Rock Fishing locations

[brettmann86]

This is a general guide to some of the better know rock fishing spots around Sydney,

I’ve included South Avoca rocks, Winney Bay, the old man’s hat, Bluefish point and the ovens as these are some of the more consistent for good fishing. this is for some of the guys that want to learn new places, and by all means anyone who has something to add add it in im not expert in these areas but i have fished them and done well on them!

South Avoca rocks

This is a great easy access option for most anglers looking to chase decent sized pelagics, live bait is readily available here, and a standard single hook floated live bait rig will see you covered on most bases although if you really want to go hard spin up a bonito and send that out under a balloon, this location is best fished in a swell of under 2 metres and always wear your cleats as the red weed on the rocks gets very slippery. You can expect to catch on live bait here anything from salmon and kings to the occasional capture of cobia during summer.

During the cooler months here many anglers do really well in targeting tailor and blackfish and of course the ever present salmon.

Winney Bay (copacabana)

Winney bay is the next ledge over from Avoca rocks and access is through a goat track found on cape three points road it starts at the water tower and goes a long way downhill (remember its all back up hill when your going home so pack lite) the 3 fishable ledges here account for a lot of big kings around this area and the only reason I can think as to why is it has less fishing pressure get here early as once you start noticing a few cars up the top then it’s probably a fair bet the ledges down the bottom are full. Live bait again here is readily available and the yakkas there are huge size for big kings! You can also spin up big bonito and I have seen tuna landed from here not monsters but hey a tuna is a tuna and if some advise is given fish this spot during the week as you have more chance of getting a desirable ledge while everyone else is working!!

Fishing around the washes here also produces some big bream, mowies, and the odd occasional pan sized snapper, the ledges are pretty high up here so you can safely fish this spot in fairly moderate swell although make sure you wear your cleats as the sandstone rocks that are covered in sand are surprisingly hard to get a grip on!

Bluefish point(North head)

Most people that have fished Sydney knows someone who fishes this spot, and some really classic catches have come from here.. access is from walking in along the fence line of the sewage treatment plant in the north head national park, it’s a fairly long walk but not a real difficult one, once you get to the cliff there is a small rope climb down and again always wear your cleats as this location cant deal with a large amount of swell and its best watching some of the locals for the first time there, live bait is also another issue once here as there really isn’t that much on offer on most days.. so your best off taking a heap of metal slugs in and some pilchards, rig the pilchards on a standard gang hook rig under a float and you stand as good as any chance of hooking a big king, you can also catch bonito, cobia, groper, salmon and fishes the washes with half a pilly is always worth a shot for snapper, bream and mowies.

Old mans hat (North head)

Old mans hat is another good spot for live baiting or spinning located in the manly national park on north head, but its dangerous in a southerly swell and the entrance is fairly well hidden for a first timer but once found can’t be missed, once you walk along the wall long enough there is a gap in the wall cross over and follow it along till you hit cliff face then there is a visual way down here be careful as the rocks down here are extremely slippery, live bait again here can prove inconsistent to say the least, so again a backup bait supply is always handy.

The Ovens (whale beach)

The ovens is off of whale beach, although access is through rayner street, there is a bit of a climb down involved to get to this spot or you could always walk the long way around from whale beach which is not reccomended, this spot is best fished in the under 1.5 metre swell range and livebait is again available here for all your normal targets as well as your wash fishing.

Hill 60 (port Kembla)

Located off of military reserve, hill 60 is another great rock fishing location (funny enough another one located near a sewage treatment plant) from here you can spin, livebait or wash fish and expect to catch all the regulars that the rocks are known for, Kings,salmon, bonito and various other small tuna’s and pelagics. The washes also fish well for bream and drummer and the like during winter. Again use caution fishing here as you are pretty open to all kinds of weather best fished in a light to moderate swell with little to no wind.

Bass Point (Shellharbour)

Bass point is a great spot located down is shellharbour to mess with some big kings from the rocks! Live bait is available season round and spinning is always worth a shot! With bonito making their presence known in the warmer months it’s always worth floating one out under a balloon in hope of a hoodlum. Cleats are again a must and I wouldn’t advise fishing in strong wind because again you’re pretty exposed! Access to bass point is off of bass point tourist drive.

Browns rock (la Perouse)

Browns rock is a safe water fishing spot being fairly high up from the water and also having the protection of henrys’ head toward the mouth of the bay, the only thing with this spot is it’s fairly open to wind, having access to fairly deep water with a broken rocky sand floor it’s a great place to try for a range of fish with either bottom bashing or float fishing being the standout options, access to browns rock is along the henry’s head walking track (although there is a sign pointing browns rock out) you can park inside the golf course there and make your way down. Rubbish seems to be a large problem here even though there is a bin provided. Species to target would be kingfish, salmon bonito, bream and flathead.

Juliannes rock (little bay)

Julianne’s rock is well known for being a dangerous area to fish in anything but the smallest swell; cleats are a must and never fish it alone as the rocks are quite tricky and as there is no protection from swell of any direction. From Julianne’s you can expect good catches of kingfish and bonito as well as salmon but this place really shines for its luderick and rock blackfish fishing, With plenty of whitewater to cast into and weed available on site you can have a fairly productive day here. Access to juliannes is through murra murra place ample parking available.

Edited September 7, 2011 by brettmann

[bennoz]

thats an awesome writeup. Thanks heaps for sharing. ive always wondered how to get to the ovens.

The response from putting up a few spots last week has been huge. Hopefully we can have a sticky thread for all these places.

the pics and "how to get there / walking access" is really useful info.

thanks again

[brettmann86]

thats an awesome writeup. Thanks heaps for sharing. ive always wondered how to get to the ovens.

The response from putting up a few spots last week has been huge. Hopefully we can have a sticky thread for all these places.

the pics and "how to get there / walking access" is really useful info.

thanks again

no worries mate,

i had some spare time while i was in a meeting so thought i'd write this up for anyone wanting to learn these spots, i've never been one to beleive in "secret" fishing spots as i said before i'd rather someone going there knowing what they're walking into than going there none the wiser

Has anyone else got any spots/ tips hints to add?

Edited September 5, 2011 by brettmann

[fisholb]

excellent work brettman...can you please add hill60(port kembla),bass pt (shellharbour)...i really dont know how to put the pics like you did...

I have been to the two spots at avoca...caught plenty of salmon and bonito...using whole pilchards and squid skirts (spinning)...

[CaineM]

A word of warning that should go with any info that is put up here about rock fishing locations. These rocks have killed people and will continue to do so. Be very careful when you go down, take appropriate gear, make sure you can swim and check the conditions before you leave and when you get there. If the conditions are dodgy when you get there don't fish, even if you've driven hours to get there.

Cheers

Caine

[bassboy888]

Great write up, Im sure there are going to be alot of raiders appreciative of this

I agree with Caine though, Rock fishing is very very dangerous and caution always needs to be taken, fishing with 2 people and watching your location for atleast 10minutes before you go out onto the rocks would be my piece of advice. Theres always somewhere else to fish.

cheers

Stuart

[brettmann86]

I've now added Hill 60 and Bass point

and i agree with the previous 2 posts NEVER FISH ALONE.

[pod]

I've now added Hill 60 and Bass point

and i agree with the previous 2 posts NEVER FISH ALONE.

Hi Brettmann,

Your a legend!! many thanks for the great post.

I asked this question a few days ago regarding fishing spots and a few have replied with great details, you've topped it by giving plenty of your favorite fishing spots and all info needed to stay safe, including info species and rigs.

Maybe admin should make this thread sticky , best thread i've seen in this forum.

Thanks for all the effort,

Cheers.

[brettmann86]

No worries mate happy to be a help.. I've got more spots I can throw up plus I can ask some of my fisho mates to lend a hand on this too..

Edited September 6, 2011 by brettmann

[fisholb]

brettman, mate, you're the man. thank you very much. most of the spots on this tread are dangerous but all you need is 'common sense'. that is, check the condition before you do anything. i do alot of rock fishing and i always make sure i got my safety gear with me. boots vest etc etc and i never fish alone. we always check the spot first before we start setting up. we always keep an eye on the waves and if the condition is bad we just move to another spot.

brettman, there are a couple more spots i know that you might want to add.

browns rock, la perouse

julieannes rock, little bay

thanks again for this tread.

[bump73]

Nice post luckily these spots are all extremely well known. I know of some really good ledges around the South coast. Best thing is they are rarely fished except by locals that where kind enough to show me how to access them or i put in a lot of leg work to find them. The last thing i'll be doing is giving out locations to spots like this so they can end up a filthy mess, over crowded and full of tools who don't know the first thing about ocean safety like all of the well known Sydney ledges.

I think people should think a bit before publicising spots like this especially when they aren't your local spot. Sure you might get a warm fuzzy feeling for giving away the location of a productive spot you once fished when you were on holidays, but i can guarantee the locals that fish there regularly and now have to put up with the extra people on a regular basis would chuck you in as berley if they got a chance.

Ben

Edited September 6, 2011 by bump73

[brettmann86]

Ben I'll disagree with you totally there do a search on google whenever your ready all these spots are already on the Internet.

Besides that how are you suppose to get new people into rockfishing if you want to keep the locations gush hush?? I'm betting when you were born you didn't come with built in gps of rockfishing locations! You learned them elsewhere and that's what this thread is about.

[Mr.KingSpooled]

Thanks heaps for this write up bud. Awesome information on all locations, and to be honest never fished any of these and ive done heaps of rock fishing.. lol im guessing ive been fishing the wrong places lol !!

I will definately be giving these places a go sometime soon. Anyone who frequently rock fishes please let me know when your going out next as I wouldnt mind going out with a veteran rock fisho for my first few PROPER rock sessions.

Thanks again mate your a champion,

Cheers,

jez

[bennoz]

Heres another one i just remembered.

Fishermans rock: Balls head reserve, waverton

Getting there

Park in the 2nd car park, walk through the picnic area and there are some steps at the back on the left.

There are heaps of walking tracks around here so its a bit of a maze, but at any intersection if you always go down you’l be all right. If you cant go down then go left and that will get you to the rock.

The rock itself is fairly small. 2-3 people max and it gets a fair bit of traffic, but if you manage a spot there is some good fishing to be had. The rock can get quite dirty. Lots of mess gets left behind, even though theres a bin 10m away. I try and clean up as much as i can when im there

The rock is deceptively high so landing a big fish can be tricky.

In front of the rock is some really deep water and bottom bashing is the way to go here: good bream, flatties, small (legal) snapper. Apparently a good place for jewies although ive never caught any.

No lives around the few times ive been

Edited September 7, 2011 by bennoz

[brettmann86]

Hi Guys i have added Browns rock and Juliannes.

keep em coming if i dont know it i'll research it and add it!

[caranx]

Will look forward to reading the news this summer of newbies that get flattened at these spots this summer ! Might want to elaborate on the dangerous climbs down, iffy water level rocks, broken in cars, and idiots that cause trouble at these spots too.

[Hodgey]

G'day all

I have removed a lot of responses from this thread. Rock fishing is a popular pastime in our country, and sadly it is responsible for many tragedies throughout the year. I appreciate many members are concerned that publicising these locations may add to the numbers of fatalities. There is several references to safety throughout this thread.

In the interest of 'fair play', I have left a couple of responses that demonstrate the mixed opinions regarding this topic. It has engendered a great deal of interest, with many members appreciative of Brett's effort. At this stage, I suggest we all accept a standing caveat that rock fishing offers risks that should be assessed prior to (and during) any session that is undertaken. Please be mindful of any further comments posted on here.

Thank you

Hodgey

[caranx]

Cheers for the clean up.

I will try to keep my opinion out as to posting locations like this up, but want to make it clear to newbies trying to go rockfishing - a small climb down, a bit of rope, wear cleats etc...is a misrepresentation as to how easy or safe these spots are. I have seen half a dozen people get barreled and sent flying along the rocks from waves on what appeared to be 'reasonable conditions' in a couple of the spots mentioned , and other accidents where people have fallen trying to climb in/down cliffs or over boulders , and I believe its misleading to post these locations up due to the dubious nature of some of them as per the below report extract.

"The research identified eight problem rock fishing areas in NSW located at Jervis Bay, Port Kembla, Royal National Park, Cape Banks La Perouse, Little Bay, Manly, Avoca and Munmorah State Recreation Area. These eight areas represent 54% of the rock fishing fatalities in this study."

http://www.safewaters.nsw.gov.au/assets/pdf/rockfishreport_sept03.pdf

By all means, go learn, but pick your time and place and explore, and dont just go the most dangerous spots first.

[Guest]

Thanks for all the replies everyone.

ROCKFISHING IS DANGEROUS EVEN FOR EXPERIENCED FISHERMEN AND SHOULD NEVER BE ATTEMPTED WITHOUT SOMEONE VERY EXPERIENCED TO SHOW YOU THE DO'S AND DONTS

[smoked1]

Swordfisherman sums it up perfectly.

In fact i am sure there will be at least one life lost because of this thread!

[Guest]

Swordfisherman sums it up perfectly.

In fact i am sure there will be at least one life lost because of this thread!

THIS THREAD HIGHLIGHTS THE DANGERS and there is no need for that type of post

CLOSED

[mrsswordfisherman]

To predict a death due to this post is absurd.

Fishraider is NOT responsible for what people post. We have site rules that members are guided by. We have the ability to remove and "sanitise".

We do much more than any other fishing website in the way of education of people. We have held evenings with speakers, we post information from various statutory bodies etc, We have embedded buttons/links to websites to read information .

We have a video on our fishtube that has been there for over one or 2 years on rockfishing dangers - Don't Put Your Life on the Line.

People will always do silly things - commonly known as accidents:biggrin2:

Do we stop the gamefisherpeople posting about going out to Browns in case someone who does not know about boating goes out there and gets into trouble. Do we stop our members posting about their rockfishing exploits that are practising safe methods and have been doing so for years.

Swordie and I will accept personal messages from any concerned member on this subject and in fact, welcome them. There will also be a poll running here for a few days to garner members thoughts on keeping this post open for comment, open but closed or delete the information.

mrsswordfisherman