The fishing year around southern Sydney was rewarding over the cooler months and everything is shaping up for a top Summer ahead.

Bream and kings will turn it on over the oncoming season and surface action has already started in Botany Bay with salmon and a few tailor schooled just off the Third Runway.

I love the Summer season, with warm early starts and great days on the water, so a little forward planning will set you up with the right gear for a great day on the water.

The pelagic action will escalate in the next few months. Light spin gear is all you need, 4kg to 6kg rods and 2500-size spinning reels.

Braid or mono, it’s up to you. I use Schneider Fine Line 6kg for many jobs, from bait to lures, and it saves me adding a leader.

Braid will cast farther and you can fish lighter because it’s super-strong for its thickness and most keen lure fishos use it.

Small metal lures, soft stickbaits or small poppers will cover your needs when spinning for Sydney’s surface species.

Size is rather important when buying your lures and selecting which ones to use.

A simple rule is that in Winter we rarely see much surface action and most fish feed on larger baits like yellowtail and slimy mackerel, so larger lures work better for Winter. I also find trolling more productive because you prospect over a big area.

Summer is when the small bait turns up and we see surface action so small metals, stickbaits and poppers are the go.

Remember, all our pelagics are super-fast – kings, tailor, bonito and salmon all hunt with speed so buy lures that swim fast.

We’re gearing up for the Summer run of bream. I fish with bait for my bream in Botany Bay; with six on board it’s a little tricky to spin with lures so bait it is.

Peeled prawns or worms are my choice and many anglers also opt for them because they are readily available and work well.

Other baits that I have found good for bream include nippers, tuna cubes, pillie cubes, chicken strips, squid and slimy mackerel.

Tidal run is very important when fishing for bream. As long as there is good flow in the tide you are set, run in or run out, any time of day. Just put the effort in and move about until you find them.

It’s been a big few months for me with the launch of The Hook and the Cook with mate Paul Breheny, airing on Sydney’s TVS channel 44 on Mondays at 8.30pm and repeating on Wednesday and Saturday. We are keen on producing more shows.

I’m just back on deck after another great trip to Weipa with a top bunch of blokes who caught loads Spanish mackerel, longtail tuna, barra, jacks, queenfish and outstanding fingermark and cod. I still have a few spots for May and October.