[@lauchlanguddy1004]

always

[@raymondengineering8951]

🤙🏻🤙🏻🤙🏻

[@Antipodean33]

I'm unsure if he mentioned it or not but you must be QUIET

[@lauchlanguddy1004]

Old school was an alvey

[@ShannonsFishing]

Some people liked using the Alveys for Jew.

[@dajoaustralia6866]

live pike are the ultimate jew bait, they can smell em a mile away, next best for me off syd was 0.5-2lb tailor.. a tip I can offer is a floating 5/0 octopus hook btw the 2 snelled, just a floating hook not in the bait. the number of fish that spit a livie after 2 mins was mindboggling, youd get them half way up and poof.. gone. baits still alive and all just descaled, but that floating stinger gets em when they spit the bait,

[@ShannonsFishing]

I agree about the Pike, they are a great bait if you can catch them in your area. Thanks for the tip about the floating stinger hook. I think that tip will help a lot of people out.

[@dajoaustralia6866]

@@ShannonsFishing Your Welcome. Dave, Those long skinny snook do the same trick aswell.

[@brendandyer6510]

Old School is an Alvey ha ha ha ha. Those reels wern't even invented. I like the rest of your info though. it rings true.