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19 12 05 It’s good to see some real summer action this week as the blue water arrives sporadically off Sydney. Once again we have a had a lick blue water on North Head, bringing stacks of small Kings and some thumper Salmon, as well as a couple of massive Kings, inside the Harbour. Close offshore there are also big schools of Rat Kings, with birds working all over them. It is a Pity though that Pitty missed out on this life bringing current flow for the second time this season. Pete Le Blang of Harbour and Estuary Charters reports it is a bit of a struggle on the Kings in Pittwater since it started to be hammered by netters a few weeks ago. Apparently beach haulers have been spotted again, this time off currawong beach, winching in hundreds of metres of net, so no improvement in stocks is expected soon. There are a few species still to be interested in, including a couple of good sized summer run Bream around West Head. Flathead and Flounder have been reasonably active around the mouth of Broken Bay as well as just inside Pittwater on the drift. For the sports fishers there are at least a few Tailor around, off Longnose Pt, but no Salmon. Thankfully the harbour has been firing; though there is the odd day where nothing happens, it is quickly followed up with Kings by the bucketload. Des Toms of Hook’em Cook’em Charters has had a great week, with Kings and Salmon all over the place since the blue water hit for a second time this week. Rose Bay and a few of other bays around town have been producing Kingfish from 50 – 80cm, as has Clifton Gardens. There are a few nice Tailor holding around these schools as well, often above the Kings. The Salmon on the other hand have liked the grounds West of Middle Head closer to Balmoral, where they can be seen busting up all over the place under feeding birds. There are a couple of Dolphins working this area though, which can put the Salmon down. Unfortunately there are no Bonito here yet. Offshore has been working pretty well also, with baitfish and crustaceans providing abundant food for the first of the seasons Marlin and the last of the ‘Fin. Some good sized Stripes have come in over the last week, as well as a few Jellybean fin. The majority of the action though has been a bit closer to shore, where hordes of Rat Kings can be found a mile or two out. Off Long Reef as well as off Bluefish Point there are patches of Kings working the surface, with birds wheeling and diving all over the place.
You’ve gotta love the start to this summer. Hot weather and hot water are both combining to bring us some hot fishing. Water temps as high as 23.3 degrees have been found offshore, though this water is still quite wide, about 10-15 miles east of Browns. Big Kings in the harbour, a continuation of the small Yellowfin offshore, and big Jewies in Broken Bay have been the highlights of this week. There have also been plenty of good sized sharks seen around, from the monster Tiger in the surf at Bondi to numbers of Whalers from 6-10ft inside Middle Harbour. The harbour has been firing lately, with surface schools of Kings, Salmon and Tailor smashing up baitfish all over the harbour. Mornings have seen most of the action, especially around Clontarf, Balmoral and around Rose Bay. If you can find these schools, the fish will take small spun white metal slices, as well as smaller clear soft plastics in shad tails. The occasional hook up has also come out of these schools on white stick baits. Des Toms is having a ball, getting his customers on to a few Kings from 60 – 80cm. Squid is the go as always. He recommends the Yellow Marker buoy, as well as the Eastern Wedding Cake marker, as potentially the best bait fishing areas for Kings. He has also made a few visits out to the FAD off Bondi, with mixed results. The water is not hot enough for dollies yet, but there are a few Kings around 70cm occasionally in the mix. Upstream in the harbour there has been a heap of bait for several weeks now, holding big predators in their midst. While this means there are some huge Kings up around Sugarloaf Bay, it also means there are a heap of sharks. Night time skinny dippers beware! Antonin ‘The Composer’ had a great time off Pickering Point early in the week, landing both Kings and Sharks. The biggest was a Bronze Whaler of almost 8 feet long. Clontarf beach has also seen some shark action, as they chow into schools of chopper Tailor. Pittwater has been a little better this week as well. Slowly but surely schools of rat Kings are infiltrating the bay, following small baitfish. West Head has been ok, and the Kings there are taking all sorts, from trolled bibbed minnows including Rapalas and suchlike, to stick baits and metals, and of course baits both live and fresh. Warm water is the key to West Heads success, so try to fish the top of the high, when warmer current water has been swept in by the tide. The mooring runs on the eastern side of Pitty have also been producing occasionally. There are a few rogue Tailor and the odd Salmon moving about the bay, but not enough to target them. Offshore is still a bit mixed, with hot water wide but much of it swirling and hard to track down at times. Ron Kovacs managed to get out a few times during the week, and found the warm stuff as well for a few Jellybean Tuna to about 8kg. He also saw a Striped Marlin free jumping inside Browns, giving hope that a good season is ahead! Dee Why Hotel Fishing Club had a comp on over the weekend, which was taken out by Bernie Wilson. His bag of Snapper to 4kg, Bream and Leatheries, all from off Newport, outscored the rest of the field. There were a few other notable catches though, including Rob Lemon with a few good Bream out of Pitty, and Bob Sankey, who turned up with two EP’s, taken on live prawns. No hints provided as to where they were though! As a nice footnote, Broken Bay produced a monster Jewfish this week, of 60lb. Fresh Goulds Squid was the key.
21
– 11 - 05 The Harbour is particularly subservient to this, with recent days of cloud and rain bringing the temperature down from almost 22 to about 19.5, and putting pay to much of the Kingfish bite, particularly in upstream areas. A couple of days of sun should see things pick back up again though, and for now there are still patches of warmer stuff around the Heads that are holding active Kings. There are plenty of other species about, including the fairly prolific Flatties. Most of the drift grounds inside the harbour are holding flathead, from 40 - 50 cm. Antonin ‘The Czech’ Dvorjak composed a nice day out early this week that included drifting over grounds off Grotto Point with pilchards and live Yakkas. Soon after arrival the reels were singing as Flatties from 38 to 50cm took to the bite. Though there seemed to be a rush of bites in quick succession and then a long wait, he waited it out, and was duly rewarded with a plate sized Flounder on Whitebait. Des Toms has been getting stuck into a few different species as well this week, including some late season Salmon around the inside of North Head that have taken fresh squid designed for Kings. There have been a few Tailor around in Sugarloaf Bay, where there have been plenty of baitfish as well. He reports plenty of baitfish around all over the harbour, including Yellowtail schools on both the Wedding Cake Markers, and plenty of Slimies of all sizes schooling about. Dobroyd Head is a good place to start looking for the Slimies. Offshore
fishing is just starting to heat up a little, with the first few small
Marlin for the year having been hooked up over the last week. By the time
this goes to print there may have been some bigger ones landed, but at
least there are still a few other fish around. Joe Roberts must be commended
for landing his first Yellowfin, of 10kg, over the weekend just outside
Browns. Reef fishing has been picking up as well, with Flatties and Morwong
on the bite, taking pillies and fresh squid. Narrabeen Lakes was by all accounts pretty quiet over the winter, but recent plastic flicking exploits by Mad Dog Morgan and Little Timmy have shown that up. Flatties, Flounder, and a 30cm Red all came calling courtesy of those killer Berkley Gulp 6” Sandworms, as they meandered around the lake banks.
14 11 05 There has been some good fishing times had in the last week, and finally the impact of warmer water is being felt with some consistency. Currents of this warm water flowing south have brought baitfish and summer run pelagics to Sydney waters, and created a pathway for larger migratory fish including Tuna to move back down the coast for summer. Offshore is often a bit up a down so early in the season, particularly until the Marlin come on, and shark fishing is usually the way of the day. This has been true of the last few weeks, with a couple of Makos around the 100 - 150kg mark in town. Rob Roberts chummed hard over the weekend for a bit of success on them, landing a 100kg version. The real news though this week has been the efforts of Matt McCarthy and Clan. After leaving Fish Outta Water on Saturday with a new fully spooled Tiagra 30w or two, they decided to try their luck on the Yellowfin on Sunday. Accompanied by great weather, and FOWs own Andrew Thorpe, they found a nice patch of water out past Browns, and proceeded to get smoked. The final result was somewhat in their favour by the end of the day, with one 42kg, one 38kg, one 15kg and two 5kg Yellowfin Tuna, all to the boat. Decent day out that one. Nice way to christen the new gear. Much better news than what Pete Le Blang reports has happened in Pittwater. With haulers in long punt boats having stepped in during recent nights, Kingfish stocks have been decimated. Almost all of the large resident Kingfish seem to have vanished, and the only fish sighted this week have been schools of just legal or undersize ‘rats’, moving with the baitfish that are now plentiful. So much for the hopes of many anglers, who had seen these local fish getting bigger and bigger prior to this week. With any luck a few more schools might migrate Pittwater way during the summer, and maybe even a few Cobes. This looks a little way off still though. Thankfully there are still a few big Squid around the area at least, so the sashimi market isn’t totally vanquished. Sydney Harbour is slowly creeping up in temperature this week, and therefore also in the fishing stakes. Des Toms from Hook’em Cook’em charters reports the magic mark to be around 19.5 degrees, with fishing being a little slow when the water temperature is below that, and exponentially better with every step above it. By the time the harbour hits 20 most of the fish are active, and the schools of rat Kings that have been milling around the front of North Head start to move inside hunting bait. Narada Taranto loves flicking plastics round the harbour, and has a good time on the flatties of late. Nth Harbour has provided a few, with 85mm black gold squidgies doing most of the damage. A few whiting are also on the hunt in the same areas. Try wading the flats on high tide in search of a school. Beach worms are doing the trick. And finally, a quick well done to Jimmy Merritt, who pulled a nice Salmon off the beach at Curly over the weekend. Pilchards did the trick. The
Harbour can fire up so quickly when summer arrives. You go away for two
weeks and by the time you get back everthing has changed. Flathead and
Tailor seem to be well on the chew at the moment. It doesn’t seem
to matter where or what you throw at them they just grab it and have a
go. Although the Lizards are only small, up to 55cm, they still provide
good light line fun in the absence of Bream. Narada Taranto has been out
flicking plastics from shore lately for quite a few of the above mentioned.
His largest recent tailor went to 1.7kg, on a flickbait. Darker colours
seem to be the go. The best performers have been purples and greens particularly
Motor Oil, Watermelon and Pumpkinseed although he managed a few on Bloodworm
and Avocado as well. He also went trolling Bluefish Pt earlier in the
week for a few Kings although they were on the small side. The Kings at
present seem to be mostly rats from 65 to 75cm's in length, which have
taken a liking to large Rapalas, as well as livies, and even fresh bait.
Pete Roberts went out with the family over the weekend chasing a few and
had a ball, landing 12 Kings and losing a few more. Nice day Pete!! Yakkas
fished into his berley trail off the front of North Head started the action
for the day, but they were soon gobbled up, which saw slimy mackerel fillets
introduced to the fray with good results. Salmon have also been around
in patches around the same areas. It’s nice to see that even though
the waters are warming there are still some quality Salmon to be found.
Mostly they are being taken on the troll, being so skittish when they
surface that you can’t get near them. Trevors and some small Reds
are also stirring up the waters around the Heads, taking Pillies or whitebait.
17 10 05 Conditions weren’t entirely favourable for fishing this week, with a bit of wind and rain poking about, but that didn’t stop some nice fish being caught! There is a good mix of species around at this time of the year, from big Trevally to monster Kings, and a few small (10-15kg) Yellowfin cruising down the coast with the current. There have even been a couple of whales poking about North Head. Fishing in the Harbour has been on the rise for a few weeks, and now things are getting a move on big time. Rob Jenkins and Alex Inwood headed out early in the week to find the Salmon that have been holding off Bluefish on the surface and feeding hard. They were a little skittish, but a couple of them still took a fancy for small plastics and flies, and as a rule they were fishable. After being forced by the swell to abandon those schools, the caped crusaders journeyed back inside North Head to find more Salmon on the surface, but these fish were the very the definition of spooked and could not be tempted into taking anything. Not surprising as there were numbers of sharks and other predators harrasing them, including a couple of decent size Kings that have been spotted working the schools. Two quite large whales even decided to come and check out the action! Further inside the harbour there have been some nice Trevally, most around the 30cm mark, but a couple of big ‘uns have been lurking. Des Toms of Hook’em Cook’em Charters landed the biggest Trev he has seen in the harbour this week, from off Dobroyd Pt. A good berley trail of pilchards brought some really bronze coloured fish of over 60cm in around the boat, and they weren’t afraid to pick whole Squid off the 10kg gear supposedly meant for Kings. He also managed to find a couple of really brightly coloured Reds around 30 - 35cm inside Middle Harbour, and a few Flatties have turned up on the drift off Balmoral. The beaches are also fishing well for quite a few species. Large and incredibly tasty whiting have been coming in off Queensy Beach for the last few days, falling for fresh beach worms fished on light line in the close gutters. Deeper gutters on some of the more open beaches have been a favoured haunt of nice sized Choppers, as Charlie Male found out fishing Narrabeen. A couple of good Trevs also showed their faces. Pittwater just seems to get better and better. Pete Le Blang of Harbour and Estuary charters has been regular as clockwork, with 5-10 Kingies per day on almost every charter. Peter Holt went out with him and landed seven Kings, two of 87cm, and another five that were between 65 and 85cm. Now that some of the smaller next generation of Squid have arrived, bait is a little easier to come by, and the Kings are getting stuck into them. Try West Head. Water temperatures are now holding around 19 degrees in Pitty, and that has helped kill off a lot of the algae that had been clogging drift fisho’s lines. Drifting around Bayview now is a lot easier, and there are a few Flatties to be had. Tennis Wharf has also produced some fat bream of late, but heavy berley is essential. Offshore has probably been the slowest fishing area this week, but it won’t look like it unless I forget to tell you about the 13kg Kings, and the 15kg Yellowfin. Ooops. Yoshi and Charlie, of the Japanese jigging brigade, headed out toward the 12 mile with some top of the line Japanese neutral balance jigs last weekend, and had a ripper of a day. 50-60cm 4kg Trevally, and a few 60-70cm Amberjack, started the day off on a good note, before some nice Kings started to get antsy. A 13 kilo Kingfish of around 125cm followed hot on the heels of a one of 12kg, after both smashed into the jigs like a steam train. Nice work if you can get it.
11 October 2005 Summer is in the air pretty early this year, and though we still have a few weeks of lag time yet before it is summer in the water, the signs point toward a reasonable season. Water temperatures around North Head last summer averaged only just over 21.5 degrees, a stark comparison to the year before that, when 24.5 degree waters were about before Christmas. This year looks set for a repeat of the latter, though we are only just 18 degrees in the Harbour at present, which should encourage more summer run fish such as the migratory Kingfish schools that are happiest in water with those few extra degrees. Pittwater is a little warmer as a rule, and has already seen the first of them. Offshore from Sydney out near the shelf, warmer northern currents are already flowing south, and a few consecutive days of Nor-East winds should bring some warm water onshore. Till then though the Harbour is still fishing well, with plenty of Flatties around, as well as Trevally, mid sized Squire, some hungry Luderick, Bream, and Kings. Squid Slimies and Yakkas are also about in reasonable patches. Flathead have been picked up from all over the harbour this week. North Harbour, Middle Harbour and around Town have all produced. Fish Outta Water regular Narada Taranto picked up a lovely Flatty of 78cm next to Fort Denison this week, while flicking bass minnows into the eddies. The next morning he moved into Kirribilli around the slipways, and managed four very nice EP’s, three over 40cm, as well as being busted up a couple of times. In his words “Got busted up by some big fellas that I just could not stop with six pound line and eight pound leader. They were just too strong, but I got a quick look at them. Both were good fish and both EP's. They loved those Berkley Gulps in the 3 Minnow Pumpkinseed. I also managed two nice Bream and a Lizard at the same time. The best Bream went 900g on my inaccurate little scales. Not a bad couple of hours.” It looks like things are hotting up close to town. There have been a few trevally sighted around town as well, particularly in the Eastern Bays such as Watsons, where they are congregating near structure. Whitebait is the key bait. They can also be found around the Spit Bridge area, which has been fishing quite well for some good sized Kings. Des Toms has managed a few around 70-80cm, with patience and live or fresh Squid. Pittwater has also been firing, particularly with summer run Kings. Quite a few different schools seem to be in residence, some with fish averaging closer to 60cm and others closer to 80cm, and they are hungry. Pete Le Blang has been doing it proud, landing fish every day and in good numbers. Often the only problem is bait running out, as live Squid is still not all that easy to find. Early this week Pete and this articles author landed five fish between eight and ten o’clock, with the smallest 61cm and the largest 71cm, and the bite only stopped because the bait did! There have been a few other species poking their head in, including Flounder that are in good numbers on the drift around West Head and Barrenjoey. There are a few inside Pittwater but clumps of slimy algae on the bottom make drift fishing hard work. Bream have also shown their faces around West Head and Stokes Pt, and can be berlied up with fresh bread. Offshore is still fishing pretty well, if you exclude the Chinaman Leatheries. Snapper are a little slower than they have been, but there are still plenty of Flathead about on sand and shell grit grounds. Drifting pillies, anchovies or whitebait will do the trick. Cheyne Sales had a bit of fun stripping unweighted baits for Snapper of Longy. There were no Snapper, but twice a four foot long Mako picked up the bait and raced off jumping as it went. The first one managed to get away, but the second one ended in the tinnie after a good fight. Quite a nice catch on 12lb line! For those traveling out further there have been a few jellybean Yellowfin around 8-10kg, just east of Browns, taken on smaller pushers. 04 10 05 Warming waters over the last few weeks have led us to some much improved fishing, with summer species including Kings now much more active and really on the chew. Very early season currents have started to flow from the North, with 20 degree waters lapping down the edge of the shelf past Sydney, followed hot on its heels by a swirling band of 22 degree water. With any luck this will see the return journey of a few Yellowfin move down past Browns during the next few weeks, as well as bringing nutrient and fish rich waters in close to Sydney for (hopefully) an early summer! Pittwater is always the first of our inshore waterways to warm up, and this year is going to be hot. It is already 18 degrees in the water most mornings, and only hots up from there. Of course, the resident Kingfish are lapping it up, after having shivered all winter as they huddled for warmth around the wrecks. Now they are about hungrily cruising their circuits, and have been joined by quite a few of their migratory brothers for the summer. Though most of these newly arrived migratory Kings are on the smaller side, from 65cm to 75cm, there have been quite a few around. Pete Le Blang of Harbour and Estuary Charters managed a nice little haul of 10 Kings over 70cm on the recent holiday Monday, and thinks this is just the start. NICE. Squid have been the best of the baits, though small Yellowtail are also on the menu. Thankfully the reliance on live squid that we have had all winter may be coming to an end, with half of Petes 10 fish on Monday coming on fresh strips. All the squid, live or dead, should be down rigged for the best results. A few good Bream are also marauding Pittwater, and, as Keiren Jones found out, the bigger ones love Squid. Jonsey landed one over 1.6kg while running a live Squid on the downrigger at the entrance to Mcarrs Creek. The Harbour has also lifted its game lately, and a few nice fish have come in from around the inside of North Harbour. Small Jewfish around 8lb have ventured in at night this week, mixing it up with a few Leatherjacket that have moved in around Quarrantine Wharf. Fresh Squid and Slimy Mackerel have been their preferred baits. Bream are also getting quite active, and there are plenty around, in both Middle Harbour and west of the city around the Iron Cove Bridge. Soft plastic insect imitations have been working a treat in the new season. Try Berkley Bulky Hawgs in Watermelon. Salmon and Tailor have made their presence felt in Middle Harbour, where they are herding baitfish into the shallows. Sugarloaf Pt has seen them working the surface on occasions this week. The Kings in the harbour are not as active as the Pittwater versions, mostly because of the up to 2 degree water temperature difference, but they are still about, and their numbers are increasing. A couple fish were landed this week from around North Head, including one close to 6kg trolled up near Bluefish by Scotty McGowan on a Mcgoo Soft Head Pusher. Old Mans Hat has also thrown up a few kings this week, unexpectedly taking unweighted half pilchards drifted in the berley trail. Offshore is fishing pretty well at the moment, with good hauls on both close and far reefs, and a couple of 10kg Yellowfin on the surface out wide. Close grounds have thrown up a good mix of species this week. Leatherjacket seem to have moved in over many areas, but they can be quite mobile and will sometimes just move on, allowing other more palatable species to be targeted again. Flatties in particular have been on the prowl, and good hauls have come in this week from grounds around 2kms off South Head. Drifting pillies seems the ideal tactic. Snapper are also about, but can be hard to find through all the Leatheries. Fresh Squid has been the best bait for the Snapper, but you may have to move around to find good patches of workable fish!
Fish
Outta Water – Stefan Hansson You
gotta love the rain, and as I write this it’s finally it is raining
cats and dog sharks. We’ve had so little of it lately there has
been nothing to re-invigorate the water, but that should change over the
next few weeks. Debris washed into the rivers when it rains starts afresh
the food cycle, causing algae and other marine growths that provide food
for the smallest organisms. These in turn provide food for slightly larger
organisms, and so on till the larger predatory fish. For now though the
fishing is still a bit mixed, but positive. The
beaches have been fishing a little better this week, as warm current water
slowly washes south. The only major issue is the total infestation of
Sharks. Port Jacksons and Bronzies make up the majority, but in between
them all there are a few sneaky Jewies getting around. Charlie Male had
a fun filled night of adventure off Collaroy early in the week, first
hooking up to and landing plenty of sharks, then losing a good Jewy, and
then landing one over 10 kilos. All this on garden variety imported Californian
Squid. Nice work if you can get it. A few others have seen landed between
6 and 10kg. Fishing a couple of hours either side of the high tide in
a good hole should provide some more action this week and next. We should
be pretty thankful the Jewies are about, because the Drummer didn’t
stay around the coast in the usual manner this year. Nor did the Luderick,
though at least there are a couple about. Groper is about the best bet
off the rocks at the moment. And Parksey didn’t stop there, he headed just offshore to one of his favoured reefs, where Chinamen Leatheries were asking to be pan fried. When cleaned, one of the jackets was found with two of his previously bitten off hooks inside its stomach. Third time dinner! Unfortunately the leatheries are making it hard to fish for anything else. A few nice sized Flatties were the icing on the cake, drifted up on pillies just off the beaches. So get out there Stefan Hansson Fish
Outta Water
Offshore fishing has been hard with conditions against of late, but some hardy souls still got out, for little result. There has been a reduction in snapper reports, with grounds in 36 fathoms wide off Long Reef invaded by some massive shanghai style Leatheries that just don’t let you near the bottom. They will bite off your hooks, bite at your swivels, or just plain bite through your line. This continues an alarming pattern of late, with several reefs now off Sydney, as well as even more further north, now infested with these fish. The 12 Mile reef is now often almost unfishable. Thankfully there have been a couple of Snapper closer in. There have been a few Flatties on the drift, off most beaches, in about 20-40m of water. Pillies are the choice. Close to shore there are also a few trevally that can be berlied up, especially off Bluefish Pt. Beach fisho’s have also stumbled onto some reasonable Flats, mostly around the turn of tides, but the beaches have been a little quiet this week. Certainly there are nowhere near the number of sharks that have been about of late, especially at night. There does seem to be a rise in the number of Jewies around though. Al Bellissimo has landed a couple round the 5 – 7 kg mark, but there is not much about to turn a night reel otherwise. Late afternoons however are fishing OK for Salmon and Tailor, including one bloody nice Salmon that was landed this week, of 5.2kg. Good fish that. The changing conditions of late might not have worked for everyone, but they’ve been hugely in the favour of Sydney Harbour. Des Toms of Hook’em Cook’em Charters suggests that there has been a fair explosion of baitfish over the last week or two, and slowly the predator fish are stating to come investigate. Balmoral, Bantry Bay, North Harbour and many of the bays closer to town are harbouring the baitfish, which includeYakkas and a few Slimies, as well as patches of Hardyheads. The baitfish around Town seem to be attracting a few pelagic fish into the warmer harbour waters, particularly Salmon and even the occasional cold Kingfish. Rushcutters Bay has been good for a bit of this action. Tailor are also holding around these schools, but the largest schools of Tailor seem to be up inside Middle Harbour, where they are crashing baitfish on the surface. Bantry Bay has been a prominent destination on the Tailors itinery, where yakkas, mullet and other baitfish fleeing off the banks as the tide falls are being chomped on masse. In turn the Tailor are being hounded from underneath by all sorts of big black shapes, generally just at the edge of visibility. Whether these are Sharks or Jews or both or neither, it is worth an investigation, especially after Steve Twomey landed another of his patented soft plastic Jewies from near that exact area earlier in the week. Steves fish was all of 8kg, taken on 8lb XDS Fireline, on a 4 inch dropshot minnow. Pittwater is much further ahead on the season change. Warming waters are increasing Kingfish activity, with the fish now well and truly on the move running the moorings and circuiting from reef to reef. Most of the kings are around 80cm, with a few just size rats sprinkled in. Tailor are spread throughout the Bays, with schools patchy but ever present. The size of the fish varies a fair bit though, with schools near the Basin harbouring fish of just 25cm, whereas Scotland Islands surroundings are producing over 50cm varieties. Pete Le Blang of Harbour and Estuary Charters has managed to find nice size ones balling up a few of the plentiful baitfish schools off Longnose Pt. Some big Bream are also in Pitty, with fish over 40cm sniffing around West Head and investigating structure round Scortland Island. Get a good bread berley out to encourage some action.
12
09 05 The rise has been much loved by Sydney Harbour anglers, with finally some decent numbers of fish about. It has been a pretty barren winter, but that looks to be over with infiltrations of Trevally around Watsons Bay and Quarrantine Point, interspersed with some thumping bait stealing Tailor. Both the Trevs and the Tailor have been investigating strong berley trails, and will pretty much attack any good strip bait, particularly squid. The Tailor have also been picking off live baits around Quarrantine. Bream have also started to make a bit of a comeback this week, especially around town. From Drummoyne to Rose Bay, most structure will have a few nice bream on it. Pudding baits have been doing well, as has fresh bread. Plastic jiggers have also been cleaning up, with atomic paddletails and berkley 2” watermelon bulky hawgs the pick in the deeper water areas. Just inside the Heads there is an occasional school of Salmon that seems to pop up when it wants, usually with no warning, but the majority of the Salmon surface action has been going on around closer to Bluefish Point. Des Toms from Hook’em Cook’em Charters has managed to pick up a few nice fish to 9lb form inside the harbour. He suggests casting at them from just off the edge of the school with small metal slices around 10gms. Offshore
is going strong, especially with some good Reds still being caught reasonably
close in, and a few nice size flathead on the drift. The Reds are loving
a bit of fresh Squid drifted down to them, and though the flatties won’t
refuse squid outright, they are preferring some fresh oily fish bait.
The fishing may have been even better if it weren’t for interruptions
by wave and wind. The beaches have fished well this week, especially if you are a fan of catching sharks, with a variety of Whalers and a few Port Jacksons. Shovelnoses and Rays have made also made their presence felt. For the lighter line angler, there has been a few Tailor and Salmon running the gutters, though intermittently and mostly around dawn and dusk. Pilchards and Slimy Mackerel have done the damage. A few Bream have also taken a liking to these baits. So get out there and fish. Stefan Hansson 050905 Pittwater
continues to sparkle for the inshore fisho’s, simply because of
the Kings! The last few weeks have seen Pete Le Blang of Harbour and Estuary
Charters land Kingies almost every day, and this week saw plenty more
good sized fish, some up to the 90cm mark. Keiren Jones snuck around and
managed to pull in a 78cm fish over the weekend, and Ada Kwok landed herself
a very nice 84cm fish on Tuesday. Both came courtesy of a down-rigged
live squid. Occasionally there have also been a few smaller Kingfish spotted,
including some around 40cm at the entrance to Pittwater, which could herald
the start of the Kingies for summer! The water in the area is still pretty
frigid at 15 degrees however, and fight wise these frozen fish can be
a pale imitation of their summer selves. Some decent Trevors are still
hanging around over the wrecks in Pitty, but their numbers are dwindling
and they can be hard to track down. Afternoons are providing a little
bit of Tailor action, especially on the run out tide. So
get at ‘em.
Pittwater is yet to experience Salmon in the numbers that abound off North
Head, but then it is still producing rather nice sized Kingies, so who
cares. The water temperature is finally rising as well, from the 13.5’s
of the last couple of weeks to a much more palatable 15 degrees plus.
Pittwater Pete Le Blang of Harbour and Estuary Charters has hooked a few
Kingfish this week, and not one of them has been below 84cm. There are
a couple of keys to this success though, those being the use of live squid
and a downrigger. The Squid are quite sparse in Pittwater at the moment,
but there must be no short cuts taken in this cold water if you want to
catch a King. Two or three hours to catch a squid is commonplace. Thankfully
in almost every case you can turn them directly into Kings. The best fishing
has been about one hour either side of the change of tide, on both tides.
Some decent Trevally are also hanging around inside Pitty, mostly around
the deeper points and headlands. A good berley will bring the fish around
your boat, and unweighted baits such as whitebait or squid strips fed
back into this trail are deadly. A few Bream are also falling in the same
way. 22-08-05 The harbour is still clear clean and rather quiet, holding around 14 degrees. At least there are a few sporadic though small Salmon schools that have crept inside to shelter. They can be found around Middle Head and at times as high up as Bantry Bay, though they’re not prolific anywhere inside the harbour. Most of the Salmon though are still out the front, just off North Head, where there are larger schools of possibly the most skittish fish on the face of the known universe. The only way to tackle them is to start a well placed drift, by wind or current, into the area where the fish and birds are congregated, and hope that one of the frequent risings will take place while you are within range! Occasionally a trolled large diving minnow, especially Blue Bombers or Blue Mackerel Rapalas, has picked up fish right on the front of North Head. If you are interested in learning how to catch Salmon of Fly, check out FISH OUTTA WATERS fish n tips nights. These nights are totally free to attend. This Thursday 25th @ 6.00pm, JONO SHALES will host SALMON FISHING ON FLY. Phone Fish Outta Water on 99499488 to place a booking. Drinks and Nibbles are provided. There is not much else to turn a reel for around the harbour at present, with even squid being scarce. Some recent late night fishing by this reports previous author DT has turned up plenty of ‘Box Heads’ (Port Jackson Sharks), inside North Harbour, but in his words they would have a hard time fighting their way out of a three week old waterlogged tissue paper bag, and given their penchant for stealing very rare and precious live squid at the moment, they are no favourites. There are a few smaller harbour Drummer around Dobroyd and Fairlight if nothing else can be found. Pittwater is a stark comparison to the harbour, mostly due to the Kingies. Everything else is the same, with cool clear waters and very few squid, but the Kingies are around and up in size, with a very happy Harbour and Estuary Charter customer landing one fish to 14.8 pounds this week. Nice work from such a structure laden environment. The fish are off the bite for most of the day though, with all the action being concentrated within the period one hour either side of the change of tide. Live Squid are the only option as well, even though they are scarce, as live Garfish and live Yakkas have both been down rigged this week for zero result. There are a few Trevs around the deeper water points in Pitty, responding particularly well to a heavy pellet berley. The fish will take paternoster rigged Squid strips off the bottom, as well as unweighted baits suspended higher in the berley trail. Beach
and rock fishing is still going strong. Plenty of Pigs have come in from
the ledges off Queensy and Curly, as well as others. Abalone Gut seems
to be the pick of the baits again this week. Salmon are patrolling beach
gutters in the evening, and the odd tailor is about in the same areas.
For the determined, the odd smallish Jewy has come in after dark lately
as well. 15 - 08 - 05. Fishing has been a bit patchy during the last week, especially inshore where below fourteen degree waters have permeated throughout both Sydney Harbour and Pittwater. This is the time of the year when water temperatures are always at their coldest in both these areas, and Pittwater is freezing, holding about 13.5 degrees until the run in tide warms things a little. Offshore the water is closer to sixteen plus degrees and it gets even warmer out over the shelf, so it is no surprise that reef fishing has been a little more lively. There have even been a few really big fin just north of Sydney. The Beaches are fishing quite well at present, with the Salmon that have been schooling up offshore starting to investigate beach gutters of an evening. Jeff Yorsten has managed to pick up a couple lately off Collaroy. The odd Tailor is also about, terrorising similar gutters and loving a piece of Pilly. A few sharks are making their presence felt, particularly in the deeper gutters off South Steyne. Everything from Port Jacksons to Whalers has shown up, often tempted by a strip of Bonito or Slimy Mackerel. Rock hoppers are still experiencing ‘Pigs’ a plenty, from under a kilo to over three. Ab Gut has been the pick of the baits lately, with several Fish Outta Water customers hooking up to big Pigs on it this week. Luderick have also been a favourite of late, and if you can find some nice fresh green weed you should be in with a good shot at hooking a couple. Reef fishing in the last few weeks has held it’s own with the comparatively warmer water providing more stimulus for the fish. Reasonable Reds have been hooked up to on the closer gravel beds, mostly by those using fresh squid. Obviously only when there is some run. Drift fishing has turned up quite a few Flatties, with Pilchards and Whitebait the prime baits. Out wider things are looking pretty good. There have been a few Yellowfin around the 20kg near Browns, but the better action is reserved for those who can put in a few kays. The boat ‘Diligaf’ went out last Sunday for a run up North toward Port Stephens, where near the end of the day they encountered a school of massive Yellowfin. Three Tuna all over 80 kilos made it onto the deck of the boat, before a fourth fish ¾ spooled a Tiagra 50w at high speed and then made its getaway. That last monster of the deep had to be some fish. Needless to say they were all stoked! Stomach inspection of the Tuna revealed some interesting finds, with crabs, small marlin or broadbill, and blue trevalla all inside, at least two of which are predominantly reef dwellers. Harbour fishing has been slow again this week, but there are still plenty of Bream around structures in town, mixed in with a couple of Tarwine. Des Toms of Hook’em Cook’em Charters fished Watsons Bay in 14 degree water, for a few decent Snapper around the 40cm mark. The berley trail he used also brought around some hard fighting Trevally, and the odd Pike. Blackfish have been quite prevalent all around the harbour lately, once again as long as you can find fresh weed. Salmon have been on and off out the front of North Head, and have also filtered in and around the harbour, but in both instances the fish are incredibly skittish and easily put down. If you are interested in learning more about catching Australian Salmon in Sydney, don’t miss Des Toms HOW TO CATCH AUSTRALIAN SALMON Talk @ Fish Outta Water this Thursday, August 18th at 6.00pm. There will also be a follow up talk the week after (August 25th @ 6.00pm) with Jono Shales, concentrating on catching Aussie Salmon on fly! To book for either of these FREE nights, call us on 99499488. Drinks and nibbles are provided. Pittwater is also very cold, and because of this, a little slow. The Kings are still there, and on the bite, but are just not as consistent as they have been recently. Live Squid is still the key, and Pete Le Blang of Harbour and Estuary Charters says there are a couple around, but expect it to be long hard work. The ones that are there are hanging in very small groups with just a couple of Squid. At least there are plenty of Trevors around that will respond to a good berley trail. Unweighted baits, particularly Whitebait or small Pilchard pieces, have been going off once they are around.
Stefan Hansson
08-08-05
Sydney Harbour has been one of the poorer fisheries in the area of late, with crystal clear cold water not helping, but things are on the up, especially around the heads. Massive schools of Salmon have been appearing on the surface around the inside and outside of North Head, with patches of fish stretching as far north as Curly. The schools are very very spooky, and will dive at the inference of a boat in the area. Sneaky electric motor behaviour is often called for in this situation, or failing that, a well thought out drift will bring you into contact with fish. A few of these Salmon are finding their way inside the sheltered harbour bays, and can be picked up trolling, or even soft plastic fishing, in some unlikely areas. Narada Taranto managed to hook up a nice one while flicking 3” watermelon bass minnows around Fort Denison, ostensibly for Bream. There were no complaints there. Blue Bombers and Rapala Magnums, from 10-15cm long, are also accounting for a few fish when trolled around Middle, North or South heads. Mostly it has been Salmon that have pounced, but a lucky few anglers have hauled up small Kings using this methods this week. Pittwater is firing away as usual. Russ from Pittwater Offshore Removals berlied heavily around the mouth of Lovetts Bay, and then fed tiny pieces of unweighted squid into the trail. Not a bad method, and he was duly rewarded with a (by Sydney standards) monster 72cm Silver Trevally. Apparently there were a few more under the boat as well, though they passed on unhooked. Kingfish have also been taken every day this week, not really what is expected for the middle of winter but who’s going to complain? Live Squid are the key, and they can be either down-rigged and slow trolled, or fed into a well set berley trail. The Squid are not overly prolific at the moment, but a few can be found on weed beds around West Head and other weed beds on the west side of Pitty. Yakkas are very occasionally being taken by Kings as well, though are just as hard to catch with all the sweep and other small rubbish fish in the bay.The algae on the bottom inside Pittwater is hindering drift fishing, but around the mouth of Broken Bay some good drift fishing for Flounder and Flatties can still be had. SGFC had their Mako Shark tournament over last weekend, and quite a few sharks were chummed up. 48 makos were tagged and 8 weighed in during the event, with the winning boat, ‘Ever Willing’, weighing in a 207kg shark. ‘Malolo’ had a good weekend. They hooked up and were busted off from two big Makos, after having 4 between 100 and 250kg milling around in the chum trail under the boat, but felt better when crew member Rob Lang took on and beat a 37.7kg Yellowfin to take out Biggest Yellowfin. Browns was the centre of most of the action. For the bottom bashers, a good weekend was had on the close reefs, with Snapper, Mowies and smallish Flathead all being landed. The current was very up and down, and fished poorly during times of no run. Sharks have been haunting the Beaches as well over the last few weeks, especially at night. Though not quite the size of the Makos, these Bronze Whalers are still about a metre long, and will give you a great fight. Doc Harper has been having a ball on them for some time now, and recommends the odd fillet should be taken home for a great tasting BBQ. Any oily and heavily scented fish bait will put you in with a great shot at hooking up a few. Other sharks have also been abundant this week, including Port Jacksons and a few other less familiar species. They are just as keen for your fish bait as the harder fighting Bronzies. Regular Fish Outta Water customer Charlie managed to miss all the Sharks and land a massive Whiting, nearly 14”. It must be something to do with the South Oz blood. Rock fishing has been great this week. Blackfish are sucking on fresh green week set into the wash around most Headlands. Warriewood has been good. Plenty of Pigs are still roaming the rocks, smashing into Ab Gut and Bread mixes, and to top it off the closely related Silver Drummer have also put in a bit of a showing this week, with fish around 4kg taken from the close gravel beds. So this week there are no excuses, there are plenty of fish for everyone! GO GET EM
Stefan Hansson
01 08 05 Fish Outta Water It
must be the warmer weather, because it’s sure not the warmer water
that is turning fish back on this week. For some strange reason frozen
Kingfish have been taken all week, and not just the bigger offshore reef
varieties, but plenty inshore as well ranging from ‘rats’
to 90cm versions. Tailor and Salmon are also slowly moving in around Sydney,
and a few can be found off a couple of ocean headlands, as well as in
Pitty and the Harbour. The Harbour itself is a bit slow, though there is an increasing number of Tailor and some sporadic Salmon holding around Middle Head. Most of them have fallen to trolled bibbed minnows. A little activity has been spotted between the heads by Des Toms of Hook’em Cook’em Charters this week. On a few different days, schools of fish have been seen making an appearance, swirling on the surface. It did seem like these fish might be Kings, as the surface commotion was at a minimum, but they could equally have been a school of Salmon slurping bait off the surface. Every time they were approached they would spook and bail for the bottom. Offshore has been patchy, with a few reports of close reef Kingies, some gravel bed Snapper, and plenty of bird and bait action further out (though no predators). Currents have made snapper fishing a bit of a chore lately, running hard one day and nothing the next, but conditions have still been good enough at ‘The Whale ‘ and off Longy in the last few days to ensure some plate sized fish were landed. Kingy jigging has been just as up and down, with the current again the major issue, but fish are being landed to about 15kg, and in some number. The beaches are still holding their own however, with schools of Chopper Tailor and a few Salmon moving up and down and holding around headlands, especially at Dee Why and Curly. Sharks are also showing their winter prominence, with Queensy being a hotbed of late for small Bronzies. Signs are good this week for an evening Jewy fish as well. So get out there!
Stefan Hansson 26 07 05 After a few weeks of pretty average fishing, pretty average reports, and very little rise in average inshore water temperature, the last thing you would have expected from a recent trip out would be hooking up on a frozen estuary Kingfish. 14 degree July Kingies are not the most common fish around Sydney, especially in the estuaries, even though July may be often the time that offshore reefs produce some large Kings in slightly warmer waters. It was with great glee then that Pete Le Blang landed 5 good Kingies in two days last week, including a 7kg fish (and a 4.5kg for yours truly), from well inside Pittwater while downrigging live Squid and squid heads along the ‘Kingfish Highway’. The Squid seemed harder to get than the Kingies, though there are patches of Squid moving in to breed. Unfortunately the Salmon and Tailor in Pittwater are a little less enthusiastic, though they are definitely still there. They seem to surface sporadically around the mouths of bays all throughout the area, including Taylors Bay and Lovett Bay, though they’re so skittish they will vanish at the mere hint of a boat, and they’re not overly keen to strike at lures either. There are a couple of Trevally around the bay, but not in good enough numbers to really start targeting them. A month or two should see them arrive in a little greater number. The harbour continues to be very quiet, especially around the North Harbour end. Clear and cold waters are not providing much shelter or food, and even the Salmon that were out the front in small numbers have dissipated. Some Bream are still in the harbour, from the mouth of the Parramatta down as far as Watsons Bay, particularly around marinas and other similar structure. The average size does seem to be a little smaller than in previous weeks though. Des Toms of Hook’em Cook’em Charters agrees it has been a hard week this week, but believes an improvement to the harbours fishing stocks might well be on its way. He has found a few Trevally lately slowly filtering in through the heads, with hopes of more to come. Offshore fishing has had little to report this week, though there is quite a bit of good water out there, especially to the North of Broken Bay. ‘Dilligaf’ took a venture toward Port Stephens, starting the trolling from Broken Bay, and though the water looked good for much of the way and big fish could be seen on the sounder under schools of Albatross, nothing would rise. That is until they found themselves inside the shelf at Port Stephens, where a 65kg Mako Shark smashed into a McGoo Evil Lumo, leaping out of the water as it did. As usual it happened at the end of the day, and with darkness encroaching new FOW staff member Andrew Thorpe landed the shark. Nice work Thorpie, pity about missing the footy though! The beaches are also having a bit of a Shark run, though with slightly smaller Bronzies. Night fishos hoping for Jewies have hooked up a fair few lately, mostly on some type of oily fish including Slimies and Striped Tuna. Manly, Dee Why and Narrabeen have all provided a few this week. Pigs though are still the call of the day for ledge fishos. Size wise they are not getting any smaller, still getting up to the 3kg mark with regularity and even over it at times, and there are decent numbers hanging around most headlands. Ab Gut and Bread are the key ingredients. So why are you just sitting there?! 18-07-05 With the water and weather set to remain cold for the next month or two, and the fishing stuck in slow mode, you could be forgiven for being tucked up in bed till the end of September. Many fisho’s will be, but they will also be missing out on a few of the different fishing experiences that are only available during these winter months. Sure the Salmon schools are not here as early or in the same numbers as in previous years, but there are some massive drummer about off the rocks, and plenty of blackfish spread all throughout Sydney, from the beaches to high inside the harbours and estuaries. The Beaches are really the pick of Sydney’s fishing areas this week, as they have been for a while. Drummer over three kilos continue to be taken on Ab Gut and Bread, from the washes off Queensy and Longy. Salmon around 2-3kg are also about in sporadic numbers off the headlands too, taking Squid and Pillies. The real reason for a big beach fish at the moment though could be thoughts of hooking up to one of the steam-training Jewies. There have been a few mid sized fish taken this week, as well as at least one spooling from a slightly larger fish. Stripey Tuna and Mullet are the two best enticers, so try throwing one into a gutter off Dee Why, Curl Curl or Narrabeen and you will be in with a shot. The Harbour has been variously described by those in the know this week as cold, windy and patchy. Des Toms also added the words ‘clear’, ‘barren’ and ‘small squire’ to the mix. Not sounding overly promising. But there is still a fish or two for those willing to do the hard yards. Salmon haven’t come into the harbour in any number yet, and there is therefore very little surface action, but the odd fish is still being trolled up from around a few headlands. Middle Head, Dobroyd Pt, Quarrantine Pt, and the run from South Head to Nielsen Park have all been occasional producers. Bibbed minnow such as Rapala CD-7s, in blue or silver patterns, seem to be working the most effectively at present. There are still a few good Bream around town, especially Rose Bay way, and there has also been a showing of a couple of monster Bream around the Spit Bridge. Simon Cosgroves recent fish, taken from a boat sitting just off the Seaforth moorings, went nearly 2kg, taken on a thin and lightly weighted strip of mullet fillet. There are even a few winter Jewies roaming about the harbour, with one lucky customer picking up a decent 4kg fish while flicking for Bream with a 4” Watermelon Berkley Bass Minnow. Flatties are still about as well, many lately falling to a fresh slab of Slimy Mackerel, though the average size is pretty small right now. There seems to still be plenty of baitfish as well, including Yakkas and Slimes. Pittwater is back down to 14 degrees, and the fish are back to feeling it. Pete Le Blang has found his fair share of Salmon moving around and about, but they are the most skittish creatures on the face of Gary Abletts green earth, moving from Soldiers Pt to Portuguese Beach, to somewhere else, surfacing only when they feel the need and in a different spot every time. There has been the occasional pick up on trolled minnows, as well as on fresh Squid, fresh Pillies, and amazingly, on live Squid. It is not as if there are so many about that you could target them though, with most being caught while angling for something different. There are a few Flatties on the chew, though they are fairly small. They can be found hanging out in the vicinity of a few tasty flounder, so if you find the flatties, have a drift of the area to see if you can’t uncover more. Small grunters are on structure around the bay and can be berleyed up, and using the same method around West Head should also bring in a few nice Bream. Offshore fishing has been a little slow and hard to access, though there is some good water up north near Norah Canyons, where some decent size Yellowfin and an occasional Broadbill has been found. Browns has been a little slower on the fin. A few of the reef drifts have been producing fish though, with Flatties, Mowies and Snapper the protagonists.
So go have a shot at em!
11 07 05
6 metre waves are not an anglers cup of tea, so it was no surprise to see a very fishless weekend last, quite simply because almost no one was fishing. Most beaches were massive and closed out, offshore was unliveable with even bigger waves than the beach, and the harbour was pumping with monster surf pounding into the Heads and crunching over the reef at Dobby. The 50kt winds didn’t provide much of an incentive either. Thankfully the week started to throw up some nicer conditions, and funnily enough it seems the fishing improved! Pittwater actually enjoyed somewhat of a renaissance during the week, as the water temperature lifted itself from 12 degrees of freezing rigidity to a much more palatable 16 degrees. 4 degrees in a week, and the fish are happier for it. Baitfish are a little more plentiful, especially the larger baitfish, including the 20cm Yakkas and horse Slimies that are in residence around West Head. A good berley trail should bring a few around. There are quite a few nice Squid around as well, spread out over the length of the Bay where good weed and structure are available. The abundance of Squid may be due in part to the lack of Kingies, but never fear, Pete Le Blang of Harbour and Estuary charters reckons about 47 more sleeps till the Kings return, based on their previous yearly habits. For now though, there are a couple of Tailor and Salmon exploring around Soldiers and Longnose Pts. Mornings are the best for a bit of Sambo action, as this is when they are on the surface and can be more easily located. Trolling the area at other times with Rapala cd-7’s or cd-9’s will still occasionally toss up a Salmon, though it’s more likely that you’ll hook up on one of the rogue Tailor around in the same area. Small Bream are on the bite, and can be berleyed up from many of the usual haunts, including West Head and Longnose Point. Trevally will also respond to a well set berley trail around the entrance to Lovett Bay. Leatheries are still on the prowl, as they have been for months, around weedy structure and deep reef. Peeled prawns have been the temptation. The Harbour though is still struggling, and hasn’t lifted it’s game at all. The best that can be said is that there has been a slow run of decent flatties moving in and toward the upper reaches of the harbour. Drifting the grittier sand flats with Pillies or Slimy fillets should see you find a fish or two. Bream have held their position around the city wharves, moorings and structure, and there are a few good catches also being taken around the mouth of the Parramatta River. Soft plastic grubs and wrigglers jigged around the deeper structures are having success. The more open parts of the harbour still have the occasional Trevor, and a few rogue Salmon have been trolled up in isolation, but the schools of Salmon out the front of the heads are very patchy and yet to make their presence really felt. The
Beaches and rocks have felt the brunt of some wild winter weather this
week, but are still fishing consistently. Curly and Dee why have both
continued to throw up some decent hauls of Trevally off the beach, with
a few Tailor and Salmon continuing to be interested in metal slices spun
off the headlands. The real ledge fishing at present though continues
to be the short blisteringly sharp fight of the big black pigs (black
drummer). Sam Rowe found his way out to the ledges early in the week and
was rewarded with a couple of nice pigs, one over the three kilo mark,
all accounted for with fresh bread. Nice fish Sam! 04 07 05 Well there’s plenty of cold water out there, especially after the recent fresh flush, causing the fishing to slow down considerably. Offshore conditions seem to be providing some respite, with a little remnant warmish water and temperatures hovering around 18 degrees. Inshore however is markedly different. The beach water temps are still the warmest of the waters close to shore, hovering around 17 near the Joey, but as soon as you get around the corner and inside the mercury drops off the scale. Pittwater was measured at twelve degrees earlier this week, and the harbour struggles along, only reaching above 13 on sunny days. So it is really no surprise then that the harbour is slow on the fishing front. Sluggish fish letharge around the place quite uninterested in eating. The decent Bream that are around in town are not exactly active. The deeper fish must be in water close to 10 degrees. Even the hardy and voracious trevally can’t bring themselves to get animated. The fresh didn’t do too much for any Salmon around the heads either, with many of the fish being pushed deep or moving offshore and out of the range of the tinnie fisher. Pittwater is almost an exact replica of the harbour at present, with the exception that it adjoins the largest moving body of fresh water in Sydney (Hawkesbury River) and therefore may take a day or two longer to recover to it’s usual levels of salinity. Fish are often highly sensitive to changes in salinity and may be put off the bite or forced to move out of the area for several days. For the desperado’s there is still the odd Bream around Taylors Point that can be berleyed up, and some Trevors spread sparsely throughout the bay. The water hasn’t put off the Squid though and there are some large ones around Tennis wharf. There is some fish activity offshore including the continued presence of a few Yellowfin, and the odd Albacore. Fin around the 60kg mark are being taken from east of Browns, mostly on skirts. Green and blue patterned Mcgoo pushers are guns at the moment. Live small Stripey Tuna (around 3kg) have also been a worthy temptation. 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 Ab Gut and occasionally 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 baited. Jewies have been about in good numbers lately, but there is a run of massive Eagle Rays at present, some up to 25kg, that is making find-the-jewfish look more like where’s Wally, and causing plenty of bust offs. But if you are persistent, the Jewfish are still there, and big.
27 06 05 Freezing cold weather, monster swells, wet asses and no fish. It’s been a great week to be a Sydney fisho…. (Did somebody say pub?). Water Temperatures have dropped as much as five degrees in the last three weeks, especially inshore. The 18 degree offshore water seems to be having little influence in places like Pittwater (14 deg) Brooklyn (13 deg) and Sydney Harbour (14-15 deg), and the fishing is suffering because of it. Hopefully the rain will bring some impetus to proceedings, washing organic debris and other matter into the waterways that promote algal growth and help start new food cycles. Pittwater has suffered the quickest decline in fortune, being able to boast almost 18 degrees within the last fortnight. The resident fish are not particularly excited by their new conditions either, and have literally shut down. Pete Le Blang of Harbour and Estuary Charters has found a few size John Dory around Coasters Retreat, holding under the bait schools that are dispersed in the area, but recommends you spend this week off the water, whether getting ready for the winter Salmon run, or just gaining browny points from significant others. There have been Salmon around inside Pittwater, as well as inside the mouth of Broken Bay and out around the Joey, but the surface action is scarce and the fish haven’t changed pattern since last report. Their spookiness may have something to do with all those dark shapes under the schools. Sharks? Dolphins? Seals? Pete reckons the most likely answer is massive steamtrain like winter Kings. Now that would be nice. The Harbour has been shut down for a few weeks now, with fishing consistently on the wane, but that seems all set to turn itself around as Salmon start to do their thing. Trevally have been pretty much all she wrote for the more open parts of the Harbour, but there has been some great Bream fishing upstream, both in Middle Harbour up past the Spit, and around the mouth of the Parramatta and Lane Cove rivers, where stud fish over a kilo have been relatively common. Both of these fish should hang about in decent numbers, but even then, without the Salmon it would be a quiet Winter. Thankfully the Salmon have already shown their face off the Heads, balling bait onto the surface whenever the conditions are calm enough to do so, and a few enterprising schools have followed baitfish into the harbour proper. Try trolling a red head Rapala around middle head if you can’t find any surface action. If you are interested in more information about how to fish Sydney Harbour in winter or anytime you can meet and chat to Des at Fish Outta Water. He will be the guest speaker on Thursday June 27th at 6.00pm as we continue our annual FREE Fish n Tips nights. Call to book your spot. The beaches have been a rough place to fish for the last week. Massive swells that don’t look like abating soon have made conditions downright dangerous, even deadly, for rock hopping on some recent days. If things change, there will be some good pig fishing to be had, but till then, Salmon and Jewfish off the beach is the go. Big Jewies are continuing to be landed including Alex Bellissimo’s recent night out where he caught a 14 kilo fish and dropped one near twice as big.
20 - 06 - 05 Rock Hoppers have got to be one of the few bands of fisherman that actually look forward to this time of year, at least as much or possibly more than snapper or yellowfin fanatics. While the coastal pelagics are almost entirely lacking, it is just a matter of picking up some Ab gut and you can get another couple of months of adrenaline rush with big black ‘Pigs’ on hand. The rest of us just sit patiently waiting for some action, in enclosed waters that have been as cold as 15 degrees this week. It’s not even just Drummer keeping the Northern Beaches firing fish wise, though some of the pigs caught lately from North Dee Why and around Queensy have run 3kg. Bread, as well as the standard Abalone Gut, have both been successful pig enticers week. Bread berley doesn’t hurt either. Fresh weed fished around the ledges and washes near this berley should entice a couple of decent Blackfish as well. Beach Fishing has had a few good nights of late as well. If you ask Dave Fox he will surely tell you how happy he was with his first nice beach caught Jewy early this week, a fish sitting just over 19kg. A nice Narrabeen gutter and Squid heads combined for that fish. Well done Dave. If you are interested in FREE information about how to fish Sydneys Rocks and Beaches, how to catch Jewies as big as Daves, and much much more, you can meet and chat to Alex Bellissimo, local beach and rock fishing legendry guru, at this weeks Fish Outta Water FREE fish n tips night. He will be the guest speaker on Thursday June 23rd at 6.00pm as we continue this years run of our FREE annual Fish n Tips nights. The FREE nights run each Thursday from the 9th for 8 weeks, with a different guest speaker each week. Drinks and Nibbles provided. Be sure to ring and claim your place! For most of the year fishing reports on Pittwater are easy to write and full of fish. This week it ain’t. Colder sea currents, combined with some cool fresh Hawkesbury River water, add up to some frozen lethargic fish. The Kingies which held sway for so long this summer are no longer the dominant species, as they vacate and slowly but surely small schools of Salmon and Tailor arrive. A few Salmon are already around out the front of the Joey, and occasionally schools will pop up herding baitfish, but they are pretty unpredictable, with Pete Le Blang of Harbour and Estuary Charters finding them on the surface one day and not the next. Hopefully more are to come! They are taking small flies including candies and eyes when you find them, as well as small metal slices and even occasionally a CD-7 or 9 sized Rapala trolled around the headland. If you can’t find anything out the front, there are still a couple of Trevally inside Pittwater around structure, though remember berley is pretty crucial. A few big bream may also come to explore your berley, especially if you are in the vicinity of West Head, and will fall to unweighted baits in similar fashion to the grunters. Bream in the high 40cm have been taken from around there, and are showing up in the Hawkesbury especially high upstream toward and past Spencer. The Harbour though is quite simply quiet. Bream fisho’s might argue the point as they stalk marinas around the mouth of the Parramatta River, hunting out a few of the big kilo plus Bream that are seemingly stacked in, but then they didn’t do the Fish Outta Water all night Jewy mission and return home empty handed and bloody cold. There is so much bait in the harbour, including some delicious small slimy mackerel (taste tested by Gav!) and some large Squid, but the predators are either full or on holidays. The Jewfish may well have moved upstream anyway as it is near to their spawning time, but the tailor are not exerting the influence they often do in Winter. Offshore fishing has been up and down this week with conditions not always the most accessible, but some good catches were taken nonetheless. Parksey turned his hand from the long reef Snapper fishing he has been having success with during recent weeks, to see if he couldn’t find a fin or two out round Browns. And he could, landing three nice fish from 15 – 25kg. Small skirts around 6” were his key, in yellow and green. Most of the fish are off the east edge of Browns, both north and south, from 2 to 10nm out. Bigger fish have been seen feeding out further, though they’ve been harder to tempt this week. There are still a few good snapper around in about 60m for those who can’t make it out for the bigun’s.
Stefan Hansson Fish Outta Water 15 june 2005 It’s been a bit of a mixed time for fishing lately as water temperatures plummet. Just over a week ago it would not be hard to find 20 degree water anywhere around Sydney, but things are now much closer to 17 degrees across the board. Even the relatively warmer surrounds of Pittwater experienced one or two days of water as low as 16 degrees lately. In spite of this, Pitty is still fishing better than any of the other close waters around Sydney, especially in comparison to the harbour which has been hard work. In fact it is fishing so well that Pete Le Blang, resident expert and owner/skipper of Harbour and Estuary Fishing Charters, is still pulling a minimum of two KINGS each and every day, and has done since Thursday last week. They are all respectable size fish too, most between 70 and 80cm. Getting them this late in the year is somewhat of an art form, with a combination of the right size live Squid (less than 10cm hood) and a downrigger stealing the show. Good spots include Soldiers Pt, Stokes Pt, Tomahawk and the Supermarket. Some of the massive Salmon schools that were busting up off the Northern Beaches and up toward Terrigal have moved in to the mouth of Broken Bay, and are occasionally seen on the surface herding up small baitfish between Lion Island and Barrenjoey. A troll around Barrenjoey Pt has been pretty successful in picking up a few even when there’s no surface action, with blue and/or silver CD-7 Rapalas the pick of the lures. Now is a good time to stock up on your Rapalas, with Fish Outta Water currently running a 3 for the price of 2 Rapala sale. Check out the dump bins at the front of the store! Bonito are another fish that will smash well presented lures, and there are a few still roaming around the inside of West Head, though they’re not as abundant as some weeks ago. Tailor are also holding in the same area though just as sporadic. Mackerel Beach is producing a few Dory for those drifting under and around the schools of Yakkas with a live Yakka set a little off the bottom. The Harbour on the other hand has struggled with the cooler waters, and baitfish are in short supply, but there are a few fun fish to catch on light line. Salmon are yet to make a real showing at the heads this year, with a few fish about but no consistency, so it is up to Tailor to show itself as the best sportsfish at present. Luckily there are a few more of them, around Reef Beach and between Washaway Beach and Middle Head. Live Yakkas or ganged pilllies are both proving successful. If you are interested in more information about how to fish Sydney Harbour in winter or anytime you can meet and chat to Des at Fish Outta Water. He will be the guest speaker on Thursday June 9th at 6.00pm as we commence our annual Fish n Tips nights. The nights will run each Thursday from the 9th for 8 weeks, with a different guest speaker each week. Be sure to ring and claim your place! Quite a few grunting Trevally have found their way into well set berley trails or been taken on peeled prawns from around harbour structure this week. They are a touch smaller than early in the season, closer to 25cm, but still a great fight on light gear. Offshore fishing seems to have changed the least in the last week, with Fin Fin and Fin on everyones mind. Rob Lang hooked a massive Yellow out at Browns and brought it to the boat only to have the gaff man slip, the fish bolt again,and his reel explode off the rod as he watched the fish of many peoples lifetime disappear. Crushing seems a light word. There are however at least a few out there! Snapper are about again but the majority are just pan sized. Andrew Parkes did manage to find one closer to 3 or 4 kilos only to have it straighten the hook within sight of the boat and almost within his reach. Gravel beds in about 60m are quite productive areas. So get out there The fish are waiting.
30-05-05 Fishing in the last week hasn’t been too much to write home about, with monster swell and no shortage of blow. Getting offshore has been almost impossible, and even the closed waters of the Harbour and Pittwater weren’t much fun. There was so much swell through Sydney Heads on Saturday night that you could have held a surfing contest at Dobroyd reef. But do you think any of that stopped fishos from fishing??? Hardly. Even the freezing waters and lack of Kingies couldn’t put them off!! The Harbour has not been an angling paradise for the last few weeks, but as we slowly move into full winter conditions things are improving. Des Toms from Hook’em Cook’em Fishing Charters made it out a few times last week, finding sheltered areas with some big fish to keep his customers happy. Recent weeks have already seen good numbers of John Dory, but they just seem to be getting bigger and bigger. Des hooked three last Saturday of which two were up there with his biggest ever, while drifting with live yakkas inside Quarrantine Point. There are a couple of big Slimies and schools cownyoung rippling on the surface inside the heads, but there seem to be no predators on them, bar the odd Tailor. A couple of Tailor are about the Harbour, mostly around Middle Head, but they are deep at the moment and being hooked on live baits meant for other fish. If you are interested in more information about how to fish the harbour you can meet and chat to Des at Fish Outta Water on Thursday June 9th as we start our annual Fish n Tips nights. The nights will run each Thursday from then for 8 weeks, with a different guest speaker each week. Be sure to ring and claim your place! The one thing that you can save yourself the hassle of at the moment is an all night Jewy fish. After several customers have tried their luck lately with serious hours and effort, the score is still humans none, Jewies none. Pittwater has just hit the cold waters this week, and the fish seem to be in anaphylactic shock. The Kingfish that have kept me in a mental state close to sanity all summer have slowed right down. They will still hit a well presented live squid, with vigour, but are far less interested in yakkas or fresh baits than they were earlier in the season. If you can’t get any live squid it may be worth rethinking your options. Thankfully the Bonnies that moved in to the Basin last week are still mixing it up, busting up on the surface morning and evening, often joined by schools of nearby Tailor. Small metal slices should get you in on some action there. Bream flickers will be some of the happier Pitty anglers this week, as they are the predominant fish presently and there is real size, including one taken on a 3” watermelon bass minnow that went 47cm. Berley is a bit of a cheat but hey, it brings the fish to you rather than you searching out the fish. Bread is a ripper. Pete Le Blang of Harbour and Estuary Charters has been getting into these Bream amongst other fish lately, but his best moment this week was an encounter with a sea turtle, happily swimming alongside two fairy penguins off the royal motor yacht club at Avalon! If
there is one place that doesn’t suffer huge reductions in catchable
fish over the winter months, it is the beaches. Tales of 3 and 4 kilo
pigs have been surfacing all week, from rock washes at Queensy and Curly
to Long Reef and further, mostly taken on Ab gut. A few Tailor are also
on the prowl around the rocks, smashing a variety of lures and live baits.
But the real news is the schools of Salmon moving up and down the coast
off
Stefan Hansson Fish
Outta Water 23-05-05 Wind, waves and wild weather over the last weekend wouldn’t be what most of us wished for. Especially after the reports of Fin that had been filtering in. Thankfully now that the winds have calmed and the seas have flattened out, getting offshore is a little more comfortable again. If we’re lucky the Yellows will still be there, though Fish Outta Water customer Andrew Manser went out early in the week and had trouble locating them. He did however find more stripeys than you can poke a stick at, including some good size fish around 6-8kg, south of the harbour mouth and from 10 miles out to as far as 30 miles out. Not only are offshore waters much more fishable without southerlies, but rock fishers can venture back onto their platforms without fear for their wellbeing. Thankfully the fish have stayed around on the rocks at least. Drummer are coming on pretty strongly this time of year. Fish around couple of kilos have come in from Curly, Dee Why and Manly headlands, though not just on Abalone gut but on a whole range of different baits, including pudding, cunje, bread, and even cabbage weed. The clear water has made it a little harder than usual, and often the whole range of baits will need to be tried, but they are biting hard when you get it right. There are still a few Kingies around off the stones taking livies, from North Head to Longy and more, but they are a little lethargic in this cooler stuff and therefore less frequently making to journey up to investigate your surface lures. A few of the Bonnies that are still about might take more of a liking to them though, as they are certainly getting stuck into high speed retrieved small slices in blue and silver. Tailor are also schooling about around dusk and dawn, and to a lesser extent after dark, and will crash into the same lures as the Bonito. Pittwater has thrown a few nice Bonito our way as well this week, most noteably around the Basin and on the south side of West Head. These are your regular run of the mill street hoodlum variety Bonito rather than the champagne living double barrelled Watson Leaping type that had been about. Mornings and evenings have seen them on the surface smashing baitfish. Tailor are schooling in the same areas, often in mixed schools. Big Bream have been another bonus in Pitty lately, and continue to feed on whitebait, nippers and pilchards. They will respond to a good berley trail. Pete Le Blang of Harbour and Estuary Charters also reports he is still catching Kingies at the rate of three or four per session. The Harbour is a bit slow as winter weather rolls in, but water temperatures are still as high as 20 degrees in many areas, and the occasional King has come in from off the yellow marker buoy and other places, just don’t put your house on it. Better are your chances for a Dory, especially around Dobroyd and Fairlight reefs, which have both provided fish of late. The major trouble has been getting enough Yakkas of the right size to make the trip worthwhile.
Stefan Hansson
16 – 05 – 05 The last five or six days have seen 10kt southerlies blowing unabated, bringing us the type of conditions that the average angler really doesn’t need. Southerlies like this make for hard fishing at any time of the year, but this weeks blow, coming at the end of a late summer, will probably see an end to our warm water and bring the onset of more wintery conditions as cold water is swept up the coast. While this will put the brakes on many of the summer species, it has made room for the start of the Yellowfin Tuna offshore, and amongst others has brought up Tailor and Trevally in closer water. The Fin have been the big news of the last week or two, with fish over 60kg landed as well as plenty between 30 and 50kg. Ron Kovacs took ‘The Office’ out twice in the last week, both times finding schools of Yellows surface feeding on baitfish. They were launching themselves so high into the air as they rocketed up through the bait, that from a distance they looked like dolphins! He managed to land a few fish on each occasion, the majority of which took McGoo pushers in green and yellow. Other reports suggest there are a few Northern Bluefin even wider, with live trolled small tunas being hit by some unstoppable monsters out near Heatons Hill. That’s if you can even get out there at present, with the waves at 3m. Bottom fishing at Browns has also been pretty good with Blue Eyes, Pearlies and Hapuka. The Harbour has actually come on a bit with the colder waters moving offshore, and now has almost totally changed over to winter fishing. Though it is still almost 20 degrees, and some Kings are still about, they are sparse and hard work, and it has been the arrival of some big Tailor, a few Salmon and the very tasty addition of a few nice sized John Dory that has saved the day. Des Toms has picked up Dory all about the harbour this week, but suggests the best spots are around Clifton Gardens in the deeper water, or over toward Reef Beach. Both these areas are out of the Southerly and somewhat protected from the swell. Live Yakkas are the go. There are also plenty of Tevally around the deeper water structures, especially where there is a bit of water movement. A good berley trail should bring them in toward you, where you can pounce with unweighted whitebait.
Pittwater is still the last of the summer bastions, but even it is slowing down. 20-21 degree waters are still holding active Kings, and Pete Le Blang of Harbour and Estuary Charters has pulled in a few each day this week, even with the bad conditions. The Supermarket and Jacks have both been holding a few, with the former holding some real whopper kings of 1m plus. Live squid is a bit hard to get at the moment, with the big squid having bred and returned to sea. Smaller Squid can be a little less aggressive and harder to catch, but are also the premier bait. Recently, these size Squid have lasted as little as 30 seconds in the water, especially if your name is Darren “sabre” Thomas. His last King of about 70cm took 1 minute and ten seconds, from when the bait went in to when the fish came out! The last of the Watsons Leaping Bonito are still about as well, but they have been outnumbered by some big Tailor, especially around the inside of Towlers Bay. Flatties are still on the drift between West Head and the ‘Joey, but have been a little difficult to fish for this week in the 2m+ swell.
Stefan Hansson
09-05-05 There would be few people in Sydney who are grumbling about our nice warm entrance to winter, and even fewer fishermen. Water temperatures, especially inshore, are still quite high for this time of year, and the fishing has continued to fire in turn. Pittwater will usually enjoy the best of these temperatures later into the year than the rest of Sydney, and this year is no exception, with not only a good number of Kings still on the chew, but a few other pelagics still active including a few schools of the less common and more brightly coloured of the Bonito’s, the Watsons Leaping Bonito. As with many of these migratory pelagics the Watsons are a predatory fish, and can be taken in a variety of ways, including live yellowtail, fresh unweighted squid strips, or even just spun up with a 20gm metal. The Kings that are still around are most likely to nab a live squid, though a couple of them have fallen to Yakkas, Squid heads and strips, and even cubes of Slimy Mackerel. Pete Le Blang of Harbour and Estuary Fishing Charters (0410633351) has had a good week on the Kings around Stokes Pt, where he recommends bringing the fish to you by the use of a strong oily fish berley. Berleying like this will not only find you Kings, as some massive Bream have also taken to the warmth of Pittwater. Fish close to the 50cm mark have been taken from all over, including around the structure of Scotland Island and at the mouth of Careel Bay. The Northern Beaches are fishing well between the seasons, and though there are smaller numbers of summer fish such as Cobia and Kings around, there are increasingly good numbers of winter fish, including Salmon and Tailor. Small metals for the spin brigade, or for bait fishers ganged pillies, have been the producers on both these fish. And if you really need a bit of that short explosive action, the time is nigh for Black Drummer. Recent weeks have seen them come on, and things will only get better. Sydney Harbour has slowed up a little over the last few weeks, but there are still Kingies, especially inside Middle Harbour. They are getting a little on the uncrowded side and often plenty of ground has to be covered to find them, but as a payback they’re usually bigger fish. Trolling live baits including some of the mid sized Yakkas that are around the harbour at present can be a good way to cover the ground required. Des Toms of Hook’em Cook’em Fishing Charters found a few Kings just inside North Head, where they are schooling around with a some decent size Tailor, and he managed to hook a few on live yellowtail and fresh squid. Plenty of Trevally have moved in around Harbour structure, and can be berleyed up to the boat quite easily. Dropping unweighted fresh whitebait into the berley trail using light line should ensure you hook up a few.
So go get.
Stefan Hansson Fish
Outta Water 02-05-05
The hot weather fishing might be slowing down as autumn truly arrives and we all take a cool shower, but thankfully many predominantly winter species are here already to fill the gaps left by any vacating pelagics. That’s not to say that there’s not still quite a few of these migratory fish around, with the Northern Beaches especially experiencing a late run of Cobia and Samson Fish, even in the slightly colder water. Manly has been the centre of some action this week, with mixed species including Jewies and Whiting off the beach, and schools of small Samson Fish on the drift about 150-200m off. Tailor have also made an appearance round the south end of the beach, schooling with some enormous Salmon over 70cm long and almost 10lb. Curly has also seen its share of Tailor and Salmon, both of which are taking ganged pillies, and some moderate Jewfish around 5-8kg have fallen to fresh Squid and live Yakkas, but the real cause for excitement in these parts has been the numbers of Cobia intermittently schooling in the area. A Cobia of about 15kg was washed up onto the rocks there last week by a very tried angler. Some Kingies, though not so big, have also been landed. Drummer and Luderick are both starting to come on up and down the headlands. Pittwater also fished well this week, and due to it being warmer than the rest of Sydney’s waters it has probably the most active Kingfish population around. Pete Le Blang of Harbour and Estuary Charters has kept his customers happy with up to 12 Kings in a session. Many of the fish are only just over legal around the 65cm mark, but fish this size are often less picky than their larger relatives and will take not just live squid but also squid strips, live yakkas, live slimies and a fair range of soft plastics. 5” pearl white jerk shads and 4” assorted powerbait minnows have proved themselves this week. Offshore however is a little disappointing, with no real billfish action, but there are at least the last of the dollies about. Most of these remaining dollies are small around 2kg, but the odd few get up to 4 and 5kg, especially on the further FADs. Live baits are the pick for these oceanic predators, especially 4-8cm long Yellowtail or similar size Slimies. Open spool or bait run them back toward the FAD. Bottom bashers have had a little luck with massive Chinamen Leatherjacket around the 12 mile, and some Pearlies, Blue Eye and Hapuka are milling around Browns. The Harbour has not been lighting things on fire either, but can at least hold its head up. A smattering of Kings are hanging about, from inside North Harbour and around Dobroyd to The Spit, as well as over at the Wedding Cakes. There are really big Kingfish about amongst some rats, as can be testified to by Darren Thomas and Hook ‘em Cook ‘em Charter operator Des Toms. Slow trolling a live squid on the downrigger seemed to them like a nice way to spend the afternoon, until a steam train hit and dragged 80lb of braid through a locked speedmaster drag with thumbs on the spool to some structure over 80m away, all at blistering pace. There are still nightmares going on about it! Some Samsons have moved in around Dobroyd, and are loving Squid guts or heads, fished on the bottom right at the reef edge. The occasional small Amberjack is also holding just off the reef, close to markers. Bream have taken a back seat in the Harbour in recent weeks but are back on with a vengeance, particularly around Rose Bay where some massive 40cm plus fish are being landed around Marinas. Soft plastic 3” minnows are producing well. Trevally are also about near structure all over the harbour, and will take unweighted whitebait floated into a berley trail.
Stefan Hansson Fish Outta Water
18-04–05 Sharks patrol these waters. Sharks patrol these waters…… Just ask the bloke at Bronte who had to force feed a 2m + shark his surfboard late last week to avoid becoming a casualty himself. On top of this there have been several shark sightings in the last few days all over Sydney. In Pittwater a large Hammerhead in the realm of 7-8ft was sighted on the surface, swimming off towards Broken Bay mouth with a float and line still attached, and several Bronze Whalers have also been seen in quite shallow water, both in Pitty and the Harbour. Game fishing in the last couple of weeks has been pretty heavily shark based as well, and some monsters have been landed. The weekend tournament held by Sydney Game Fishing Club was taken out by “Rampage” with Steve Millgate landing a 494 kilo Tiger shark. Some smaller Tigers and several Makos were also accounted for during the day with most boats getting in on some action. It’s not such good news for the Marlin hunters off Sydney, with literally zeros until you get up around Newcastle. This may be in part due to the masses of bait fish off Sydney, leading to well fed and uninterested fish. Dolphin fish have at least been about, though they are mostly small and can be patchy. The FADs and markers quite close to shore are the main targets, such as the Dee Why wave rider buoy which has been holding fish intermittently. Pittwater is still warmer than the rest of Sydney and it is still producing good size Kings. Pete Le Blang of Harbour and Estuary Charters fished the supermarket for a nice fish of 88cm, and has been having good success along the moorings behind Royal Motor Yacht Club. Live Squid is still the gun bait, with fresh squid heads a close second. West Head has fished well for Kings, and there are also a few Squid on the kelp beds in the area. Mornings have seen Frigate Mackerel busting up inside the moorings of several of the bays in Pittwater, such as the Basin and Careel Bay. These smaller pelagics tend to follow the smaller baitfish so if you can berley the bait around your chance of seeing frigates increases exponentially. Plenty of Bream are being taken on unweighted whitebait in the same manner, having followed the berley trail in. On the drift the odd Flounder and Flatty will also succumb to whitebait or Slimy strips. Though the Harbour is still a little cooler than Pittwater, it is at least experiencing some small kind of late summer revival. Kings have been slightly more active than recent times and some decent fish of around 3-5 kilos have been taken on fresh squid this week. Des Toms of Hook’em Cook’em Charters also found a small school of Amberjack to 5kg to go with the Kings. The other slightly surprising fish to arrive in good numbers this week was the long haired Samson Fish. Antone ‘The Czech’ Dvorjak caught 17 and released 15 of these hard fighting fish during a hot two hour session inside North Head, mostly on live yakkas and squid guts. Massive schools of Cownyoung are in the same area, as well as around South Head, with big Kings and Salmon to 8lb under them. Trolling Rapala CD 11’s and Nilsmaster 12’s should get you down to the bigger fish below. The John Dory seem to be a little quieter than they have been in the last two weeks, but there are a few still hanging around Clifton Gardens especially. Jewfish have also been a sporadic catch in the harbour this week, taking live yakkas or fresh squid strips. Beach fishers have had a reasonable time of it too this week. A couple of smaller Jewies have taken to mullet fillets just after dark, and Tailor have been crashing into ganged Pilchards all day and night. Mornings have been particularly active with Salmon taking baits including Squid heads and Pillies, as well as small metal slices.
So get up for it!
Stefan Hansson Fish Outta Water 04-04-05 You
could be forgiven for being a bit surprised at the 23-24 degree water
still along the coast of Sydney, given how quickly the conditions have
degraded onshore during the recent southerlies. The cooler rainy weather
has not yet gained a full foothold, and in a small way has actually improved
things by providing some spark to the estuaries. It does however also
look like some of the predominantly winter species are starting to return,
at least to the Harbour. Pittwater on the other hand has not yet fully succumbed to the entreaties of winter water. Kings are somewhat abundant in comparison, though the average size fish caught has dropped lately, getting closer to the 60cm cut off. This allows fishing with much lighter gear, as local Pitty barge Skipper Justin Robertson found to his delight, landing a 66cm thickset fish from right amongst the moorings. Pittwater Pete Le Blang has also been getting into the action, hamming it up around the supermarket where he is taking up to 15 of these smaller fish in a session. He has seen plenty of bigger Kings still around, with a few of the cheekier ones even nosing in right up to the boat, but they couldn’t be bribed with all the oil in Texas. Small pelagic schools including the fantastically coloured Watsons Leaping Bonito and some Frigate Mackerel are doing the rounds of a different moorings of a morning. If you can’t see them, try anchoring up in a likely spot and berleying heavily. This usually brings them around pretty quickly! Plastic 6” slugs are the weapon of choice. Big Trumpeter Whiting, Flounder and Flatties are somewhat abundant on the flats, and all are taking whitebait with a vengeance. Drift into and around sandy bays as the tide nears the top. With the Hawkesbury BREAM tournament on this weekend it is also pleasing to report some Big Bream are about in Broken Bay, around Flint and Steel reef in particular. Several fish of about 1.5 kilos clean have fallen to prawn baits right on the reef this week, and there will be lots more upstream in the racks and around the Bridges.
So just remember There is always time for a fish
Stefan Hansson Fish Outta Water 263 Condamine St, Manly Vale Fishing Report
22 - Feb - 05 Pittwater is firing on all cylinders, as it has done all summer in comparison to the rest of Sydney. Congratulations must go to perennial Pitty fisher Justin Robertson, who landed his biggest Kingy to date this week. The 96cm hard fighting hoodlum to a liking to live squid, slow trolled about 6 metres under the boat off Longnose Pt. He also got well and truly stomped by a much bigger fish during the same outing. Pete Le Blang of Harbour and Estuary Charters has been keeping customers happy this week with some good Kings landed, and even a 5kg Amberjack that probably arrived through the recent bluewater. For lighter fishing, Frigate Mackerel are busting up the surface in large numbers most mornings, but they are fussy and fixated on tiny baitfish. 7gm Sea Rock metals are the only lure even getting any interest, with the most hook ups coming from the green and blues. Sneaking up on the school is the only approach. Massive Bream are also on the move with spawning not far off. A recent charter customer of Pete Le Blangs bought a fish estimated at 60cm to the boat twice during a fight this week, before it found reef with the light leader. A Bream that big would easily run the 2kg mark. Big Flatties are also moving inshore around the Broken Bay area to spawn, as Scotty McNeil found out while fishing off the back of his new Prowler fishing kayak. The live Yakka he slow trolled was taken by an almost one metre long female Dusky, which was photographed and released to breed again. The small fresh run earlier this week should pique the interest of those Sydney Harbour Jewies who have been a little quiet of late, but till then there is still some good activity from the pelagics, especially Bonito. Chris Perry has been having a ball on first light, casting small flashy silver lures into the surface action or around bait balls using light gear. The wind is forecast to get up a bit in the afternoons for the next few days so mornings do look the pick. Tailor and Salmon are also still schooling inside North Harbour, often signified by bird activity as they crash bait on the surface. Trying to match your lure to the size of the baitfish is the key to hooking up. Kingfish are not schooling in huge numbers, and those that are around have spent most of the summer shadowing the Tailor. They can be tempted up toward the boat by a hooked and panicky fish, where-upon plastic slugs can be fired toward them. A few Bream have also managed to find there way into the harbour after the recent southerly blow, and one landed this week on a soft plastic went just past 1.6kg. But by far the best news of the week comes from the offshore front, where 22.5 degree waters run right to the Sydney coast and 25-26 plus degree currents show their influential heads as close as 100km out. This is bringing bait schools and predators much closer to home. Dolphinfish are on the FADs and are getting pretty active, and plenty of Marlin are starting to arrive. John B had a great day out early in the week, taking an 18kg Wahoo and raising five Marlin, while another boat reported 6 hookups by 12.30pm, all on Mcgoo 9” skirts in root beer. So go fish! Stefan Hansson Fishing Report
15 – Feb – 05 There have been stacks of Marlin taken in the last week but the bad news is they were mostly taken up north round Port Stephens, where every game fisherman worth his salt seems to be. There is the odd hook up off Sydney but it is peasant labour in comparison. Dolphin Fish have managed to turn up closer to home, which would be great if there was a wave rider buoy for the masses to fish at. Not everyone has access to their own FAD, and those who don’t are now having to travel to the Broken Bay buoy, about 20 miles out. There is some good fishing on the closer reefs though, as long as Jewies and Kingies keep you happy. A FOW customer was out at off west reef fly fishing for kings this week and had a 65cm rat King follow his fly while stripping it in. He nearly fell out of the boat when out of the abyss a king conservatively called for 25kg emerged next to its smaller cousin, head butting his inch long clouser, before coming up to inspect the boat, and then vanishing as quickly as it had arrived. North definitely seems the go, with Pittwater still humming along as it has done all summer, throwing up no shortage of 75 plus centimetre Kings, and now quite a few Bonito can be found schooling on the surface. Get stuck into them with small metal slices about 20gms on light gear and you’ll have fun all day. So why are you working tomorrow when it’s time for a fish? Stefan Hansson Fishing Report
07 - Feb - 05 At least the Beaches are still fishing consistently, especially the northern beaches, which are the realm of some decent whiting at present, some as thick as your forearm. Beach worms are the premium bait for most of the beach fish populations. There are a few whiting also around inshore lakes, harbours and bays as well, preferring live nippers. Salmon of enormous sizes not seen in Sydney for many a year are schooling off the Southern Beaches, from Maroubra, up as far as The Colours. Rob Jenkins was a happy camper after bringing in a fish of over 10lb, measuring 73cm in length and 45cm around the girth. This and others of similar size have been smashing small flies, such as surf candies and eyes. The harbour is still feeling the influence of cool green waters, quite late into summer, and can be very patchy. Some good Kings have been taken this week from off North Head, if you’re one of the lucky ones who happened to be around for the particular hour of the particular day they decide to bite. If you get there five minutes late or turn up the day later, things can be very quiet. Bonito are also about in the same areas behaving the same way. Inside the harbour there is no shortage of mixed bag fishing, with Bream and Flatties around the bays to the east of town, and plenty of Tailor around The Spit and Middle Head. The odd Kingy has also come from under the Tailor, mostly on metals. Pittwater is still holding around 26 degrees, even though Broken Bay is running as low as 20. Pittwater Pete Le Blang reports early in the week some big Cobia almost a metre long had entered the bay, and were holding around Longnose Point. Kingies are still about though the average size seems to be a little smaller than early in the season. Live Southern Calamari is the killer bait, and at least there are plenty of them on most of the kelp beds. Good size bream are also doing their run through the bay. Offshore and Beakies are on, as well as a few dollies around the wide FAD’s, but given the difference in water from mile to mile and day to day, it’s patchy at best. Find the blue water if you can, and you’ll find the fish. So get out there and get some. Stefan Hansson Fishing Report
24 - 01 - 05 The Northern Beaches are working well, with Longy seeing some nice reds from 2-4kg, and a few hoodlum Kingies to 10kg plus. The beaches proper have plenty of whiting in the close gutters taking on worms and nippers, and a few stonkin Jewies have come in from the mid to far gutters for the all night live baiters. Pittwater and Broken Bay have both come off a bit from the massive rush of fish seen earlier in the season. Temperatures are still high, around the 24 degree mark in Pitty, and as high as 25, in of all places Cowan Creek. This has brought plenty of baitfish into the system, and the predatory fish are now so well fed that only the freshest and best presented baits are having any effect. Plenty of Rat Kings are about, and are the most likely catch at the moment. Live or fresh Squid is the go, and finally there are more than two of them around, so getting bait is not the major headache it has been recently. A few school Tailor are also on the stalk, and will take livies, pillies, or just a spun metal. Check out the basin for these most unfussy fish.
Happy Days may be here
again soon. Fishing Report
17 - 01 - 05 Some good sized and pretty tasty Flounder have also taken to the harbour at the moment, and catches have come from almost every sandy drift, including off Neilsen Park. A couple of monsters have also been taken from areas with shell grit bottoms, as high up as Roseville Bridge. Fresh pilchard and whitebait have accounted for the most fish. Pittwater on the other hand is experiencing some beautifully warm water, and the Kings love it. Kingfish averaging about 75cm are putting many a rod and reel through their paces, almost exclusively for those fishing live squid, of which there is a major lack of course. Both sides of the Pittwater foreshore are working, though usually at different times. Pick your side and stick it out, with plenty of berley. Remember there are some absolute monsters around, as can be attested to by Pittwater Pete, who had 150metres of 30lb braid stripped before he could blink this week, before the fish unmercifully raked him through the moorings and busted him. No small fish! Offshore is still comparatively
slow, but some OK fishing is to be had on wide grounds just north of Sydney.
Plenty of bait out there is holding a few interested though quite small
Striped Marlin, which can be picked up by downrigging a live slimy, or
with lesser success on a variety of skirted lures. Fishing
Report 11 - 01 - 05 The Harbour has not quite hit Pitty’s heights yet for the summer, not that that is too surprising given the approximately two degree cooler water. Scratchy and Patchy is how Des Toms from Hookem Cookem Charters reports the week, with fish about but unsettled and on the move hunting bait. Tailor and Salmon schools are the most obvious sign of activity, with birds circling over feeding fish off Rose and Rushcutters Bays. Spinning around these schools with small metals should see a bit of action, and might even excite a Kingy or two out from underneath. There are also some big Kings holding on structure in the same area. Fresh or live squid fished in a bit of run is the most effective. The slimies that are holding around the mouth of north harbour also make great bait. The odd Flatty is still about on the drift, loving whitebait. Offshore conditions are good and it can only be a matter of time before the fishing really takes off. Water temperatures in close are still a little cool, but off the shelf there are some warmer patches and a few fish are showing their faces, especially stripes around 80kg. Not too many dolphin fish have arrived yet though, with the wave rider just chock full of ‘rat’ Kings. For the reefies, plenty of Mowies are being taken, along with some platey Reds. A few bigger Reds are also moving in towards the coast, allowing rock hoppers the chance of picking up a decent feed. Live squid or fresh crabs are the baits of choice.
Fishing Report
04-01-05 Pittwater has been producing good size Kings for over a month now, as can be testified by Dan Coles who on Tuesday this week pulled a nice five plus kilo fish, a few rats around the 62cm mark, as well as getting stomped by a monster, all while trolling live squid around the moorings on the Eastern foreshores. Trusty Pittwater charter operator Pete Le Blang of Harbour and Estuary Charters notches up another happy customer! The squid are not the easiest to catch though, even when you can find a few. Pete reckons there are also plenty of Flatties to be taken on the sea plane drift, with pillies and anchovies being the killer baits, and there are some good size Trevally around the Basin that seem to have developed a love for live squid. Keep an eye out for a couple of pretty decent size bull sharks when you’re out there. Around Scotland Island, especially over the sand and seagrass patches, there are a few local Bream getting well stuck in to the whitebait. Offshore sees plenty of bait schools but nothing to write home about as far as predators on them, especially in comparison to last year at this time, when there were Stripes about in serious numbers. The water is incredibly warm when you get well wide, up to 25 degrees in parts, but the fish have not arrived with it. To make things worse a pod of Dolphins roaming off the shelf have learnt how to strip live baits off the bridle! There are a few Marlin about, mostly Stripes, but boats are averaging closer to one or two fish a day rather than the five or six that might have been expected by now.
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FISHING
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Sydney Harbour, Pittwater, Northern Beaches and Offshore
