It may be freezing in the mornings but if you put your mind to it you can get out there and get a few quality fish.

If you are going to chase silver trevally in Botany Bay I suggest you start by anchoring during the run-up tide on the eastern side of the oil wharf or the mooring drums, or on the western side of Bare Island and fish the run-out tide.

Berley with a mixture of bread and left-over pilchards. In Port Hacking you could try the rock wall from Rathane to Deer Park and the drop-off on the sand bar at Lilli Pilli.

John dory show up during the Winter months in Botany Bay. Try fishing the starboard markers along the retaining wall at Port Botany and at the end of the third runway.

Even though the bream have been a little scarce, you could always try The Patches at high tide and the mussel beds in front of Dolls Point. Peeled prawns, pink nippers, chicken gut and chicken in parmesan cheese will do the trick.

Port Hacking will have plenty of luderick for those who put in the time and effort to get fresh green weed. If you can’t get green weed I suggest some green cabbage off the rocks. Places to try include the Ballast Heap, North and South West arms, the wharf at Yowie Bay and Gunnamatta Baths. Most of the marinas would also be worth a try on the run-up tide. Make sure that you have a good berley trail going to keep the fish interested.

For those who venture offshore the close reefs off Kurnell, Jibbon and Stanwell Park should have morwong, Chinaman leatherjackets, snapper, slimy mackerel and the odd greenback tailor.

Even though the beach scene has quietened down you could always try fishing for drummer and bream off the northern point of Garie Beach and the rock platform at the southern end of Coalcliff.

Even though I haven’t tried for them this year, Ross Hunter reports there have been a number of yellowfin tuna caught trolling and cubing. So if you can get yourself away from the heater, you will be surprised at what you can catch.

If you prefer to stay indoors, why not call in to your local tackle shop and pick up a couple of books to read and gather valuable information for your next fishing trips? The Australian Fishing Network has sent me a few books to that I think can help anglers become more educated in where they fish and what for.

A fishing guide to the Central and North coasts of NSW by Julie and Lawrie McNally took nearly a year to put together and provides an incredible amount of information. Julie and Lawrie have taken particular care to identify as many land-based fishing spots as they possibly could, as well as many spots for boat anglers.

They say they drove down every road and track east of the Pacific Highway to visit as many spots as possible for this full-colour guide which contains detailed maps and photographs from Brisbane Water all the way up to the Tweed River, including details of 227 boat ramps, 312 GPS spots, bait and tackle shops, boat hire and charter businesses and more.

I also received three booklets that are part of a series of species guides for NSW, Victoria and Queensland, put together by AFN and Frank Prokop, who has managed recreational fisheries around Australia. These three waterproof guides cover over 70 popular fresh and saltwater fish found in each State and include images and detailed descriptions for each fish, tips, rigs and techniques to catch them.

Did any of you go out there and try to target the fish I listed last month and the places I suggested? If you did, email me and let me know how you went. You could target these same species all through the Winter.

If you want to travel farther afield, here is a list of places where you could target the same species we talked about last month.

Drummer: Black head at Gerroa, on the South Coast.

Luderick: Bawley Point on the South Coast.

Bream: Lake Illawarra, south of Wollongong.

Flathead: Ettalong in Brisbane Water.

Tailor: The southern breakwall of Swansea Channel.

Silver trevally: Wybung Head, just north of Lake Munmorah

Groper: Seal Rocks

If you are interested in learning more about fishing these spots and many throughout Sydney, email me or phone 0422 994 207.