Sydney
NSW
Thanks for reading PITTWATER
Peter Le Blang plfishfingers@bigpond.com
Over the last 12 months our part of the world has seen an amazing amount of rain fall from the skies. Records show that we have seen over 2.5m of rain since the same time last year. This is a huge amount of fresh water that I have not seen in my 55 years. With that said, it’s just not my area that has seen these huge volumes of rain – it’s been falling all up and down our eastern coast of New South Wales. Unfortunately, we are still seeing along our coast lots of debris and sporadic fishing because of it. Some mornings we can head offshore in glass
Mona Vale. Some friends of mine have been catching large snapper off the rocks, and these areas are all accessible and easily fished in a boat. Squid seems to be their preferred bait, and anchoring near the weed beds will see quite a few being caught. Floating your baits down a berley trail early in the morning should see smiles on faces by lunchtime. On Pittwater we are still seeing surface activity first thing in the morning. Most of this activity has been seen between Rowlands Reserve and Scotland Island. Most of the surface activity is from bonito and tailor, but there are still patches of kingfish roaming the river system. Casting 20g metal lures
usual, live squid or squid strips should tempt any hungry kingfish that are found, but the dynamite bait at this time of year is small, live cuttlefish. These little ink machines can be difficult to catch but they are definitely worth the effort. To catch cuttlefish, find some of the rocky, weedy areas along Pittwater and start casting small squid jigs. Jigs in the 1.8-2g sizes are perfect. Cuttlefish rarely seem to rise more than a metre off the bottom so unfortunately you have to let your lures sink deep to have a chance of catching them. This can equate to many hook-ups on the bottom so make sure you have a heavier leader to give yourself a chance at getting your jig back. If you want to try
A great fella, and a great fish, thanks Andrew. conditions with little debris evident, whilst other mornings you can’t drive in a straight line for more than 100m without hitting a log, branches or even trees. On those mornings that you can get to the reefs there have been a few fish to catch. There have been a lot of snapper being caught at Long Reef in recent times, as well as Newport Reef and the rocks at
is a great way to tempt most of the species but you may be better off casting some soft plastics if you find the kingfish. As the morning progresses the kingfish seem to visit most of the bays on the western foreshore. There doesn’t seem to be much surface activity after the sun rises from kingfish, so downrigging and covering ground is the way to go. As
to catch squid, head to the weedy areas such as Palm Beach weed beds, The Basin, Mackerel Beach and Careel
One of the luckiest anglers, this mulloway was his first ever fish! Bay. Find the areas that have the drop-offs and you’re off to a good start. An aggressive retrieve with natural coloured jigs will hopefully see a few being caught. Bottom fishing along Pittwater and Broken Bay is still producing, but on those days where the cold water is evident, fishing becomes slower. I find that drifting to find fish is better than anchoring and berleying. The drift from Patonga through to Lion Island is always a great place to try for flathead and flounder. On this drift on many occasions we have also seen squid being caught or following our baits back to the boat. For this reason it’s always good idea to have a squid jig on the spare rod, ready to go. This same drifting area in recent times has seen quite a few hammerhead sharks being caught. Please be aware that these sharks are protected and must be released unharmed. If are really lucky
there are still some jewfish (mulloway) around, and most of these have been encountered on the drift from Juno Point through to Walkers Point. Fresh squid strips, heads and pilchards have been the downfall of quite a few of these fish. Most of these jewfish have been undersized but at 65cm they put up a good fight. Whilst you are out in Broken Bay keep an eye out for tailor working on the surface. The schools of tailor have also seen some jewfish lurking on the bottom underneath them, as well as the odd flathead and flounder. If all else fails, areas such as Flint and Steel Reef, the pressure wave between Juno Point and Eleanoras Bluff are great places to try whilst anchored and using berley to attract fish. Both of these areas are not difficult to find, just look for the floating carparks. When fishing Flint and Steel it’s important to anchor upcurrent of the reef and
COHOE MARINE PRODUCTS Sales • Service • Repairs Dinghies • Tenders Boating Accessories 209 Australia Street Newtown PHONE: (02)
9519 3575
cohoemarine@bigpond.com
50
JULY 2022
A great shark caught on the drift in Broken Bay.
berley back towards the reef. By doing this you will give yourself the best chance at attracting decent fish toward your boat, and importantly you will not lose your anchor and chain to the reef. I hope you have enjoyed reading my articles over the last 19 years, and sadly this will be my last article. I may in the future write a couple of feature articles, so keep your eyes peeled. Over the many years that I have done chartering I have enjoyed the company of many wonderful people, and am grateful to have had the chance to show them a river system that I love. I still have a deep passion for the sport of fishing and expect to be fishing for many years to come. Instead of watching and helping others catch fish I can now have some fun and get a few myself. I can leave the industry feeling proud of my achievements, having introduced catching kingfish on downriggers, my 2-hook adjustable squid rig (can be bought at Narrabeen Bait & Tackle) and variations on micro jig retrieves. I have named many now-famous fishing areas of Pittwater such as The Supermarket, The Carpark, Aisle 10, The Kingfish Highway, The Wrecks and many more. I am now selling my boat and fishing licences and have closed my business. I have been very lucky to find a new job that pays well no matter what the weather or government throws at me. I hope that I have been able to help many of you readers with ideas, tricks and techniques over the years, and if you see me on the water don’t hesitate to give me a smile and a wave. May every fishing trip bring you happiness and a good feed. • Peter Le Blang operates Harbour and Estuary Fishing Charters, phone 02 9999 2574 or 0410 633 351, visit www. estuaryfishingcharters.com.au
