new south wales South West Rocks Bar?

[Garfield28]

G'day all,

I am hoping to get up to South West Rocks on the weekend and just looking for some info on the Bar crossing and/or other alternatives please. 

I've heard the Bar crossing at SWR is pretty dangerous and has claimed lives in the past. I have never ever been there before and I don't know if it is safe for a 5.2 metre Savage boat to cross at all, or at any particular time. I have been trying to search up info and cannot find a great deal, and some people have suggested other ramps like the back creek and Goal but some seem to think that they are dangerous also, and can only really be used at certain times. If anyone could please give me some info as if it is too dangerous I will give it a miss. I wanted to get up there this weekend and chase some Spanish and Spotted Mackerel. 

 

If SWR is best avoided, can anyone please suggest a safer area where I may still tangle with a few Spanyards or Spotties please. I've heard Spotties can be caught at Forster too which would be a lot closer to home, but I'm not 100% convinced or know much about when is roughly the best time/month to get them etc. 

 

Any info would be really appreciated,

Thanks 

Geoff 

[AUS-BNE-FISHO]

Hi Garfield28

I am sorry I can not help you with the bar crossing but one of Al McGlashan's fishing books has a section on South West Rocks.. It is apparently a very dangerous bar though so hopefully you can find an alternative. Use the slimy mackerel as bait, trolling around the schools (that is what he suggests, anyways). 

Have you crossed many bars before?

Good luck on the weekend,

Cheers Hamish  

[aussie123]

Hi Geoff

I have crossed the bar at SWR  a few thousand times and you do need to treat it with the utmost of respect.

It is a very shallow bar these days so waves can stand up on it from out of no where, especially if there is any swell from the North East to Easterly directions.

It is well protected in a Southerly unless there is  big swell running and then it will curl around the Jail and hit the bar.

The main thing is to cross it on the run in tides or right on the change of tides if you are not terribly experienced on bar crossings.

Beware of the pressure waves inside the river on the bigger run out tides as these can be just as nasty as the bar itself.

Never go out south of the south wall as that is dead mans territory down there, generally the channel is straight out the middle or just to the side of the middle of the river.

Some times a small channel can open across the front of the North wall so you can get out by running along the beach for a couple of hundred meters and then pop out into clean water.

Coming back in, just sit on the back of a wave and follow it in and you will be fine.

Back Creek is fantastic for small boats but remember you will only have a foot of water at low tide so you will need to work the tides.

You can drive down to the creek entrance below the police station and have a good look before you even launch if you are worried about it.

I have not seen the new ramp at the Jail since it was built but I always launched off the beach there when the river and creek were too dangerous.

That corner of the bay is an awesome launch spot if you are familiar with beach launching and it is also a safe place to retrieve if you cannot get back in the river or creek.

You can pull up there and call a taxi to take you back to your car at one of the ramps where you launched earlier that morning.

I would also forget Forster for Mackeral as they do not get down there very often or in the massive numbers like you get off Grassy.

The close ground in 18m should be fishing well this time of the year but they could be there or on the Middle Ground in 29m, just look for good shows of bait and anchor up on them and get your live baits out.

If they don't bite early morning, they may bite in the afternoon so try both if you have the time.

Don't foret small live slimies are the best baits there.

If in doubt, don't go out !!!

 

[Garfield28]

Sorry for the late reply mate haven't been on for a while. Thanks heaps for that write up mate means a lot. 

I went and in the end my legs went to jelly and I couldn't cross it. My mate ended up doing it, and even though the locals said it was a placid day that day mate she was really really scary! 

 

Thanks again for that write up mate