On The Bite - Al McGlashan

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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 135
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. 136 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
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On The Bite - Al McGlashan

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