Curl Curl, Freshwater and Queenscliff Shore Fishing
Curl Curl offers two different rock-fishing sessions beside a useful surf beach. Farther south, Freshwater's old Harbord names distinguish small drummer holes from shelves that must be cleared before a lure can work. Start with the water you can fish properly, then match the tackle to that job.
Choose the water
| Area | What changes | Starting plan |
|---|---|---|
| Curl Curl and Freshwater beaches | Sand gutters and quieter corners | Worms for whiting; small fish baits for bream; pilchards for tailor |
| North Curl Curl | Boulder gutters, wash and a deeper outer ledge | Weed close to cover; pilchards in wash; separate longer casts outside |
| South Curl Curl | Close drummer and luderick water beside open pelagic water | Float-fish weed, work a small wash bait, or spin when baitfish are within reach |
| Harbord and Queenscliff | Small pockets and shallow shelves with different casting clearances | Match the drift or lure to the hole, shelf and landing obstruction |
Tackle to take: keep beach, float and pelagic fishing separate. For a close beach gutter, the six or seven foot rod, 3000-size reel and 6–12 lb line in my North Narrabeen plan is a useful starting example, provided it handles the required sinker. For weed drifts, take a responsive float rod, small reel, balanced float, prepared leaders and a landing net. For salmon and bonito, carry slim metals in weights your spinning rod casts properly, then match the visible baitfish and the distance required. The bonito lure guide explains that size-and-weight decision; its boat approaches are separate from this shore plan. Live yellowtail and close drummer work need outfits with enough control for the reef and landing water.
Curl Curl Beach and the northern headland
The beach gutters
Look for a deeper channel between the beach and a bank, then for an opening that lets water move out of it. The historical local account identifies these gutters for tailor, bream and flathead, with summer whiting on beach worms. Fish where the gutter puts food within reach, not simply as far as the rod will cast.
A worm bait and a small long-shank hook suit the whiting work. Pilchards suit tailor; a fresh fish strip gives bream and flathead a different offering. Use enough sinker to control the bait and enough rod to cast that load comfortably. If the gutter is close, a lighter outfit makes the fishing more enjoyable.
The older local account also records mulloway on small live tailor or mullet and substantial fish baits. That is a separate session with heavier tackle, rather than an extra hook added to the whiting rig. Any fish used as live bait must meet its legal size and possession rules. Do not retain an undersized tailor because it would fit a hook neatly.
The northern beach corner
The northern corner offers some shelter from a summer north-easterly and was recommended for bream, flathead and whiting. Shelter from the wind is useful for line control; it does not remove surf or sweep. Work the beach water before considering the nearby rocks, especially when the surf makes the headland impractical.
Pool-side boulder gutters
East of the North Curl Curl pool, separate gutters among boulders at the southern end of the point from the deeper water outside. The gutters are luderick and bream country. Float-fish weed through a useful drift for luderick, or present a small bait for bream without letting it bury itself between the rocks.
These are short presentations into broken water. Watch where the float travels and where a hooked fish could be landed. Use the pool to orient yourself; do not cross its walls or step through water to reach a ledge.
The wash around the point
Just around the northern point, before the long ledge, the wash was a winter tailor option with lures or pilchards. Bream and trevally were the bait-fishing possibilities, with drummer and luderick in the closer broken water.
Keep the bait or lure in the part of the wash where you can control it. A pilchard that tumbles into the rocks while you attend another rod is unlikely to remain fishable. The water's movement should carry a bait naturally without sweeping it straight back under the ledge.
The long deepwater ledge
Farther north, the historical long ledge overlooks deeper water but has rugged bottom close in. The wash at its northern end was favoured for tailor, bream and trevally on pilchards. Longer casts beyond the rough foreground were the snapper approach.
Summer currents sometimes brought pelagics to this outer water, giving live-bait and spinning anglers a chance at kingfish and small tuna. That possibility calls for a different outfit from the light blackfish rod. Take tackle capable of controlling a fish near the reef, and settle the landing plan before putting a live bait out.
Northern washes and the low luderick ledges
Beyond the main ledge, the account describes rougher boulder country with drummer and luderick gutters. Farther along again are lower ledges associated with luderick, dawn tailor and drummer close to the rocks, with snapper outside.
These are distinct water types, not a continuous recommended walking route. For luderick, the useful feature is a controllable wash and weed-bait drift. For tailor, keep a lure moving through the open water. The old advice to gather crab and cunjevoi here is superseded: this northern coast lies within the Dee Why Intertidal Protected Area, which reaches the northern extremity of Curl Curl Beach. Bring those baits from a lawful source. Check the exact closure and collection rules.
South Curl Curl: six different pieces of water
Beach corner and pool-side water
At the southern beach corner, the old account identifies the rip beside the rocks for bream, tailor and occasional mulloway. A bait beyond the breaking water was the approach for bream, tailor and sand flathead. Work from the beach where conditions permit and keep clear of swimmers and surfers.
The nearby pool is a good landmark for reading the coast. It does not establish permission to fish from a pool wall or cast into swimming water.
The boulders
The first rough boulder water was a bream and drummer spot with crab and cunjevoi. The cost of fishing here is snagging. Keep the bait compact, use no more lead than needed and concentrate on an opening rather than repeatedly dragging a rig across the rocks.
Bring lawful bait. Older instructions to collect octopus on this platform are no longer valid: taking octopus from NSW ocean rock platforms is prohibited. General collection limits and local restrictions apply to other bait animals too.
The higher ledge
The next higher ledge offered tailor outside and bream or drummer in the wash. A moving pilchard or lure is a different presentation from a close drummer bait, so choose one first and watch how the water is behaving.
Height is not protection from an unexpectedly large set. Judge the water below and the whole working area before setting up.
The Corner
The Corner was a winter drummer and tailor position. Bread berley was the distinguishing recommendation. Feed small amounts regularly so fish have a reason to work through the wash, then put the bait where that food is moving. A great lump of bread disappearing out to sea does little for a bait sitting in a different pocket.
The high rock beside the luderick ledge
Next to the low blackfish water, the higher rock was used for longer bottom casts for snapper, bream, trevally and mulloway. The intended target was beyond the immediate shelf. That calls for a suitable casting outfit and a clear retrieval line, rather than merely using a bigger sinker on the float rod.
The Luderick Grounds
The lower water farther towards Harbord is the old Luderick Grounds. Weed bait, a balanced float and steady berley are the basic tools. Set the depth to the drift you are fishing, then make small adjustments. A float moving cleanly through the feeding water tells you more than one repeatedly hanging in the weed.
I saw the difference between two days here in 2024. In August the water was very clear, I could not see blackfish swimming around, and two other anglers left without catching anything. On a late-afternoon visit in December, one bloke landed three blackfish in the few minutes I watched. Same coast, very different result. Work the water in front of you instead of treating the place name as a guarantee.
Salmon, bonito and a change of outfit
There is more to South Curl Curl than the float. In May 2025 I met Martin while collecting weed at Curl Curl. He was catching fish on live yellowtail, including the salmon in the opening photograph. In January 2024 Jeremy and I fished South Curl Curl at dawn. I put live yellowtail under a bobby cork for kingfish and caught nothing. Jeremy shore-jigged for bonito, including the two on one jig shown below. A different presentation made the difference that morning.
For bonito, keep a suitable metal lure or small baitfish-profile lure moving through open water and watch for bait being pushed within casting range. A shore-jigging outfit is useful only when the lure can be worked and retrieved clear of the reef. For live bait, take a rod and leader suited to the fish you are trying to control and the landing water, not just the size of the yellowtail.
I have also carried the bigger outfit and aerated yellowtail down at dawn and abandoned the session because the swell was too large. That happened in February 2024. Preparing bait is no reason to commit to unsuitable rocks.
Harbord and Freshwater: small features make a difference
Harbord is the older name for Freshwater. Eight local positions distinguish the northern headland and beach corner. Their relationships are useful, although the exact ledges behind every old name have not been established.
High Cliff and Drummer Hole
At the northern end, High Cliff describes a small gutter below the cliff, associated with drummer. The water is the relevant feature; this guide gives no cliff descent or clifftop fishing direction.
The separate Drummer Hole was recommended for drummer and luderick, with a rising afternoon tide, berley and cunjevoi for the drummer. That is a small-water presentation. Fish into the gutter with control instead of throwing across the whole headland.
Snapper Rock
Snapper Rock offered a longer cast towards sand for snapper, while bream and luderick were associated with the closer water. That close-versus-wide split is worth preserving. A float outfit belongs in the nearer drift; a bottom bait intended for snapper has to clear the rough foreground.
Do not assume the historic name identifies a surveyed sand patch. If the bait repeatedly finds reef, change the presentation or the casting line instead of increasing the sinker until it stays stuck.
The wet rock and The Bite
The next large wet rock was a spinning and pilchard position for tailor and passing tuna. Winter bream were taken on pilchards, and drummer were associated with the wash. The close bottom was described as snaggy, so keep a pelagic presentation moving and avoid letting it settle there.
At The Bite, a shallow bommie in front complicates landing a fish. Winter targets included tailor, salmon, trevally and bream, with summer spinning for pelagics. The landing obstruction is the important difference from an ordinary clear ledge. Having water deep enough to hook a fish is not the same as having somewhere suitable to bring it in.
Charlie's Gutter
Charlie's Gutter combines a small gutter with a low, weedy shelf that must be cleared to work the outer water. The historical targets were larger tailor and summer pelagics. This is the place where casting ability changes what can be fished: if the lure lands on the shelf or fouls on the return, it is not reaching the intended water.
The exact submerged shelf edge has not been surveyed here, so test the casting clearance from the position.
The Lawn
The Lawn's weed-fringed shelf was luderick water, while the longer cast over the flat gave access to passing pelagics. Short float drifts and long lure casts are separate options. Choose the one the conditions allow you to control, and keep clear of other anglers' lines.
The Gutter at Freshwater Beach
At the beach corner, The Gutter was the rip-water option for bream, tailor, flathead and whiting. That makes it a useful alternative to the outer shelves. Fish the channel on the beach side of the banks with a bait suited to the target.
Freshwater's summer whiting were also described behind the surf line when the beach was quiet. Beach worms and a light presentation fit that task. Leave the occupied swimming and surfing water alone rather than trying to squeeze a line between people.
Queenscliff Point
Queenscliff Point has shallow reef in front. The older recommendation was a moving lure, pilchard or garfish for tailor rather than a bottom bait left among the snags. High tide and early morning were the winter combination.
Halfway along the Freshwater-facing side, the historical bottom-fishing option was bream, trevally and flathead on fish bait. Keep that distinct from spinning the shallow point. Finding cleaner water for the bait matters more than having the longest cast on the rocks.
Queenscliff and the northern end of Manly Beach also give you beach gutters to inspect when the point is unsuitable. The Manly and North Harbour guide continues south and explains the protected water beyond the southern end of Manly Beach.
Parking, bait and a practical rock-fishing note
Council lists public parking at North and South Curl Curl, Freshwater and McKillop Park. Check current parking details and signs. Freshwater amenities works are scheduled through April 2027; the car park remains accessible with temporary pedestrian controls. Use the project update before planning around facilities.
On the rocks: wear the required lifejacket, go with someone, watch the sets before choosing a position and leave if waves or the rising tide threaten the ledge or your exit. A sheltered beach session is a useful fallback. The NSW lifejacket requirement applies to exposed natural rock platforms in the Northern Beaches declared area.
Eastern blue groper, including brown and red fish, remain prohibited targets under the current rule. Use lawful bait and check size, bag and collection limits. Buy prawns intended for bait rather than supermarket prawns. Curl Curl and Manly lagoons have specified net and trap closures; these are not blanket prohibitions on ordinary line fishing.
For the coast to the north, see Narrabeen, Collaroy and Dee Why. For weed bait, float depth and bite detection, the blackfish guide goes into the method in more detail.