Fishing Manly Dam

[Mike89]

Headed out for a little exploration on a whim this afternoon to Manly Dam. Never been there before so I thought I'd take a peek around and perhaps wet a line if I could find a good spot. First time fishing freshwater so I wasn't too sure how to go about it or what to look for in an ideal location but did find a nice rocky area with shallow water against some weed beds and had a bit of a bash.

Thought I'd try for some carp with a floating rig as I'd read that they'd be around and I'd never caught them before. Mrs fished off the bottom but no bites for either of us. We fished from about 5:30pm through till 7, right on sunset. Bait was prawn.

With no tidal flow I figured sunset would be the best bet. Would this be right?

Can anyone give some tips on this area or freshwater fishing in general? I'd really love to catch a big fat carp! Would also like to get stuck into the native FW species, although I've heard a lot of the native fish in the dam are quite small specimens.

It was a really nice area and I'd love to go back there and hopefully have a bit more success with the fishing next time.

Thanks!

[savit]

I did not catch there in the dam however I saw the suggestions to fish the places where people feed the birds. Should be easy to find.

I used to fish near Berrima for carp in the past. I believe they have a Carpathon fishing event each year.

[blackfish angler]

Manly Dam is not a bad place to fish it has Bass/ Redfin/ Yellowbelly/ and Carp to be had there. Fished there many years ago and got me biggest Bass to date. Only problem is the Carp.I fished there with lures and found it to be very successful. Spinerbaits for the Bass and worms for the Redfin. Corn for the Carp . Only problem is people feeding the ducks. So it is better to fish right up the back of the dam to get away from the crowds.

Edited October 1, 2016 by blackfish angler

[Mike89]

Cheers for the responses. We fished up the trail a bit a little further than the ski ramp in the water. We didn't get a single bite! I'll try corn next time.

[big Neil]

Mike the best bait to use in there should be garden worms as all the species in there will take them. If you just want to target Carp use bread and fish on the bottom. I wet 1 piece of bread and combine it with a dry piece, squeeze the excess water out. Work it in your hand till it goes reasonably firm then completely cover the hook with a chunk of it. Put a sinker about 30cm from the hook and you're away. Corn kernels work well for Carp too. Like I said though worms are the best bet...you can catch anything. Good luck.

[Mike89]

Thanks all! I took the advice and turned it into a successful trip today. Check reports if interested!

[fishingwithfrighty]

I’m Going to fish at manly dam tomorrow, target is bass. Anyone local care to share a good place or position to fish from... I’ve never been there before. Cheers 

[DerekD]

21 minutes ago, fishingwithfrighty said:

I’m Going to fish at manly dam tomorrow, target is bass. Anyone local care to share a good place or position to fish from... I’ve never been there before. Cheers 

Hi FWF,

First thing is the parking inside the Manly dam area is now paid. You can park outside the gates and it is a few minutes longer to get in. When you get inside the area you will find a grassed area with a small Gazebo. You can fish a surface lure straight out from this point. Bouncing a plastic on the bottom may result in weed.

From this point if you look to the right you will see the dam wall. The water level is up due to the recent rains so the spot I like to fish underneath the dam wall is not safely/readily accessible. You can fish the dam wall. You will also notice floating plants on the far side of the dam. You can work the lures along side this but you risk snagging up. BTW about halfway along the dam wall on the water side there is a pump on the bottom. From what I understand this is to ensure an good turnover of the water (haven't had anyone verify this). Just watch you don't snag up on this equipment.

We picked up a redfin the other week on a surface lure. There are carp-a-plenty which you can catch on sweet corn and you will also find bass there. It is a pleasant walk around the edges of the dam but there are times you may have to follow the road way or tracks and then drop back down to the water.

Good luck.

Derek

Edited October 21, 2018 by DerekD

[fishingwithfrighty]

7 hours ago, DerekD said:

Hi FWF,

First thing is the parking inside the Manly dam area is now paid. You can park outside the gates and it is a few minutes longer to get in. When you get inside the area you will find a grassed area with a small Gazebo. You can fish a surface lure straight out from this point. Bouncing a plastic on the bottom may result in weed.

From this point if you look to the right you will see the dam wall. The water level is up due to the recent rains so the spot I like to fish underneath the dam wall is not safely/readily accessible. You can fish the dam wall. You g also notice floating plants on the far side of the dam. You can work the lures along side this but you risk snagging up. BTW about halfway along the dam wall on the water side there is a pump on the bottom. From what I understand this is to ensure an good turnover of the water (haven't had anyone verify this). Just watch you don't snag up on this equipment.

We picked up a redfin the other week on a surface lure. There are carp-a-plenty which you can catch on sweet corn and you will also find bass there. It is a pleasant walk around the edges of the dam but there are times you may have to follow the road way or tracks and then drop back down to the water.

Good luck.

Derek

Cheers for the tip mate. Hopefully I’ll go ok. Long as i get 1 bass I’ll be happy.