How and Where to fish at Sydney Harbor - Total Beginner

[NewbFishn]

Hi, I'm new to fishing and have only caught carp in freshwater so far. I'm thinking of targeting Australian salmon, bonito, or kingfish. I have metal lures like Halco Twistys and Stinger lures, but I'm unsure how to retrieve them properly due to different techniques I've seen online and on where to cast them. I'm using a 10ft rod because I read it's a good length for rock fishing and saltwater in general. I'd appreciate tips on how to retrieve the lures, how long I should let them sink, and where to find fish.
Thanks!

[lhan]

Hi @NewbFishn, welcome to forum and glad you already armed yourself with some good lures. Could you give us a bit more info on where you fish? Sydney is prime for having different systems holding a lot of fish which naturally requires different gear and techniques. 

It sounds like your gear is more on the surf/rock fishing side. I suggest to try surf first to target some sambo/tailor to start. Just cast those halco as far as you can, retrieve at different speed and mix with pause. Rock fishing can be dangerous I would suggest to go with some more experienced anglers when you're more familiar with what you are doing 

[mrsswordfisherman]

13 hours ago, NewbFishn said:

Hi, I'm new to fishing and have only caught carp in freshwater so far. I'm thinking of targeting Australian salmon, bonito, or kingfish. I have metal lures like Halco Twistys and Stinger lures, but I'm unsure how to retrieve them properly due to different techniques I've seen online and on where to cast them. I'm using a 10ft rod because I read it's a good length for rock fishing and saltwater in general. I'd appreciate tips on how to retrieve the lures, how long I should let them sink, and where to find fish.
Thanks!

Welcome to the forum.

Can you please introduce yourself in the post linked here 
Members need to know a little about you and your experience with fishing so far to help you.

The area you live in is important too. Are you in Australia? What state and general area will help.
Make sure you use the search engine here to research. Read all the articles written by members. This will all help. 

 

[NewbFishn]

Hi @Ihan, I mainly fish in the cambelltown area, so small creeks and lakes mainly. Mostly caught koi's or carp, Only 1 bass and bought the 10ft rod and reel to start beach fishing. First time I tried to use it with the halco, the beach was too crowded with swimmers and there were no fishing spots, I headed over to botany bay to try but caught nothing.

[Steve0]

1 hour ago, NewbFishn said:

Hi! I'm new to fishing, having only started a couple of months ago, and I've only caught koi/carp and one bass. I'm from the Campbelltown area, so I mainly fish in freshwater lakes and creeks, but I've recently wanted to try saltwater fishing. I have two 2-4kg Shimano rod and reel combos (got them a couple of years ago at Aldi) and recently also got a 10ft 4-6kg Shimano rod and reel combo.I'm not familiar with lure fishing but got some metals like Halco and Stingers, as I've heard they're good for many species in saltwater, like Australian salmon and kingfish. I would like to try and catch any fish that goes for metals in Sydney Harbour, so any tips on how to use them and any beginner spots there are appreciated! Also, I'm not sure how to use saltwater rigs, as the ones I've seen online look complex, with multiple hooks and huge sinkers. So far, I've only a hair rigs for carp 😅
Thanks!

Welcome to the fountain of knowledge.

Metal lures are easy to use. Toss the out and retrieve at a fast pace (keep the retrieve comfortable). Fan your casts to cover more water. If you aren't getting fish fairly soon, move a bit to maximise coverage of the area.

You are a bit far from water. A bit a practice in a park may help develop a casting technique. TIP: If you want power casts, a lot of the power comes from pulling back with your bottom hand. You can also swing the weight of the lure back behind to pre-load the rod tip before casting (search for 'pendulum cast').

I don't fish Sydney Harbour. However, headlands are usually more productive than inside bays.

Possibly you can try to organise a trip with someone experienced.

Boog luck. It may take a while to start finding success. Stay with it and ask questions.

[Derny Driver]

1 hour ago, NewbFishn said:

Hi! I'm new to fishing, having only started a couple of months ago, and I've only caught koi/carp and one bass. I'm from the Campbelltown area, so I mainly fish in freshwater lakes and creeks, but I've recently wanted to try saltwater fishing. I have two 2-4kg Shimano rod and reel combos (got them a couple of years ago at Aldi) and recently also got a 10ft 4-6kg Shimano rod and reel combo.I'm not familiar with lure fishing but got some metals like Halco and Stingers, as I've heard they're good for many species in saltwater, like Australian salmon and kingfish. I would like to try and catch any fish that goes for metals in Sydney Harbour, so any tips on how to use them and any beginner spots there are appreciated! Also, I'm not sure how to use saltwater rigs, as the ones I've seen online look complex, with multiple hooks and huge sinkers. So far, I've only a hair rigs for carp 😅
Thanks!

Like Steve, I don't fish Sydney harbour either.  Not sure why you would want to. Surely from Campbelltown your best option is straight down the Appin Rd to Gods own country,  the Illawarra. Throw your metals off the Port Kembla or Shell Cove breakwalls, they get salmon and bonito off there. Or off Warilla or Port Kembla beach. Lake Illawarra fishes very well for bream, flathead and luderick, lots of shore access. Or you can hire a boat. Why not consider boat hire at Sussex or Lake Conjola ... you always do better out of a boat. 

A simple running sinker rig is all you need unless you are going deep sea outside. Windang bait and Tackle has great bait including live yabbies and worms ... don't limit your thinking to just Sydney harbour.  There are better places .

Good luck with it.  

[NewbFishn]

20 hours ago, Steve0 said:

Welcome to the fountain of knowledge.

Metal lures are easy to use. Toss the out and retrieve at a fast pace (keep the retrieve comfortable). Fan your casts to cover more water. If you aren't getting fish fairly soon, move a bit to maximise coverage of the area.

You are a bit far from water. A bit a practice in a park may help develop a casting technique. TIP: If you want power casts, a lot of the power comes from pulling back with your bottom hand. You can also swing the weight of the lure back behind to pre-load the rod tip before casting (search for 'pendulum cast').

I don't fish Sydney Harbour. However, headlands are usually more productive than inside bays.

Possibly you can try to organise a trip with someone experienced.

Boog luck. It may take a while to start finding success. Stay with it and ask questions.

Ah thank you for tips! I've also got 6 inch mcarthy Paddle Tails and heard to bounce them off the bottom? I'm not entirely sure 😅 I've bought to much tackle as a beginner 🤦‍♂️

[NewbFishn]

20 hours ago, Derny Driver said:

Like Steve, I don't fish Sydney harbour either.  Not sure why you would want to. Surely from Campbelltown your best option is straight down the Appin Rd to Gods own country,  the Illawarra. Throw your metals off the Port Kembla or Shell Cove breakwalls, they get salmon and bonito off there. Or off Warilla or Port Kembla beach. Lake Illawarra fishes very well for bream, flathead and luderick, lots of shore access. Or you can hire a boat. Why not consider boat hire at Sussex or Lake Conjola ... you always do better out of a boat. 

A simple running sinker rig is all you need unless you are going deep sea outside. Windang bait and Tackle has great bait including live yabbies and worms ... don't limit your thinking to just Sydney harbour.  There are better places .

Good luck with it.  

I'm not sure, just seen vids of people catching kingfish and bonitos at the harbour. I'm thinking of going to Lake Illawarra with a couple of mates and fishing there a couple days. Also, do you need to have a bobber so the bait doesn't sink to the bottom or is it fine?
Thanks

[Steve0]

53 minutes ago, NewbFishn said:

Ah thank you for tips! I've also got 6 inch mcarthy Paddle Tails and heard to bounce them off the bottom? I'm not entirely sure 😅 I've bought to much tackle as a beginner 🤦‍♂️

Don't worry. We all buy too many rods, reels and tackle. I can barely lift the box I store sinkers in. There's probably 100 lures in my lure box; far more hanging from cunje if hooks didn't rust.   

 

[Derny Driver]

2 hours ago, NewbFishn said:

I'm not sure, just seen vids of people catching kingfish and bonitos at the harbour. I'm thinking of going to Lake Illawarra with a couple of mates and fishing there a couple days. Also, do you need to have a bobber so the bait doesn't sink to the bottom or is it fine?
Thanks

You want your bait on the bottom.  That's where the fish are.

[NewbFishn]

19 hours ago, Derny Driver said:

You want your bait on the bottom.  That's where the fish are.

I thought fish would be feeding near the tops of water looking for prey and other stuff of the nature, I only thought sucker feeders would feed at the bottom?

[TheFishyFisherman]

Depends on the species. If I were fishing for flatties,bream and whiting, I’d go on the bottom but for pelagics like salmon or bonnie’s, I’d have it close to the surface with a float. As for kings, I have zero success on them. My first one was an accidental bycatch!

Edited yesterday at 08:18 AM by TheFishyFisherman

[NewbFishn]

1 hour ago, TheFishyFisherman said:

Depends on the species. If I were fishing for flatties,bream and whiting, I’d go on the bottom but for pelagics like salmon or bonnie’s, I’d have it close to the surface with a float. As for kings, I have zero success on them. My first one was an accidental bycatch!

Haha, a welcoming surprise! I will probably use this rig i saw online (Forgot whats it called) But it is a 2 hook system and the bait is live squid.