# Fishing Grassy Head Reef



## buttcrack (Jun 25, 2010)

As they say... "Those who can't do - teach" So I thought I'd share some of my lessons I learnt for anyone who wants to fish Grassy Head (Just north of South West Rocks).

Grassy Head is a lot smaller and more basic than SWR but the campsite is on the beach, it has cabins and shares the same great fishing that you get at SWR with Grassy Head reef extending far out off shore and providing structure for both bait fish and pelagics... My intention was to try and catch Spanish Mackerel when they come south in their annual migration following the warm waters of the Eastern Seaboard Current. However I was too late in the year and most of the fishermen were catching Spotted Macs and Yellowfin Tuna.

There are no boat ramps at Grassy so the only option is a beach launch and just getting on the beach is a problem due to the erosion as the path drops off at a 65 degree angle. However there is another pathway inside the campsite and if you're prepared to pull your Kayak up a flight of 20 steps then you can get over the dune and down onto the beach. Thankfully the steps are shallow and made with round pine sleeper, so it is not as hard as it sounds&#8230;

In hind-sight I would have booked my holiday when the high tide was at dawn to make it easier to launch off the beach and still get the best fishing. You can only launch 3 hours each side of the high tide. This is to get the deep green gutters that help pull you out past the surf and the best gutter is in the southern end of the beach up against the headland. It is sheltered from the South, South East and Easterly swells. Also, I would not recommend going out in anything larger than 1.5 meter swells and always wait for the big sets to pass before attempting to launch.

When launching I stowed EVERYTHING in my Yak, even including two 8-15kg 7foot rods that I eased in and out through the front access hatch of my Outback. Then once you're out past the breakers I pulled everything out and put it together...

The bait ground that I had marked into my GPS from Marinews website was just a flat sandy area off the beach that had no structure or any reason to hold fish. Eventually, I found a bait ground exactly where you would expect it to be - off the reef point (S30 47.429, E153 00.800). It was holding schools of Yakkas, Dart fish and Slimmy Macks.

After filling up with baitfish and losing a few jigs to rock fish, I paddled out to where I saw a dozen boats that were huddled together like Indians around a camp fire. It was 100ft deep and the sea floor rises to a small mound about 85ft deep that was holding the fish (GPS S30 47.475 E153 01.701). 
Most of the locals where anchored and fished two rods off the back with a baited wire leader suspended about 1 meter under the water by a balloons or polystyrene cubes to target Mackerel swimming in the warmer waters near the surface. Some of the local fishermen also fished lighter tackle over the side going for Pearly's on the bottom.

But I had to paddle up and drift back as I didn't have an anchor rope and it get tiring having to repeat this, even in 15 knot winds and then you've got a 30min paddle back to shore.

It's a great fishery but not for the faint hearted as I also managed to connect to a few sharks including a two meter Hammerhead which I cut it off when I saw it below my yak, but it was a beautiful fish better to be admired from a distance...

Grassy Head was great fun and good for an excursion for experienced yak fisherman on the right days, but I ended up doing most of my fishing off the ramp at SWR because it was less hazardous than a beach launch or return.

Cheers,
Andrew


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## kayakone (Dec 7, 2010)

Welcome Andrew, and thanks for the heads up on Grassy. Very detailed and informative. I'm sure Grant and Loius (and quite a few others) will be very interested in your explorations.

It certainly sounds a lot harder than SWR to launch and land. How was the current ???    (viewtopic.php?f=17&t=53373&hilit=SWR+2012+update&start=30 .... TFM, bottom of the page, has the link).

I found this whole coastline very beautiful and wonderfully exciting, from both the yak fishing and exploring/beach fishing side. It was a surprise to see so many interesting headlands and undeveloped coastlines only 500km from Sydney. I'll be coming back for sure, and thanks heaps for the info.

Trevor


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## keza (Mar 6, 2007)

Thanks for that Andrew, great report and really good to get that level of detail.
A few of us went up from SWR to check out Grassy, as it was fishing well at the time.
The beach had only just been eroded and we couldn't find a way to get the kayaks down to it. The beach on the south side was possible but the swell was coming in there so we stuck with SWR. I'd love to give it a try at some point though.

How did you end up fish wise at bot Grassy and SWR ? spotties ?


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## avayak (May 23, 2007)

Thanks for being generous with your marks Andrew. Could save a lot of time and wasted trips. As Kerry mentioned, we couldn't find a path to the beach. Actually we could have got the yaks to the beach just not back again. :?


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## buttcrack (Jun 25, 2010)

Always happy to share info and it is a good fishery once you work out how to get out there. I found the currents were not as strong as SWR because the sea floor is relativly flat and it doesn't have a bank pushing currents up... I was only really effected by the waves and wind, but it is a distance off shore so you need to check the BOM marine forcast...

Cheers,
AC


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## kiwipea (Jun 17, 2008)

keza said:


> Thanks for that Andrew, great report and really good to get that level of detail.
> A few of us went up from SWR to check out Grassy, as it was fishing well at the time.
> The beach had only just been eroded and we couldn't find a way to get the kayaks down to it.


Moved up this way a few months back and have been busy sussing out kayak fishing /launch sites.
A trip down to Grassy head found this beach access track, bout 80 mtrs long and flat all way onto beach.
Okay its a couple kms from Grassy Head itself, but to mack grounds not really any further than from grassy head itself.
Track is bout metre or so wide, sandy all the way and thinks it would not be too hard to pull a yak on a trolly cart.
Plenty of parking for 10 or so cars just off Grassy Head Rd.









The red arrow indicates the site. Suggest look it up on Google earth/ Google maps and zoom it up bigger
The day I was there (just having a recon of the area) low tide at the beach, had 2/3ft surf on a SE wind about 10 knts 
so thinks a surf launch not so bad for the experienced surf launch yakkers.
Chatted to a couple of beach fishos whom didn't give anything away just saying did not catch much off the beach there.
Will take my beach rods down and give it a try soon when conditions and tides look good.

cheers
kp


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