Gemfish & Kingfish off Sydney: Browns Mountain and The Peak

One August morning off Sydney produced two very different styles of jigging. At The Peak, Andrew Hestelow and Greg Stevenson used the sounder to find bait and kingfish around the 70 metre pinnacles. Later, at Browns Mountain, they moved into roughly 400 metres of water for gemfish and tested a compact electric reel as a way to keep the feel of manual jigging without hand-winding hundreds of metres of line after every drop.

Andrew first wrote about this trip in 2019, but the lessons remain useful: use the sounder before dropping at The Peak, pay attention when one jig consistently out-fishes another, and choose tackle that makes sense for the very different demands of 70 metre kingfish grounds and deep-water fishing at Browns Mountain.

Where Are The Peak and Browns Mountain?

Both grounds lie well offshore from Sydney, but they are very different places to fish. The Peak is a series of reefs and pinnacles commonly fished in about 70 metres, while Browns Mountain is a deep-water seamount near the edge of the continental shelf.

Using the marks: these are reference positions for finding the broader grounds. Check the surrounding contours on a current marine chart, use your sounder to locate the productive structure, and allow for current and drift rather than treating either coordinate as the only place to drop.

Coordinate sources: The Peak reference is listed in an NSW Government offshore reef study. The Browns Mountain reference is published in the Boatsales Browns Mountain destination guide.

First Stop: Kingfish at The Peak

The trip began with a solo launch at Roseville before Andrew crossed Sydney Harbour to collect Greg at Watsons Bay. From there they rounded South Head and ran to The Peak, a series of offshore bumps and pinnacles in about 70 metres of water off Sydney.

Andrew had already been fishing The Peak for decades, and he stressed one particularly useful lesson after this trip: do not waste energy blindly dropping just because the boat is over the reef. Scan the structure, find bait or fish on the sounder, then put the jig through the depth band that is actually alive.

After scanning several familiar marks, the crew found the bait. Greg dropped and hooked up almost immediately.

That fish was taken on one of the old Downrigger Shop 200 g blue jigs. Greg hooked up quickly while Andrew, working a different jig hard, had no result. At that point it was an interesting observation rather than a conclusion. The return visit to The Peak later in the day would make the pattern much harder to ignore.

From 70 Metres to Browns Mountain

With a kingfish on ice, the crew headed for Browns Mountain. The change in depth completely changes the fishing problem. Instead of putting a jig through a kingfish mark in roughly 70 metres, the crew was now fishing deep water around the 400 metre mark.

The first sounder view was not spectacular:

Andrew was still confident because August had historically been a productive time for gemfish there. The first drop proved him right, producing a double hookup. The fish were on the smaller side, but there were enough around for the crew to reach the permitted catch for that 2019 trip in only three drops.

The 400-Metre Jigging Problem

The gemfish came quickly enough that Andrew had time to try the experiment he had really been looking forward to.

He had been watching anglers manually jig Browns Mountain in 400 metres or more. The appeal was obvious: work the lure yourself and feel the strike rather than simply fishing a bait on an electric outfit. The problem was what happened after the jig went down.

A manual retrieve from that depth is a serious amount of winding even when there is no fish attached. With a fish on, Andrew had seen deep-water retrieves take 15 to 20 minutes. Apart from fatigue, a slow ascent can mean more time for a hooked fish to encounter sharks before reaching the boat.

The idea Andrew wanted to test was therefore a hybrid:

1. Drop the lure normally and control the descent.
2. Work the jig manually so the angler still controls the presentation and feels the strike.
3. Use electric assistance for the long retrieve after a hookup, or when recovering an untouched jig from deep water.

For this trip Andrew tested the idea with a compact Dragon 7000 electric reel. He worked the jig manually to retain the feel and control of the presentation, then used the motor for the long recovery. Although that particular reel is no longer part of our range, the trip demonstrated a useful approach: keep the part of jigging where the angler wants feel and control, while using electric assistance for the repetitive job of retrieving hundreds of metres of line.

Back at The Peak: When One Jig Suddenly Becomes the Answer

With the weather beginning to lift, Andrew and Greg headed back towards Sydney. Breaking up the roughly 22 nautical mile run with another stop at The Peak turned out to be a very good decision.

Greg was again hooking 70-80 cm kingfish on the blue 200 g jigs, while Andrew was working another jig without the same response. Eventually Andrew borrowed one of Greg's blue jigs, tied it on and dropped to about 65 metres.

Three lift-and-winds later: hookup.

It is tempting to turn a result like that into a universal rule - blue is best, or 200 g is best - but that is not the lesson. On this day, in these conditions, over these fish, that particular combination was clearly working. The practical response was to notice the pattern and change rather than spend the whole session insisting another lure ought to work.

Jig weight should still be chosen around the target depth, current, boat drift, braid diameter and lure shape. Our jig-weight guide explains that in detail, while Mechanical Jigging for Kingfish covers the lift-and-wind rhythm and depth-band control.

Do You Need a 200 g Jig at The Peak?

No. The blue 200 g jig was the standout on this particular trip, but conditions at The Peak vary.

Conditions can make a lighter or heavier lure the better tool. If a 100 g jig reaches the marks quickly and stays under useful control, there is no benefit in automatically doubling the weight. If current or drift sweeps it away before it reaches the fish, move heavier.

The blue 200 g jig used in 2019 is no longer part of our range. For shallower reef and wreck fishing where 100 g will reach the fish and stay under control, our 100 g knife jigs are a practical option. The deep water and strong current often encountered at Browns Mountain call for a completely different tackle selection.

Shop 100 g Knife Jigs or browse the full Knife Jigs collection.

Key Lessons from This Sydney Offshore Trip

Gemfish and Kingfish FAQs

Where is Browns Mountain in relation to Sydney?

Browns Mountain is a deep-water offshore fishing ground roughly 22 nautical miles east of Sydney. A useful reference position is 34° 02.588′ S, 151° 39.417′ E, or -34.043133, 151.656950 in decimal degrees. Andrew fished around 400 metres on this trip, which is why retrieve time and deep-water tackle were such a major part of the experiment. For more information about reaching and fishing the area, read Fishing Browns Mountain off Sydney.

Where is The Peak off Sydney?

The Peak is a series of offshore reefs and pinnacles southeast of Sydney Heads and east of the Sydney coastline. A published reference position is 33° 58.760′ S, 151° 21.760′ E, or -33.979333, 151.362667 in decimal degrees. The productive fish may be concentrated around one pinnacle, bait school or depth band, so use the coordinate to reach the general ground and then search with your chartplotter and sounder.

What is the current NSW bag limit for gemfish?

As of August 2026, NSW lists gemfish within a combined bag limit of five deep-sea fish, with a maximum of two gemfish per person and a boat trip limit of ten gemfish. Fishing rules can change, so always confirm the current NSW rules before a trip.

What jig weight should I use for kingfish at The Peak?

There is no single correct weight for The Peak. The 200 g jig in this story worked extremely well on that particular day, but current, wind, drift, braid diameter, jig shape and the depth of the fish all affect the right choice. Use the lightest jig that reliably reaches the strike zone and stays under useful control.

Why did Andrew only drop when fish or bait showed on the sounder?

Because offshore structure can be large while the productive patch is small. If kingfish are concentrated around one bait school or pinnacle, dropping elsewhere wastes time and energy. Sounder-led depth control is especially valuable when jigging repeatedly through deep water.

Can you combine manual jigging with an electric reel?

That was exactly the experiment on this trip. Andrew used the compact electric reel he was testing as a conventional reel while working the lure, then used its motor for the long recovery. Whether that approach suits a modern setup depends on the particular reel, rod, line, jig weight and manufacturer's operating guidance.

Continue the Jigging Guides

For a broader Sydney kingfish example, read Jigging for Kingfish on Sydney's Offshore Reefs. If technique is the question, go to Mechanical Jigging for Kingfish. If weight is the question, start with What Weight Jig Should I Use?.

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