Quick and easy way to catch dinner in Sydney Harbour

Note: this story is written for our Sydney readers
But the same technique will work anywhere from the Gold Coast to western Victoria
You will need
a small plastic food container
a small bucket
our $155 blackfish combo
a landing net
Step one
go to any sandy beach and half fill the bucket with wet sand
I went to Hayes Street beach at Neutral Bay

Step two
go to any of the Sydney Harbour wharves
which consist of a floating pontoon
attached to the shore by a walkway
the sides host a heavy growth of prime green weed
lie down on the wharf and pick off the green cabbage weed
be careful not to over reach, or over balance
fill your small food container
I went to Neutral Bay wharf

Head for your fishing spot
blackfish like rocks and kelp for cover
they like a tidal flow that brings the food to them
either side of the Harbour Bridge is particularly good
because it’s a pinch point which increases current flow
have marked some wharves that hold weed
and some rock walls that hold blackfish
on this map

When you get to your spot, take some of the cabbage you collected
using an old pair of braid scissors, cut the weed into small pieces like tabouli
mix the chopped up pieces into two handfuls of wet sand
throw the mix out where you intend to fish
the rock walls and walkways where you will be fishing
are fringed with brown kelp
which has a distinct dark edge where it goes into deeper water
you will be fishing a couple of metres outside this edge
the kelp dropoff can be seen clearly in this picture

Here’s a video showing how to bait up

Your blackfish combo is supplied ready to go
float is correctly weighted, line treated with floatant
adjust the slider stopper so your bait will be sitting seven or 8 feet down
nearly the length of your rod
cast out a metre or two past the kelp line drop off
when you get a down, count to 3, then lift the rod
don’t strike hard

This is what son Chris and I did on Sunday afternoon
we scored six keeper blackfish in a little over an hour
You will be using exactly the same gear we use
It works

At one point we had to give up our spot for a happy couple taking wedding pictures

The one blackie we kept tasted delicious on Sunday night. Chris writes:

Can’t recommend it too highly! I love my kingfish jigging and downrigging, deep dropping at Brown’s mountain, you name it. But there is no easier way to introduce a friend or family member to fishing, than what’s recommended above. Or, if you just need some prime fresh fillets, this is a super quick and easy way to get them. Here’s a link to the combo in question. It makes it so much easier, when you’re using the right gear, set up the right way:

$155 Blackfish Combo Complete

Thanks for reading
Andrew Hestelow

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