WEEKLY REPORT 1/05/07

Botany Bay is firing on the silver trevally front and I can see this pattern continuing for about the next 4 months. Every time I have gone out lately to target silver trevally all I have had to do is anchor up near or at the edge of a drop-off at Towra Point, marker pole or buoy, the drums, Monilex Point, the artificial reef in Yarra Bay and the end of the third runway, start berleying and fish as light as the conditions will allow. Once the trevally have got the scent of the pilchards, bread and pellets they just coming swimming up into my berley trail.

Best baits have been peeled prawns, pink nippers, blood worms and fillets of skinned yellowtail. To name all the spots that I have fished for trevally this year would take up too much space up, so here is a few of my favourites; The Wedding Cakes, North Head yellow marker, Middle Head, Bradley’s Head and Clarke Island in Sydney Harbour. The Port Hacking has places like Deer Park, Gymea Bay, and the Lilly Pilly drop off and just off sandshoes at south Cronulla.

Paul Martin from South West Rocks Marine Bait and Tackle reports that the recent rain has done its job on the river and has put the fish on the bite. This is very encouraging with a few mulloway starting to come in off the break wall last week. Live pike has been the best of the baits, but don't forget to try whole fillets of mullet, yellowtail, whiting and tailor.

Col Peters fished the Wall and was in the process of releasing a big Australian salmon when he was nearly nose to nose with a huge mulloway breaking the surface chasing mullet schooling the edge of the wall. Tailor, yellowfin and schoolies will also be working the edge of the wall. If you are after whiting, bream and flathead you could try out in front of the Riverside Tavern. Beach fishing is on the improve and will continue to improve through the summer months. Try fishing Smoky Beach near Black Rock and just inside the Point of the jail for whiting and Front Beach for bream and dart.

Fishing outside is well worth the effort with some nice catches coming in out of the dirty water. Grassy Head seems to be the hot spot over the last week. Around the 30-40 metre mark there has been snapper, Samson fish, morwong and Venus tusk fish. There are a few yellowtail kingfish around Fish Rock feeding on small fish so they have been a little timid with the big baits. The F.A.D has been finally returned to its original position around the Dot so hopefully this will create some action soon.

Further north of Sydney Jock Garven and his dad have been getting amongst a few tailor off the headland at the north end of Light house beach, the end of the breakwall at Port Central. Best baits have been pilchards and garfish that have been rigged on a set of ganged hooks. The washes between Point Plummer and Racecourse Head would be good place to start fishing for tailor, drummer and yellowfin bream. The guys that would like to have a go at fishing offshore could try Barries Bay north of Point Plummer for snapper and pearl perch.

On the south coast you could try Lake Illawarra for yellowfin bream, dusky flathead, luderick, sand whiting and mullet. It doesn’t matter if you are fishing from the shore or out of a boat you will need to berley to get the fish on the bite. You could also try trolling Mann’s Stretch 5’s and 10’s for the dusky flathead. You will need to troll them at a speed of about 1 to 2 knots. They can also be cast from the shore and then worked back to your feet.

If you are going to South West Rocks you could try the Goal Grounds for snapper, further north if the conditions allow you could try for both snapper and yellowtail kingfish. The river is worth a try for luderick, especially around the mouth of the river. Further up stream the bream and duskies are worth targeting of both minnow and soft plastic lures.

South West Rocks is worth a go for tailor, yellowfin bream, kingfish and luderick off the rocks or if you can get outside you could always try Fish Rock for monster kingfish with a few rats mixed in with them. The wide reefs will usually have leatherjackets, snapper, pearlies and teraglin.