Fishing Monthly Magazines : The lure of the Bay

What a great place to fish Botany Bay is over Summer, with so many species on offer especially for those using lures.

Flathead are feeding across the vast sand flats and drop-offs and are now well into breeding, so once you find a few fish work that area and you should do well.

But please, release the bigger ones because these are our breeding females.

My favourite soft plastics are 80mm to 100mm Squidgy Wrigglers in the bloodworm colour. Time and again these produce good results so give them a try.

Work small drifts in 3m to 5m of water, bouncing your lure as you drift. Put in the effort and the results will come.

Bream are now on the chew right across the Bay in the shallows on both tides and at any time of the day. Just anchor and fish with a ball sinker and a trace about 1.5m long – yes, I know this is a long trace but it works.

The ball sinker needs to be around a No 5 because you need it to act as an anchor on the bottom and that long trace will give you a very natural bait presentation as it waves around in the current.

Nippers, bloodworms or prawns will work well.

Everyone seems to want to catch kingfish at this time of year and they’re loads of fun, pull harder than most fish you catch around Sydney and eat damn well.

Kings love live bait, especially squid, and these are the baits that all anglers look for to target their Kings.

But believe it or not, each year I catch quite a few that have taken nippers, prawns and small cut baits fished down a berley trail. For even better results, give thin, unweighted strips of squid a try this season.

UP ON TOP

Surface bites are hot over Summer and some of my favourite fishing is luring up surface fish.

Keep an eye open for birds feeding, which give away the bite. Surface feeding fish can turn up at any time of day but at first light as you race across the Bay, schools of fish will often be seen working the surface.

Most days we will find some action, be it tailor, salmon or even bonito. Light tackle is spot on for this type of fishing and a handful of small metal lures is all you need to be set for action

So gear up and have a good game plan before you head out for your next day on the water.

Richard with a flathead that fell to a soft plastic. There’ll be plenty more this month.

Zelko and the boys with another Botany Bay kingfish.

Trolling produces well over Summer with fish like this bonito as well as tailor and salmon. And when flocks of birds start diving and wheeling, have a metal lure ready to cast into the surface melee.