Believe it or not kingfish are still being caught inside Botany Bay at places like the end of Monoliex wall, and on the eastern side of the oil wharf at Kurnell on the run-out tide. You could either try trolling live or dead yellowtail and squid about 1-1.5m off the bottom. If you are not into trolling you could try anchoring up at Bare Island and the oil tanker mooring drums. Then try sending down those live baits to about 1-1.5m off the bottom.

The bream have started to come into the bay from outside after their spawning run on the beaches and rock washes. Try using whole and peeled prawns during the dark of the moon. Other baits that have worked for me during April are pink nippers, blood worms, strips of fresh mullet and slimy mackerel. You can get the bream while drifting, but I prefer to anchor up and berley with a combination of bread, chicken layer pellets and smashed up old pilchards. While anchored up I use either the ball sinker down onto the bait or a sinker, swivel and a leader of 1-2m in length.

Luderick, drummer, bream and silver trevally are still being caught by anglers fishing off the rocks. Places that are worth a shot are South Bondi, Maroubra, Coogee south, Kurnell Peninsula, Little Marley in the Royal National Park and north and south Garie. You could also try South Stanwell Park Beach and off the pool at Coalcliff. Just remember when fishing off the rocks you will need to keep an eye on the swell.

Georges Cooks and Woronora rivers are producing quality luderick from both the shore and out of a boat. Try the Caption Cook Bridge, Kangaroo Point, the entrance the Oyster Bay, the first 100m of shoreline going into the Woronora, Soily Point and the stretch of shoreline on the western side of Alfords Point Bridge. Another place to try is the George River State park. This is a great place to take the kids for a fish. Just remember you will need to get quality green weed. Try looking at the ends of storm water drains, off the coastal rocks or if all else fails go to Mac’s Bait on the northern side of Tom Ugly’s Bridge.

Bream and flathead have been caught from both the shore and out of a boat along the stretch of water at the end of Forest Road at Lugarno. Mullet, bonito and striped tuna have been working extremely well. Whole Hawkesbury River prawns, nippers and blood worms are worth trying as well.

George Barns and Peter Wells from Como have been working 40g Berkley PowerBlades along the edges of the channel that goes from Lilli Pilli Point to the entrance to Burraneer Bay for success on trevally, whiting, bream and flathead. They have also been fishing the flats at Lilly Pilly at night for whiting and flounder.

I was out on the Port Hacking the other day and I did notice a number of schools of luderick hanging around the same stretch of water. So to see what they liked for a feed I harvested some green cabbage off the rocks nearby, chopped it up and mixed it with some semi-dried sand and chucked it in the water. The next chance I get I am getting out the luderick gear, getting some cabbage and getting myself a few luderick.

While out I also noticed a number of anglers getting a few squid on squid jigs. One trick I have learnt over the years is to have a look for squid ink when I go down to a wharf. Many anglers who target squid will do it at night. Find the squid ink on the wharfs and you will find squid.

The beaches off Cronulla have been producing a few good catches of bream and whiting, and my mates have found that fishing during the night has produced the better catches. Beach, blood and tube worms are my favourite baits off the beach, but coming a very close second is the pink nipper.

Salmon and tailor will start to show up on the beaches during the early and late parts of the day. The falling tide is generally the better time to fish. Try using either whole pilchards or garfish for bait, but don’t forget to take along a few metals. You can have them ready for those schools of fish that are out of reach of a well cast pilchard.

If you would like more information on where to go in the southern areas of Sydney, send me an email to --e-mail address hidden-- and I will try to help you out.