Fishing Spot Suggestions And Help

[Shadowboy113s]

Hi guys

I fish mostly saltwater up near manly and I was just wonering if anybody had some good suggestions on where to catch some flatty, Im happy to drive for a while if you know some spots that  aren't to close.

thanks 

[Peter KH]

I've linked another thread.

Someone who was new to the Manly area also wanted some advice, the link below has some spots in it I think.

https://community.deckee.com/topic/89259-manly-new-to-the-area/

I've never fished the area so can't advice. Use the search bar for 'manly fishing' you may get some more hints while you wait around for others to respond.

[Aussie_fisher]

Plenty of spots in the harbour and middle harbour since you’re willing to drive. If you’re targeting flatties specifically any shallowish bay in the harbour should be good and I don’t fish middle harbour but heard the drop off at Clontarf beach is quite good for flatties.

[Little_Flatty]

+1 on clontarf flats and also around the back of Rushcutters bay from the marina to the canal.

North Harbour reserve looks the goods.

[XD351]

Are you lure or bait fishing ? 

[Aussie_fisher]

42 minutes ago, Little_Flatty said:

+1 on clontarf flats and also around the back of Rushcutters bay from the marina to the canal.

North Harbour reserve looks the goods.

Ah yes Rushcutters. Definitely give there a shot I lost my ‘would have been’ pb flatty there
 

Might send you a pm for Clontarf flats @Little_Flatty if that’s fine. Been looking to try that spot with some plastics and have seen some of your reports on it

[noelm]

Don’t expect too much this time of year, the water is still cold, but….its a good time to get out and explore, just wander around likely looking spots, casting here and there while looking for any hidden structure for later “missions”

[Shadowboy113s]

17 hours ago, XD351 said:

Are you lure or bait fishing ? 

I do a bit of both

[Shadowboy113s]

Thanks a bunch everyone

[Little_Flatty]

17 hours ago, Aussie_fisher said:

Ah yes Rushcutters. Definitely give there a shot I lost my ‘would have been’ pb flatty there
 

Might send you a pm for Clontarf flats @Little_Flatty if that’s fine. Been looking to try that spot with some plastics and have seen some of your reports on it

Not many secrets for Clontarf. Not sure if I’d call it a hot spot but I get a few. Main reason I’m on those flats is that I can cast a fly without too many bystanders around.

I focus most of my efforts around the marina drop off. Further around should also be good, but I normally run out of time before I get there. All your typical flatty lures should work. Might even be a few fish on the flats themselves, I’ve spooked a few wading out to the drop off.

Do the stingray shuffle as tree here are plenty there, as well as numb rays. I’ve been zapped before!

[XD351]

If you don’t mind walking you can walk the track upstream from Roseville bridge , there is a track on both sides of the river .There is also another sand flat area on the Chatswood side downstream of the bridge . South east side of the spit bridge is worth a look . I don’t know much about the beaches either side of manly wharf but if you can fish there maybe give that a go . You could also drive up to Narrabeen lagoon and down into where McCarrs creek runs into Pittwater , plenty of sandy bays from church point to Bayview dog park - if you can get away from the dogs that is ! 
I have caught a few decent flathead where the yellow circle is - use bait like decent Hawkesbury prawns , garfish fillets and half pilchards and cast out towards the moored yachts - always did better in the afternoon and run out tide for flathead.

[Shadowboy113s]

On 8/25/2024 at 1:42 PM, Aussie_fisher said:

Plenty of spots in the harbour and middle harbour since you’re willing to drive. If you’re targeting flatties specifically any shallowish bay in the harbour should be good and I don’t fish middle harbour but heard the drop off at Clontarf beach is quite good for flatties.

Really I have been fishing clontarf for lime 5 years and have never caught a flatty

[Shadowboy113s]

48 minutes ago, XD351 said:

If you don’t mind walking you can walk the track upstream from Roseville bridge , there is a track on both sides of the river .There is also another sand flat area on the Chatswood side downstream of the bridge . South east side of the spit bridge is worth a look . I don’t know much about the beaches either side of manly wharf but if you can fish there maybe give that a go . You could also drive up to Narrabeen lagoon and down into where McCarrs creek runs into Pittwater , plenty of sandy bays from church point to Bayview dog park - if you can get away from the dogs that is ! 
I have caught a few decent flathead where the yellow circle is - use bait like decent Hawkesbury prawns , garfish fillets and half pilchards and cast out towards the moored yachts - always did better in the afternoon and run out tide for flathead

Thanks, I'll be sure to give it a try

[XD351]

1 hour ago, Shadowboy113s said:

Really I have been fishing clontarf for lime 5 years and have never caught a flatty

Maybe it is your technique?  Maybe the type or size of lure ? Sometimes you have to slow things right down - let the lure sit on the bottom for a few seconds , 5 or 10 seconds sometimes and give it a short hop and repeat - flathead will move towards the lure from quite a distance away but if you are ripping it across the bottom then casting to a new spot they can’t catch it . 
If you can give us a bit more info on your technique and lure choices it will help us to help you . I find it odd that you haven’t been able to get a flathead over the last 12 months - I got sick of catching them - I would have liked a few more bream in the mix but it seemed that everywhere I fished I got flathead .

[Aussie_fisher]

3 hours ago, Little_Flatty said:

Not many secrets for Clontarf. Not sure if I’d call it a hot spot but I get a few. Main reason I’m on those flats is that I can cast a fly without too many bystanders around.

I focus most of my efforts around the marina drop off. Further around should also be good, but I normally run out of time before I get there. All your typical flatty lures should work. Might even be a few fish on the flats themselves, I’ve spooked a few wading out to the drop off.

Do the stingray shuffle as tree here are plenty there, as well as numb rays. I’ve been zapped before!

Flats fishing while wading is nice I only really do it at the entrance but would like to try do it at other spots too. Ye the marina looks good. Oh that’s no good. Will have to be careful then 😬 

1 hour ago, Shadowboy113s said:

Really I have been fishing clontarf for lime 5 years and have never caught a flatty

Never actually fished there so can’t comment. But have seen some good reports especially by @Little_Flatty

16 minutes ago, XD351 said:

Maybe it is your technique?  Maybe the type or size of lure ? Sometimes you have to slow things right down - let the lure sit on the bottom for a few seconds , 5 or 10 seconds sometimes and give it a short hop and repeat - flathead will move towards the lure from quite a distance away but if you are ripping it across the bottom then casting to a new spot they can’t catch it . 
If you can give us a bit more info on your technique and lure choices it will help us to help you . I find it odd that you haven’t been able to get a flathead over the last 12 months - I got sick of catching them - I would have liked a few more bream in the mix but it seemed that everywhere I fished I got flathead .

I’d been having that exact problem. For every 10 flathead I got like 1 bream in summer was getting fed up of them. After the donuts this winter though I realised I was taking the flathead for granted 🤣

[XD351]

3 hours ago, Aussie_fisher said:

Flats fishing while wading is nice I only really do it at the entrance but would like to try do it at other spots too. Ye the marina looks good. Oh that’s no good. Will have to be careful then 😬 

Never actually fished there so can’t comment. But have seen some good reports especially by @Little_Flatty

I’d been having that exact problem. For every 10 flathead I got like 1 bream in summer was getting fed up of them. After the donuts this winter though I realised I was taking the flathead for granted 🤣

Same here - a flattie saved me from the dreaded donut at putney last week but it was camera shy and threw the lure back at me as I hoisted it on to the wharf - a couple of wiggles and it disappeared into the water - oh well it saved me having to unhook it . Today it was a tiny herring looking thing  but at least it wasn’t a donut day ! I’m starting to think I have lost my fishing mojo ! 

Edited August 26 by XD351
To clarify the explanation of the herring.

[Shadowboy113s]

I use a medium sized softy lure but I do tend to reel it in a bit fast, so 'ill try to slow it down, I also fish on the flats area inbetween the marina and the pool, so if you know if there are any good fish on the other side near the dog park then let me know

[Aussie_fisher]

1 hour ago, Shadowboy113s said:

I use a medium sized softy lure but I do tend to reel it in a bit fast, so 'ill try to slow it down, I also fish on the flats area inbetween the marina and the pool, so if you know if there are any good fish on the other side near the dog park then let me know

If you’re targeting bigger ones use paddle tails maybe like 3”. For smaller ones maybe around 36-45 I actually like using curl tails like wrigglers or grubs.

I’ve found flathead especially in warmer months when their metabolism is going like rough action unlike bream which I think prefer more gentle action like little twitches with finesse (correct me if I’m wrong). By rough action I don’t mean speed but rather when you twitch or hop the lure do it hard. Again this depends on the day though on slower days especially in colder months more gentle action would defo be better you just have to be the judge of that

[Aussie_fisher]

3 hours ago, XD351 said:

Same here - a flattie saved me from the dreaded donut at putney last week but it was camera shy and threw the lure back at me as I hoisted it on to the wharf - a couple of wiggles and it disappeared into the water - oh well it saved me having to unhook it . Today it was a tiny herring but at least it wasn’t a donut day ! I’m starting to think I have lost my fishing mojo ! 

A herring? Interesting never caught that on a plastic before. Same here. Hopefully our mojos come back with the warming weather.  

[XD351]

12 minutes ago, Aussie_fisher said:

A herring? Interesting never caught that on a plastic before. Same here. Hopefully our mojos come back with the warming weather.  

Sorry that was meant to read a tiny herring looking thing- looked like a freshwater herring to me but I think they might be a glassy ? At first I thought it was a small bream but it wasn’t . 
I know the freshwater herring take plastics - latest video from this channel show him catching them on hacked up old plastics.

 

Edited August 26 by XD351

[Aussie_fisher]

35 minutes ago, XD351 said:

Sorry that was meant to read a tiny herring looking thing- looked like a freshwater herring to me but I think they might be a glassy ? At first I thought it was a small bream but it wasn’t . 
I know the freshwater herring take plastics - latest video from this channel show him catching them on hacked up old plastics.

 

Tiny herring looking thing which you confused for a small bream. My detective skills tell me that you might have caught a silver biddy.

ye micro lures catch the small bait fish such as ajing lures but never caught one on an average sized plastic

 

[Little_Flatty]

10 hours ago, XD351 said:

Sorry that was meant to read a tiny herring looking thing- looked like a freshwater herring to me but I think they might be a glassy ? At first I thought it was a small bream but it wasn’t . 
I know the freshwater herring take plastics - latest video from this channel show him catching them on hacked up old plastics.

@XD351 and @Aussie_fisher, I've caught these before on small plastics:

Definitely not silver biddies.

This lot came from under Meadowbank wharf. They are quite aggressive and readily take artificials, as long as they are small enough to eat. People catch them on bait jigs for bait. Quite patchy but if you find a school you can catch a string of them in quick succession. I've caught them on ajiing lures before too.

There is also the Nepean herring which are equally aggro. I have a photo of some I caught at Windsor, but can't find it just this moment. When I first encountered them they were attacking my float like crazy and I realised I needed to make my bread bait move so they would attack it as well. I don't think they were interested in bread, just the fact that it was a critter smaller than them that they could eat. I have heard of people targeting them on fly for fun.

[Aussie_fisher]

32 minutes ago, Little_Flatty said:

@XD351 and @Aussie_fisher, I've caught these before on small plastics:

Definitely not silver biddies.

This lot came from under Meadowbank wharf. They are quite aggressive and readily take artificials, as long as they are small enough to eat. People catch them on bait jigs for bait. Quite patchy but if you find a school you can catch a string of them in quick succession. I've caught them on ajiing lures before too.

There is also the freshwater Nepean herring which are equally aggro. I have a photo of some I caught at Windsor, but can't find it just this moment. When I first encountered them they were attacking my float like crazy and I realised I needed to make my bread bait move so they would attack it as well. I don't think they were interested in bread, just the fact that it was a critter smaller than them that they could eat. I have heard of people targeting them on fly for fun.

Oh these I catch plenty of these too. Southern herring I think. Gun bait. When I go up to the central coast I get them on hand lines and then throw unweighted chunks out or even live if it’s small enough. Caught my pb flatty on a live one. Thought @XD351 meant silver biddy as they look a bit like a bream herring hybrid. 

[XD351]

8 hours ago, Shadowboy113s said:

I use a medium sized softy lure but I do tend to reel it in a bit fast, so 'ill try to slow it down, I also fish on the flats area inbetween the marina and the pool, so if you know if there are any good fish on the other side near the dog park then let me know

The name of the game is exploration! Fan some cast out - I usually do a dozen or so - fanning from left to right then back a gain , move along a few metres and repeat making sure the area you cover overlaps with the previous one . Keep it simple - cast out , watch for the line to either stop moving or go slack , give it a twitch or hop , wind in the slack as you lower the rod tip again ( point the rod at the lure) , watch for the line to stop moving or go slack   ( also watch for any ticks or sharp movements as this is a fish hitting it ), wait a little then hop it  again . You don’t need a giant jig head either - if it’s just getting to the bottom it’s good , a lure that plummets to the bottom like a brick doesn’t look natural. You can go onto the tackle tactics YouTube channel and learn a lot from Justin , he has heaps and heaps of instructional videos for plastics and catching flathead on them . 
As for lure size and colour that is something you need to experiment with but I  use up to 3 inch but mostly use grubs around 2inch size as I’m looking for bream as well in the parra . In the Hawkesbury where I’m chasing flathead it’s a 3 or 3.75 paddle or a 3in curl tail . 

I have used these twin tails in the parra and caught bream and flathead on them so if you want a smaller profile paddle then look around as you can but things like these ones from gobblers lures  .

Don’t forget the prawn and nipper imitation lures - clone prawns and the like as they can be dynamite around weedy areas . 

[XD351]

They look pretty similar Mike , I didn’t really take a good look at it , one thing is it had big scales for such a small fish ( maybe 3inch long ) as it left one behind on my hand and I remember thinking man that’s big for such a small fish . There is a marina to the east of iron cove bridge ( Balmain marina iirc) that’s where I caught it .