Sydney Rock

What winter brings

SYDNEY NTH Steve Winser

With the good ‘ol La Niña weather pattern pushing on relentlessly this season (and now BOM are talking still up, but the persistence of the La Niña style species (bonito, tailor, trevally, salmon etc.) has gone right through the summer, with some quality snapper also in the mix. A pilchard cube trail with cut pilchard baits and

A snapper released to fight another day.

about a third cycle), the regular fishing playbook has gone out the window.

Water temperatures in the harbour and surrounds are squid strips is a good way to catch a feed on pretty much any of the harbour structure or deepwater edges just now. Kings have generally groper – will only improve as temperatures fall.

Next month, depending on the water temp change, we should see the continuation of the good kingy fishing. If temperatures drop we might see them begin to move from the lower reaches and start to push up into the

fished well throughout the lower harbour reaches and inshore, with some good-size fish amongst them. However, they have been hot and cold lately, smashing it some days and patchy the next.

In the harbour fresh squid are still your ticket to catching kings. The squidding is excellent at the moment, with good numbers of large squid over the kelp and ribbon weed. Size 2.5 and 3.0 jigs in orange or green are my go-to.

With the persistence of the warm water, the shallow water bream and blackfish have yet to come on the chew. However, as the water temperatures drop, this will change.

Having said that, the harbour washes and surrounds have seen some gear-smashing size drummer moving in. The drummer fishing – plus the blue Eric with a solid wash drummer.

A nice inshore kingfish. upper harbour. The washes and shallow water harbour fishing can only improve from here on. • Fishing Sydney Tours takes pride in tailoring every trip to the customer’s preferred species, style of angling, and level of expertise, all within a friendly and relaxed atmosphere at competitive rates. There are some excellent fishing spots that can be accessed straight off Sydney, and we will show you where. We offer harbour, wash and offshore fishing for species ranging from kingfish and mulloway through to snapper and mahimahi. For more info go to www.fishingsydneytours. com.au, call 0481 120 600 or look up ‘Fishing Sydney Tours’ on Facebook.

From page 52 substantially. The rock headlands can produce better numbers compared to the beaches.

Dawn and dusk are the traditional times to fish for tailor. Try well into the dark period too, as they come in hunting in the beach gutters, seeking any small fish.

You will notice Aussie salmon numbers increasing as well. They are often better in the dark rather than during the day. And where there are tailor, bream and trevally are often close by.

Manly/Queenscliff beach can be a good producer for tailor and salmon, and Curl Curl Beach can often be overlooked as a great tailor and salmon beach. When the swell is up around 1.5m, or even slightly larger, the northern end fishes well from the rocks to the surf club. In flatter conditions try the gutters up the beach. The gutters can be deep because it is a very rippy beach, and like Manly has much less kelp on average compared to Dee Why, Collaroy/ Narrabeen and Warriewood and more beaches. Speaking of Warriewood, there have been some good numbers of tailor caught in the evenings there and just past the headland north of Warriewood (known locally as Cooks Terrace).

Some stonker dusky and sand flathead are around, but we’re getting towards the end of the season for them in numbers. Sand flathead to 60cm and dusky flathead to 80cm have been taking whole pilchards, live baits meant for a jewfish (mulloway), and even on beach worms meant for a whiting or bream. Great plastics to use for flatties are the Bait Junkie 5-7” Jerkshads and the 4” Grubs. The jigheads should be heavier than you’d use in an estuary – around 1/2-3/4oz, or even heavier if there’s a rippy current. The heavier weight also helps you to get extra distance if needed.

Off the beaches the sun at its lowest angle this month, which of course means there is less sunlight. If you don’t feel like getting up early on those dark, chilly mornings, that’s OK – you can have a fish during the day for whiting, bream or Aussie salmon. Off the rocks, having a go at rock blackfish is also an option during the day. Even though all of these species are best caught in the lower light period, it’s perfectly fine to have a lazy daytime fish at this time of year. • For rock and beach guided fishing or tuition in the northern Sydney region, visit www. bellissimocharters. com.au, email alex@ bellissimocharters.com.au or call Alex Bellissimo on 0408 283 616.