This Report 21 May
Offshore
Schools of Chinamen Leatherjacket are still on the prowl, as they have been for the last month or two. While they are the scourge of some anglers for infesting areas where more favoured species usually reside, especially gravel beds and deep reef, they are a most palatable fish in their own right and worth targeting for a feed. Drifting with pilchards hooked up on wire trace paternoster rigs will help you land a few of these sweet pan fryers while still keeping hold of your gear.

Sydney Harbour
Salmon are yet to make a real showing around The Heads this year, with a few fish about so far but but no real consistency, so it is up to Tailor to show itself as the preeminent sports fish at present. Luckily there are a few more of them, around Reef Beach and between Washaway Beach and Middle Head. Live Yellowtail and ganged pilllies are both proving successful, as is trolling 7-9cm bibbed minnows or similar sized metal slices around Middle Head. The Salmon that are around in the same areas will fall to smaller metal slices less than 5cm long.

This Report 12 April
Offshore
Leatherjacket are on the prowl again, with numbers increasing over the last month. While they are the scourge of some anglers for infesting areas where more favoured species such as snapper usually reside, they are a most
palatable fish in their own right and worth targeting for a feed. Peeled prawns drifted on wire paternoster rigs have been the temptation for these white fleshed pan fryers. Drifting in water around 30 - 50m deep around some good reef structure with and eye on the fishfinder will bring you fish.

Hawkesbury
Luderick have been taken in the last few days quite a way up the Hawkesbury River, even as far up as Wisemans Ferry. Look for a rocky bank or inter-tidal area with plenty of weed growth. They are taking green string weed up river, while further down stream cabbage weed is also successful. Light trace line and exceptionally well presented baits are they keys to a good haul.

Sydney Harbour
The cooler water lately has not put pay to all the fishing, as some good sized Jewfish have been taken from the Harbour over recent nights. Bridges such as Gladesville and The Spit have proved productive, with mostly school sized Jewies being bagged. Fish fresh white strips of squid into the eddies formed on the down current side of structure or holes around the bridges, especially on the outgoing tide. Live Yellowtail and fresh mullet strips are also providing the odd good catch.

Offshore
Dolphin Fish are thinning out considerably as the water starts to cool offshore, and while there has still been the occasional fish taken in the
last few days they are not out in numbers that make them worth targeting. Shark fishing on the other hand is heating up, with Mako Sharks from 120kg to 170kg being taken around the 12 mile, as well as wider out around Browns where some big Tigers are also lurking. Chumming in large quantities and patience are vital ingredients to bring you luck.

Sydney Harbour
Fishing is a little patchy in the harbour at present, with bigger fish hard to locate despite the fact they're still keen for a feed. Kings in
particular are far less prolific than they were over summer, and look like staying that way till next spring, but schools of Tailor to a couple of
kilograms and the first signs of some massive Salmon should be enough to keep a fighting fish on the line as we head toward the colder months. Those fishing around Quarrantine Pt and North and South Head are having the most
success.

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

Sydney Headlands
Bonito of some substantial size are still being taken on large diving lures, round the 10-12cm range, Long Reef has thrown up some hard fighting fish from 50-60cm long, as have many of Sydney¹s headlands in recent days. Close
to the harbour the South Head troll is producing. Troll from South Head lighthouse round as far as The Gap to give yourself the best chance. Bonito
love shiny metallic lures, especially in silver and blue, trolled as fast as
the lure you are using will allow though not over 10kts.

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

Sydney Harbour
The Harbour has not been lighting things on fire lately, but can at least hold its head up. A smattering of Kings are still hanging about, from inside North Harbour and around Dobroyd Reef to The Spit and into Middle Harbour, as well as over the other side around the mouth of the lane cove river. There are now a few really big Kingfish about amongst the more prevalent rat
size fish, and this trend should continue for a little while as the water cools. Squid strips and live Yellowtail are the two best baits at present.

This Report 1 April
Botany Bay
Its change of season for most parts of Sydney at the moment and Botany Bay is no different. Though it is still warmer tan usual, cooling waters have influenced the feeding habits of most of the summer species none more so than the Kingfish, which have unfortunately gone a bit off the bite in the Bay. Bonito however are still about to save the situation as well as the occasional Australian Salmon that has arrived, both of which can be trolled up around the Heads using blue and silver chrome slices of between 25 and 55gms or bibbed minnows of between 7 and 11cm. 

Sydney Harbour
The Harbour is showing the occasional sign that it's starting to cool off in line with the weather, with some days of late particularly patchy. There are still small bands of Kingfish, Bonito, Samson Fish and Amberjack marauding the more open parts of the harbour, and we are seeing some sign of the Salmon and Tailor that will soon dominate the water, but they are not exactly prolific or feeding hard. Live or very fresh squid are often the most tempting bait for pelagic fish in these cooler conditions, and in time with this there are a few large late season models currently on display around the heads.

Large Bream, having entered the harbour on their spawning run, can be found around many of it's rocky washes and deepwater structure at present, especially those in the more open parts such as Old Mans Hat, Middle Head and Sow and Pigs reef. Soft plastic fishers are having a ball with them, most finding small grub and minnow imitations are doing the trick, and though you may not get as many hits on these as you would with fresh bait, the average fish is likely to be larger.

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

Pittwater
Pittwater fisho's haven't had a great summer so far, but the fishing has been on the improve for a little while now and the trend should continue. Some nice sized Bream are making their way around the flats off mackerel beach, nosing out worms and nippers on high tide. Fresh worms and pippies are the gun baits. A few flathead are also checking out the same areas, and are falling to drifted pilchards, though the size isn't much to write home about. There is the odd bigger flatty about for those working the grounds between Lion Island and Box Head.

Hawkesbury/Nepean
Big Bass are still biting voraciously throughout the Nepean and Upper Hawkesbury with recent hot days firing up insect activity again. Lures such as small bibbed minnows in beetle patterns have been effective while the sun is high, with surface walkers and poppers the goods once the shadows hit the water. Soft plastics fishos are not left out either, with plenty of fish being taken on green minnows, and grub imitations in a variety of golds, browns and reds. The Colo River is also performing with catches of Bass being taken on spinner baits.

Sydney Harbour
Some very good size Australian Salmon up to 4kg have been taken just off North and South Head recently, as the first patches of cool water start to appear off sydney. Some smaller fish have also just begun to find their way into the harbour and can be found sporadically off Middle and Dobroyd Heads. With still good numbers of baitfish around, most of these light tackle sportsfish are fixated on bigger lures. Trolling 9cm dark blue and green bibbed minnows and similar colour and size skirts have therefore proved most effective.

Offshore
For the offshore bottom bashers, a good week is being had on the close reefs if you can get out there safely. Fat Blue Morwong, pan sized Snapper, Flathead and the odd Black Spot Pigfish are all being landed. There is even the very odd Pearl Perch around the 2kg mark on Sydneys Northern outskirts. All these fish are being found from the 70m mark to within reach of shore by those dropping fresh pilchards or squid strips. Drifting paternoster rigs will allow you to cover plenty of ground.

This Report 13 December
Sydney Harbour
Kingfish are on in numbers in the harbour, and a little bit of time spent looking for a school can pay off as a great days fishing. Most of the fish are Rat sized or just legal, but still give the great fight they are renowned for. The South Head troll has been productive for those using surface lures. The Kingfish are also willing to take a well presented fly. Large numbers of kings have been taken on fly inside the harbour of late, especially from the surface schools working between Garden Island and Rose Bay.

Sydney
Whiting are the whisper among anglers this week. Fat fish up to fourty cm are tucking into well presented live beach worms all over sydney, especially off the northern beaches, but also at proven spots inside sydney harbour, botany bay and pittwater. Light trace line of around 8lb will put you in the fight without scaring off fish.

Sydney Harbour
Tailor can be found schooling all over the Harbour this week, from Middle Harbour to the Parramatta River, often on the surface where they are demolishing tightly balled schools of bait. There are so many around they are often being taken whilst fishing for other species. Look to work areas around open rocky structure, especially when chasing them with lures. Look to imitate baitfish around 7 - 10cm long by using lures of similar length.

Sydney Harbour
New season Southern Calamari are around on the kelp beds of Sydney Harbour in decent numbers at the moment, with the bigger breeders having recently vacated. Inside North Harbour, around Grotto Pt, and from Shark Island to Nielsen Park, small brightly coloured squid jigs are accounting for a few of these tasty cephalopods. Let your jig sink right to the kelp before lifting and twitching.

Offshore
Warmer than usual water off the coast of sydney of late has lead to some great fishing, with the remnants of the spring yellowfin, a few bull dolphin fish, and the first of the years marlin all wandering about off the shelf. The fish are quite spread out, so trolling is proving the most productive. Use six to eight inch skirts.

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

Hawkesbury
A break in the rain and some warm weather have combined to the delight of Bass living under the more overgrown banks of the Upper Hawkesbury. Windsor has been firing, most particularly from the bridge up toward Clarkson Island. The mouths of small tributary creeks are great areas to start. Continual jiggling of surface lures under suitable overgrowth such as well established trees, is almost always producing multiple strikes. Most of the fish are within 2.5 metres of the bank, with bigger fish sometimes out as far as 3 metres.

This Report 04 December
Sydney Harbour
The harbour has not really fired up for the summer yet, but the first signs are promising. Big schools of baitfish are being devoured on the surface by hoards of roaming tailor, intersperesed with a few just legal kingfish, in patches from balmoral to the harbour bridge. Shark island has been a hot spot this week. Soft plastic three inch minnows and similar sized metals are having the most success when surface action is spotted.

Pittwater
Fishing in pittwater has been a little stop start of late, with fish turning on and off the bite at will. The last few days particularly have been hard work, though the fish are still about for those willing to put the work in. A few Salmon and Tailor are schooling around baitfish in patches within pittwaters many bays, interspersed with schools of larger Kingfish from 60 to 80cm. Live squid have been scarce so it is fortunate that live yellowtail are accounting for the majority of the Kings.

Offshore
Conditions have been at bit rocky at times, and the fish scattered in patches along the shelf, but those trolling wide of botany bay lately have found a few small to medium sized yellowfin still about on the prowl. Blue and purple six to eight inch pushers have locked onto fish up to fifteen kilos from browns mountain to heatons hill, with much bigger fish occasionally showing up to delight anglers.

This Report 27 November
Offshore
Plenty of nice eating size flathead can be found off the front of sydney harbour at the moment. Drifting in about fourty metres of water out the front of sydney heads has proved effective, with tuna chunks the best of the baits. A few fat blue mowong have also turned up in nearby reef patches, and a couple up to 2kg have even been taken from the mouth of the harbour.

Hawkesbury River
Recent warm weather is bringing an early start to the bass surface fishing season. Insects have taken their cue and are emerging for the new summer, providing plenty of food for Australian Bass and Estuary Perch. The Upper Hawkesbury around Webbs Creek and Wisemans Ferry is fishing well on surface lures, such as fizzers, walkers or poppers, for bass in particular. Working lures close to the bank, under any overhanging vegetation or around snags, is essential as the Bass are a bit gun shy and will only come out a metre or so from cover.

Happy Fishing
Stef & Kris
SydneyFishFinder

Previous Fishing Reports

Jan - Dec 2007

July 2006 - December 2006
Jan 2006 - July 2006

Jul 2005 -Dec 2005
Jan 2005 -June 2005

Oct 2004 - Dec 2004
July 2004 - Sept 2004
April 2004 - June 2004
Jan 2004 - March 2004

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