This is the time of the year when all our summer fish should be on the bite. The pelagic in both Broken Bay and Sydney Harbour should be smashing into the bait schools. But it is also the time of the year when there are many boats on the water. So if you do find school fish working you will also find them surround by boats casting lure, trolling thought them and around them. . It’s not a place for the faint hearted.
A fat bream caught on sic pro
I have seen some pretty nasty arguments when people do the wrong thing. If ever one give a little room and respect every one has good day and catches a few fish
The flathead and bream are also in good numbers right through the system and willing
Andrew Jack with a middle Harbour bream
To take a lure or fly. The bass and perch upstream will also be on the chew and will smash surface lures all night. I love this time of the year as you have so many options to fish.
Mates Mal and Ian share a fun day on the Salmon
Off Shore the Dolphin fish should be around the fads. These can be great fun on light tackle. The best way to find out if the dollies are around is to chuck some pieces of pillies
In the water and float a unweighted bait back into the burly trail
Steve Bain with fish caught out wash while fishing with Dean Hayes and Scott Lyons on a social day
Colo and Mc Donald rivers have been on fire with plenty bass and perch being caught on small Taylor made nuggets and small spinner baits. Bass have been in the shallow areas close to weed beds. The perch are holding in deeper water near drop offs.
The Hawkesbury
January is one of the best times of the year to target bass. The best times to catch these fish are dawn and dusk before and after the wake boarders and skiers are on the water. Bass like smooth undisturbed water as they are looking for any ripples caused by insects or other living things falling into water. This is the prime time to cast surface lures and flies at them. As the boat traffic starts to mess the water up, change over to diving lures, spinner baits and soft plastics. Or head to water where there is less boat movement.
I usually head up a creek or river that has a 4 or 8 knot zone to find some quite water as it is too slow for skiers and sightseers. The further up stream the better.
Even better drag out the Australis bass kayak or canoe. Head for water that larger boats can’t get to. I must admit that I would much rather spend a day fishing with a mate, canoe up a small creek or swamp than out in the river in my 5.2m bass boat.
The fish that you do catch in these small waterways are usually a better quality and fight a lot harder.
What’s been happening with the trout?
Jeff Brown reports that November has turned out a real roller coaster for fishing results on all waters. Early in the month Thompson’s Creek Dam and Lake Lyell turn on some brilliant angling however the last week has been much tougher.
Lake Lyell produced plenty of fish early in the month as the water began to rise up over the grasses presenting fly fishers with a bevy of chances at short range. Small unweighted brown nymphs proved the most effective fished on 4 meter leaders. Both brown & rainbow trout worked the edges. Mid-week offered the best results as the close boat traffic and general bank side activity was much less and fish nowhere near as shy. Fish up-to 2 kg came to hand however 1-1.5 kg seemed to be the average.
Thommo’s early in the month produced some horse fish, the largest a 5.1 kg brown trout and a rainbow at 4.25 kg, the heaviest of each species I have weighed at this location. All fish throughout the month have been taken on brown or hare & copper flies. Some spin anglers did all right early in the month but the action seems to have tapered for these anglers as well. For best results use a tandem fly rig with a woolly bugger as your lead fly fished slowly on a long leader off a floating line. Fish are moving around considerably so it is a case of fishing until you find them and then work the area thoroughly. If you aren’t comfortable casting long leaders fish an intermediate sinking fly line.
Oberon Dam is looking sweet with water levels rising up over the grass making life much more pleasant under foot. Once again there have been some quality fish about for all angling methods. Mudeye patterns fished at night and stick caddis patterns during the day have proved successful along with some of the usual favorites.
The Lithgow/Oberon streams are all flowing well & I am happy to report a successful day last Sunday fishing a section of the Fish River we accessed through private property. Several browns in great conditioned were hooked on nymph rigs and a couple demolished my client much to his shock.Come and join me for some quality fishing.
Jeff Brown Riverlands Sports and Fly fishing Tours 0418435410
Tackle shop news
Ross Salvato has opened a new sports and fly fishing shop The World of Tackle and is a new concept in tackle retailing aimed directly at the sports-fishing market, his customers will only find the highest quality tackle products sourced from the world’s proven and trusted manufacturers.
The World of Tackle covers the entire spectrum of tackle products, specializing in soft plastic and hard body lures, along with a large range of fly-tying and fishing gear from the world’s leading manufacturers.
Ross Salvato brings more than 30 years of sports and fly fishing experience to The World of Tackle. More experienced fly fisherman may remember Ross, as he founded Australia’s first fly-only store in Australia back in 85 called Australian Fly Fisherman.
You will find the World of Tackle at Shop 2 29-45 Parramatta Road, Concord NSW 2137
Ph: 02 9747 3040
Sydney Fishing Tackle at West Ryde has been taken over by a couple of young guys Anthony and Brad .They have renovated and stocked it full of tackle from soft plastic and lure to the Best fresh bait Hawkesbury Prawns and Squid straight of the trawler
Sydney Fishing Tackle Warehouse 1081 Victoria Rd West Ryde
Ph:(02) 9874 4299.
Fishing Schools
Any one wanting to learn more about Sportsfishing for Sydney kingfish, bonito, salmon, Taylor, bass and estuary perch can now come to one of my on the water fishing schools.
These can be tailored to suite either bass, Eps or bream, Flathead in my bass and bream boat or you can learn about how to target and catch pelagics out of the 7m Sportsfisher
We cover all the different lures how to cast, use soft plastic, poppers and trolling
Any one interested can ring me on 040 8334 892
Sportsfishing Action DVD
Shannon Kitchener and I have Released 2 DVD on Sportsfishing. These DVD show you how to target all the different fish that can be targeted by anglers that have small trailer boat with lures, fly and some bait.
These include Bass, Bream, Bonito, Flathead, Taylor, Australian Salmon, Dolphin fish, Trout and of course the mighty Kingfish
Shannon Kitchener with a solid pittwater King Caught on a Troll Craft Lure
