Previous Reports January 2004 - March 2004
This weeks report: ( 26 -MAR - 2004 )

Broken Bay
The water in Broken Bay has been a quite discoloured of late, creating some very up and down fishing days, and leaving those who enjoy trolling a lure without much reward for their efforts. The normal trolling haunts such as Box Head and the ‘Joey are still holding fish but bait fishing is the most likely way to entice them into a strike. Kingfish of reasonable size are being taken from Barrenjoey, with live Squid the best bait, but live Yakkas still accounting for their fair share of fish. Fish these live baits about 2 metres off the bottom for best results. A good berley is essential.

Some decent Jewfish continue to be taken from around the Road and Rail Bridges and in the deeper holes of the Hawkesbury upstream of Brooklyn. The bite is a little up and down, but those dedicated enough have returned fish of around 10kg, with one lucky angler boating a fish of 23kg. Fresh mullet is the bait of choice when chasing a big Jewy, whether it is in strips or as a whole butterflied fish. Remember Jewies are a lazy fish and will find any opportunity to sit out of the current and ambush their prey as it travels with the tide. Therefore try to fish into the eddies that are created by structures in the main current.

Bream are in the Bay in good numbers, ready for spawning. Good sized fish are being taken, both from the deeper holes as well as most of the rocky washes with deeper water ledges. Soft plastics can be especially devastating when the bream are as aggressive as they are at present, as they will often hit the lure when they are not that hungry, just to keep it out of their territory. Most plastics in the 2 and 3 inch range will do the trick nicely. Good small live baits such as nippers are also quite effective.

For the night fisherman Hairtail are still biting around the deeper areas of the Hawkesbury, between Brooklyn and Spencer. Don’t forget your strong wire trace. Pilchards on ganged hooks are producing the most fish at present.

Plenty of Tailor are schooling around Lion Island, even though the water quality is not the best. Baits such as pilchards, rigged on ganged hooks with a wire trace, can be cast into these schools lightly weighted, or fished deeper around structure with plenty of berley. Both methods have proven successful of late.

Hawkesbury
The upper reaches of the Hawkesbury are still producing Bass in good numbers. Around Dargle seems to be the hottest area at the moment. Surface flies fished very tight into and around logs and other cover will give you the best chance of teasing one into a strike.

Botany Bay
Botany Bay has thrown up a rather tough and inconsistent season this year, with Kingfish especially on one day and nowhere to be seen the next. The recent days have been very quiet for these Kings, though a couple of smaller size fish have been taken off Kurnell. Fresh Slimy Mackerel fillets, in absence of a live Slimy, will give you the best chance of hooking one.

Tailor are around the drums in the middle of the Bay in schools at the moment, feeding on large Garfish. 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.

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 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 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 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.

report: ( 19 -MAR - 2004 )

Northern Beaches
Night time skinny dippers beware, plenty of Sharks have been terrorizing fishers over the last couple of nights, from beaches around Long Reef as well as Long Reef itself. Bronze Whalers have been the most common capture, but only for those using strong wire trace and a strong shock leader. It might sound obvious but show caution when handling these creatures. Fresh fish strips are the best baits.

Broken Bay
The mysterious and enigmatic Hairtail have arrived extremely early in the season this year and are being taken from the depths of the upper Hawkesbury at night. Try deep holes from around the road and rail bridge as well as similar areas right up the river toward Spencer. Strong wire trace is essential when chasing these toothy silver flashes. Ganged hooks with fresh fish baits such as pilchards often yield the best results. Fish differing depths or check your sounder until you find a school.

Jewfish are being taken from higher up the Hawkesbury than usual. Big swells lately have stirred up the water in Broken Bay proper and forced the fish up toward the road and rail bridges. Most fish are in the 3 – 11kg range, however there are the occasional 30kg monsters busting up tackle. Fresh Mullet or Slimy Mackerel are the baits of choice at the moment.

Big Flathead seem to be relishing the dirtier water in Broken Bay, and can be found in number especially around Lion Island, as well as West Head and Box Head. Fresh Pilchards, rigged on ganged hooks and/or wire traces, seem the most tempting bait for these big female Flatties. Drifting across shallow grounds near these areas allows you to present the bait in as many places as possible, as Flathead are an ambush fish and do not often search far for their food, preferring to wait for it to come to them.

Schools of Slimy Mackerel can be found in Broken Bay at the moment. Berley up near the bait grounds around the inside of West Head, in about 3 metres of water, and you can pick up one of the best live baits going around. Small hooks, around size 10, with slivers of pilchard and really light line are necessary.

There are plenty of Bream still to be found in Broken Bay. They are starting to aggregate for spawning, which will happen soon, and therefore are preferring the deeper more protected holes of the Bay proper. They are also extremely aggressive and far more likely than usual to strike at a well presented lure or soft plastic. Live baits such as Nippers, or even poddy Mullet, are also very successful at the moment.

Legal size Tailor are in the main parts of Broken Bay and are being taken mostly on the troll, with bibbed minnows the leading candidates. Any headlands especially Barrenjoey and West Head will hold a few decent size fish at the moment.


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 fresh fish fillets or butterflied Mullet can be equally as good at times.

The Middle Harbour Kingfish are still about, up as high as Bantry Bay, but they are schooling and sometimes hard to find. Good berley is essential 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, and these fish seem more oriented to structure allowing bait fishers to catch their share. Fresh squid strips fished down around the channel markers in the harbour, especially the eastern Wedding Cake marker, are proving devastating. The occasional Amberjack is still around as a bonus and can be taken in the same methods.

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.

Flathead, as big as they get, are still about in the Harbour. Fish up to one metre long have been caught and released in the last days, after showing a liking for drifted Slimy Mackerel fillets. Try the grounds off Grotto Pt or around Middle Head.


Offshore
Yellowfin Tuna have been a most welcome, if not a little suprising, bonus for anglers in the last couple of days. Catches include several fish up to 25kg taken whilst trolling for Marlin over bait 15nm plus offshore. Pakula and McGoo pushers in lumo and green have been the lures of choice.

Dolphin Fish are firing up on the offshore FADs and trap markers. Days of 40 fish are not uncommon, with the average fish being in the two to four kilo range, and the occasional up to 10kg. Most methods known to catch Dolphin Fish including saltwater fly are effective, however live Slimy Mackerel are the bait of choice, and thankfully there are plenty around. Try around 9nm out in about 65 fathoms. Jig the Slimies up using a six hook bait rig.


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.

report 11th Mar -04

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.

Amberjack, a cousin of the Kingfish and also a delicate eating fish, are currently being taken in numbers not usually seen in the Harbour. The moorings between Clontarf and Grotto Pt. are a great place to start hunting for an Amberjack, which are quite often taken whilst trolling. A diving lure such as a Rapala cd-7 will tease one of these fish into striking, however often surface lures such as small squid skirts or poppers are the most devastating, with Amberjack showing no hesitation in smashing them, sometimes even breaking clear of the water.

Plenty of squid are being caught in the Harbour, making possibly the finest live bait on the menu, especially for Kingfish. The first or last two hours of the day is always the best time to go squiding. Good spots include the structure and moorings in North Harbour, around Shark Island, and into Middle Harbour around Balmoral. A weedy bottom in conjunction with this structure often provides the best indicator to where a school of squid may hide.

Broken Bay
There are big Flathead all throughout the Hawkesbury river system, with the biggest of them to be found in Broken Bay proper. The Brisbane water entrance just inside Little Box Head is productive at the moment, as are most of the little coves around West Head and Lion Island. For best results drift around with a pilchard, small live mullet, or live yellowtail. Knotable metal trace can be a great help when drifting with live bait for Flathead, as it is less stiff than a true metal trace allowing the bait to swim freely.

Kingfish are being taken on the troll from most areas around the rivermouth, from the ‘Joey and West Head to Lion Island, Box Head and out to East Reef. Find the blue water and you have most likely found your fish. Surface lures such as chuggers or small skirts are doing plenty of damage, as are the tried and true standard diving lures. Greens and Reds are the best colours.

Blue Swimmer Crabs are all throughout the bay at present so don’t forget to put your traps out!

Botany Bay
Good hauls of Bream are being taken from the shallows between the third runway and the old runway in Botany Bay at present. Nippers, fresh prawns, or pudding baits are the best bet, and lightly weighted light line will always increase your catch. Other places worth a try include wide off Towra Pt. and up into the Georges river. Structure of any sort, especially man made, is a good place to start your search.

Kingfish are back after being put off the bite during recent rains. Trolling around the headlands is a good way to start the hunt for a big one. Shallow diving lures or surface poppers trolled near to the wash around the rocks have been the most productive.

report 4th March

Hawkesbury River
Huge bream have come on in the Broken Bay area and up into the Hawkesbury River, taking quite large baits otherwise destined for Jewfish or Kingfish. Rocky outcrops, deepwater wharves and other structure throughout the bay are all delivering dinner plate sized beauties. Most baits including whole small squid and whole pilchards are producing the goods.

The smaller Jewfish that were in the Bay area over the last couple of weeks are not as plentiful at the moment, but this is made up for by the smaller number of really big Jewfish that are currently being taken. Fish up to 25kg have been boated in the last couple of days, coming back on the bite after the recent fresh flush. Whole butterflied Mullet, live Yakkas or Slimy Mackerel, and fresh Squid whole or in strips are the best baits.

Kingfish are still being taken from around the mouth area of Broken Bay. Trolling small plastic skirts, or bibbed minnows such as a Rapala CD 7 around Barrenjoey, West Head or Box Head should toss up a few. Live Yakkas are also taking their fair share from stationary boats in the same areas. A good berley is essential when bait fishing for Kings at the moment.

Lots of little Tailor have been causing a headache for bait fisherman lately. Any baits fished in any area of the bay are fair game, and the only way around it if you find yourself a target of these fish is to either move to a different area, or take the bull by the horns, size down your gear, and have a great days light sport fishing on chopper tailor. Any bait as well as small chrome lures or small plastics will catch you your fair share. They are not the pickiest of fish.

Lots of large sharks have been sighted in Broken Bay and up into the Hawkesbury over the last days, including numerous Bull and Bronze Whalers, and at least one enormous Hammerhead. Please think twice before swimming throughout the estuary during the next few weeks, as this is the time of the year these sharks start to become a bit aggressive.

Flathead are still being taken in good numbers from the drift in Pittwater, as well as Brisbane Water and up into the Hawkesbury River proper. Fresh small fish baits such as whitebait or small pilchards are great baits, as are live yakkas drifted just off the bottom.

Upper Hawkesbury
Bass are still biting voraciously between Sackville and Mud Island. Try lures such as surface walkers, small bibbed minnows in beetle patterns, or soft plastics in a variety of golds and reds, for best results. Estuary Perch are being taken using the same methods in the same areas. The Colo River is also performing with large catches of Bass being taken on spinner baits.

Offshore
Marlin fishing has been a little slow over the past days out of Sydney, however big fish are being taken just to the north of Sydney, and given good quantities of baitfish schooling in the cobalt blue waters offshore, it can only be a matter of time before some North to South current brings some of these fish down.

Still good amounts of Stripey Tuna are around offshore, mostly in the troll over the current lines. Fish around 8kg have been taken in the last couple of days. Small trolling skirts around the 5” mark are the most productive.

Dolphin Fish are around the offshore FADs at the moment, but are incredibly picky. They are holding below the surface and can be near impossible to entice into a bite. Good quality fresh live bait will entice out a couple, but lots of different methods will need to be tried at every fishing session to entice a bite from these remarkably intelligent fish. Recent catches include fish of around the 6kg mark, but they are the exception with most fish being under 3 kilos.

Kingfish are also being taken from the closer FADs at the moment, and good sized fish can also be found at East Reef. Live squid are the best bait, but failing that live small Yakkas, or the freshest of squid used as a strip bait, will also give good results.

Sydney Harbour
Sydney Harbour is still providing huge thrills for anglers, with Kingfish, and their cousin the Amberjack, schooling around both the harbour proper, and into North and Middle harbour chasing the baitfish. Many methods are successful for catching Kingfish but the best are either live Yakkas, or plastic stick baits from three to five inches, fished back into a berley trail or around and below any bait schools. Good places to start include Dobroyd Head, or the Wedding Cake Markers.

report 27 feb 2004

Hawkesbury River/ Broken Bay
Bass and Estuary Perch are still biting strongly in the upper Hawkesbury. The recent fresh flush has washed weed away from previously unfishable areas around the Colo River. These areas are fishing well for Bass at the moment. The lower Portland is a great place to target the Estuary Perch. Flies such as the Dharlberg divers and soft plastics around the 2-3 inch mark are all producing the goods.

Jewfish are running hot throughout the Hawkesbury River system and into Broken Bay proper, with the best fish being taken between Wisemans Ferry and Juno Point. Slimy Mackerel fillets or the freshest of squid baits are catching the most fish.

Berowra Bream have started to turn it on in the past few days. Most of the structure including wharves, pylons and mooring markers will all hold good fish. Most fresh fish or pudding baits will provide a strike or four. Fish as light as the current and or wind will allow for best results. No sinker is preferable if you want to entice those big bluenose to strike. Soft plastics are also catching their fair share of “old man” Bream providing plenty of entertainment for the spin fishing brigade.

Kingfish have been schooling into the upper reaches of Brisbane Waters, running along moorings and other structure adjacent to the deeper channels. Fresh or live squid, plastic stick baits, and vertically jigging metal lures are all providing results, so if one method isn’t working try another and you are bound to entice a strike.

Sydney Harbour
The Kings are on in middle harbour, surprisingly ignoring the recent fresh flush and extremely murky water, and are following bait schools up as for as the Roseville Bridge. Occasionally these schools are breaking the surface, giving anglers a chance to get their bearings on a school and stay with it as they return to the depths. Stick baits in most colours, especially watermelon and pearl blue, are proving devastating on the kings. Fresh Squid baits won’t be refused and neither will a well presented Yakka or Slimy, so put the effort in to get a variety of live bait.

Flathead are being taken in ever increasing numbers throughout the harbour, and the next few days look like prime Flathead fishing time. With the majority of fish between 50 and 65cm, it pays to use to use a slightly heavier trace. Small fish baits such as Anchovies, Whitebait and small WA Pilchards being the pick of the baits. Most shallow sandy drifts are providing a good feed of fish including Clontarf moorings and Bantry Bay.

Leatherjackets, some of considerable size, have literally infested the reefs and rocky structure of the harbour causing havoc with most bait fisherman. Clifton Gardens and Sow and Pigs Reef are all holding good numbers of Jacket. Small long shank hooks around the size 10 mark with a section or two of peeled prawn is by far the best way to score a tasty feed.

Botany Bay
Kingfish are still going off in the bay, despite the recent influx of fresh water, and larger than usual amounts of suspended sediment. Structure around Kurnell is a good place to start sounding out a school, most of which seem to be hanging in the bottom half of the water column. Stickbaits, plastic slugs and, fly’s such as clouser minnows are all taking their fair share of fish. Letting your jig sink for 10 seconds or so, followed by a fast, stop start retrieve or even vertical jigging are getting healthy fish attention.

Port Hacking
Port Hacking is a hotbed of Whiting at present. The shallow waters along the south west arm are proving to be the best grounds. Fresh Beach or Blood Worms fished into the shallow water on very light line and as little sinker as possible will give the best results. Some anglers are getting pleasantly surprised by some stud Bream proving variety to the mix.

Narrabeen Lake
Narrabeen lake will benefit from the rain in the past week. Flathead have been holding along the Wakehurst Parkway between the Sport and Recreation center and the scout hall. Small soft plastics in the gary glitter, and bloodworm colours seem to be providing the majority of fish. There have been some tight lipped reports of some monster Mangrove Jacks coming out of the back waters. But local knowledge, prime Poddy Mullet, and super strong gear is the only way to get one of these northern monsters. There have also been reports of large Mud Crabs, up to 1.5kgs, being caught in the lakes deeper holes, so get a trap out there for one of natures tastiest feed.

Northern Beaches
Please be careful when fishing the beaches this week, and whatever you do, do not go rock fishing as long as the swell remains as big as it is. 2 people were rescued off the rocks at Dee Why on Thursday.
Good Jewfish are still being taken from the beaches, with one monster fish weighing in at 25kg taken just as the weather turned. Big swell and rain has put a stop to all but the most hardy angler over recent days but there are still plenty of fish there. The best bet is to throw a slab of Mullet fillet into one of the gutters on a long exposed beachfront. Strong line of at least 15kg is crucial.

Offshore
Offshore Fishing has been the realm of fools and madmen over the recent few days, with most boats taking the option of fishing the bays and estuaries rather than risk their lives for a fish in the hideous swell. Besides, even if your boat can get out there, you can’t fish the FADs, because you can’t hold your position. If you have to go offshore the only really productive way to fish at the moment is to drift the inshore reefs for Flathead. Fresh fish strips,

This weeks report: ( 12-02-2004 )

Northern Beaches

Good runs of Whiting off the beaches lately. Fish of good size can be found in the close gutters, a couple of hours either side of high tide. Beach or Blood worms will give you the best chance of catching a feed for the table.

Sydney Harbour

Schools of Salmon, while not the size they were, are still giving anglers hours of joy when they surface. Try around middle head on the Clifton Garden side. The fish have become extremely skittish with all the boats and other activity on the Harbour at the moment so for best results turn the motor off at about 30m away and drift up to them. Small metal slices of about 10-20gms are accounting for most of the Salmon caught.

North Harbour has small schools of Bonito which can be taken on small flies. The occasional lucky angler may also find themselves an amberjack from amongst and underneath these schools.

Bream and Tailor of good size are being caught on soft plastics from around Fairlight. Light line is a key for the Bream. The best colours are gold or silver and black.

Hordes of small Leatherjacket have invaded the harbour and are causing no end of headache for fishos around the Spit and Clontarf. Balls of fish a metre square are stealing baits intended for bigger fish, and ruining soft plastics with hundreds of tiny bite marks.

Jewfish are being taken around Shark Island. Try a live Yellowtail, or a fresh piece of Squid or Mullet fillet.

The Paramatta River is a hotspot for big bream at the moment, and there are no shortage of them, with anglers taking home a bagful on most occasions. Very light line combined with soft plastics, or diving lures, are doing the trick. Oranges and blacks are the best colour combinations.

Hawkesbury River

For those of you who are going for a fish in the Hawkesbury this week, have a good think about getting a crab trap. Blue Swimmers are being taken in quite good numbers from all throughout the system at present. Use a fish head as bait.

Good Jewfish are taking fresh squid baits in Broken Bay at the moment, with catches around the 7-10 kg mark. Bar point reef and around Juno point are the most productive spots.

Good sized Bass are delighting fisherman around Sackville. Soft plastics, or cicada style surface lures are the best shot. Fly fisherman are also doing well on the Bass in the Colo River. Dharlberg flies seem to be the favourite.

Botany Bay

Plenty of Tailor are giving light tackle fisherman a buzz right now off the old runway in Botany Bay. Surface lures getting smashed in spectacular style and a nice hard fight are typical of this type of Tailor fishing.

Plenty of Flatties to about 65cm are back in the Bay at the moment. The place to start is the shallows around Towra Point. Soft plastics, or fresh fish baits especially pilchards, drifted over the sand will give you the best chance of hooking yourself one.

Plenty of bait can be found in the bay at the moment, with the schools of Slimy Mackerel hanging around the drums in the middle of the Bay easily the best if you want to target one of the 80cm plus kingfish that are hanging around Kurnell. Fish the Slimies as live bait about 2-3metres off the bottom near the structure.

Offshore

Fast North to South currents are not making game fishing particularly easy at the present, though Big Blue Marlin are still being tagged, and smaller striped Marlin are being taken from inshore of The Peak.

Dolphin fish are about but are struggling to hold onto the FADs because of the current. Most of the fish are only small in the 3-5kg range, though the bigger ones can be seen lurking around when a school is found.

report: ( 30-01-2004 )

Sydney Harbour
Baitfish have been the key to the fishing in Sydney Harbour lately. Amberjack, Kingfish, Bonito, Frigate Mackerel, Tailor and some of the biggest Salmon seen in recent years, are chasing these baitfish schools all around the Balmoral side of Middle Head from the Naval Jetty to Clontarf. The best method of attack is to motor up toward the schools once you have sighted them, cutting your engine at about 50metres and drifting up to about 30metres away. 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.

Bream have been in good numbers in the channels down either side of Sow and pigs reef and probably on the reef shallows at night and early morning. This is backed up by the fact that the pro fishermen are trapping very hard there at the moment. Try chicken gut in the channels by day and prawns or nippers over the reef at night.

Broken Bay
Jewfish are back with a bang in Broken Bay. Nice sized fish over 7kg are being taken at present, with the key being bait and bait presentation. Only the freshest squid, if possible live, should be used. The whiteness of the squid is crucial if you cannot track a live one down.

Squid are to be found all throughout Broken Bay from the mouth to the upper reaches of Cowan Creek. Find a bay with large sand flats, and sandy weedbeds below the low water mark, especially those with a deep drop off nearby. Cast toward the sand from over the drop off and let your jig sink over the weedbeds, and into the depths before starting your retrieve.

Plenty of Bream are waiting to be found around the pylons of the railway bridge at Brooklyn. Fresh peeled prawns are one of a number of good Bream baits, and soft plastics worked properly have also accounted for a number of fish in that area this week.


Offshore
Marlin have been running hot lately out of Sydney. In the last week boats have tagged up to five Stripies in a day. Mick Lyons raised three and tagged two after a change from baits to lures on Sunday. Both of his fish took the lures within 10 metres of the boat. The secret at the moment is finding the right ingredients for the day.

Good sized flathead are still around in numbers on the offshore reefs, so much so they could be the saving grace at present. Drifting across the reef grounds with live yakkas or fresh fish baits will produce best results. There is still the occasional morwong being taken, but masses of bait make it hard to tempt the fish into feeding when lunch is swimming in front of their mouth.

Dolphin Fish have just started to hold on the FADs in the last day or two. Some really big fish up to 20kg are hanging around, but it seems they are more wary than their smaller 6kg counterparts. You can see the big ones, but, at least until the excesses of bait subside, you can only hook the small ones.

Plenty of Tiger sharks were taken in the recent Botany Bay Game Fishing Tournament.

report: ( 23-01-2004 )

Sydney Harbour
The harbour is providing some incredible fishing at the moment. Huge amounts of surface activity, where baitfish are being balled up and devoured, are sometimes lasting six hours and providing excitement for anglers of all abilities at present. Signs such as birds diving can give away the location of these schools, and plenty of good size Salmon and Kingfish, and the odd Tailor, are all feeding on these schools. The key is to match the size of the lure you cast at the schools with the size of the baitfish being fed upon. At present small lures around the 10gm mark are giving best results. Flies are also giving up top catches. Des Toms of Hook’em Cook’em charters took a 3.6kg Salmon from one of these schools this week.

Some interesting fish have arrived in the harbour proper as the water warms up. Catches including Sampson Fish are being taken at present, and a 3kg Cobia was taken early in the week on fresh squid strips. There has even been an Amberjack caught on a soft plastic stick bait.

Luderick fisho’s have been having a ball this week down at Balmain. Find a nice area of weed rock and sand, and berley up with a mix of green weed and sand. Plenty of fresh cabbage weed can be found on the rocks at present and this is the Ludericks favourite food.

Offshore
Dolphin Fish are about in reasonable numbers at the moment. Fish have been taken up to 15kg. Water temperatures are still causing havoc however and the fish are not holding around the FADs with any consistency. The best results have been had with Saltwater flies.

The fishing is excellent on the offshore reefs and gravel beds. Good hauls of Morwong and Flathead, and very good catches of Snapper are being taken at present. Plenty of big fish are out there, the secret is to use big baits, especially for those larger Snapper. Whole fish heads or similar size baits are the go.

There are also quite large schools of Striped Tuna to be found moving up and down the coast in the recent days. Like all pelagic fish species, they can be trolled for, or you can sound out a deepwater school and drop chrome jigs for them.

Marlin Fishing has been amazing over the recent days. Many boats have been raising up to fifteen fish a day, with plenty of fish brought to the boat for tag and release.

Botany Bay
Keep an eye out for surface activity when fishing the Bay at the moment. Plenty of huge schools of baitfish are being rounded up and decimated by legal sized Kingfish, and some of the biggest Salmon seen around Sydney for some years. The best way to get results out of these schools is to motor up to about 30 or 40 metres away from where the surface activity is occurring, and cast small chrome slices of between 5gm and 15gm in toward the baitfish.

Big Bream are providing Bay anglers great light tackle sport fishing at the moment, as well as nice tasty fish for the dinner table. Fresh peeled prawns or fresh fish strip baits will give you the most success. Try the hole 200 metres off the end of the old runway.

Plenty of Trevally around the 1 to 1.5kg mark are being taken currently. Scotty Lyons of Southern Sydney Fishing Tours recommends the best place to find them at the moment are places like Sutherland Pt. Fresh prawns are great bait for these strong fighters, however soft plastics may even be outfishing bait at the moment. Light line of around 6lb is the key.

Squid can be found in numbers throughout the bay at the moment, and if you can catch yourself some they make the finest live bait of all. Especially for some of those larger Kingfish that are roaming. Best place to find squid in general are over areas where sand and sea grass beds meet. Smaller squid jigs are giving the best results

Hawkesbury
Plenty of Bass are being taken at from the mouth of the Colo river at present. Surface luresare giving great results, as well as beetle pattern spinner baits. Fish the drop offs. Some brackish water Bream and Flathead have been taken in the same way from the same areas.

report: ( 16-01-2004 )

Offshore

The fishing offshore has been hot hot hot lately. Marlin are being taken in numbers at the moment. Mick Lyons on the ‘Allie Hunter’ has raised over 40 fish in the last few days and brought 8 fish to the boat which were all tagged and released. 12 to 15 fish have been raised most days. The bites are moving south day by day.

Dolphin fish have turned up in both size and number. Warmer currents are slowly moving further south bringing with them fish from 10-24 kg.

Botany Bay

Kingfish have entered the Bay in good numbers during the last week. Schools of rat kingfish and just legals have been giving Bay anglers a thrill as they move up and down the bay with the tides. A good place to start looking is around Bare Island. Remember fresh or live squid are the best baits, with live Yellowtail or Slimy Mackerel the next best.

Plenty of whiting have been taken on fresh beach or blood worms over the last couple of days throughout the shallower, sandy sections of Botany Bay. Make sure you have the lightest of line and some small size 4 or 6 hooks, and try your luck around places like Bonna Pt.

Big flathead have been cruising the Bay lately. A bag of fresh pilchards or whitebait, or other fresh fish baits will give you the best chance to bag that monster Flatty. Don’t forget strong nylon or even wire trace, as bigger flathead have raspy jaws that can cut you off even when you have them next to the boat. Ganged hooks may also be an option. The best place to start is around Towra point.

Sydney Harbour

Good hauls of Bream and Flathead are being taken both day and night around the Spit Bridge, especially around the moorings, and into the upper reaches of Middle Harbour. Fresh fish baits for the bream or small live baits for the Flatties have been the most productive.

Unusually for this time of year, big Australian Salmon up to 2.5 kg are on the bite throughout the harbour. Often you will find them in schools which include some decent size Bonito and a few bigger tailor. All of these fish are readily taking soft plastics, flies, and very small chrome lures about 10-15gms of weight. Good places to start searching out these schools are Bradleys Head, Taylors Bay and Rose Bay.

Kingfish are on in numbers at the moment, and a little bit of time spent looking for a school can pay off as a great days fishing. Most of the fish are Rat sized or just legal, but still give the great fight they are renowned for. Ben Turbott and mates trolled the South Head run yesterday for 20 kings, half of them legal, in two hours on surface lures. All were released. The fish are also willing to take a well presented fly. Large numbers of kings have been taken on fly from Long Reef, as well as from inside the harbour from places like Sow and Pigs reef, and can also be found hanging around the Salmon schools near Rose Bay.

Hawkesbury
Bass have been taking surface lures recently around Sackville and Cattai Creek. Fish around areas of structure, or just at the edge of drop offs.

Report: ( 09-01-2004 )

Broken Bay
Bonito are hanging around the headlands from Broken Bay to Sydney Harbour. These great fighters are being taken on lures, such as rapala cd9’s and cd7’s. Any headland with close rocky undercrops are worth a shot at the moment.

Massive Kingfish are busting off heavy line all throughout Broken Bay, chasing schools of baitfish into the shallows or just cruising the moorings. Live baits and strong gear are the key to landing yourself a monster. Smaller kings are still holding around some headlands, and can be taken on the troll.

Sydney Harbour
Plenty of Whiting are being caught on ultra light lines inside the harbour, on their favourite blood worms. Suprisingly some are also being caught on small strips of squid, rigged on small hooks and light line.

Kingfish are becoming a harbour mainstay at the moment, giving many a first time angler the thrill of a lifetime, usually on gear far too light for the task at hand. Strong line and an outfit to match is a key to fishing for these fish. Good baits are fresh squid or live yellowtail, with live squid a delicacy. Try your luck around Quarrantine, inside North Harbour, or head over to Sow and Pigs reef.

Offshore
Marlin are the go at the moment. Mick Lyons out on the Allie Hunter pulled up six marlin over the last threedays.

Dolphin fish are just starting to turn up further south than Broken Bay Wide, however they are not consistently holding on the FADs with warm water threatening to flow south but never quite. Fish out there are in the region of
15-20 kilos.

Offshore bottom fishing is a bit tough with big swell and a north easter blowing creating trying times. Those who do get the anchor down are picking upgoodsized flathead and plenty of morwong.

Inshore reefs are running hot and cold with kingfish at the moment. Try your luck with some live Yakkas and you should have some sort of luck.

Report: ( 27-12-2003 )

Sydney Offshore
Best bet at present is to fish deep reefs and gravel areas in 60-70 meters. Plenty of Flathead, Tailor and Morwong about at this depth.

The increase in bait numbers has lead to good size kingies being taken all over Sydney at the moment. Fish up to 5kg have been taken in the last few days off North Head.

At present the offshore water temp is averaging about 21ºc, and the occasional Dolphin Fish has turned up, however numbers are still not great. Warmer water over the next week or so should bring them on.

Broken Bay
Good numbers of Bream up to and over 30cm are being taken from the Hawkesbury.

Kingfish are roaming throughout broken bay chasing schools of bait. Try tossing some very fresh squid, or live slimy mackerel, in around West Head or Box Head.

Jewfish have finally turned up in some numbers in Broken Bay and further up the Hawkesbury. Try the Bar Point reef or Flint and Steel reef for best results. Fresh Mullet strips make a great bait.

Sydney Harbour
Jewfish catches reported including a couple of really big fish in the last week. Spit Bridge, Gladesville bridge, or around Sow and Pigs reef are all good spots to try. Fresh squid or Mullet (whole or in strips) will give best results.

Plenty of Kingfish through the Harbour. Smaller but more plentiful rat Kings can be found around Middle Head and toward the Spit, on fresh squid or plastic stickbaits. There are also big Flathead in about 2-3m of water in the same areas. Best bet is to drift a live yakka or fresh pilchard.

Chopper tailor are on the prowl in both North and Middle Harbour. Troll a small lure around any of the headlands in these areas for good results.

Sydney Fish Finder
www.sydneyfishfinder.com.au