Shoalhaven River

By Gil Schott

Being less than two hours south of Sydney, the Shoalhaven region is a popular getaway for grey faced, harassed urban fishos. Most of these fishos head for the famous rocks of Jervis Bay or the offshore grounds like The Banks, but a few take on the challenge of fishing the Shoalhaven River.

Why a challenge? There are no rapids, 'gators or other extreme risks to life and limb. The challenge in fishing the Shoalhaven is more intellectual than physical  finding the fish.

Like many east coast rivers, the Shoalhaven has suffered from three modem 'curses' industrial, urban and rural development, the acid sulphate soil problem, and of course the constant plying of com­mercial nets. These days it is only those with many summers under their belts and much grey hair who can recall just what the 'good old days' on the river were like. The rest of us must approach the river in the only way we know, and that is to work on finding the fish.

Local knowledge is the most valuable tool in the Shoalhaven River fisherman's kitbag knowing just where good fish are likely to be. Since that knowledge is generally unavailable to most travel­ling fishos, in 1996 Gil Schott picked the brains of a few of the local experts, notably Glen Edwards, John Muller and Ron Smith, and assembled this road map of likely spots in the river.

This guide concentrates on the more popular and accessible areas of the Shoalhaven, from the Golf Club area just west of the highway bridge down to the mouth. It is not designed to tell you 'how' to catch fish in the Shoalhaven, but rather 'where' to find them.

1. Hospital Rocks

This stretch of rocky shore is situated below the cliffs on the southern bank, behind the hospital. There is very deep water here, and due to ski boat traffic it is best fished at dawn or dusk. Bream, lud­erick and school jew tend to hang out here.

This is an accessible bank on the southern side of the river, between the bridge and the cliffs. Ski boats buzz the area, so fish at dawn and dusk. Bream, flathead and whiting are the targets.

3. Golf Club Flats

The sandflats on the northern bank adjacent to Nowra Golf Club provide squirt worms, and the edges fish well for flathead, mullet, bream and whiting. Beware the wayward drives from the golf course. Small white balls spearing into the flats like Exocet missiles are an angler's hazard here. From the golf club to the bridge there is accessible shoreline, and a boat ramp with plenty of parking just west of the bridge.

4. The Bridge

Fishing around the pylons can turn up bream and flathead. The water is generally shallow on the southern side, with the deep channel close to the northern side. Eel city is behind the co-op if you fancy them.

5. The Reef

The Reef lies about 500m downstream from bridge, close to the northern bank. The main chan­nel is narrow and deep between the reef and the bank, and the tide fairly rips through there. Around the reef bream, luderick and the occasional school jew can be found. Just downstream from the reef is the mouth of Bomaderry Creek, where bream, lud­erick and flathead can be taken.

6. Pig Island

This is the first big sand island down from the bridge, lying close to the southern bank. Flathead and whiting can be chased on the flats, and there are good supplies of squirt worms generally avail­able. There is a narrow channel on the southern side of the island behind the village of Terara that fishes for bream, luderick, flathead and whiting, though the drain flowing in here from the local sewer processing plant can be a bit on the nose.

7. Horlicks

This industrial complex on the northern bank was rice a real hotspot, with a berley of gluten concentrating the fish. Nowadays a white waste is pumped into the river that does not hold the same attraction for fish. Never-the-less bream mullet and blackfish do appear around here.

8. Hanigan's Lane

Weed beds along the northern bank here often attract luderick.

9. Paper Mill

This mill lies on the northern bank opposite the bottom end of Pig Island. A hot water outlet pipe can attract bream and luderick. The broad stretch­ of river in this area are worth a drift for flathead and whiting.

10. Grants Rocks

This small patch of hard reef lies on the northern bank opposite the channel at the end of Pig Island. The tidal eddies and currents here can the attract bream and luderick

11. Old Graveyard

Just downstream from Pig Island lies an old graveyard, barely visible from the river. Locals will tell you however that the area near the graveyard is a good drift for flathead and whiting. From here down to the entrance to Broughton Creek there are broad areas of shallow flats and weed beds worth prospecting for flathead, bream and whiting.

12. Broughton Creek

This creek enters the river on the northern side and is a pretty fair fishery. There is a gravel ramp about a kilometre up from the entrance, though parking is pretty limited. Broughton Creek holds some good fishing at times for bream, flathead and luderick, but plen­ty of nets get in there to spoil things. The mouth of the creek holds some good accessible bank fishing to the west, and limited access to the east. Though the current runs pretty hard on this bank there can be good bream, luderick and flathead around this area.

13. Numbaa Island

This sandy island lies close to the southern bank opposite Broughton Creek and can provide good flats fishing as well as some squirt worms and nip­pers. The broad river stretches from here down to the canal offer good drifts for bream, flathead, whiting and flounder.

14. Regatta Creek

The entrance to this tiny creek on the southern bank offers some interesting fishing for the first of the run out tide. Take care not to get caught, though. The water is shallow and the mud is deep.

15. The Silo

Downstream from Regatta Creek, the big blue silo marks good drifting country for all species.

16. Old Man Island

This is a big sandy island flanked by deep weed beds leading to the junction of the river and the canal. There is a vast nipper colony here, and flats’ fishing at high tide is well worth a go. Try the weed beds for bream.

The river splits here, with the bulk of the water heading south down into the Crookhaven system via the canal, and what's left of the Shoalhaven heading north and east towards Shoalhaven Heads. Back in the 1800s Alexander Berry cut the canal to take barges through to the Crookhaven, where ocean access for shipping is easier and safer than through the Shoalhaven entrance with its shifting sand bars.

Over the years the canal 'captured' the Shoalhaven's flow, leaving the Shoalhaven entrance to silt up, and indeed become closed to the sea for most of the time. It needs a solid flood to open the Shoalhaven, and even then it doesn't take long for the sand to build up and close it again.

17.The Junction

The junction of the river and canal is an area of strong eddies and tidal flow, and can be an inter­esting area for bream, flathead, whiting and school jew, with some serious jew showing up on occa­sions.

18. Shoalhaven Heads

There is some good drifting country leading into the village of Shoalhaven Heads, and a channel running right past the caravan park on the northern shore. There are vast areas of shallow flats in this area worth prospecting for flathead and whiting, much easily accessible from the shore.

19. Comerong Island.

This island is more or less the divide between the Shoalhaven and Crookhaven rivers. It is accessible via a ferry and there is plenty of good shoreline for the bank angler, with good luderick, bream and flathead country to the north of the ferry.

20. O'Keefe's Point

On the mainland side of the ferry this sandy point offers shore access for bream, flathead, whiting, and jew fishing. Further into the canal to the south of the ferry there is good (though very snaggy) country for bream and luderick.

21. The Canal

This is the stretch of river running though to Greenwell Point. It is lined in parts with oyster clad rock walls which offer good bream and luderick fishing. The area of sunken rock walls on the southern bank is a prime spot. Oyster rafts, and some of the creek entrances coming off Comerong Island through the mangroves are also likely spots. Most of the canal stretch is boat country, though Greenwell Point there's plenty of access for shore based fisho.

22. Greenwell Point

There are a couple of ramps here which give access to this lower end of the river system and there is shore access around the pool and the small park south of there. Fishing is also possible off the Greenwell Point jetty. The area can turn on bream, luderick, trevally, flathead and whiting, and the jetty is a good place to top up the livebait tanks.

23. Crookhaven River

The Crookhaven winds through mangrove country to the south of Greenwell Point and can hold some solid flathead. Try drifting and spinning along the stands of mangroves.

24. Culburra

There are some shallow, mangrove-lined bays bor­dering Culburra to the east of Greenwell Point. Bream, luderick and flathead are all possible in this area. The shallows around Goodnight Island are worth working, as well as the areas close to oyster racks and pontoons.

25. Crookhaven Entrance

On the northern shore bordering Comerong Island there are some good flats and weed beds, and there is a long rock wall known as the Coal Wharf that is great for land based anglers, accessible via the canal ferry. The inner part of the wall is luderick country, and the outer wall can get you into tailor country, with bream, flathead, trevally and school jew possible.

On the southern shore the regional boat ramp at Crookhaven Heads provides access, and the rocky shoreline out to the entrance is worthwhile for lud­erick, bream and trevally.

As mentioned at the beginning, the Shoalhaven system is not a red-hot fishery by any means. Having said that, not too many river systems close to major metropolitan areas can claim hot spot status. There are some good fish in the Shoalhaven, but you have to find them. That's the challenge Hopefully you can use this 'road map' as a guide help you catch a decent feed.

A detailed, water resistant map of the Shoalhaven/Crookhaven estuary system is available through Saltwater Fishing Magazine. It contains a heap of local information to help  you get the best from this estuary, and it is tough enough to keep in your tackle box. Check the subscription page of this website for details.