Previous Reports January -August 2006

This weeks Report 09 August
Pittwater
Leatherjacket are continuing to plague the wreck reef rock and man made structure from the upper reaches of Pittwater to the front of Broken Bay and further, including up into Brisbane Waters. They have been at this for at least the couple of months, shutting down much of the fishery as they go, but they are a most palatable fish in their own right and worth targeting for a feed while nothing else is about. Fishing the Valiant wreck just east of Barrenjoey almost guarantees a feed.

Offshore
Shark fishing has been hotting up in the last few weeks with unusually warm water still holding off Sydney, and now good numbers of Mako, Tiger and Whaler Sharks patrol the deeper waters. Large specimens like those around at the moment, including 200+ kilogram Makos and much larger Tigers, provide some of the most spectacular sports fishing available, and long hard fights are the norm. Good berley and chum slicks are a sure fire way to bring around a few of these terrifying toothies, which can then often be sight fed half a bonito or similar tuna on a two hook wire rig.

This weeks Report 01 August
Sydney Harbour
There have been some nice eating size Flathead found all throughout the Harbour this week. Drifting small live baits like poddy mullet or small yellowtail slowly around areas with a good percentage of sand on the bottom, such as inside North Harbour, will yield good results. Fresh fish strip baits especially pilchards are an effective second best. Soft plastics have also accounted for a large percentage of the flathead haul lately, especially for those using heavily scented insect replicas. Good colour patterns include black and gold, pumpkinseed and green.

Tailor are schooling in the more open areas of the Harbour, and are often being taken whilst fishing for other species. Look to work areas around open rocky structure, especially when chasing them with lures. A variety of trolled lures from bibbed minnows to simple metal slices will do the trick. Look to imitate baitfish around 7 - 10cm long by using lures of similar length. Most fresh or live fish baits will also produce the goods when chasing these sharp toothed, aggressive fish around the same structure. Berley and a strong trace are essential.

A few rogue individuals have filtered out of the Salmon schools that are holding off the front of north head, and are slowly dispersing throughout the harbour. These generally larger fish are feeding deeper and on larger baitfish than their seagoing friends, and therefore are less skittish and willing to take larger lures. Trolling with blue, 9cm, bibbed minnows around kirribilli and middle head is showing success at present, and also has the advantage of hooking these great light tackle sportsfish high in the water, from where they will often take to the air spectacularly in an attempt to find their freedom.

Northern Beaches
The Beaches and rocks have felt the brunt of some wild winter weather this week, but this extra stir has helped expose prey buried in the sand, and washed small crustaceans from there rocky homes, providing a smorgasbord to stimulate lethargic winter species. Most of the northern beaches are fishing consistently when conditions allow. Curl Curl and Dee Why have both continued to throw up decent hauls of Bream off the beach. Strips of fresh pilchard are a top bait, which will give you a chance of picking a nice Tailor at the same time. Accessible headlands from North Head to Barrenjoey also have a few Tailor, as well as a couple of fat Salmon, showing interest in metal slices spun of a morning and evening.

Pittwater
Leatherjacket are still on the prowl, as they have been for the last month or two. While they are the scourge of some anglers for infesting areas where more favoured species usually reside, especially structure and deep reef, they are a most palatable fish in their own right and worth targeting for a feed. Peeled prawns fed into a berley trail have been the temptation for these white fleshed pan fryers. Try starting at the Valiant wreck just east of Barrenjoey, where currently there are good numbers.

Sydney Harbour
Harbour fishing continues to be a bit up and down, but a good variety of species still abound. When they can get up the appetite for a feed, a couple of Tailor are about, smashing into 7 and 9cm bibbed minnows, trolled around the inside of middle head amongst other places. Trevally are also making a show, particularly on the edge of bait schools where a bit of berley can put you onto some of these nice light tackle brawlers.

This weeks Report 01 August
Sydney Harbour
Tailor are schooling in the more open areas of the Harbour, and are often being taken whilst fishing for other species. Look to work areas around open rocky structure, especially when chasing them with lures. A variety of trolled lures from bibbed minnows to simple metal slices will do the trick. Look to imitate baitfish around 7 - 10cm long by using lures of similar length. Most fresh or live fish baits will also produce the goods when chasing these sharp toothed, aggressive fish around the same structure. Berley and a strong trace are essential.

A few rogue individuals have filtered out of the Salmon schools that are holding off the front of north head, and are slowly dispersing throughout the harbour. These generally larger fish are feeding deeper and on larger baitfish than their seagoing friends, and therefore are less skittish and willing to take larger lures. Trolling with blue, 9cm, bibbed minnows around kirribilli and middle head is showing success at present, and also has the advantage of hooking these great light tackle sportsfish high in the water, from where they will often take to the air spectacularly in an attempt to find their freedom.

Pittwater
Pittwater is one of the more protected waterways in Sydney, allowing fishing in most conditions, and thankfully there are a few fish around. Trevally have been the pick of the bunch, with schools responding well to berley trails around the mouth. Peeled unweighted prawns fed back into the trail have accounted for their share of fish this week. A couple of Tailor and the odd Salmon are also exploring around Soldiers and Longnose Pts, but the real Salmon action is just out the front of Broken Bay, where the big migratory schools still feed.

Broken Bay
Jewfish have not shut down entirely in the colder water of Broken Bay, though the bite is far less frequent than it is in the warmer months, and the average fish size only around 3kg. Patience can be severely tested when strong winds blow straight from the Snowy Mountains to your boat. For the hardy types some fresh Slimy Mackerel fillets or Squid strips send back with the current toward the Brooklyn Rail Bridge will give you the best chance of picking up a few ‘soapies’ out of any passing schools.

Luderick have been taken in the last few days quite a way up the Hawkesbury River around Wisemans Ferry. Look for a rocky bank or inter-tidal area with plenty of weed growth. They are taking both green and cabbage weeds, and in some situations can even be tempted into taking brown weed. Light trace line and exceptionally well presented baits are they keys to a good haul.

Botany Bay
Botany Bay is still fishing well for Trevally and Bream this far into the winter, with the Container wall proving one of the better spots at the moment. Light line and little weight is the key to good catches. Peeled prawns are especially effective on the Trevally, and live nippers are working well on the Bream.
Trolling with diving minnows in Yarra Bay is producing a few reasonable size Tailor and the odd Salmon at times, though fishing this way over the last week has fired in the early morning and then become very slow for the rest of the day.

Northern Beaches
Plenty of Drummer are currently being taken from the rocky washes off most of Sydney’s northern beaches. Extra strong and very sharp hooks around size 1 or 1/0, and strong line and trace, are the elements required if you wish to stop this fish from busting you off on the rocks that may be as close as 40 or 50 cm away. Abalone gut set under a float or placed unweighted into the wash areas is the key.

Sydney Harbour
Tailor are the major predators of the Harbour at present, and some of them are massive. Around Kirribilli, as well as a few other areas closer to the mouth there are schools of these toothy predators terrorising baitfish of a morning, or hiding deep during the brighter hours. Gulls sitting on the surface are often a good indicator to what lurks beneath. Metal slices can be worked deep around these gulls during the day, and in the morning, casting into the melee will almost always yield results. Trolling around the edge of any feeding surface schools with size 7 or 9 bibbed minnows, in gold, blue mackerel or read head, should also put you in with a shot at any that may be around.

This weeks report 18 July
Northern Beaches
The beaches are still fishing pretty well, especially in comparison with our estuaries. Nice Black Drummer are still firing for the ledge brigade, getting stuck into Abalone Gut and occasionally also fresh bread. Salmon are off the front of most headlands, including at Curly and Dee Why, where they can be spun up with small metals or just bait fished with pilchards. Tailor have also shown their faces in the same areas as the Salmon, and are falling in similar ways. Jewies have also been about lately causing plenty of bust offs for those using lighter gear. They are not feeding consistently, but if you are persistent, they're there in decent size.

Broken Bay
Jewfish have not shut down entirely in the colder water of Broken Bay, though the bite is far less frequent than it is in the warmer months, and the average fish size only around 3kg. Patience can be severely tested when strong winds blow straight from the Snowy Mountains to your boat. For the hardy types some fresh Slimy Mackerel fillets or Squid strips send back with the current toward the Brooklyn Rail Bridge will give you the best chance of picking up a few ‘soapies’ out of any passing schools.

Luderick have been taken in the last few days quite a way up the Hawkesbury River around Wisemans Ferry. Look for a rocky bank or inter-tidal area with plenty of weed growth. They are taking both green and cabbage weeds, and in some situations can even be tempted into taking brown weed. Light trace line and exceptionally well presented baits are they keys to a good haul.

Botany Bay
Botany Bay is still fishing well for Trevally and Bream this far into the winter, with the Container wall proving one of the better spots at the moment. Light line and little weight is the key to good catches. Peeled prawns are especially effective on the Trevally, and live nippers are working well on the Bream.
Trolling with diving minnows in Yarra Bay is producing a few reasonable size Tailor and the odd Salmon at times, though fishing this way over the last week has fired in the early morning and then become very slow for the rest of the day.

Sydney Harbour
It's getting colder in the harbour. Sluggish fish letharge around the place quite uninterested in eating. The deeper fish must be in water close to 10 degrees. Even the hardy and voracious trevally can’t bring themselves to get animated. Thankfully the schools of Salmon that are slowly arriving are starting to feed around the front of North Head. For now it seems they are feeding on very small fry, an inch or shorter, best targeted with white 7gm metal slices. While the schools are still on the point of north head it is best to work them into the harbour, where they will hang around much longer, though at present the large numbers of Dolphins and the odd whale in the harbour is occasionally putting the schools down.

Sydney Offshore
Conditions out wide have been up and down lately, but that hasn’t put a dampener on the fishing, with nice sized schools of Yellowfin Tuna with equivalent numbers of Albacore between the continental shelf and Browns Mountain. Quantities of bait are also holding them in the area. The Yellowfin have been in the fifteen to twenty kilogram range in the majority of cases, but there are a few schools holding much bigger fish from twentyfive to fourty kilograms. Albacore are a smaller fish in general, however those at present are still up there around 10 – 15kg. Small bibless trembler and vib style lures are wreaking plenty of havoc, and surface lures including lumo trolling skirts have accounted for a few fish.

Offshore
The last few weeks have seen water temperatures wane considerably as cooler southern waters bring their influence. Thankfully, though some of the resident species in still in shock, this same water is also bringing Whales; and where there are whales there must be Tuna. For the second year running, Killer Whales have even been spotted feeding close to shore, indicating good quantities of baitfish are also about. In fact there is so much bait offshore at the moment that it is affecting the fishing.

Pittwater
The water temperature in Pittwater has dropped substantially from the highs of summer, with 14 degrees now more the norm. This cooler water has put a stop to any Kingfish bite, and many other summer species have also shut down, but species more adapted to the chill are still on the chew. John Dory particularly are filtering in to the river, taking Yakkas set on light line around the deeper calmer moorings off Newport.

Broken Bay
Solid rain on already wet ground is what Jewfish fisho’s dream of, especially after such a prolonged dry. Though in the first few days after a wet it is mostly about hunting the varied types of food disturbed by the flushing fresh, large quantities of fresh water also wash plenty of organic matter into the estuaries, starting algal and other growth which in provide bountiful food for creatures at the bottom of the food chain. When this happens and they prey is fat and abundant, the larger predators will hang around for much longer in the system, and this of course includes the big Jewies.

Sydney Harbour
The Parramatta River is pretty much the best place in Sydney for Bream at the moment. Those able to get through the poor weather to the water have been picking up some very nice fish, especially on very lightly weighted soft plastics. Pumpkinseed drop shot minnows and red fleck rattle grubs, both in 2 inch varieties, are equally effective. Bait fishers have been successful using thinly sliced pilchard pieces.

Large Calamari are still about in the Harbour and if you are willing to put in some time after dark it is possible land some good size Eastern versions. Look for areas of sea grass growing over a sandy bottom, especially near good protective structure or close to a rocky shore. One or two of these larger Calamari squid will move into a small area and control it as their territory so it is often a good idea to work a wider area once you have caught a couple, or change spots over consecutive days.

Sydney Heads
Some very good size Australian Salmon up to 3 and 4kg have been taken just off North and South Head recently, as they start to school up and down along the bluff of our headlands. Most of the fish are still arriving, so though there is good surface activity the schools are small. Some smaller fish are finding their way into the harbour and can be found around Middle and Dobroyd Heads. They are predominantly being taken spinning or trolling with small to mid sized chrome slices around 15 - 60gms. This early in the season they are still feeding on larger baitfish, and have not yet been spooked by many boats targeting them, so they are less finicky than they may be later in the season. There are however quite a few dolphins harassing them.

Report Posted 14 June
Offshore
The arrival of a few Yellowfin Tuna is the big news of the moment. This early on most of the fish are on the small side of medium, averaging around 30kg, but they still put up a great fight. They’re not here alone either. Albacore have also been encountered, with decent schools of 15 – 20kg fish around bait schools on the edge of the shelf, and Striped Tuna around the 5kg mark are schooling closer in. Tuna are a tasty fish, and not just for us, so it’s no surprise there are also a few decent size sharks sniffing about for an opportunity on the outskirts of the schools. 8" pushers have been doing the trick, with blue and lumo green patterns most successful.

Harbour
The Harbour is reeling from the influx of thousands of leatherjackets at present, from the Harbour Bridge to the Spit Bridge and into North Harbour. That’s not to say that there’s nothing else about, only that for those looking to fish the Harbour are going to have to fish areas other than prominent wrecks and reefs. Places like fairlight reef for example are now almost off limits to anything but these aquatic incisors, and the pattern is being played out across the board. If you are after something else, the best bet is to fish weed beds and drop offs, and at high tide the flats as well, as the majority of the Flathead and Bream being caught are coming from these areas. At least then you’ll be able to throw a few plastics around without losing one every cast to a million small bites!

Northern Beaches
The rocks fished well during most of the recent poor weather, for those willing to rug up and pick their times well. Overcast weather means many species can feed for much of the day without being easily seen, as was the case early this week. Some decent size Tailor currently stalk the washes off many of our headlands, including Nth Curl Curl rocks and off the front of Barrenjoey Head. As the seas abate, it is well worth fishing the morning high tides. Sending lightly weighted pillies into the edge of the wash area is a sure fire way to get your rod bent by a toothy silver flash. Remember strong trace line and ganged hooks will land more fish.

Gear destroying small mouthed Black Drummer are buckling rods from rocky washes around most of Sydney's headlands at present. Tough line, extremely strong small gape hooks around sizes 2 - 1/0, and a strong rod are all necessary if you wish to stop these fish from diving back into the rocks once you have hooked them, particularly when the fish are getting up toward the three kilo mark like they are currently. The fight is usually short given how close you are to the fish, and it is always intense. Abalone gut, fresh prawns and bread are the baits of choice, fished suspended in the rocky washes of most Sydney Headlands. Be sure to always watch the sea when rock fishing, and fish with a mate who can keep an eye out when you can’t.

After a long and very fishable summer, its little surprise that the cold, wind and rain are keeping some less persistent anglers indoors at present. For the more persistent however, these conditions are exactly what we’ve been waiting for. Rain in particular has been in such short supply for so long now, and this has been adversely affecting fishing conditions. For a year the harbours and estuaries have been salty, the lakes and lagoons have remained closed, and there has been little if any stir to fire the systems up. The last weeks rain has fixed that, and fishing is on the improve, especially for winter species such as whiting, bream, trevally and tailor.

Pittwater
Pittwater fisho's don't seem any keener than others to jump into the wind and rain, but the fishing has been on the improve for a little while now and the trend should continue once the sun returns. Some nice sized Bream are making their way around the flats off mackerel beach, nosing out worms and nippers on high tide. Fresh worms and pippies are the gun baits. A few flathead are also checking out the same areas, and are falling to drifted pilchards, though the size isn't much to write home about. There are a few bigger flatties about for those willing to brave the wind and swell. Work the grounds between Lion Island and Box Head. Schools of winter Trevally are about inside Pittwater, and though they are small fish, they're great fun for the kids. All you need is some light line and a few peeled prawns and you're on your way.

Sydney Harbour
The recent big fresh in Sydney, with the accompanying dirty, cold and less saline harbour waters, has not done too much for the fishing in the short term. Tailor have been harder than usual to find, and even the somewhat abundant Trevally are less voracious. The pleasing part is that the one fish that really loves a big fresh is the Jewfish, especially the larger varieties The more open harbour areas, such as the deeper holes between Middle Head and Sow and Pigs reef, or around Nielsen Park, are good places to start laying a fresh Mullet or Tailor strip, now that the dirtier water has made its way well downstream. Adjust your weight depending on the current, using just enough to get your bait to the bottom and hold it there.

Northern Beaches
The beaches are have been hard to fish of late, with plenty of wind and rain and pretty messy conditions. There have been a few whiting about around the 30cm mark taking fresh worms, especially on the more protected beaches, but most people are getting geared up for Jewfish as the lakes and lagoons burst their big influx of fresh water into the surf. Curl Curl, Dee Why and a few other lagoons have opened in the last day, and fishing around their mouths is expected to have it’s rewards. Live baits or mullets strips are the obvious choice, fished on paternoster rigs.

Pittwater
Pittwater has been on the improve for a couple of weeks, with winter fish arriving slowly to keep the hoardes happy. Trevally are probably the most common species, and though the average size is small, schools are responding to berley trails from Barrenjoey and West Head to well inside Pittwater. Fresh peeled prawns have been accounting for a few, fed unweighted into the trail. Big Bream are also about, and they will tuck into the fresh prawns as well, though their numbers vary on a day to day basis. Plastic flickers are successfully buckling rods using the smallest of insect imitations cast around shallow oyster encrusted structure on the high tide.

This weeks report 30 May
Northern Beaches
Night fishing is starting to get a little chilly, with the water feeling much warmer than the air at times, but the beach action is well and truly making up for it. Drummer have been on the hunt off the ledges for a little while now, and they are getting bigger as the temperature wanes. The current night time high tides are fishing well. Fresh Prawns - peeled, Abalone Gut and bread are all doing the business off most headlands with decent wash. Smaller blackfish are also on the move in similar areas, though preferring less wash. Cabbage weed is working well for these vegetarians.

Massive Greenback Tailor have been haunting the rocky ledges of many headlands, with some really massive fish schooling in close to the edge of the wash. 2kg plus fish are not uncommon, mostly taken on fresh pilchard, with night fishing seemingly the most productive, closely followed by the hours around dawn. Big Bream are also about, from the beach gutters to the rocky washes, feeding up as breeding urges take over. Pilchards are taking a few, but the best bait seems to be fresh bottle squid.

Offshore
Offshore fishing is a bit between things at the moment, with the slow Marlin season effectively over and the Yellowfin Tuna yet to hit with any vengeance, though we have been paid a fleeting visit by some small fish from 20 – 30kg. Thankfully there are at least a few sharks about, mostly Tigers, including a few of some size up around the 300 kilo mark. Closer in there are a few pelagic schools moving around off the beaches, including Bonito around off the southern beaches, frigates in small patches all over the place - occasionally harrassed by some decent size Mack Tuna, and Stripey Tuna a bit wider past the 8 mile. There doesn't seem to be much surface action, but the birds are always a good guide when the fish are deep.

This weeks report 25 May
Sydney Harbour
The water temperature is quite variable in the harbour at the moment, with water as cold as 17.7 degrees around Roseville while the mouth is closer to 19.5. This may encourage a bit more activity amongst the warmer downstream fish than in those up river, but that’s not to say there aren’t good fish on the chew all over. Up river there have been some really nice Bream on the chew, especially from structure near the mouth of the Lane Cove River and around the Iron Cove Bridge. Small soft plastics in green and browns are doing the trick. Start on one inch insect or baitfish imitations. The same water is home to some nice Jewies as well at this time of year, so it can be well worth sizing up your gear to throw more heavily weighted 4 and 5 inch shad tails as the tide edges toward the high.

Northern Beaches
The action off the stones has been pretty hot lately. The short though intense smash and grab attempts of big black drummer are beginning to dominate the cool water. A few increasingly large ‘pigs’ are being taken out of the washes and holes from most headlands North and South, mostly on bread or Abalone gut. Bread baits have also accounted for a few prime Bream. Luderick are about grazing weed off the rocks, but the average size is pretty small. For those casting a bit wider, small numbers of Salmon and schools of big Tailor are also about, munching into pillies or live baits, and the odd decent Snapper can be tempted into taking fresh squid.

Offshore
Big sharks are the offshore game anglers standby fish. With what could be described as a less than hot Marlin season almost over, and Yellowfin Tuna yet to arrive in any number, big tiger and mako sharks have stepped up to steal top billing. Many hours of chumming with many kilos of fish, though not the most obvious way to enjoy yourself, is turning up sharks as long as trucks that tilt the scales at up to 350kg. Areas of good structure around 10 miles out and further have been productive. Fishing just wide of the 'Peak' is proving popular for trailer boats, though most of the really big fellas have come in from off the continental shelf. Browns Mountain is worth fishing in this situation, as then if the first of the Tuna do turn up, johnny will be on the spot.

Cold winter southerly winds. They don't make fishing easy. Nor does the swell which has blown up again in sympathy. At least we are getting a bit of stir again on the close in reefs and gravel. Snapper have been taken in decent numbers lately, as have a few large Morwong, and the extra turbulence should bring them on more. Most of the snapper about at present are perfectly plate sized, between 1 and 2 kilograms depending on your plate, and at this size they will readily take drift fished paternoster rigged baits including fresh squid, pilchard, and a range of other oily fish. 15 - 20 lb line is optimum. There is a decent amount of current at times, which should also make berley trail fishing a good option. Anchor far enough up-current of your chosen gravel patch so that the berley will filter down right on top of it, and then feed unweighted baits including pilchards or squid down into the trail.

Sydney Harbour
With the weather cooling and the water slowly following suit, fishing is starting to get a little harder. Plenty of fish are still about, it's just that in the cooler months they eat less, and feeding times are therefore much shorter and less intense. Trevally and Tailor are probably the most active species at the moment, and good numbers are working the mouth of the harbour. Quarrantine Pt, Dobroyd Reef and Sow and Pigs are all holding Trevally, which will respond well to lightly weighted baits including peeled prawns and a strong berley trail. Tailor can be found around Middle Head, especially by those fishing deep live baits. Failing the live bait option, pilchards fished on paternoster rigs will suffice.

Plenty of good sized blackfish are roaming about cleaning weed of structures in the harbour, particularly around the heavily built up areas in the bays close to town. From either side of the harbour Bridge to the rock walls around Balmain there are fish to be found. In some places the schools are thick enough to berley up a freeding frenzy at the moment, and as Luderick go they are big fish. Green weed is proving effective as is cabbage. Berley up using some of your bait weed ground with sand.

This weeks report 18 May
Sydney Harbour
Trevally are one of the harbours more prolific winter species, and can be found around most of it's open water structure. Reefs such as Sow and Pigs, as well as many of the channel markers and other man made structures in sight of the heads are all once more turning on numbers of this great light line sports fish. Berley is quite essential in bringing these fish around you, but once fish are about all you need to do is feed an un-weighted bait back into the berley trail to get results. Try peeled prawns for the best results. Light line of around 6lb- 8lb will not just increase your fun, but also catch you more fish.

Hawkesbury
Luderick have been taken in the last few days quite a way up the Hawkesbury River around Wisemans Ferry. Look for a rocky bank or inter-tidal area with plenty of weed growth. They are taking both green and cabbage weeds, and in some situations can even be tempted into taking brown weed. Light trace line and exceptionally well presented baits are they keys to a good haul.

Sydney Harbour
With the majority of the harbour Kingfish populations either moved on or well and truly off the bite in the cooler conditions, it is time to start targeting other fish. Though it is hard to replicate the fight of a good kingfish during the winter months, at least we have species such as the large Tailor that have moved in to fill some of the gap. Middle Head has been particularly active, and a troll of the deepwater on each side of it, with metal slices around 40 - 60gms or bibbed lures around 7cm, should put you in touch with a few whopper choppers. If you can locate a school it may be worth stopping and spinning deep with metal slices.

Report 05 May
Northern Beaches
Hard fighting small mouthed Drummer are on and being taken from rocky washes around the northern headlands. Tough line, extremely strong small gape hooks, and a pretty strong rod are all needed if you wish to stop these fish from diving back into the rocks once you have hooked them. The fight is usually short given how close you are to the fish, and it is always intense. Abalone gut is the bait of choice, fished suspended in the rocky washes of most Sydney Headlands. Be sure to always watch the sea when rock fishing, and fish with a mate who can keep an eye out when you can’t.

If winter rock fisho’s are a hardy breed, those after black drummer may well be the hardiest. Often given away only by the lurid stench of abalone gut, and a craving for explosive action, these ledge legends are the ones most likely to be sporting a big smile when winter comes around. Well now is their time - the black pigs are on, and there's some size to them too! It's not just Drummer on the rocks though, there are a few fish on the chew around the rocks. Tailor dominate the rough water around the edge of the wash, and a few Sambo’s play along to keep the sport fishers happy as the Kingfish bite wanes. Live yakkas or pilchard baits are both bagging their share of these fish.

Yellowfin Bream are running the beaches again as their annual migration starts in earnest, and some of the fish are real thumpers. Catches of fish over the kilo mark have been usual, though most of the fish are in the reigon of 600-800gms. Almost all the northern beaches have provided some action, with fish alternating from rocky wash to beach gutter and back. Fresh squid strips may sound a strange bait, but they’re currently outfishing everything else. Large shad tailed soft plastics are the pick if you are thinking of luring a few.

If there is one place that doesnˆt suffer a huge reduction in sports fishing over the winter months, it is the beaches. Black Drummer may only provide a short fight, but it is a dramatic one. Tales of 3 plus kilogram 'pigs' have been surfacing for a while, but now things are really beginning to heat up. Local ledges and rocky washes from Queenscliff and Curl Curl to Long Reef and further are producing, with the bigger specimens preferring bread and Abalone gut.

Sydney Harbour
John Dory are starting to move into the harbour in better numbers, even though the water is still incredibly warm at almost 21 degrees. When the water is like this so late in the year it pays to look in the deeper areas, if possible with both structure and as much shade as possible. Still water is also pretty crucial. Clifton Gardens, Reef Beach, Quarrantine pt, and many other areas that fit this bill are producing fish at the moment. Live small baitfish especially Yellowtail fished a little off the bottom will yield best results.

There is the odd Jewfish roaming around inside the harbour at present, there for the persistent and hardy angler, and the build up to the next full moon should see a few more turn on the bite. A couple of the harbours major deepwater structures are producing, especially at night. A good bet is to throw fresh mullet strips or fresh squid into one of the deeper holes around Gladesville Bridge, or around the eddies caused by Bradleys Head on outgoing tides. A good strong berley with plenty of oily fish is essential.

Posted 28 April
Sydney Harbour
The Harbour has not been really firing for a few weeks now, but as we slowly move toward winter, the fishing is improving. Recent weeks have already seen good numbers of John Dory, but now they are just getting bigger and bigger. Last week there were a few Dory caught, including a couple that went over 5lb. Drifting with live yellowtail suspended a couple of metres off the bottom is a top method of attack. Try Clifton Gardens, Dobroyd Pt, or on the inside of Quarrantine Point.

Tailor may well be the fish of this winter for Sydney Harbour, with plenty of 2, 3 and even 4 kg specimens already haunting the headlands and structure around the Harbour mouth. Quarrantine Pt and Middle Head are great places to start trying to troll up a few, using size 7 diving minnows in silvers and blues. Metal slices cast toward the rocks in the same areas will also provide good results. If the fish are spending more time low in the water, try throwing out a couple of fresh slimy mackerel strips or whole pilchards on gang hooks, and fish them a couple of metres off the bottom. Australian Salmon may also be found in the same areas but are pretty patchy and hard to target.


Offshore
Bottom bashing has been quite successful offshore this week, if you can first get out there through the wash and wind, and secondly get your bait down with all the current. Close in off the southern beaches, in between the Leatherjacket schools, there are a few big and very tasty Sand Flathead. Mid sized live Yellowtail are working a treat on them when drifted along the bottom. A little wider and there are some good Snapper slowly starting to exert their influence after all the recent wash. Areas like The Peak, as well as some of the closer gravel grounds, are producing fat plate sized Reds at the moment. Dolphin fish are also still on the traps and FADs, though starting to dwindle in both size and number on the closer ones. Try looking beyond the ten mile mark for better fish.

Hawkesbury
Bass and Estuary Perch are still being taken from the Colo River around Dargle. Fish soft plastics on the bottom during the middle parts of the day, using as little weight as possible. Unweighted plastics floated down into snags and weedbeds are also having success, and glow plastics can be used at night for amazing results. Surface lures such as fizzers and poppers are still working well around dawn and dusk, especially when worked in around the snags and other structure in the river.
Large Calamari are beginning to move in around the mouth of Broken Bay and into Pittwater, as they search for a place to spawn before the winter really sets in. They are incredibly aggressive and quite terrortorial due to this, and can therefore be readily taken on larger (from 2.5 - 3.5 size) squid jigs. West Head is holding some of decent size. Smaller Arrow Squid can be found higher up river. Cowan Creek has a few likely spots, including around Cottage pt and the mouth of Jerusalem Bay. Look for areas of weed interspersed with sand, especially near a drop off.

Sydney Harbour
Fishing has slowed up in the Harbour dramatically. There are still fish about but they aren’t as hungry as they were during the summer. There is also a lot of bait still about, including extra large Yellowtail at the mouth of North Harbour, smaller Yellowtail around Balmoral, and some large Squid off the kelp beds around the harbour as they move in to breed. Schools of smaller squid can be found, mostly on seagrass beds throughout the harbour, but they are very hard to entice into striking at any jigs due mostly to their size.

Some big Bream are being taken from inside the Harbour, especially around rocky washes with some deepwater access. Man made structures such as heavily encrusted wharf pylons are also proving a hot favourite. Fresh fish pieces as well as pudding baits will put you in with a good shot. Remember these bigger fish are rather wary, and must be deceived using a combination of very light line, as little weight as possible, and as small and sharp a hook as can feasibly hold under the weight of the fish. Unweighted baits are the most successful.

Reports Posted 19 April
Sydney Harbour
The annual Mullet migration is underway again, and the first fish have started to enter Sydney Harbour. In recent years the simple concentration of mullet made them a prime target for beach haulers, but as this won't happen this year, there will be many more about to keep any marauding Jewfish happy. Most of the mullet are good sized breeders too, around 1 – 2 foot long, and it won’t be long before the aformentioned Jewies, as well as Tailor, Sharks and other predators in the area get wind of them. That’s when the real feeding frenzy will start, and with any luck, harbour night fishing will come back into it’s own for a little while!

Daytime fishing is a little patchy in the harbour at present, with the fish hard to locate despite the fact they’re still keen for a feed in the over 22.5 degree water. Kings in particular are far less prolific than they were over summer, and look like staying that way till next spring, but schools of Tailor to a couple of kilograms, and the first signs of some massive Salmon, should be enough to keep a fighting fish on the line for the colder months. Those fishing around Quarrantine Pt are bagging out on some of these big Tailor using fresh pilchards or live yakkas for bait. The Salmon that have arrived so far are spending their time around the bluffs of North and South Head.

Botany Bay
Flathead are still biting as the water cools in the Bay. There are plenty of spots worth a go that the land based angler has easy access to. Spots like Deeban spit and the mouth of Gunnamatta bay in Port Hacking. Or try the beach along Brighton le Sands or Silver beach at Kurnell. Soft plastics have been working well, especially those with silver and black patterns. Fresh fish baits such as anchovies, as well as live poddy mullet, have proved top baits this week.

Northern Beaches
Good catches of Tailor are still being taken off most beaches in the north of Sydney. Bait fishing is proving the most effective, with pilchards and slimy mackerel fillets the pick of the temptations. Use a paternoster rig, with a star sinker, and some foam just below the hooks to lift the bait off the sand. There are also a few very good sized Australian Salmon being taken from the same areas, though more usually on floating rigs with ganged pilchards.

Sydney Harbour
The waters in the harbour are quite clear at the moment, quite a blessing considering all the recent wash and swell. Fish that had shut down early in the week rather than fight their way to a feed through all the suspended debris are now hungry and on the hunt. Bream and Snapper both fall into this catagory, and there are resonable smatterings of both to be found around the structures of the harbour. Bream are by far the more prolific of the two, enjoying a renaissance at present due to the removal of commercial fish traps. Try your hand around the moorings in Middle Harbour. A few legal Snapper have taken a liking to Watsons Bay, and can be berlied up with a strong pilchard berley. For best results fish into the berley trail with unweighted baits.

Reports Posted 11 April
Sydney Harbour
Massive swells have put a dampener on fishing over recent days, throwing debris about as well as anglers, but although the churned water looks unpalatable, there are still good numbers of fish about. All over the harbour, from the literally tonnes of baitfish, to massive amounts of Bream, and stacks of small to mid sized Flatties, fish are about and coming back on the chew. Salinity is a factor at present, as many fish seem to be congregating up river, both in Middle Harbour and around Lane Cove. Flicking soft plastics near the entrance of creeks in these upper reaches is showing promise, with a couple of big lizards taken near Sugarloaf Point on brown and green patterned shad tails around 80-100mm long.

Offshore
All the stir of the last few week will turn plenty of reef fish on, as all the food and debris that has been ripped up settles around them. Seanonally migratory fish including good size Snapper are starting to arrive with the cooler currents, and a few of that delicately fleshed and delectable species - the John Dory, have shown up both on close offshore reefs as well as in Sydney Harbour. There are also still a few good Morwong about - if you can just avoid the plagues of leatherjacket .

Sydney Harbour
It has been an interesting time fishing in the harbour of late. Colder waters are slowly pushing their way into the harbour as me move toward winter, and with it come a whole range of cooler climate species. John Dory are one of the more noteable arrivals of recent days, and with the amount of bait around, they look set to stay. Clifton Gardens has produced a couple of these delicately fleshed fish already, as has the mouth of North Harbour. The best bait is live yellowtail, suspended a few metres off the bottom in areas of relatively little water movement. Allow the fish to take the bait and hook itself, as Dory's have a large extendable mouth that will inhale the bait.

Offshore
Wind, wind and more wind. It isn’t making fishing easy. Nor is the swell. Thankfully we are due for a break, which should give a chance for the snapper fisho’s to get out and investigate the close in reefs. Snapper have been taken in decent numbers lately, and the recent days of large swell will have only turned them on more. There is a decent amount of current at times, which should make berley trail fishing a good option. Anchor far enough up-current of your chosen gravel patch that the berley will filter down right on top of it, and then feed unweighted baits including pilchards or squid down into the trail.

This weeks reports posted 3 April 2006
Sydney Harbour
The harbour is experiencing one of it’s best snapper season in many a year, with 40cm plus reds, already with well defined bumps, schooling over gravel beds which historically have yielded only small squire. Recent restrictions relaxing pressure on harbour fish stocks are obviously having a noticeable effect! Drifting with really lightly weighted pilchards has proved pretty effective, but the unquestioned method of attack is to berley from anchor back down the current over the fish, and float unweighted baits down the trail to the hungrily rising fish. Watsons Bay has thrown a few up, and they look fat and well fed too, though that’s hardly a surprise with the masses of baitfish about. Fresh squid and pilchard are the most effective as baits go.

Botany Bay
Kingfish between 65 and 75cm are being taken in Botany Bay at present, however they are still schooling and are often hard to keep near the bait. The most effective method of catching them when they are acting like this is to troll around areas of structure until you get a hit, and then berley the area immediately to try and keep the school nearby. If successful then soft plastic stick baits can be cast into the school and jerk retrieved. If you are lucky enough to have a downrigger, try slow trolling live baits such as bridle-rigged yakkas or slimies on it, in about half water depth, around the same areas!

Pittwater has had a bad run lately, but the gradual increase in fortune continues. A school of Kingfish or two are cruising the bay, some just legal but also a few around the 70-75cm mark. It has been an afternoon bite for the last little while, and it seems this is still the best time, but a few fish have been taken in the early morning recently, tucking in to live yellowtail used because the squid are so scarce. There's a school of Amberjack as well around the bay, big thick fish 60cm and up, giving all sorts of fight. You will have great success with small live squid if you can get them, but even though live yellowtail are not as successful, with the amount of live squid killing baitfish about, they have to be considered.

Offshore
For those more interested in getting out for a few Dolphin Fish, well, they're there in decent size and number, if you can only fight your way through the current cyclone swell to get to the FADs! Some days have been pretty flat though, allowing a few boats out with good results for all, and the forecast is for a few flat days coming up. Before the big swells arrived there was heaps of current, running north at almost 6 knots and pulling the wave rider bouy almost underwater. When this is the case look for trap markers or other bouys. If the current is too strong it is preferable -if possible- to find a piece of driftwood or other debris that is holding fish and flowing with the current, as you can continue to move along with it, and therefore also with the fish. Dollies will usually respond better to a fish not fighting the current, and your strike rate will increase. Just don't forget that you can drift from Sydney Harbour to Broken Bay in no time if you're not careful!

Sydney Harbour
The Kingfish are still out and about in the Harbour, but are hard to track down at times and often the only way to find any trace of them at present is to berley heavily around structure such as the wedding cake markers and try to encourage Yellowtail schools up around the boat. The Kingfish are usually not far behind as long as the berley trail is rich in oily fish and kept strong. A live Yellowtail, caught from the bait school you first attracted and fed back down under the school, is your best chance of hooking one of these mostly rat sized Kings. Failing that, fresh Squid is a great choice. Lure fishers are finding that plastic stick baits and metal knife jigs are also producing results.

Offshore
Dolphin fish are still holding around the FADs and trap markers between 5 and 10nm out, from Broken Bay wide all the way down to South of Sydney. Good sized fish have been tempted into swallowing Slimy Mackerel quite regularly, with the average being about 3kg if you can get out wider of the usual marks. Feed the live Slimy back toward the marker bouy with either an open bail arm, or as little drag resistance as possible if using a baitrunner. If the Dolphin Fish feel any pressure when they take the bait to run, they will drop the bait before they swallow it properly, leaving you to strike at nothing. Yellowtail, though still great live bait, are struggling to tempt more than the smaller fish, and should be used only when no slimies can be found. Unfortunately slimies are also in fairly short supply around Sydney at present.

Pittwater
Pittwater is experiencing the last of the influence of warm blue water for the summer, with a bit still left off the front of Barrenjoey, and there are some of the less common late summer species filtering through it. Amberjack in particular have turned up in small numbers, holding on a few of the wrecks and reefs inside Pittwaters many bays. Most of the fish average around the 60cm mark, quite big enough to give you a decent run for your money, and though they are exhibiting a preference to live squid, a well presented live yellowtail will also put you in with a shot. It’s lucky too because the squid are somewhat tricky at the moment.


The last week has seen some quieter than usual days for Kingfish in Pittwater though there are still fish around. Smaller fish are the more common catch at present, around 65cm, and due to this, smaller baits are required. Fresh local calamari squid are doing the trick, though live yakkas are also a good choice, especially if you find that leatherjackets and other small baitfish are mauling the squid. Drifting or downrigging over the top of Wrecks late in the day is the best way to pick up these just keeper kingfish, while the odd larger fish is still marauding over the same structure ready to nonchalantly bust you off


Botany Bay
Tailor are around the drums in the middle of the Bay in schools at the moment. Most lures will entice a strike, especially shiny metals and plastic slugs. Remember when using plastics for Tailor to expect a large attrition rate, as they have extremely sharp teeth that destroy anything soft. Flathead around Towra have shown their head recently, with good fish around the 55-60cm mark being taken and released recently. Drifting fresh fish baits, whole or in fillets, over the sand and grit shallows off Towra pt. will produce fish. Strong trace, if not wire, is needed to land the larger ones.

Report Posted 18 March
Botany Bay
Kingfish between 65 and 75cm are being taken in Botany Bay at present, however they are still schooling and are often hard to keep near the bait. The most effective method of catching them when they are acting like this is to troll around areas of structure until you get a hit, and then berley the area immediately to try and keep the school nearby. If successful then soft plastic stick baits can be cast into the school and jerk retrieved.

Sydney Harbour
Jewfish are being taken in the harbour at present, and good sized fish from 6 to 10 kg have emerged from the holes around Cockatoo Island. Live baits such as Yakkas, or live or fresh Squid are the most tempting baits for a Sydney Harbour Jewy, however fish fillets or butterflied Mullet can be equally as good at times.

Bream are on in number in the deeper holes in the harbour, as they ready for the spawning season. Soft plastics jigged into one of these holes, especially around any area of deeper water structure, will ensure you catch your fair share. Pudding baits and nippers are also proving popular.

Offshore
The continuing warm water of about 24 degrees off Sydney has ensured another good week of Dolphin Fish fishing on the FAD’s traps and marker buoys offshore. Quite decent numbers of fish are about, both large and small, with the closer FADs generally holding the smaller fish. To come across larger fish you must get out into at least 60 fathoms, if not further. All of the Dolphin fish, big and small alike, are taking well presented mid-sized livies, such as slimy mackerel or yellowtail. If the fish are being a little picky or not taking your live baits, try using light line and unweighted pilchard cubes, fished with an open bail arm until the fish has the bait well into its mouth. Soft plastic lures, such as a 4” minnow or a 6” plastic slug, are also having success. Fly fishers are hooking up a few with pink clousers and offshore deceivers, as well as with a variety of smaller epoxy flies. There are even a few large Dollys, up to 20kg, finding their way onto trolled pushers of about 8-10 inches length. Lumo green is the current pick of the bunch. The best bet is to troll around the wider FADs or around debris on the edge of a current line, but don’t expect to find a school of them; these fish are almost exclusively loners.

Pittwater
Mornings have seen Frigate Mackerel and a couple of Watsons Leaping Bonito busting up inside the moorings of several of the bays in Pittwater, such as The Basin and Careel Bay. These smaller blue water pelagics are tending to follow small baitfish, so if you can berley up some baitfish your chance of seeing these fish increases exponentially. A couple of good sized breeder Bream are being taken on unweighted whitebait in the same manner, after they follow the berley trail in.

Sydney Harbour
Tailor are also moving into the Harbour, and some of them are massive. Around Kirribilli and a few other areas there are schools of these toothy predators terrorising baitfish on the surface of a morning, or hiding deep during the brighter hours. Gulls sitting on the surface are often a good indicator to what lurks beneath. Metal slices can be worked deep around these gulls during the day, and in the morning, casting into the melee will almost always yield results. Trolling around the edge of any feeding surface schools with size 7 or 9 bibbed minnows, in blue mackerel or read head, should also put you in with a shot at any that may be around. A couple of Kings are also about, taking advantage of the Tailors sloppy eating habits, and can be found holding under the schools at dawn and dusk.

Sydney Harbour
As we start to move thru autumn, the air temperature cools a bit, but the water is still warm and for the next month or so Sydney Harbour is home to some big fish. Kingfish in particular are around in size, but they can be remorseless in their efforts to destroy your gear once they get to this level. Middle harbour has been home to a few, especially around the moorings at Seaforth, Pickering Point, and Sugarloaf Bay. The main part of the harbour has also seen a few Hoodlum Kings, even at times almost under the harbour bridge at goat Island, but all the extra structure makes things difficult. 50lb trace is a minimum!

Sydney Harbour
The green water in the harbour is proving very hard to fish at the moment. Whether it is the temperatures or the salt levels or a combination of factors, the fish are on the move and off the bite. Many of the usually productive areas around the more open parts of the harbour are effectively bare, and fish seem to be heading into the upper reaches. Lane Cove River has yielded a few of fish of late, with Jewfish in particular haunting the points and edddies around Fig Tree bridge. Surprisingly many of these Jewies are being caught during daylight hours, with small live poddy mullet proving just too tempting.

Hawkesbury
As we move into autumn, Bass fishing starts to intensify. Spawning is on the mind of these dual habitat fish, and they are currently making their way upstream into fresh water to accomplish their goal. Good catches of Bass are being taken from all over the upper Hawkesbury from The Colo River up into the Nepean. Flies such as dharlbergs are having great success, or for the spin fisher a combination of small soft plastic minnows and surface lures such as poppers will cover most bases.

Sydney Harbour
Tailor have been a harbour staple for some time now, with large schools marauding throughout the more open areas of the Harbour. The exposed waters outside Rose Bay and around Shark Island is privy to some aggressive surface action. Mornings are the best time to find the schools, when they are co-operating to ball up bait on the surface. Once you’re onto a school the best attack is to spin with silver slices of the right size to imitate the current crop of baitfish, which at present are fairly large. Between 2 and 4 inches is the optimum. Clouser minnows are keeping fly fishers in the game.

Sydney Harbour
The Jewfish bite has been pretty slow of late, but things are on the up, with fish around 8kg on the move around the harbour. The tides at present are the highest of the year, almost 1.8 metres, providing plenty of flow to really stir things up. Larger Jewfish in particular really love these conditions, and can be found holding in eddies especially around bridges and points. Land based anglers are having some success at Blues pt on the rising tide, fishing fresh squid or mullet strips, though most of the fish are on the smaller side. Bigger fish preferring to tickle their taste buds with larger live baits including Mullet and Yellowtail. Try around Gladesville and The Spit Bridges.

Offshore
With the quick, if moderate, cooling of waters offshore by recent southerly winds, many of the Dolphinfish that still hold on the FAD’s and trap markers have become finnicky. They are still plentiful but shy off the bite very quickly. Near the 7 mile mark, reports have come in of fish in the 4kg range, but most of them are around 1kg-3kg. Out around the 12 mile and further there have been isolated pockets of 8-15 kilo dolphinfish, an unusual but incredibly enjoyable situation for light line anglers.

Report 1 March
Sydney Harbour
Kingfish are still about in the Harbour at present, but in nothing like the numbers that there have been over recent months. Strangely much of the activity has been centred around the dirtier water in Middle Harbour, with fish taken as far upstream as Bantry Bay, however there are still enough Kings in the harbour proper for it to be worth targeting them. Kings are being taken from most of the Markers in the harbour, with the eastern Wedding Cake proving to be a high tide hotspot. Large amounts of berley are often required to keep the fish around and interested. Live Yakkas and live Squid are the best baits. Plenty of Squid and Yellowtail can be found off the end of the Balmoral Wharf. Berley is needed to bring the Yakkas in and on the bite.

Large Bream, having entered the harbour to spawn, can be taken from rocky washes and deepwater structure, especially those in the more open parts such as Middle Head and off Dobroyd Pt. Small soft plastics have been doing the trick, and though you may not get as many hits on these as you would with fresh bait, the average fish is likely to be larger.

Sydney Harbour
Good sized Flathead are being taken around Sydney Harbour at the moment, with some of the fish 80 to 90 cm long. The best bait is almost always going to be a whole pilchard, set on ganged hooks, with strong metal trace also a necessity if you wish to land one of the big ones. The drift between Middle Head and the Spit Bridge is a productive place to start. Please remember that all Dusky Flathead over 60cm are female, and the larger ones most likely spawning. For this reason a strict bag limit of one fish over 60cm per person is enforced by NSW Fisheries.

The Kingfish are still out and about in the Harbour, but are hard to track down at times and often the only way to find any trace of them at the present is to berley heavily around structure in the harbour and try to encourage Yellowtail schools up around the boat. The Kingfish are usually not far behind as long as the berley trail is kept strong. A live Yellowtail, caught from the bait school you first attracted and fed back down under the school, is your best chance of hooking one of these mostly rat sized Kings. Failing that, a plastic stick bait or metal jig will also produce results.

Report 22 Febuary
Broken Bay
Some good Jewfish are being taken from the Hawkesbury River and Broken Bay at present, including numerous school Jew, which have been particularly prolific around the Road and Rail Bridges. Some big fish have also been taken, including a few around and over the 20 kilo mark, though the average of the larger fish is closer to 12 kilos. Plenty of baits will do the job, Goulds Squid in particular, but thinking outside the circle will often bring in the bigger fish. Mullet, in fillets or butterflied, sometimes works better when a bit less fresh or smelly, and slow and big live baits can often do the trick as well now that the plagues of sharks are starting to slowly leave the river.

Northern Beaches
It has been a big fish spoolathon on the beaches this week, with Kingfish in particular having a ball smashing up live baits all over the place from the deeper beach gutters to the rocky headlands. Almost every accessible headland has had action from Kingies 10kg plus, though not too many have been landed! Live yellowtail will put you in with a good shot, and also offers options, as a few other predators including Salmon, Frigate Mackerel, Bonito and Tailor patrol the same areas. Failing the live bait option, Squid, Pilchards or Tuna chunks are the obvious choice. Try throwing a few metal slices in the 25 – 60gm range while you’re there.

Sydney Harbour
Since a stop was put on netting in the harbour, a huge number of Bream have filtered into the harbour, and most structure is currently holding at least a few. Now everyone has a realistic chance of getting a fish, and many of them are of good size, over 35cm. Even though eating too many of them is an issue, catching too many of them will never be! Another major benefit of knowing the Bream are about in such good numbers is that it allows you to practice your soft plastic fishing with confidence. Little paddle tail grubs jigged around the moorings and wharves close to town have been cleaning up of late, and some of the fish are massive, nearing 2kg! Remember to up your leader for the bigger ones, as they’re destroying anything 12lb or under.

Offshore
Dolphin Fish are still about offshore, hanging around the FADs, markers and traps, however they can be wildly varied in their behavior. Often the fish can be seen, but enticing a bite can be another story altogether. One day lures such as metal slices will be devastating, the next only live baits will do the trick, though recent days have seen numbers of good size fish biting voraciously. The best option, if you can find them, is to have a good supply of live Slimy Mackerel. These are the favoured food of the Dolphin Fish at present and will usually account for the most and largest fish caught. It is always worth taking a good selection of lures in different sizes as back up.

Offshore
The close reef action off Sydney has been firing recently, but things seem to have gone off the boil somewhat. Bait in particular is hard to find, with many of the regular grounds sparse, and no prey equals an analogous lack of predators. On the upside there are a few monster fish, including Kings, on the hunt for a morsel or two, but there is just so much water between the fish it can be frustrating fishing. Downrigging live baitfish, including Slimy Mackerel, Cownyoung, and larger Yellowtail, has proved successful in hooking up on a few 15-20kg Kingfish, as well as the odd stray shark. Try your luck in areas like The Colours, Northerners, and other close reefs.

Broken Bay
Jewfish are starting to come back on in Broken Bay at the moment, with multiple catches of fish in the 5-8 kilo range, and some bigger ones slowly coming on. The usual haunts such as Flint and Steel and Juno Pt are producing as always, as are a few of the deeper holes around the Rail Bridge. The best bait has been fresh Goulds Squid, fished whole or in strips. Slimy Mackerel, whole butterfly cut Mullet and Tailor fillets have also produced recently. Soft plastics have had mixed success on the Jewies lately, but with good technique, timing and a fair bit of patience you should be able to put yourself in the money. 10cm – 15cm imitation fish in black gold and green patterns are enjoying the lion’s share of hookups.

Sydney Harbour
The biggest news for Sydney Harbour fishing lately has been the resurgence of good numbers Snapper, now that they are not being targeted commercially. In fact is has been somewhat of a surprise just how quickly the stocks have been bolstered. Live Yellowtail dropped near Quarrantine Point have accounted for Snapper to almost 2kg lately, but the fish are not confined to one area, with live Squid fished around the Spit Bridge or in Watsons Bay also coming up trumps.

Sydney Harbour
It can’t be said that they’re prolific, but a few Cobia of about 4kg have made an appearance in the harbour. These 70 – 75cm fish are real warm water fish and incredibly strong, providing exhilarating sports fishing action on light to medium strength gear. As with Kingfish, live squid is often the greatest tempter, but mid sized Yellowtail have also accounted for their share of fish. Look for Cobia around structure in warmer blue water, of which there has been quite a bit around the mouth of the harbour of late.

Jewfish have made somewhat of a resurgance in the harbour lately, with catches ranging from smaller ‘soapies’ to larger fish of 12 kilos plus. Under the Gladesville Bridge has been productive of late, especially for the big ones, however open parts of the harbour including Nielsen Park and ‘Sow and Pigs’ reef are also fishing well. Some smaller schoolies have popped up around the Spit Bridge. Fresh mullet fillets and squid strip baits are proving the most fruitful.

Offshore
Fishing offshore has been going gangbusters, with water temperatures sporadically passing 27 degrees off the shelf North East off Sydney. Temperatures as high as 28 have even been found out around the 500 fathom mark, and some big Blue Marlin have accompanied it. Fish up to an estimated 300kg have been draining line from spools like it really wasn’t there. Closer in, a few striped marlin around 80kg have been tagged from around bait schools and structures both inside and outside the shelf. The immature Black Marlin that were abundant recently are now less so, though there is still the occasional fish around 30 – 40kg being found inside 10 miles.

Offshore
A combination of water temperature, baitfish and breeding urges has brought Whaler, Hammerhead and Tiger Sharks (and many other less dangerous species including Port Jacksons) toward Sydney in big numbers. Anyone fishing around the Quarantine Pt yellow marker buoy can attest to this, as they lose up to half the fish they hook to these aggressive denizens of the deep. Being breeding time, February is also the time sharks in the harbour are at their most territorial and aggressive, with whalers heading upstream into often dirty waters looking for a safe nursery. Swimming in the harbour at the moment is definitely not recommended. Catching these monsters can be great fun though, just remember to up your gear to at least 30lb line and metal trace of at least 100lb!

Offshore
Dolphin fish are holding again around the FADs and trap markers between 5 and 10nm out, from Broken Bay wide all the way down to South of Sydney. Good sized fish have been tempted into swallowing Slimy Mackerel quite regularly, with the average being about 3kg. Feed the live Slimy back toward the marker bouy with either an open bail arm, or as little drag resistance as possible if using a baitrunner. If the Dolphin Fish feel any pressure when they take the bait to run, they will drop the bait before they swallow it properly, leaving you to strike at nothing.

Sydney Beaches
There has been major Jewfish action lately on the beaches, as the fish move up the coast on their annual run. The last few weeks have seen increasing numbers of fish caught, including some big ones from 12 to 20kg, from quite a few beaches. Nth Queenscliff and Narrabeen have been firing, but catches have also come off Curl Curl, Newport and others, mostly at night. Fresh Mullet strips or live baits are the go. The beaches have also had their fair share of shark action at night, so don’t be surprised to find your bait belting out to sea at a rapid rate, attached to a big Bronze Whaler!

Report 30 January
Sydney Beaches
A quick fish off the beaches will show any who might care to know just how many sharks are about right now. Plenty of small to medium size sharks, mostly bronze whalers, from a couple of feet to a couple of metres, are cruising in the deeper gutters close to beaches, stealing baits and generally causing trouble. A few Hammerhead have also been marauding off rock platforms at Long Reef, Bluefish Pt, South Head and more, and there have also been occasional sightings of big ones on the surface this week.

Sydney Rocks
Thankfully there are good numbers of fish about off the rocks as the spinning season gears up in earnest, with Bonito and Kings particularly schooling about. The Bonito are taking metal slices of about 20gms, and occasionally plastics like 6” slugs, which are also a favourite of the Kings. Live yakkas, fresh squid strips, soft platics and poppers are also all pulling a few kingies.

Sydney Harbour
Sydney Harbour is quickly becoming a recreational fishing paradise, and at the moment it is going off! Plenty of Bream are around now they’re not being trapped, which though it won’t help those after a feed, is great news for those hunting bream on lures, or those that aspire to! Now is the time to get out there and practice different techniques, with populations of good size fish spread throughout the harbour, especially around wharves, bridges, boats and floating pontoons. Soft plastics including small curl tail grubs are proving dynamite in the bays close to town.

Sydney Harbour has been warming over the last few days as the influence of NorEasters on the large mass of warm water out the front increases. Water temperatures in parts are now as high as 25.5 degrees, and the water at the heads is a brilliant blue. Kingfish are enjoying the change, and the temporary ban on commercial fishing has ensured good numbers of fish are about. The size of these Kings seems to be varied, with schools of ‘rats’ prolific, and schools of larger fish occasionally being stumbled upon. Fresh squid strips are the go for the rats, as they are quite aggressive and will hit quickly and often. Larger fish need more effort, with live yellowtail or live squid often bringing in the results. Be aware the legal length of Kingfish is 60cm, and fisheries will strictly enforce it with heavy fines and other penalties. Kingies often shrink by about a half to 1cm after capture so keep this in mind when taking a fish.

The harbour could really do with another burst of the bluewater, as fishing over the holidays have put a noticeable dent into fish stocks. Bonito and Frigate Mackerel have been the most notable arrivals this week, and there are plenty more out the front just waiting for the right conditions to push the warm water in. Old Mans Hat is a great spot to start, and spinning from the rocks in the area has been paying dividends. 25 – 40gm slices in sliver or white are particularly successful for Bonito, while the Frigate Mackerel preferring smaller slices 7-14gm.

In the more protected bays around town, amongst the wharves and moorings, there have been some good Bream smashing plastics. Dioxins not withstanding, plenty of good size fish are belting into insect and grub imitations, as well as 2 and 3” minnows, and similar size shads. Light colours especially silvers are working in the clearer waters, while pumpkinseed and bloodworm pattern seems better in the dirtier stuff upriver from the bridge. A few decent Flathead have also taken a liking to the shads, especially when flicked over the flats in a few of the bays around town.

Last weeks Report 27 January.
Sydney Harbour
Baitfish have been the key to the fishing in Sydney Harbour lately. Kingfish, Bonito, Frigate Mackerel, Tailor and some of the biggest Salmon seen in recent years, are chasing these baitfish schools all around the Harbour. The Balmoral side of Middle Head from the Naval Jetty to Clontarf has been holding Salmon, Tailor and Kings in particular. In the morning there have been a few schools on the surface, though they’re skittish. Motor up toward the schools once you have sighted them, cutting your engine at about 30metres and drifting up into casting distance. From here you will be able to cast at an undisturbed school of feeding pelagics, preferably with small chrome slice lures. Salmon are being taken from the top of these schools, with other predators like the Kingies hiding down below. Please respect others fishing the school with you, and do not motor through the middle of the school.

Pittwater
Pittwater has finally seen a glimpse of the most fishy warm blue water that has been showing up out the front of Barrenjoey, and things are on the up. The well publicised lack of Kings is no longer stopping anglers from their enjoyment, as some boiling surface schools of Stripey Tuna have entered the fray. Fish of about 50-60cm are balling up whitebait and anything else they can find and devouring them, providing spectacular action! A few rat Kings are even holding with the schools! For the plastic flickers, there are Bream are about on structure throughout the bays, but not in huge numbers as yet. Some more baitfish arriving in the bluewater should encourage some of their mates to join up though over the next week or so.

Offshore
Dolphin fish are holding again around the FADs and trap markers between 5 and 10nm out, from Broken Bay wide all the way down to South of Sydney. Good sized fish have been tempted into swallowing Slimy Mackerel quite regularly, with the average being about 3kg. Feed the live Slimy back toward the marker bouy with either an open bail arm, or as little drag resistance as possible if using a baitrunner. If the Dolphin Fish feel any pressure when they take the bait to run, they will drop it before they swallow it properly, leaving you to strike at nothing.

Sydney Harbour
Kingfish are moving into in the Harbour at present, giving a much needed burst to the numbers that there have been over recent months. Kings and Amberjack are being taken from most of the Markers in the harbour, with the eastern Wedding Cake proving to be a high tide hotspot. Large amounts of berley are often required to keep the fish around and interested. Live Yellowtail and live Squid are the best baits, and plenty of them can be found around Middle Head, Balmoral and Neilsen Park. Berley is needed to bring the Yellowtail in and on the bite.

Report 21 January 2006
Sydney Harbour
The Harbour is enjoying a belter of a summer this year, or at least the beginnings of it! Hot blue water is sneaking in, and predators abound. Close offshore there have been Bonito for at least a week now, and now there are a few moving in to the harbour. They go well with the schools of Salmon and Tailor that are still working off both sides of Middle Head. Some of these Salmon are massive, almost 5kg in some cases and over 70cm long. Fresh fish baits including pilchards or yellowtail are doing the trick. Live Squid baits are also being hit hard by the Salmon, though they are just as likely to be grabbed by a marauding Kingfish at the moment. Nice sized Kings of up to 90cm are about in the harbour at the moment. Try the Wedding Cake markers.

Harbour
Bream fishing in the harbour has been intermittent over the past week with some anglers picking up good bags on both bait and lures and others finding it a bit tough. In a recent Abt pro bream comp only 9 of 48 boats picking up legal bags of 5 bream. The majority of the anglers fished the parramatta end of the harbour and caught plenty of undersized fish. The anglers who did produce the bigger fish targeted the blue water on the ocean side of the bridge. The producing lures were small stick baits and hardbody lures. Bait fishos have fared a bit better this week with good berley trails bringing the fish to the boats. Fresh Hawkesbury prawns have been the best bait along with live harbour prawns. fish unweighted or with minimal weight for best results

Sydney Harbour
Jewfish have been a reasonably common catch in the Harbour for the last month or so, and the bite seems to be picking up. There do not appear to be too many large fish over the 8kg mark, but good numbers of schoolies are being taken from around Gladesville Bridge, Balls Head, off Shark Island, as well as well as over the other side of the harbour at Neilsen Park and inside Quarrantine Pt. There are also a few bigger fish coming from around the Spit Bridge. Somewhat surprisingly the huge majority of fish seem to have been taken during the daylight hours. As usual, fresh Squid is numero uno in the bait stakes, though live Yellowtail run a close second if you can find some small enough.

Offshore
A few Striped Marlin are being landed at the moment as the marlin season warms up nicely. Over the weekend there was a bit of action at The Peak, with Stripes from 70 - 90kg landed. The most consistent results were from skirts 7 to 9 inches long, with green/blue patterns enjoying the most success. There have also been a few Blue Marlin around a little wider, and confirmation of that came with the recent tagging of a 130kg specimen, caught on a 9 inch skirted lure. Larger Blues are purportedly further up north.

A few miles outside the continental shelf there are quite a few very large dolphin fish. The widest FADs have had bull dolphin fish of almost 20kg, as well as females around 8 – 10kg. Further inshore the first of the smaller Dollies are sporadically arriving, and can be found holding on many of the FADs or trap marker buoys closer to shore, around the 5-10 mile mark.

Pittwater
Pittwater has plenty of Squid to be found on the weed beds this week, mostly due to the fact that there are still no Kingfish of any note. To find Kingfish you really need to exit Pittwaters sheltered waters and head around to Barrenjoey Pt. There has been water as high as 25 degrees just out the front, encouraging plenty of fish activity. A few fish have been coaxed into taking rapalas and small skirts in the close washes off the point, and others have fallen to live squid set a bit further out.

Sydney Harbour
Live Yellowtail, especially larger ones, are doing particularly well as a bait at the moment when fished around North Head, and at the yellow marker buoy off Quarrantine Pt. There are a few really good sized Kingfish moving through this area at the moment, but don’t limit yourself to one spot, as they are lurking on many channel markers closer to town as well. Bluefish Pt is also producing some big fish, including occasionally ones over the metre mark.

Inside the harbour, Salmon and Tailor are still around on the surface, not really having moved from around Middle Head. The schools are holding near Clifton Gardens, as well as Balmoral. They are pretty boat shy, but early mornings still see them feeding actively. Stick baits and small metals have been the most successful lures, with the occasional fish hitting live squid baits.

The harbour has fared quite well so far this summer, but has not as yet been hugely impacted from the blue currents just offshore. It should not be far off, given some NE wind, and their are a few nice bonito in it. At least there are a few good kingfish inside, and this season there is some decent size to them too. Live and fresh Squid are both working a treat, as are live baitfish such as Yellowtail and Slimy Mackerel. Drop any of these baits down around the Wedding Cake Markers at the moment and you should see a bit of success. There are a few squid around, if patchy, but baitfish are in good numbers on most of the well known bait grounds.

Last weeks report 6 January
Sydney Harbour
Some very good size Australian Salmon up to 4kg have been taken just off North and South Head recently, as they school up and down along the bluff of our headlands. Some smaller fish are also finding their way into the harbour and can be found sporadically around the bays close to town. They are predominantly being taken spinning with small to medium sized metals, but the very large ones have been taken while live baiting with Squid or Yellowtail.

Schools of Slimy Mackerel have popped up in North Harbour. Plenty of this fantastic bait can be found in pockets of that part of the harbour and they are relatively easily berleyed up. Most of the fish are in the 20 – 30cm range. There are also a few larger ones inside the heads and they will also respond to berley. Slimies are one of the best live baits available for Dolphin Fish, Kingies, Bonito and other larger predators.

The Middle Harbour Kingfish are still about, up as high as Sugarloaf Bay, but they are schooling and sometimes hard to find. Good berley is essential both to bring them to the boat, and once you have found them if you want them to hang around for more than two minutes. The main Harbour is still holding Kings as well, though these fish are also schooling and therefore a little unpredictable. The best bet is to fish fresh squid strips down around the channel markers in the harbour, for example at Quarrantine pt, which has provided its share of Kings in the last few days. The occasional Amberjack is also around as a bonus and can be taken in the same methods.

Flathead can be found all throughout the Harbour at this time of year. As well as some of the larger (70cm+) breeders that have moved in, there are numbers of smaller Flatties shadowing clouds of bait fry around the Harbour. Throwing soft plastic lures around this bait is a good way to pick up any fish sitting under them. Try fishing small plastic shads in silver and black patterns in the clearer and sandier waters around Clontarf. Around the entrance to Lane Cove River has also been working well on run out tides, with pumpkinseed patterns getting great result