Flint and Steel to Juno Point: Hawkesbury boat fishing
The Hawkesbury entrance gives you several different jobs in a short stretch of water. Flint and Steel has reef peaks, a shallow plateau and a sand edge. Juno has fast main flow and quieter water around the point. Between them are rocky bream shores, luderick edges and sand where a light outfit makes more sense than a large live bait.
This guide follows the entrance banks from West Head and Flint and Steel through the Cowan junction to Juno, Gunyah, Croppy and Green Point. Choose the presentation you can control in today's current.
Pick the water and the tide
Compare all areas and methods
| Ground | What makes it different | Starting approach |
|---|---|---|
| West Head to Flint and Steel | Kelp, rock and small sandy pockets | Close bream baits; keep a separate outfit for deeper water |
| Flint and Steel Reef | Rugged peak, outer drop, fading ridge and shallow plateau | Sound the structure, then choose a bottom bait or controlled lure presentation |
| Flint and Steel Bay to Hungry Beach | Sand beside the rocky shore | A short, controlled drift for flathead, whiting and bream |
| Little Pittwater and Challenger | A bream shore leading to a snaggy head | Rising-water bait fishing; a shorter drift near high water |
| Walker, Juno and Eleanor | Point eddies beside much stronger current | Observe the eddy first; keep close bream water separate from deeper bait fishing |
| Gunyah, Croppy and Green Point | Deep edge, rough rock and sand alternatives | Smaller tides around rock; lighter baits on the sand |
Have the bait and outfits ready
These are starting setups for the jobs below. Rig spare leaders at home, then change weight and presentation to suit the water you actually find. The official Hawkesbury fishing guide and our line and leader guide provide more background.
Light bream and sand baits
Use a responsive 2–5 kg estuary rod around 6–7 ft, a 2500–3000 reel and 3 kg braid or mono. Thread a small running ball sinker above a small rolling swivel, then add 30–50 cm of 3–6 kg mono or fluorocarbon and a size 2 non-offset circle hook for a compact prawn or nipper. Carry size 1–1/0 circles for larger bream baits. In shallow, gentle water try unweighted or a 00 ball; increase weight only until the bait reaches the sand or rocky pocket. Favour the heavier end of the leader range beside kelp and rock. With a circle, wind into a steady load instead of striking hard.
Flathead plastics on the sand edge
A 2–5 kg rod, 2500–3000 reel and 6–12 lb braid cover this lighter work. Join about a rod length of 10–15 lb abrasion-resistant leader directly to the braid, then tie on a jighead. Start with a straight-rigged 3–4 inch plastic and a sound 2/0 hook if it fits that body. Carry 3.5 and 7 g heads for shallow sheltered sand, plus 10.5 g when drift increases. The deeper-river range in the official guide is 7–21 g; it is not the minimum for every bay. Use enough to feel the lure settle, without repeatedly burying it in the reef. The flathead guide shows the rigging and retrieve.
A whole-bait mulloway outfit
Start with a roughly 2.1 m, 8–15 kg rod, a 4000–8000 reel and 15 kg braid. Run the sinker above a rolling swivel and tie on 60–90 cm of 25 kg fluorocarbon leader, ending in a 5/0–8/0 non-offset circle matched to the squid or legal live bait. Leave the hook point and gape clear. Carry several sinker weights: a quieter Juno pocket needs less than the exposed reef edge. Choose the least weight that keeps the bait at the intended depth; if that cannot be done cleanly, change water. Let the circle load up as you wind rather than making a sweeping strike.
A balanced luderick float
An 8 ft light, forgiving rod and a 3000 reel with 3 kg braid make a useful boat float outfit. Assemble stopper, sliding float, small sinkers or shot, micro swivel, then about 70 cm of 3 kg fluorocarbon and a size 8 ringed Sneck hook. Balance the lead so only the float's tip shows. Cover the hook with lawful green weed and adjust the stopper to the feeding depth. The Blackfish Combo with floats and rigs is the shop option for this approach. A float dragged sideways by the boat needs a position or line-control adjustment, rather than more shot by default.
Check the working leader after rock contact and fish. The light sand rig, deep whole-bait rig and weed float are separate preparations; none is a substitute for the others simply because it is already tied on.
Nippers and worms suit whiting and bream over sand. Fresh prawn or a compact fish bait is useful beside rock. Prepare squid and fish baits before the tide window, keep them cool, and check a live bait rather than assuming a moving rod tip means it is still in good condition. Use the yellowtail and slimy-mackerel guide for collection and handling.
West Head can be a bait stop before the main session. In April 2023 we started at the West Head bait grounds before heading offshore; the sounder image below comes from that stop. It shows why the bait search deserves its own decision. Find worthwhile returns and check what is actually coming aboard, rather than filling the tank with whatever happens to take a hook.
Keep bait collection within the current permitted methods. Size and bag limits still apply to fish used as bait. Bring lawful nippers and worms; do not dig through seagrass, mangroves or saltmarsh. A detour into Cowan or Patonga Creek has its own net restrictions, set out in the current local fishing guide.
West Head, the point and the reef
West Head to Flint and Steel: work the pockets
The rocky shore contains small sandy pockets between kelp and harder bottom. For bream, work a pocket close to cover instead of casting every bait into the open river. Early morning and dusk give this approach room to work, with autumn a useful bream emphasis.
A steady, controlled berley trail can hold fish near the bait. Increase leader strength where kelp and rock demand it, and inspect the trace after every snag or fish. If the bait keeps disappearing into weed, change the casting angle or move to a cleaner pocket. Adding a heavy sinker to the same weed bed is unlikely to improve the presentation.
Luderick and leatherjackets use the close cover too, but need smaller, more deliberate offerings. A larger fish bait or live bait sent beyond the close edge is a separate mulloway, tailor or occasional snapper approach. Set that outfit so it can be watched without abandoning the bream rod.
Flint and Steel Reef: give each part its own job
The beach, Flint and Steel Bay, the land point and the offshore reef are different places. The reef itself also has several parts: a rugged main peak, a steeper outside edge, a fading ridge and the transition from reef to sand. Use the sounder to establish which one you are over before dropping a bait.
The main reef and its edges have a long history of bream, flathead, tailor, trevally and mulloway. The run-out and early run-in feature in that history. Keep the bait close to the chosen edge. If the line bellies away and the lead drags behind, try the cleaner reef-to-sand margin rather than adding weight indefinitely over the rugged peak.
Paul D's May 2012 report is a good example of a change of plan. His crew had an unproductive day around Long Reef, then tried Flint and Steel on the return after dark. They found a hole around the turn of the tide and caught the mulloway below.
The quieter alternative is the shallow plateau, described historically as about 3–4 m deep. This is a night-bream proposition with a steady berley trail and nipper, pilchard or whitebait offerings. Check the actual depth and bottom beneath your boat. The rugged peak outfit and a lightly weighted plateau bait need different treatment.
If the main reef is crowded, look for fishable reef-to-sand transition rather than squeezing between anchored boats. The fading ridge is another type of structure to find with the sounder. A bait or soft plastic kept near the cleaner edge can make better use of flathead water than repeatedly snagging the same rough peak.
Winston Thomasson's February 2017 trip produced squid in Pittwater, frigate mackerel at Box Head and flathead at Flint and Steel. Have the lighter outfit ready when sand-edge fish become the better option.
Flint and Steel Bay to Hungry Beach: the sand alternative
This is a lighter session than the reef peak. The summer emphasis is flathead, whiting and bream over sand beside the shore. Nippers or worms on a light running rig can work close to the bottom; a small soft plastic gives you another way to cover clean sand.
Make a trial drift to see how wind and current combine. Keep it short enough to maintain bottom contact and repeat the productive depth. The older drift description runs between Hungry Beach and Flint and Steel, but the direction of today's boat movement matters more than following a fixed line. Leave room for other craft and avoid the shallow beach margin.
Rock at the ends provides a luderick alternative. Tailor may also move through the bay; any retained for bait must still meet the current size and bag rules. Protection from a southerly along this shore does not settle the conditions on the trip home.
Challenger, Walker and the Juno eddies
Little Pittwater and Challenger Head
Little Pittwater's rocky shore leads towards Challenger Head. On rising water, a stationary bream presentation close to the shore can use a modest berley trail. Around slack high water, a short drift over the same type of edge with nippers or worms is another approach. Give the bait time to settle beside the cover.
Challenger's head is snaggy and shallow. Keep the close bream and luderick work separate from the sand farther out, where flathead and whiting are more suitable targets. The local history emphasises night bream and a run-in luderick presentation among the boulders. Use a balanced weed float for the latter, with depth adjusted to keep the bait in the feeding lane rather than buried in rock. The luderick guide covers that outfit.
Walker Point: a quieter close-edge option
Walker sits on the northern shore between Patonga and Juno. It is worth considering when the popular point water is crowded. The close rock is the bream option, particularly on the run-out, with nippers or worms presented beside the edge. The wider water adds flathead and a possible mulloway bait, provided the current can be fished properly.
Juno Point: the eddy and the main flow
Juno's useful distinction is quieter turning water beside fast river current. Around the top and run-out, an eddy forms around the point; on the run-in, the upstream-side water gives a different presentation. Look at the actual set, surface debris and line angle before choosing a position. An eddy is fishable water to recognise, not a permanently fixed circle on a map.
Whole fresh squid or a sound live bait is the mulloway approach. Keep the bait near the intended depth with only the lead needed to control it. The more exposed water off the point is easier to fish around slack water, with bream, flathead, flounder and summer whiting offering alternatives. A large bait held in racing current and a small bait on a quiet edge are different sessions.
The shore towards Walker also has close luderick water. A float drift needs to stay beside the edge, so reset the boat when the line starts pulling the bait away from it. Keep rods, the berley bucket and the anchor arrangement clear of the line you will need to fight a fish.
I have also had a completely unproductive fallback here. In October 2020 we turned back from an offshore trip aboard Black Rat when a storm cell brought a steep chop. We tried our live bait for flathead at Juno, found nothing happening and called it early. Keep enough of the day available to make that decision.
Eleanor Bluffs: rock close in, drifting water outside
Eleanor is the western side of the Cowan entrance. Its run-out eddy and rocky close water suit bream and luderick. Farther out, the cleaner drifting water brings flathead, flounder and whiting into the plan. Those presentations should not be mixed indiscriminately: weed beside rock, a small bait over sand and a whole-squid mulloway bait each need their own depth and line control.
Watch where the berley reaches the edge: a surface trail racing past the head can miss a deeper bait entirely. The berley guide explains surface and deeper delivery.
Gunyah, Croppy and the inner bank
Gunyah Point: separate the deep edge from the eddy
Gunyah has a deep-water mulloway history off the point, especially on the run-out. The shore-side eddy is a different bream session, with autumn a useful starting season. Closer to rock again, luderick can be worked with weed and a controlled float.
Locate the edge on the sounder and keep clear of the navigation channel. For bream, make sure a berley trail passes the smaller bait rather than carrying it straight into the deep main flow. Summer sand-edge fish add flathead and occasional whiting to the alternatives.
Juno to Croppy: read the shallow bank
The shore and adjacent channel have bream, flathead and whiting potential. Worms or nippers are the direct whiting choice; a small lure covers flathead water. Keep the bait near the bottom while watching the sounder and the changing bank edge.
This is shallow-bank country. Allow for your draft, tide and today's channel markers, and stop a drift before it takes you onto the bank. Repeat a controlled pass through useful depth rather than trying to stretch one drift all the way between the points.
Croppy Point: rough bottom on smaller tides
Croppy is the rough-bottom alternative, with mulloway and bream in its history. Smaller tides and the first movement of either run make a more manageable starting plan than the strongest mid-tide flow. Nippers or worms suit the bream; a legal live bait is a separate mulloway offering.
Boat traffic makes dawn or dusk useful. Fish clear of the rocks rather than resting the lead among them. If the bream bait is being pinned into snags, change the angle or move onto a cleaner edge before increasing weight.
Green Point: autumn bream or summer sand
Green Point has a strong autumn bream history. The wider sand offers a different summer plan for flathead, flounder and whiting on the run-out. Keep a small fish bait near the bream edge, or use worms and nippers over the sand with enough lead to feel the bottom.
Freshwater flow has influenced historical catches here, but a flood is not a fishing appointment. Check debris, current and water-quality advice after rain. If the point is difficult to hold, choose the calmer, cleaner water the boat and tackle can work.
Build a session around the water
Use the published tide predictions to choose a likely window, then check the current where you fish. High and low water describe water level; they do not fix the turn of every eddy. Watch surface debris, a float and the angle of a bait line. Wind can move the boat differently from the bait below. Do not apply a fixed time lag from another ground.
Falling water, flathead and whiting: start on the clean sand between Flint and Steel Bay and Hungry Beach, with a small plastic or nipper on the light rig. Make a short trial drift and note depth, weed and bottom contact. Repeat the useful depth while the boat remains clear of the shallow margin. If the drift sweeps the bait away, shorten it or add only enough weight to regain contact. If sand fishing no longer works, Walker's close rocky bream water is a separate run-out option to assess, rather than continuing the same long drift.
Slowing water, then a rising-tide alternative: look at Juno's returning water for a whole-squid or live-bait mulloway presentation. Observe the current beside the point before settling in, and watch whether the bait stays at the intended depth. If the returning water breaks up or the line pulls into the main stream, reset while there is still a workable pocket. When the heavier presentation cannot be controlled, Little Pittwater's rising-water bream shore offers a different job for a compact prawn bait and modest berley trail. It is a change of target and presentation, not a promise of fish after a quiet mulloway session.
Launch, current rules and the return trip
Parsley Bay at Brooklyn is a useful launch for the entrance. Check tide and depth for your boat: the ramp and harbour have a recorded siltation problem, so do not assume all-tide access. Deerubbun Reserve at Mooney Mooney is another public ramp option farther upriver. Read the current signs and plan the longer run to the entrance.
Keep the boating chart available. Keep channels, ferry approaches and ramps clear; do not tie to navigation marks or assume a vacant private mooring is available. Anchoring rules include staying at least 200 m from underwater cables.
A practical boat note: assess the return run as well as the water where you intend to fish. Wear a lifejacket, carry the required safety gear and leave before wind against tide makes the entrance uncomfortable. For powerboats up to 4.8 m, jackets must be worn at night or when alone on enclosed waters, and at all times on open waters; check the full current requirements.
Pay the NSW recreational fishing fee unless exempt and carry proof. Current mulloway rules are a 70 cm minimum, one fish per person per day and a two-fish boat limit when two or more fishers are aboard. Use the current limits for all retained fish and bait.
For a session after landing ashore, the Lower Hawkesbury shore guide has its own access and fishing choices. For squid, kingfish and a smaller-water change of plan inside Pittwater, use the separate Pittwater boat guide.