Caught and bowled

Winter is traditionally the best time to target species like bream, luderick and drummer off the rocks around Sydney. However, during the warmer months it is still possible to make some good catches, especially in the morning before the nor'easter strengthens in the afternoon.

A walk along the rock platforms with a rod and a pocketful of hooks and sinkers can yield some respectable catches. But while casting lures and baits from the rocks is a great option, fishing back towards these washes from your trailerboat can turn a warm morning into a hot one.

A few weeks back Aussie cricket star Stuart MacGill and I joined Scott Lyons from Southern Sydney Fishing Tours on a trip around Sydney's foreshores to experience life on the other side of the washes.

Like every fishing trip, the most important part of the preparation is a good check of the weather forecast. This type of fishing is as dangerous as angling from the rocks. Extreme caution must be exercised, as passengers are heavily reliant on the skipper's ability to position the boat in a safe location.

While fishing the washes from a boat is an exciting and productive style of angling, poor judgement could find you washed up on the rocks in seconds.

Checking the weather and sea reports is stage one of the preparation. Obviously a reliable outboard in excellent condition (or two motors if possible) is vital, as is carrying all the necessary safety equipment on your boat. Remember, the skipper on a boat is legally responsible for all other passengers on the vessel, so take no chances at sea.

WATCH THE WATER
We headed to Merries Reef. Our plan was to anchor behind the reef and fish back onto it as the tide rose and rushed over the rocks. A light westerly kept the swell down, but we still spent 20 minutes idling into place as we watched the behaviour of each set and how they were breaking around the spot we planned to fish.

Watching the water before you anchor up is just as important as thoroughly checking the weather forecast before you head off.

With all the strange things happening to the weather patterns these days, it's vital you don't rely on the weatherman solely for predicting what's happening offshore.

The anchoring process can take a while to get just right. It's always wise to drift around the fishing spot in neutral for a minute or so to better judge what the wind and current will do to your boat once the pick is dropped.

The place we wanted to fish had whitewater rushing across the reef, pushing us away from the rocks while another surge rolling through wanted to send us along the rock face.

The reef pick was placed over the side in about 15ft of water and enough rope was let out so to ensure we were sitting in the best spot to fish the whitewater without getting into trouble. After a bit of fiddling we came up tight in the ideal position.

BERLEY & BAIT
Royal prawns and frozen yabbies were the chosen baits for the day's session, and berleying began in earnest to get the fish on the bite. It usually doesn't take long and our floats bobbed momentarily before vanishing as fish took the baits.

Drummer, bream, blackfish, trevally and tailor are the most common species attracted by the berley mix in the foamy whitewater. All manner of colourful reef fish can join the party, as well as the odd surprise catch like pinkie snapper to add some spice.

Stuart had never fished this way before, but he was quickly getting into the swing of things, bowling out some good balls of berley before finding his first fish. A big wrasse with its red, green and orange markings put up a solid fight on the heavy gear we were using for drummer. You just never know what will take your bait, so it's better to be prepared for the fish from hell rather than risk being undergunned.

We were using 6kg line with 10ft rods and heavy sidecast and Shimano threadline reels. One advantage of fishing from a boat is that you pull the fish away from their rocky homes and not into them if you were fishing from the shore.

We caught trevally, luderick, drummer and a host of other reef fish which made for a highly enjoyable session. On the way back to the ramp we called into another fishy looking spot which promised to hold some good fish. The only problem was that anchoring looked to be a lot harder in this area, with waves breaking over a bommie 30m to our left.

We sounded out the deeper section thoroughly before being satisfied enough to drop the pick. With the bommie 30m to our left, and the wash we aimed to fish about 20m to our right, the wind and current positioned us within casting distance.

Over the next hour a dozen pigs to 1.5kg fell to our prawn baits. The brutal, drag-them-out fights tested our tackle and skill to the limit. You only have a couple of seconds at the most after hooking up between success and failure, as hooked drummer rush back under the rock ledges in a desperate effort to bust you off. This type of angling gets the heart racing and is a whole lot of fun.

KEEP IT SIMPLE
Rigs can be as simple as a small ball or pea sinker running free to a No. 1 or 2 hook. Use just enough weight to keep your bait suspended in the wash. You might want to opt for a bobby cork to ensure your bait sits just off the bottom.

Whichever way you go, you will find this type of fishing a very reliable way to get connected to some quality table fish, even in summer.

Just remember safety always comes first and preparation is the key to having a successful and safe trip.

Scott Lyons can be contacted on (02) 9526 7431. Scotty fishes in style from a custom 6.5m Vision centre-console, a safe and reliable machine ideal for this inshore reef work.