I always find this time of the year remains quite busy on the water as everyone jockeys for a good spot to catch one or two fish for the table.

One boat anchoring up always seems to draw other boats to that same spot, even if there are no fish feeding. Many anglers out there think that if one boat is there, it must be a good spot to fish.

Trevally Alley never seems to see a day go past without a boat there fishing and even one can draw a crowd very quickly. Regardless, it is a great spot to fish and it keeps producing all year long.

I find it better to find a spot like, say, Watts reef or Bare island or even one of the red marker cans in Port Botany. Just anchor and berley up a little and if the fish are there and feeding you will catch a few. It’s that simple. This is why it is most important to move around to find your fish.

The right rig for the spot is very important and knowing the species that you are targeting will help greatly. I always find fishing as light as possible with a good berley trail is the most productive method when fishing the Bay.

That applies to most of my fishing up and down the coast, even up in Weipa. Anchored up and floating baits down the berley trail will score plenty of solid fish but up around Weipa I keep the berley light because sharks will turn up very quick for a free feed.

If you would like to learn how to fish Botany Bay and other Sydney waterways, join my monthly fishing school at Hunts Marine. No more than 12 anglers will be involved for the theory night and then I split this into two groups for the practical day on the water that is also part of the class. I cover all you need to know and show plenty of spots to fish and the methods that I use every day on the water. All the info is on www.fishingsydney.com.au or just give me a call.

Lately a few groups have joined me for a spot of snapper fishing north of Botany Bay with mixed results. One trip we scored well with a nice bag for the Sydney area. I was quite happy with reds to 50cm and around 3kg.

I found drifting the gravel beds the most productive method and pilchards seemed the best bait but we also scored well on large prawns.

I normally anchor over this type of bottom and berley for the snapper but the wind and current were against each other so drifting was the best method on this day. Keep this in mind when fishing anywhere.