sifisho

A bit of burley and a bait jig would do just fine i reckon - maybe a little bit of squid to put on the jigs would also help. The yakkas might disappear once the sun (and the predators) come up, but you might find them on the corner where the wharf splits off to the right...

The lower the breaking strain, the less chance you have of landing your fish, but the more bites you will get, because the fish there are very picky. It helps if you use little or no lead (if you can without annoying the other 200 people down there). I would take say 15lbs as a starting point and go from there. Some guys will go lighter, and others will say that it is madness to use something that light on kings. In my view its very different fighting a king on the wharf from fighting one from the rocks because you are right on top of it and you generally have a lot more control over whats going on. As I said before a long rod really helps too. Also helps if you have in your mind what you are going to do once you are hooked up!

Yeah I am going to punt on crab larvae as well. I found this picture of the stomach contents of a Chinook salmon (picture might be a bit small), which kind of looks a bit similar... Also discovered that crab larvae (blue swimmers at any rate) become benthic (i.e. bottom dwelling) when their carapace with is between 4 and 10mm so I would guess the ones you found are still planktonic.

I'd go for the following:- 1) Good bait (fishfinder squid or prawns works for me) - only needs to be a relatively small piece of squid (3 inches say) 2) Use little or no lead 3) Use as light a line as you think you can get away with - its a bit of a tradeoff between getting the bites and being busted off 4) A longer rod will help keep the fish from heading under the wharf, if not, just be ready for them to head under your feet... 5) Take a landing net 6) Burley hard to get them interested

I'll go for either an egg from a ray (or maybe something like a PJ shark)

Try the squid from fishfinder and dont be tempted to offer up too big a strip - they are pretty picky at the wharf. The good old peeled prawns will also work, but try to get the best quality ones you can find.

I guess it depends what you are after!

Good article. Some places in the world have the prevailing wind blowing in such a direction that the normal situation is to have a cold coastal upwelling running most of the time (which is what is happening here now). This is often associated with higher production because (as it says in the link) the cold water is nutrient rich, and combined with good sunlight will spark the food chain into overdrive (because the lowest rung in the food chain is phytoplankton - i.e. plant algae). One of the biggest areas in the world that you see coastal upwelling is off the coast of Peru, where the process drives their anchovy fishery. In years when the currents reverse (like seems to be happening this year), their fishery performs badly - this is where the phrase "el nino" comes from. El nino means "little boy" or "christ child" in Spanish. This name was used for the tendency of the phenomenon to arrive around Christmas.

From the wharf, no need to worry about casting, the fish are under your rod tip. The longer rod helps in the fight if the fish decide to try to go under your feet (which they will), this is your biggest risk of losing the fish in the fight. I have to say I agree with Hiramasa on the line issue, the fish are very picky at CG and it can be very frustrating watching them turn their nose up at bait presented on a heavier leader. As I said, the main issue is stopping the fish going under the wharf, so make sure you have got the drag set properly before you start. I just use an unweighted bait, and let it sink naturally (you might need to use a pea sinker if there is a bit of wind up and its very crowded).

Sorry its a bit late - have attached a picture of my undersized model caught off the wharf. I just need to work out how to get them a bit bigger! Was a great day and good to meet a few of you - shame that I couldn't hang around too long... Cheers Simon

Mate if you want to come down to Clifton Gardens on Sunday I will be more than happy to share what little I know and I'm sure the other LB gents will also be happy to give you some pointers!

Great effort guys - just wish I could have been down there this morning as well... Bring on Sunday!

Mate I am only guessing, because I think there are a few guys on here who know the place better than me, but fish as light as you think you can get away with because the fish are very picky. I would go for something like 6-8 kilo line, straight through to something like a 2/0 hook. You shouldnt need to use any more than a pea sized sinker, even if its a bit windy, even use no lead if you can. If you use a longer rod that helps too because you can pull directly against the fish if it wants to go under the wharf (which it will!). For bait, I would use a strip of the best squid you can find (something you would be happy to eat yourself), or catch your own (if you can). Having said that some guys swear by a chunk of pillie, and I also had a run on a prawn, so I guess it doesnt matter too much as long as its fresh and tasty - you could also give a yakka a run although I have seen them turn their noses up at them. Dont skimp on the burley as well (bit of bread and tuna oil, or mashed pillies should do the trick). Make sure your drag is set properly, and dont forget your net... Good luck - let us know how you go

Couldnt agree more with the light gear. I reckon the fish are massively fussy down there, and I have seen them turn their nose up at baits on heavy lines. So use as little weight as you can get away with, and cosider using a longer rod so you can try to hold them out of the wharf.

Afternoon all, Went down to Clifton after all the reports from the last couple of weeks to see if i could get myself connected to my first kingy. I moved out here from the UK a while ago and basically all that I now know about fishing in Australia has come from reading this site, so a big thanks to you all! Got down to the wharf at 5am, and there was already about a dozen people out there, the weather was fairly ordinary with quite a stiff southerly coming through. Burleyed for a couple of hours before anything happened, and then saw the familiar green torpedoes zipping around right next to the wharf. The next thing I knew was my arms being wrenched out their sockets and my rod being bent double. After a brief tussle, I managed to land a king which was probably around 60cm (didnt measure him, just popped him straight back). Big thanks to the guy who netted him for me (I stupidly didnt take a net, and was planning to walk him over to the steps...) Managed to hook up an second time using a prawn on my bream gear, but couldnt hold him on the 3kg outfit. There were a few other good hookups, but I didnt see any other kings landed while I was there. One guy landed a big salmon that took a whole yakka. While I reckon the burley helped heaps, the only thing that would guarantee to bring the fish up was when another fish was hooked and on the surface, might be an idea to try that trick on Sunday (i.e. keeping one fish there while the next person gets hooked up), but I'm not sure if it will be possible to do on the jetty where there is a big risk of the fish busting you off against the pylons. Will try and get a blurry picture off my mobile tonight. Looking forward to the weekend and exchanging a few ideas with you other guys who are having sucess down there! Cheers Simon

Is it too late to add my name to the list (landbased)? Thought I was going to a mates BBQ, but found out that its on saturday instead... Caught my first kingy off at Clifton Gardens at the weekend - will do a report at lunchtime, so am mad for it now! Cheers Simon

OK cheers - might have to skive off work tomorrow morning or get up early on the weekend then...

Am thinking of heading down that way at the weekend. Does anyone know what the crowds are like down there as I guess its still school hols...

I'll give you a few pointers:- I would suggest concentrating your efforts on a couple of hours either side of dawn and dusk - I reckon a rising tide tends to do best, but not essential. Its good to have a bit of wave action to turn the fish on, but if the water is full of suspended sand, its probably not worth it. Learn how to pick out gutters in the beach. This is the deeper water where the bigger fish will lie. If you do a search of the site, you should find loads of articles telling you how to do this. Pretty much all of the ocean beaches will turn up some fish at some point but give Narrabeen a go - tends to have good gutters, and its pretty big, so plenty of room. Fish as light as you can get away with. If you can, hold your rod rather than using a spike, especially if you are fishing for smaller fish (i.e. whiting) and you will feel far more bites.

Its a bit painful, but try to get there before it gets light if you can. I tend to find the salmon and tailor will stop biting when the sun comes up. Use pillies on ganged hooks in the gutters and you should do ok. Whiting should be around even when the sun comes up, use worms on the lightest gear you can get away with and dont be afraid to drop the bait in very close.

Afternoon all - decided its about time I posted a report seeing as I have been enjoying everyone elses for a few months now... Went down to the National Park early Saturday morning. As usual I woke up half an hour before the alarm, so decided to have an early start, as it turned out this was a stroke of luck because I would have probably blanked if I had stayed in bed. Got down to the beach at first light and was straigt into the action, landed a 60cm sambo on the first cast, which fought all the way to the beach. He had some serious teeth marks just on the tail, my guess was a shark or a seal had had a go at him, anyway he went back to take his chances for another day. Managed to land another salmon (about 50cm) and a small tailor before the sun came up and the bite dropped off. The action was pretty hot for about an hour after first light, and then stopped pretty quickly, I saw plenty of other people hooked up while I was there....maybe I should have got up a bit earlier! Stopped off at Mainbar flats for a quick flick with the SPs on the way home, to try and get a flattie or some whiting for the bbq, but not much seemed to be happening in that department, so called it a day. Cheers Si