On The Bite - Al McGlashan

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On The Bite
Sensational
Sydney Harbour
Despite being our most heavily populated city, Sydney and
its iconic harbour offer some of Australia’s best fishing.

Sitting on the boat with a coffee in hand,
I watched the sun slowly breaking free of the
horizon, its rays illuminating the Opera House
in the process. In the background, the Harbour
Bridge was bumper-to-bumper as everyone
else headed to work. As the light increased, the
waterway came alive as the feeding frenzies began.
Flocks of seabirds wheeled about excitedly as
pelagic predators churned the surface to foam
and smashed the baitfish schools.
The commotion continued, even when ferries
and other traffic ran straight through their frantic
midst. As I made my first cast, I wondered just
how many people were watching from their
office windows. However, I didn’t have long to
contemplate the answer, as an instant double
hook-up – a salmon and a bonito – interrupted
proceedings. Moving on to the next school, we
found some kingfish, then a chopper tailor bit me
off – and that was all just in the first hour.
Sydney is a truly amazing fishing destination
and over the years I have tallied some impressive
captures, from heavyweight kingfish to delicious
john dory, countless bonito and some sizeable
flathead. Then there was the 180kg bull shark that
I released in front of the Sydney Harbour Bridge.
By Al McGlashan
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P128/129: Sydney Harbour
is the most heavily fished
waterway in NSW thanks
to the lack of marine
park restrictions and the
sensational fishing.
Above: There aren’t many
other cities in the world that
offer such incredible fishing in
the centre of town.
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The deep, clean waters of the
harbour are alive with fish
Australia’s biggest city, Sydney is also arguably
its prettiest. The picturesque Port Jackson is
encompassed by suburbia, yet there are still
pockets of natural parkland and beautiful white
sandy beaches, while the Blue Mountains serve as
a majestic backdrop to the west. And, of course,
there are its iconic landmarks, like the Opera
House and Harbour Bridge, which are known
throughout the world.
ALIVE WITH FISH
As impressive as all this is, the best aspect of
Sydney from my professional perspective is its
sensational fishing. The deep, clean waters of
the harbour are alive with fish, from the bream
and flathead up amongst the mangroves, to the
kingfish and tailor that patrol the lower reaches.
Protected from the rolling swells of the
Tasman Sea by an impressive wall of sandstone
cliffs, Sydney Harbour is a tranquil waterway. With
countless bays and beaches, there is always a lee
shore for both boat- and land-based anglers.
According to NSW Fisheries, Sydney Harbour
is the most heavily fished waterway in the state.
Considering there are almost a million anglers
in NSW, with a vast majority of the population
concentrated around the harbour, it is really
encouraging to see that the fishing is actually
improving. The main reason behind this was not
the introduction of marine parks, but rather a
concerted effort to improve water quality. The
Parramatta River used to be nothing more than
a dumping ground for industry, but now tighter
controls have alleviated the abuse and the
waterway is bouncing back.
However, the remnants of man’s mistreatment
still linger in the form of dioxins present in the
Parramatta River – dioxins that have subsequently
filtered through the food chain. A while ago, tests
revealed an alarmingly high level of dioxins in a
number of fish species, which forced the closure
to all commercial fishing in the harbour for health
reasons. As bad as this sounded at the time, the
banning of prawn trawling and other commercial
activities has helped to give the harbour a new
lease on life and it is now exploding with fish.
Fed by both the Parramatta and Lane Cove
Rivers, Sydney Harbour is a mass of mangrovelined
bays, rocky points and sprawling suburbia.
One of the reasons why the harbour has
rebounded so quickly after years of abuse is that
the all-important mangroves have been left intact
in many areas. This has helped to insulate the
system, making it more resilient to pollution. From
personal experience, I have been amazed at the
comeback of prawns and baitfish, which are now
so prolific throughout the harbour’s waters.
KING OF FISH
In the upper reaches, bream, flathead and tailor
are common, as is a surprising number of jewfish.
In the lower reaches, Aussie salmon, trevally, squid,
john dory, bonito and even mackerel tuna are a
possibility. But of all the species available in the
harbour, it is the hard-fighting kingfish that is the
most sought after. In recent years, this species has
gone from strength-to-strength, thanks to the
demise of commercial floating fish traps, and it is
now a common target in the harbour.
Sydney Harbour also makes a great departure
point for the extensive offshore bluewater
options. There are also some productive
snapper grounds inshore, as well as some great

there are also some serious ‘stud’ bream
lurking in this suburban waterway
Bream are prolific throughout
the system, especially in the
upper reaches.
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gamefishing offshore – including some sensational
kingy grounds literally just outside the Heads.
YEAR-ROUND OPTIONS
The beauty of the harbour is that it offers yearround
options. In fact, it is one of the few places
where anglers are pretty well guaranteed to catch
something every day of the year. That may seem like
a tall claim, but the fishing now really is that good.
Bream, flathead, jewfish and tailor are yearround
options, while pelagics, such as kingfish
and bonito, are common from early spring right
through to June.
During the peak of summer, the East
Australian Current pushes a warm tongue of
water down the coast, bringing with it a series
of tropical intruders like spotty mackerel, striped
tuna, amberjack and even cobia. Alternatively,
during the cooler months, Aussie salmon invade
the harbour en masse and will often hang around
right through to the summer months.
While the kingfish may slow down inside the
harbour during the winter, they are thick over
the coastal reefs, also making them a year-round
option.
Further offshore, marlin and dolphinfish (mahi
mahi) are common during the warmer months.
This season saw unprecedented hot water push
down the coast, bringing with it wahoo and even
Spanish mackerel. And as the water cools during
the winter, the marlin are replaced by yellowfin,
albacore and even the highly-prized bigeye tuna.
So, there is always something on the chew.
FISHING FOR ALL
What makes Sydney Harbour such a great fishing
spot is that it is so varied and has great fishing for
boats big and small as well as land-based anglers.
It may surprise many fishos, but there are also
some serious ‘stud’ bream lurking in this suburban
waterway. Although common throughout the
system, the best fishing is in the rivers. The Lane
Cove River is productive throughout its length,
but the lower reaches, from Burns Bay Bridge to
the entrance at Greenwich, offer the most reliable
stretch. Not only does the area produce a lot
of bream, but it is also home to some sizeable
flathead and even a few flounder.
The Parramatta River is even better, but
some of the hotspots are around the Gladesville
Bridge and my personal favourite is Iron Cove Bay.
These areas can be fished just as effectively from
a canoe or a ‘pro’ bream boat, and in the case
of Iron Cove the land-based fishing is also highly
rewarding. In the middle reaches of the system,
there is a maze of boat moorings, wharves and
rocky banks that all hold fish for both the bait
angler and the lure flicker. Bait-fishing the deeper
holes can also produce jewfish at night.
PELAGIC PARADISE
The lower reaches of the harbour still offer some
great bread-and-butter fishing, but they are
overshadowed by the exceptional pelagic fishing.
Every spring, massive schools of whitebait enter
the harbour attracting a wide range of pelagic

Top: A light spin rod and a
handful of lures can catch
an amazing array of species
around Sydney.
Above: The variety of species
on offer around Sydney is
staggering; even the oddlyshaped
john dory is common.
Right: Both baits and lures
work around the numerous
navigation markers.
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when the fish are really firing,
the action can last all day
predators. When the fish are firing, it is possible
to catch several different species in as many casts.
In fact, one morning while filming a segment for
Channel Seven News, I managed three species in
three consecutive casts – all on camera!
The surface activity is often best early in the
morning, but when the fish are really firing, the
action can last all day. It is easy to find the fish –
just look for commotion on the water, mostly
accompanied by a flock of seabirds excitedly
wheeling about above.
These inshore pelagics can turn up just about
anywhere, so the best approach to finding them
is to cruise around slowly searching for surface
action. Some of the best spots are Garden Island,
North Harbour and Clifton Gardens. On the runout
tide, salmon will work bait schools between
there and North Head.
Chasing this surface action is exciting and fast.
The best approach is to fish light tackle that allows
you to make long casts. The best lures change
daily, but small metal Halco Twisties, soft plastic
stick baits and flies are the best options.

My personal favourite is a 6in translucent
stick bait rigged on a worm hook. Skipped across
the surface like a scared baitfish, these odd lures
are absolute dynamite and usually cause an
immediate response from the kingfish. But if the
fish go quiet, try adding a sinker and letting it right
down to the bottom before cranking it back up
at speed.
As the water starts to warm up in spring,
kingfish start to congregate around the many
buoys and navigation markers that litter the
harbour. Casting poppers will produce some
explosive strikes around the markers early in the
morning, especially if you are the first one to hit
them.
STRIVE FOR LIVE
As good as artificial lures are, if you want to catch
the big boys then you simply can’t go past livebaits.
Yakkas, slimy mackerel and squid are all available
in the harbour and easy to catch. Squid is the pick
of the bunch inside the harbour, but for headlands
and coastal reefs the yakkas and slimies are a
better option.
Rigged on a single hook and weighted enough
to get them down to the ideal depth, baits can
be either slow-trolled or drifted past structure.
A panicking ‘livie’ sitting midwater is like a flashing
neon sign for hungry predators and rarely lasts
long. The numerous navigation markers are the
best place to start, but the deeper ledges and
rocky points are also worth a shot. A surprising
number of jewfish, big flathead and even john
dory also fall victim to this technique.
Live yakkas can also be slow-trolled on
downriggers around the headlands to great effect
for kingfish. Don’t fish light though, because kings
above 10kg are common and will make short
work of light tackle.
For anglers keen on chasing jewfish, there
are some great holes and ledges in the harbour.
Concentrate your efforts after dark around the
tide change in areas like the deep hole off Clifton
Gardens or around Shark Island. From here
upstream past the Sydney Harbour Bridge there
are a number of good jewfish spots. Unfortunately,
due to excessive boat traffic, boat fishing isn’t
recommended and anchoring is illegal in many
parts of this area. For land-based anglers, one of
the best spots in this stretch is McMahons Point,
which drops away almost straight down to 20m.
Over the years, some huge jewfish, in excess of
20kg, have been caught.
Another plus is that Sydney has not come
under the attention of the anti-fishing Marine Park
Authority, which has locked up so many of NSW’s
best fishing spots, so anglers are still largely free to
fish just about anywhere they wish.
And for those who want to venture slightly
further, just 30 minutes’ drive to the north is the
massive Hawkesbury River system, while to the
south, Botany Bay, which is now a recreational
fishing reserve, is just 10 minutes from the city.
Then there is picturesque Port Hacking further
south, which backs onto the Royal National Park.
So, if you have a boat and you have an
urge to wet a line, there is hardly anywhere
else in Australia so close to a major population
centre that offers so many fishing options. If you
doubt my word, I suggest you get out on the
harbour and try and prove me wrong. Go ahead
… I dare you! ¿
Pelagics like bonito can be
found throughout the harbour
and surrounding headlands.
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