On The Forefront Of Your Simple Mind

By Dan Trotter on February 19, 2013 in Other

With the summer holiday break a hazy memory for most us, our attention has likely turned to making a decent quid so we can continue to live in the world’s second most expensive city. Given this, it is little wonder that fishing outings may have slipped from the forefront of your simple mind.

Hopefully a plan being hatched or a schedule shaped for your next day on the wide blue yonder. If it isn’t, it should be, as February is shaping up to be an absolutely outstanding fishing month for Sydneysiders.

The EAC is bringing with it a bounty of marlin, mahi mahi and, I’d be willing to guess, some smatterings of mackerel too, so keep your gear well maintained, earn your brownie points and be ready to hit the water when the opportunity and weather window present themselves.

Along the beaches, whiting, bream and silver trevally are about in good numbers. If you don’t believe me, don a mask and snorkel and have a kick around any of the Eastern Beaches. This is also a good way to see where fish like to hold in different sea and weather conditions.

Off the adjacent headlands, expect hoodlum yellowtail kingfish to be lurking and some to be taken by diligent anglers and experienced spearos. Australian salmon will also be around and can be taken casting lures or fishing unweighted pilchards or strip baits.

The rocky headland washes along our beloved but oft over-populated stretch of coast are also home to silver drummer (known as ‘pigs’) and luderick (known as blackfish). Both of these species are great fun and a good challenge on the correct gear. Luderick love to eat weed, eaven moreso than the hipsters and squirrels of the east love to smoke it.

Use a long medium-taper rod and a long pencil float with a float stopper above and split shot below, then collect cabbage weed from the rocks, fold it neatly onto a small Mustad luderick hook and watch for the tell-tale ‘down’ of the float. As for silver drummer, they can be caught using white bread as berley and bait. Personally though, I think cunjevoi is a better option, although finding somewhere to collect it these days can be a bit tricky and close inspection of the rules is required to ensure you keep within the law.

The harbour is really coming into it’s own year on year, producing healthier numbers and sizes of fish with the sole exception of the once mighty Mulloway. February should see some absolutely cracking kingfish caught around the markers and submerged man-made structures. In addition, all the bread and butter species should respond to well-presented lures and lightly weighted baits.

Hordes of small pelagics will also be in attendance, gorging themselves on the plentiful schools of pilchards, white-bait, blue-bait and jelly prawns. I’d also have a punt that a few lucky anglers will catch a cobia and a few more will mix it with spotted mackerel – best locations for these wanderers seems to be around Cannay Point in North Harbour or up around Sailors Bay and Seaforth in Middle Harbour. It can be a waste of time targeting them in Sydney as they are so rare; your best hope is to do plenty of fishing and keep your fingers crossed.

Offshore will shine this February with the warm currents coming in close most days. If the current is pushing and you have the bait, locations and know-how, expect to make some impressive captures of kingfish, snapper, jewfish, bonito, maybe a mackerel or two (if you’re lucky), plus the possibility of marlin, mahi mahi and much more.

Work smart, fish smart and may a little luck be on your side!