Long Reef Boat Fishing: Kingfish, Live Bait and Changing the Plan

Long Reef has a lovely way of making a perfectly sensible plan look ridiculous. In March 2022 I went out with Chris and Ed expecting a bit of fun on the usual smaller kings. Ten-kilo jigging outfits would do the job. Dead wrong. The current was pumping, the fish were much bigger than expected, and we finished with a depressing collection of shredded leaders.

Five days later I went back with Wayne, 80-pound main line and 130-pound fluorocarbon. This time the current had eased and the big fish had other appointments. We caught a steady stream of bream and trevally, with the best king just under 80cm.

Same reef. Different fishing. That is the useful starting point for Longie: take the gear to handle a good fish, but enough options to enjoy the fish that are actually there.

Start with the ground, then look for life

Long Reef is a collection of opportunities, rather than one magic spot. Much of my lighter fishing has been over rough ground in roughly 15 to 20 metres. The Wall and the country around White Rock are useful area references, but a name on the plotter doesn't tell you whether the bait or kings are there today.

I prefer looking for my own patch to joining a cluster of boats. When asked where to start, I have suggested sounding around for humps and bumps with bait over them. Work the sounder as you go: a rise in the bottom, a rough patch, bait gathered over it, then fish showing around or above that bait. Those are reasons to investigate.

Open Long Reef Wall on the fishing map, or compare it with Long Reef Wide. They are public reference points with their own source information, not the exact positions from my trips or routes to follow. Use a current chart for navigation and the sounder to find useful fishing ground.

Keep the shallow-reef plan separate from a run to deeper offshore ground or a wreck. A little jig cast back through a burley trail in 15 metres and a jig dropped to fish on deeper structure ask different things of the outfit. The Sydney offshore guide helps put those choices in context.

The shoreline has its own rules. Long Reef Aquatic Reserve runs from Collaroy rock baths to Long Reef Surf Lifesaving Club and extends 100 metres seaward of mean low water. Within it, you can fish for finfish by hand-held line or spear gun, subject to NSW species rules. Squid, cuttlefish, other invertebrates and marine plants are protected. Check the official boundary map. The offshore downrigging and burley methods below are for grounds outside that reserve.

Take two useful outfits, not yesterday's assumptions

The mistake on that first March morning was choosing tackle for the fish I expected. The reef had supplied something else. There were sharks as well as kings. Ed nearly had one good king to the boat before a sudden burst of speed ended in a shark taking it. Every bust-off was not necessarily a bigger king waiting to be caught.

Carry a capable live-bait or heavier jigging outfit alongside the lighter rod for small metals and floated baits. Match the leader to the fish and rough ground, check the knots under load, and run a careful check over every rod guide. A cracked guide cost a crew member a fish on another Long Reef trip. There is a separate rod-guide check if your braid keeps breaking without an obvious reason.

The 80-pound and 130-pound combination was what I took back after a flogging. It isn't a requirement for every Long Reef session. Heavy gear gives you more control when you need it; it doesn't bring bigger fish to the boat. That second morning made the point nicely. The full story is in Two Mornings at Long Reef.

Before the first bait goes out, decide who clears the spare lines, who gets the net and how you will keep a running fish away from the anchor rope and downrigger gear. Discovering the plan halfway through a hookup is considerably less relaxing.

Downrig live bait where the sounder gives you a reason

Downrigging lets you work along productive ground with a bait at the depth you want. Look for bait and fish before settling into repeated passes. If nothing shows and the baits remain untouched, extending the same empty troll is not much of a plan.

I generally work slowly, watching how the bait swims rather than worshipping a number on the GPS. Check a bait beside the boat before lowering it. If it spins, sort out the speed or rigging. Allow a broad turn so the boat, weight and fishing line come around together; a sharp turn can put the gear across itself. Our live-bait rigging guide shows the bait-needle and rubber-band setup.

Keep the weight clear of changing bottom and fish the depth of the returns. On a September 2025 visit I found very little bait and no kings on the screen. A tidy downrigger setup was no substitute for fish. On another trip we had plenty of strikes, but the kings were tiny. The sensible response was to change the fishing, not assume the next circuit had to produce a monster.

A manual downrigger earns its place here when it helps you put a healthy bait through fish you have found. For catching and keeping those baits in good condition, see yellowtail and slimy mackerel for live bait.

Stop over useful ground and put the trail through the fish

One of my favourite Long Reef approaches is to find life on the sounder, settle the boat where conditions allow, and fish a burley trail. Position so the current takes the trail towards the fish. Watch the actual direction and depth of the trail, and leave room for other boats and divers. If the wind, swell or current makes that position uncomfortable, choose another plan.

In September 2021 I fished about 15 metres of water with the burley can hanging from the downrigger at 10 metres. A live bait set 10 metres beneath a balloon and sent back into the trail brought quick strikes. The important part was the bait meeting the trail at a useful depth.

On the busy March 2022 morning, in 20 metres near the Wall, we spread the presentations. One big live bait went about 30 metres back under a balloon. Another was about 10 metres down and 10 metres back. Yellowtail strips floated down the trail as well. Kings, trevally, snapper and bonito all joined in, along with the sharks.

Those were the settings on those days. Adjust yours to the current and the fish. If the trail is well above the bait, change the depth. If two lines keep crossing, simplify the spread. Leave one bait rod attended while someone works a small jig, rather than filling every holder and hoping for the best. The deep-burley report shows the can and sounder together.

Cast the jig down the trail

You don't have to drop a jig straight under the boat. On a late-afternoon Long Reef session in 15 metres, the crew were floating cut pilchards and fishing soft plastics. I cast 40g jigs down the burley trail and worked them back in little hops. Kings, trevally and snapper found them. I also lost a very good snapper because my leader was too light. A small lure does not excuse a silly leader choice.

Let the jig sink to the depth you want, then lift it in short stages with pauses as it comes back. Keep enough contact to notice a bite without dragging it straight to the surface. If the current sweeps it away before it reaches the fish, use more weight or change the angle of the cast.

I've also had a lively session on 10g jigs in 18 metres near White Rock, casting down-current and hopping them back through mid-water after the place initially looked dead. Ten grams is useful when it reaches the fish; forty is useful when you need more weight. The micro-jigging guide covers the tackle and retrieves in detail, and our 40g jig page shows the current listing.

Keep something ready to cast when fish come up. I've switched from 40g jigs to poppers on Long Reef kings and had a ball with the surface strikes. Work the edge of the activity and give the fish room. The popper guide covers the retrieve.

A change of ground can mean a change of method

On the April 2022 Disco Biscuit trip, downrigging produced small kings and some keeper snapper. After a while we headed east to another mark. There were kings showing above a tight stack of bait, and 100g jigs got the response we wanted.

That is a much better reason to move than being bored with a lure colour. We changed the ground, checked what was on the sounder, then chose a presentation for it. Read the full account in Jiggin' the Disco Biscuit.

Take 100g jigs or other suitable weights if deeper fish are part of the plan. Choose by current, line angle and whether the lure reaches the fish, rather than treating 100g as the answer at a particular depth. The jig-weight guide explains that choice.

Don't let the kingfish plan spoil a good day's fishing

Big baits don't guarantee big kings either. In August 2022 I took a substantial cuttlefish bait to Long Reef and came away without a kingfish. A big single hook and a treble stinger covered the bait, but there were no kings to test them.

In June 2026 Clement and I tried lightly weighted cuttlefish strips down a trail in 14 metres. The aim was his first decent kingfish, but none showed on the sounder. I wanted to be hooked up, so out came the micro jigs. We had a ball on trevally instead.

Use a simple decision when the first plan stalls:

• Bait and fish showing, but no bites: change depth, bait condition or presentation before leaving useful ground.
• The same undersized kings on every pass: move, try another method or enjoy a different lawful target instead of repeatedly catching them.
• Little life and no response: investigate another patch, rather than waiting for yesterday's fishing report to happen again.
• Sharks taking hooked fish or conditions deteriorating: move on or head home.

Long Reef has given me excellent kings, entertaining light-tackle sessions and some thorough hidings. The common thread in the better days is paying attention to what changed.

Launching and bringing fish home

Fisherman's Beach boat ramp, off Anzac Avenue at Collaroy, is the local launch. Council lists a two-lane concrete ramp with 24-hour access. It is an open-coast launch. My advice to anyone unfamiliar with it has been to visit, watch experienced local operators and decide whether the conditions, boat and your own experience suit the job. Don't make your first look a committed launch in poor conditions.

You can also plan from a suitable Harbour or Pittwater ramp, allowing for the longer coastal run. Check the ramp's current access, the Sydney Coast marine forecast and the return trip, not just the weather when you leave. Carry the required open-water safety equipment.

The NSW minimum size is 65cm for yellowtail kingfish, with a daily bag limit of five. For snapper, it is 30cm and ten fish. Measure fish properly and check the current saltwater limits for every species you keep. Have ice ready for the fish coming home and the net and unhooking tools ready for those going back.

Take healthy bait, a small jig outfit and something capable of stopping a better fish. Then give the reef a chance to tell you which one you need. It usually has an opinion.