What's Biting - with Mark Turnen

Fishing on and around the Northern Beaches is a fisherman’s dream this summer with the season’s fishing in full swing.

Outside fishing is providing a wide variety of quality fish with an abundance of Kingfish in Pittwater, the Reefs including Newport, East, Long Reef close and wide and Esmeralda.  The keen anglers have had a huge success rate on these Reefs in recently weeks with not only the kingies but other species as well, including snapper, tailor and the odd tregalin.

Long Reef is powering with hoodlums as well. Several hoodlums have been weighed in at Narrabeen Bait and Tackle over the past week tipping the scales from 10 kg up to 17kgs which is a good size.  Most fish were taken on live squid and live yellowtail, although good fresh squid is proving successful as well.

A number of  large kingies have been taken from the Newport Reef area by downrigger methods in the last afternoon, using large fresh Hawkesbury squid.

Plenty of quality bonito and the odd stripy tuna are also been taken on most trolling grounds – use small pink feathers, Xmas trees or Rapala minnows CD size 11 or 13 for best results.
The dolphin fish have shown up and are currently being taken from the Broken Bay Fads, 12 mile Reef and around the Peak.  Plenty of small to medium size fish (around the 5kg mark) are taking small floated baits, such as pilchards, yellow tail and live bait, Success has also been had with dollies being landed on trolled small skirted lures and Rapala deep divers.  There are also plenty of reports of spotty mackerel being taken in the same areas as the Dolphin fish.  These fish are fantastic fighters and make delicious eating as well.

For the bigger fish hunter,  small striped marlin , good size yellow fin and plenty of albacore are being landed out wide along the 12 mile Reef and even wider at the Bait station and Browns mountain.  Troll big 12” skirts or large Hales Crazy deep lures and hang on. 

For the night fisho’s East and Long Reef areas are providing nice size Jewfish and good big Reds, using big slab baits or whole large squid – the average size of the Jewies is around 10 kgs.
The beaches are on fire with a great run of whiting dominating the beach fishing scene at the moment.  All beaches, including Curl Curl, Narrabeen, Collaroy, Avalon, Palm Beach and North Manly are firing with several whiting around 40cm being taken.  Most beach fisherman are taking great bags of gold nuggets on live beachworms, nippers or peeled prawns.  Whiting are tremendous eating fish and great fun to catch on light tackle.
The beaches are also turning up several jewfish with top size jewies being caught around Newport Beach, the north end of Palm Beach and Narrabeen at the pines or near the lake entrance.  These fish are here now and it time to get that big one so use very fresh squid or fresh whole (or large strips) of  local mullet.  Remember that Jewfish take a lot of preparation to catch and patience is required.  The Northern beaches are renowned for being one of the most productive areas to catch Jewfish on the East Coast.

The lake is holding a bevy of species at present, including flathead, bream garfish, blackfish, flounder and whiting.  The whiting in the lake are responding to all kinds of baits and lures – use live worms or try small popper lures or Gulp sandworms for the best results.  Remember to keep you tackle light for whiting for the most fun!
Bream have been taken from the Pipe Clay Point , Ocean Street Bridge and all along the Wakeshurst Parkway areas and the locals tell me this is the best run of bream in the lake for many many years.  Some other good news is that the prawns are running in the Lake in good numbers and of a good size.  Prawning is great fun and can be very productive.

All in all it is a terrific fishing scene on the beaches this summer continues -  TIGHT LINES!