The Ovens (South Whale Beach)

The Ovens is a rock formation situated on a point of the South Whale Beach headland, and is accessed by either walking around the rocks from Whale Beach (quite a journey), or climbing down a steep path on the Careel Head cliff face from Rayner st, and then abseiling (there are foot and hand holds cut into the rock) the last 5-10 metres onto the rock platform. Parking is very limited at the street entrance, the rock platform is very crowded, and in heavy seas it can be a very dangerous fishing area (never fish here alone), but the rewards can be anything from Snapper and Mulloway on the bottom, to Kingfish, Salmon and Large Tuna when live baiting on the surface. It is also possible to find your own livebait in the area.

Parking: There is very little parking at the end of Rayner st, so getting there early is necessary. Even dawn can be too late, but take great care if you are to try to get down in the dark. If you want to park at Whale Beach and walk around the headland to one of the many fishing spots around the rocks, or to The Ovens, a ticket will cost you $9.00 for 24hrs.

Danger: All rockfishing spots on the Australian coast can be at times dangerous, but The Ovens is like that all the time, even before you get down if you don't have your ropes tight. It therefore goes without saying you need at least one good strong rope, and your gear in as compact as possible container, before you can even start. Once you are down though, do not forget to keep your eyes forever on those waves- even in small swells a backwash wave develops here and can sweep you off from behind before you know it!

Bait: The most commonly used bait at The Ovens for the larger surface fish is definately live yellowtail, set about 1 1/2 metres below a float. Thats not to discourage pilchard or fish strip baits, both of which are effective when used in this way, or on the bottom for snapper and other fish. Bottom fishing here invairiably involves quite a few snags. Live yellowtail can be caught on site using some berley in the wash right near the rock edge, and kept in rockpools on the platform. Pilchards and other baits are available from the petrol station on Barrenjoey road at Avalon.

Remember a long rod of at least 10ft is required when fishing off rocks to ensure good clearance from snags on retrieval.