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Land-based fishing is looking good
  |  First Published: July 2017



I don’t know what the ratio is of land-based anglers to boating anglers. What I do know is that just recently I went for a walk from the Captain Cook Bridge to Brighton-Le-Sands and back and I counted over 50 anglers fishing from the shore. After talking to many of them I found that they were catching dusky flathead, whiting, bream, trevally, tailor, shovelnose rays, stingrays and the odd blue swimmer crab.

In this month’s report, I’m going to list eight places that the land-based angler can try with a good chance of taking home a couple of fish for a feed. The main bait in use was the bloodworm followed by pink nippers, then small prawns, pudding baits and half pilchards. Bloodworms can get very expensive, but they’re a great bait.

Fishermans Beach is on the northern side of Botany Bay and is a great place to get out of the northerly winds. You will find a small groyne in the middle that can be easily fished from. This is a good place to try out those soft plastics for flathead, whiting and bream.

The breakwall near the boat ramp at Port Botany has fairly deep water on the southeastern side. Don’t forget to take a few metals with you, as tailor and salmon will school up here at times.

Just about anywhere along the western foreshore of Botany Bay has plenty of parking space and is just a short walk to the beach.

The Kurnell groynes along Silver Beach are worth a shot for bream, flathead, whiting, leatherjackets and luderick. Care needs to be taken when walking out to the end, as some of the rocks may be loose.

Bald Face Point is a deep-water spot and is located just upstream of Tom Uglys Bridge. It’s well worth the effort on a run-in tide for bream, flathead, mullet, mulloway, whiting and tailor. Pilly tails and chicken breast work well here. Parking is not the best.

The Georges River State Recreational Area is located at the end of River Road, Picnic Point. You will need to enter the area by turning off onto Burrawang Reach Road (an entry fee applies). Here you can fish for bream, flathead, whiting, mulloway, luderick and mullet. There have been some reports of bull sharks here as well.

This area is on the southern side of the river where the old Lugarno ferry used to cross. Once here you will find a number of spots where you can set yourself up for a fish. A short distance downstream you will find a small park that also has a number of deep-water spots that you can fish from.

Around the old Woronora Bridge you could try for bream, flathead and whiting about an hour or two either side of the top of the tide. The best baits are bloodworms, pink nippers and small pieces of chicken breast.

Currently I am working on a land-based fishing book for Australian Fishing Network (AFN) that will have 60 land-based fishing spots with advice on when and what to fish for in Botany Bay, Georges, Woronora and Port Hacking rivers. Keep an eye out for it later this year.

Scotty Lyons told me snapper, morwong, pigfish, sand flathead and the odd kingfish have been on the chew in 50m off Wedding Cake Island off Coogee. Scotty also suggests trolling close into the washes north and south of the entrance to Botany Bay for bonito, salmon and tailor.

Bream and trevally are on the chew off the southeastern side of the bommie at Bare Island in about 20m. Anchor and berley with bread and chicken pellets to get the fish on the bite. Trevally Alley has luderick feeding along the wall in close, and bream and trevally out about 20m from the wall.

The drums off the Kurnell Oil Wharf have plenty of trevally, cowanyoung and leatherjackets. Peeled prawns and strips of fresh squid have been the best baits by far. You could also try floating out a whole pilchard or a live bait for salmon, tailor and the odd kingfish.

The Sticks has been producing trevally and bream with a lot of small snapper and Port Jackson sharks mixed in. Work the same area with blades and large soft plastics for mulloway and dusky flathead.

Whiting have shown up at the cockle beds off Dolls Point, the entrance to Woolooware Bay, Kangaroo Point, the entrance to the Woronora River, Picnic Point, Cattle Duffers, Kelso Park and the bridge at the M5. Bloodworms and pink nippers are the go.

Luderick are in big numbers at the Moons just up from Lugarno. You could also try for luderick along the rock wall on the upstream side of Alfords Point Bridge. Finding the fresh green weed will be the key to getting the results. Some anglers I know are having to go as far as Wollongong in the south and Newcastle in the north to get good weed.

Even though it is the middle of winter, the beaches have been producing good results. Maroubra has whiting, dart and bream, Coogee has luderick and drummer in the corners, salmon can be caught off the northern end of Bondi and Mackenzies has a few whiting and bream. The best bait by far has been the beach worm, followed by bloodworms and pink nippers. You could also try using half pillies and garfish.

When the seas are too big to fish these beaches, you could try fishing the back of Long Bay. A ball sinker down onto the hook would be the best rig. Squid can be found here as well.

• If you have been out lately and you would like to see yourself in the magazine, drop me an email to --e-mail address hidden-- with a picture and short explanation of how and where and I will endeavour to get it into my column.
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