A single-day three-rod mulloway test on the Hawkesbury River has tipped the live-bait-versus-dead-bait argument squarely toward live—Hunters Fishing Adventure's snail-rigged yaker pulled a 1.10 m, fifteen-kilo jew while chunks of yellowtail kept a steady stream of schoolies coming in.
The Hunters Fishing Adventure channel framed the day as a controlled comparison. Three rods, three different presentations, one tide. A whole live yaker rigged on a snail set sat at the back as the trophy rod. A half-yaker butterflied on six-ot hooks ran the middle line. And a simple chunk of fresh yellowtail held the close rod for schoolies. All rods were sat in holders with the drag preset for a running fish.
It did not take long for the live yaker to do its job. Within minutes of the rods going down, the trophy rod loaded up.
"That was a big fish, guys. That was a big fish," the angler said. "Live bait. Oh, let's have a look at him."
A passing boat pulled up close mid-fight, but the angler kept the line clear and beach-balled a metre-class fish to the surface.
"Over a metre. Over a metre, guys," he said. "Wow. It's a big one, guys. It's a big fish, guys."
"Live bait takes the lead, guys," the angler said. "I knew that's what I would get with that live bait. I knew I'd attract the bigger fish."
The chunk rod then settled into a more typical Hawkesbury day. School mulloway came through in numbers, with an 85 cm jew the standout—pinned in the corner of the jaw on a simple slab of yellowtail.
"Another beautiful one, guys. Beautiful fish. Get a quick measurement," he said. "Second keeper for the day. Good size fish on the dot. Eighty-five."
The butterfly half-yaker option, sitting between the two extremes, produced a 45 cm flathead, a juvenile mulloway and a 59 cm tailor that flagged what the presenter said was an unusually big run of choppers through the river this season.
"There is an absolute monster tailor this year," he said. "It is a big season. Everyone is getting massive tailor everywhere."
The bycatch column added a blue spot eagle ray that fooled the angler into thinking it was another big jew until it broke surface.
The finishing line of the day was practical enough to lift straight into a pinned comment.
"If you want the big fish, guys, go to live bait. If you want a lot of fish, go the chunk baits," he said. "It just depends what you're chasing, whether you want that trophy fish or you want to catch a lot of fish during the day. I like to go a bit of both. I don't mind catching a lot of fish, but I like to have that big bait out too, just in case."
"You don't want too much slack line on that snail setup," he said. "You want to custom make your snail setup to the size of your yakers. Otherwise, it looks a bit messy."
The session also doubled as a Hawkesbury winter weather warning. The catchment had been pumping floodwater for two weeks before the trip, and the temperature dropped sharply once the sun fell behind the western hills. The angler called the session before dark—not because the bite died, but because the cold beat him.
