Episode 23: Yamba Jewfish Shore-based With Mick Leavey

Mick’s Top Tips For Catching Jewfish At Yamba

• During the day, fish the milky white water around the headlands and the ends of seawalls and work shallow running hard body lures. Look for mullet schools and the jewfish won’t be far behind. Areas of aerated water and suspended sand are productive.
• After dark, focus on the quieter waters inside the seawalls. Big jewfish frequently move into shallow water under cover of darkness, with fish of 20kg or more frequently coming from water that’s only a half metre deep.
• Work lures slowly, the best jewfish lures have a good action at the slowest of speeds, even though you may not feel the lure working through the rod. Ideally they should swim just below the mullet schools so they’re the first thing a jewfish sees as it comes from below to nab a mullet meal.

Mick’s Jewfish Tackle Selection

• A 3.3m Daiwa Seajigger rod with a 5000 size reel and 50lb mono line is Mick’s preference for inside the seawall or when conditions are calm.
• A 12 foot rod with a 6500 size reel and 50lb mono is preferred during flood conditions or rough weather, as the extra length helps keep fish away from the rocks and allows the angler to stay safely above water level.

Mick’s Best Jewfish Lures For The Yamba Area

• 160mm Leavey Lure is Mick’s own shallow diving lure design, weighing 68 grams and swimming at around 60cm deep even on a very slow retrieve. Mick recommends fishing them at constant speed on a slow, steady retrieve. Email Mick to purchase Leavey Lures.
• Bills Bug Jewie 160mm is a locally made hard body lure designed and made by Bill Clark on the NSW North Coast. It floats a little higher and swims a little shallower than the Leavey Lure but is fished in the same way on a slow, steady retrieve.
• River2Sea Whopper Plopper 200mm fizzer fished on a slow, steady retrieve is great for visual, surface strikes.

Mick’s Preferred Jewfish Fishing Conditions

• Just on dark when the tide is half to three quarters out is ideal, but top of the tide can fish well too. Avoid bottom of the tide as it usually doesn’t fish well.
• The dark phases of the the moon when there is plenty of tidal movement are the most productive.
• Jewfish can be caught year round, but winter months are the most productive, especially for the larger fish.