Sydney offshore fishing does not stop when summer ends. In Andrew Hestelow's experience around Brown's Mountain and the continental shelf, winter could produce yellowfin tuna, albacore, mako sharks and kingfish on the same trip. This guide turns his original The Boat Mag feature into a practical overview of winter game fishing off Sydney while preserving the original article scans below.
- Yellowfin tuna were Andrew's primary winter target, with cubing and live bait his most consistent methods.
- Keep a cube trail regular and fish a bait naturally through it rather than constantly changing the presentation.
- Albacore can sit well below the boat; use the sounder and be prepared to jig deep when fish are marking down the water column.
- Use tackle with enough line capacity and drag for powerful tuna, and prepare gaffs, harnesses and the deck before the bite.
- Brown's Mountain also produces mako encounters, particularly around deepwater fish aggregations, but shark fishing demands serious safety and current-regulation awareness.
Winter game fishing off Sydney
The original article was written around trips to Brown's Mountain, the well-known offshore seamount east of Sydney. Andrew's point was simple: the colder months can offer several completely different game-fishing opportunities in one area. Yellowfin and albacore may be feeding in the water column while deepwater species are holding far below, and makos can appear around those same offshore food sources.
That variety is why it pays to arrive with more than one plan. A tuna session may begin with cubing, switch to live bait or deep jigs when fish show on the sounder, and then move to another technique if the tuna refuse to cooperate.
Yellowfin tuna: cubing and live bait
Andrew regarded yellowfin as the main winter game-fishing target. Although tuna can be taken on jigs and trolled lures, his most consistent methods in the original feature were cubing and live bait.
The key to cubing is consistency. Cut pilchards into manageable pieces and keep the trail going at a steady rate. If the flow of cubes stops, the fish can move away with it. Fish your bait naturally in the trail and give it enough time to drift back with the cubes before retrieving and resetting it.
Live bait gives you another option when yellowfin appear. Andrew used small yellowtail and described the first indication as the bait suddenly becoming active, followed by the unmistakable swirl of tuna arriving near the boat. At that point, having the crew organised matters as much as the tackle.
Prepare the outfit before the bite
Big yellowfin expose weak links quickly. Andrew's original outfit carried at least 500 metres of 50 lb monofilament and was fished with conservative drag pressure. Modern tackle gives anglers more choices, but the underlying lesson still holds: use an outfit with suitable line capacity, reliable drag and enough shock absorption for the fish you are targeting.
Clear the deck, set the harness or rod bucket correctly, and have landing equipment ready before a bait goes in. A tuna fight is a poor time to discover that something essential is buried under other gear.
Albacore: watch the sounder and be ready to jig deep
Albacore were the unpredictable bonus fish in Andrew's Brown's Mountain trips. They might appear behind the boat in a cube trail, but just as often they marked much deeper on the sounder without ever showing near the surface.
When that happened, Andrew's crew would send a jig down toward the marked depth and work it back toward the boat. In the original article he describes dropping to around 200 metres when the fish were deep. If one angler hooked up, the rest of the crew would get jigs into the same depth range quickly because albacore often travelled in numbers.
This is one of the places where an accurately read sounder makes a major difference. The useful question is not just whether fish are present, but exactly where in the water column they are holding.
Mako sharks around Brown's Mountain
Makos were another regular part of Andrew's winter Brown's Mountain fishing, particularly when gemfish were concentrated around the seamount. His original article describes encounters ranging from manageable fish to very large sharks and makes it clear that they demand respect around a small boat.
We have deliberately left the period tackle and handling detail in the original scans rather than presenting it as current instruction. Shark handling, boat safety and fishing regulations matter, and the safest method depends on the fish, boat and experience of the crew.
Check the current rules before you fish. Andrew's original article is a historical account, so old size, bag and possession limits should not be relied on. NSW rules can change. Check the current NSW saltwater bag and size limits before your trip.
Use winter conditions to build a flexible plan
The biggest lesson from the original feature is flexibility. Offshore winter fishing may give you tuna, albacore and sharks in the same general area, but not necessarily at the same depth or on the same technique. Keep the cube trail working, use the sounder to see what is actually below the boat, and have alternative outfits ready rather than spending the day committed to one presentation.
Winter game fishing questions
What game fish can you catch off Sydney in winter?
Andrew's Brown's Mountain trips regularly produced yellowfin tuna and albacore, with mako sharks also encountered around the offshore grounds. Kingfish can provide another winter option around suitable structure.
How did Andrew target yellowfin tuna in winter?
His most consistent methods were cubing and live bait. The cubing method relies on maintaining a regular trail and allowing the hooked bait to drift naturally with it.
How do you find albacore when they are not on the surface?
Watch the sounder for fish marking deeper in the water column, then send a jig to the marked depth. Andrew often found albacore deep below the boat around Brown's Mountain.
Where is Brown's Mountain?
Brown's Mountain is an offshore seamount east of Sydney and has long been known for deepwater fishing and seasonal pelagic activity. Trips that far offshore require suitable vessels, safety equipment, weather planning and offshore experience.
Andrew's original Boat Mag feature
The scans below preserve the original period feature, photographs and wording. Click any page to open the full-size image.
