Warm weather ahead at last after one of the coldest Winters for quite a while around Sydney when I had lots of icy trips across the Bay at first light. So let’s look toward the warm weather and the fishing that is to come.

We’re straight into surface action and species like salmon and tailor normally kick off the season in Botany Bay and around the rocky headlands just outside.

The whitewater along the rocky edges early in the morning is the place to look for tailor and salmon. Both feed along the deep edges on first light and late afternoon.

Salmon can be seen rolling across the surface as they feed and small metal slices and soft plastics will produce well. I have found that working on the lead fish in feeding schools will bring more hook-ups most days so study the direction that the school is heading and try to stay ahead of it – but don’t motor through the school because this will put them down.

Feeding sea birds make it easy to locate schools of feeding fish and as the season progresses, you will see more and more feeding birds.

Bream will start to school up again ready to spawn. Early in the season I have found the river is a better spot to start because the water in the top ends of the rivers warms about a month or so before the Bay. If we have good rain in October bream will move down to the bay so keep this in mind.

Nippers or peeled prawns are all you need for bream bait. Try spots like the Third Runway, the middle of the Bay and The Sticks. I like to rig with a ball sinker and a long trace fished on light tackle and you must fish in moving water for best results.

Offshore, the close reefs will provide lots of action over Spring.

Snapper start to move back in close, along with trevally, and a good berley trail will do the job most trips. Try to fish as light as you can; I have found that 6kg  mono will normally be all that you need.

Out on the sand just of the reefs, good numbers of sand flathead are a top chance on the drift with a simple bottom rig and strip baits. Lately I have found good numbers in about 50m of water.

For the bottom fishing 10kg line suits well because most days a large lead is needed to hold bottom – essential when targeting sand flathead.

A good sea anchor is worth its weight in gold because it slows the drift to a manageable rate when the wind kicks in, as it can in the late mornings from now through Summer..

Surface action offshore will start soon and bonito are one of the great little sport fish to target off Sydney. An early morning trolling run will produce well and I normally troll with lures on my way to the reefs that I intend to fish that day.

So as the weather starts to warm up, it’s time check all gear and be ready because this season should be a ripper.

Check my weekly report on my web page, www.fishingsydney.com.au, showing species caught and spots to fish to make your next outing a good one.