Pittwater Fishing Guide: Squid, Kingfish and Small-Boat Sessions
Pittwater gives you room to change your mind. Start with squid, fish a live bait for kingfish, then pick up the light rod if the kings fail to turn up. The trick is leaving enough of the session to make that change worthwhile.
In January 2020 we headed out through Broken Bay on James Taylor's Blackwatch, Black Rat. Outside Barrenjoey the water was barely over 18 degrees. Back into Pittwater we went, where a live slimy mackerel downrigged around Scotland Island produced a 72cm king. The fallback plan had worked.
Two years later, Fitz and I started around the Scotland Island barges and found neither strikes nor kings on the sounder. We moved to The Basin, caught fish on plastics, then changed again when fish began busting up near the bay's mouth. Same waterway, different answer. That's the sort of Pittwater session worth planning.
Choose the session before you choose the spot
Decide what would make the outing worthwhile, how long you have and what the return trip is likely to be like. A quick paddle for squid is a different job from collecting live bait and searching for kings in a powerboat.
- Squid and a short local fish: choose a manageable stretch of clear water with weed and sand patches. Take a light outfit and leave time to work more than one patch.
- Kingfish with a backup: have the livewell and kingfish outfit ready before collecting bait. Carry a light spin rod with plastics or small metals so a quiet kingfish session still has somewhere to go.
- A kayak session: choose a launch near the ground you intend to fish, keep the route modest and allow for the wind on the way home. A sheltered start does not guarantee a sheltered crossing later.
Carry food, drinking water and ice if you plan to keep a feed. In my January 2019 overnight report I remembered a swag and a mountain of tackle, but forgot food and ice. Excellent preparation for a tackle display. Less useful for 24 hours on the water.
Pittwater areas and what to look for
Pittwater opens north into Broken Bay between West Head and Barrenjoey. Cowan Creek is a separate arm of the system to the west. The Valiant wreck is outside Pittwater, off the ocean side near Barrenjoey. Keep those differences in mind when choosing how far to travel.
Barrenjoey flats and the western shore: start with squid ground
On the Pittwater side of Barrenjoey, look for seagrass and sand patches rather than treating the whole flat as one fishing spot. In my January 2020 report I nominated about three metres as a useful squidding depth there. Use that as a starting depth, then adjust to the tide, water clarity and where your jig can work cleanly.
My earlier Pittwater advice also singled out water near Mackerel Beach and around The Basin. The common feature was clear water over broken or vegetated bottom, with some shelter from the wind. Work the edges without dragging your jig through the weed. If nothing follows or takes it, change the angle or depth, then try another patch.
West Head: check the bait, then decide
West Head has supplied yellowtail and slimy mackerel in the reports, but the bait's size matters as much as its presence. Look at the sounder and what comes up on the hooks. A tank of large yellowtail is not much help if today's plan calls for small baits.
This is the mouth of the system, with passing traffic and more exposure than a quiet inner bay. Leave room to manoeuvre. For a small boat or kayak, collecting bait here should fit the conditions and the route, not become an obligation.
Scotland Island: kingfish water with plenty to snag
The island's moorings and the barges on its western side feature repeatedly in my reports. Look for bait and useful sounder returns, then work a route you can safely fish. Mooring ropes, anchored boats and changing wind leave little room for a careless turn.
There is no need to keep circling a familiar structure just because it produced last time. Our May 2022 trip began at the barges with no strikes and no kings showing. Moving was what rescued the day.
The Basin: a useful change of target
The Basin and Coasters Retreat are on Pittwater's western side. The May 2022 session here gave Fitz his first flathead on a soft plastic. A small prawn imitation fished through the burley also caught a fantail leatherjacket, and small metals later took fish feeding near the mouth.
Those are three different presentations. Look for fishable sand edges, watch where the burley is going and keep an eye on the surface. This guide refers to The Basin in Pittwater, not St Georges Basin on the South Coast.
Catch useful bait without spending the whole morning on it
For squid, begin with a light spinning outfit, a suitable squid jig and a landing net. Let the jig reach the working depth, lift it clear of the bottom and watch the fall. Keep the pressure smooth once a squid takes it. The separate squid-fishing guide covers jig sizes, drifting rigs and following squid.
Allow enough time to try a second patch, but decide in advance when you need to start fishing for your main target. If squid are scarce, a different bait or a lure session may make better use of the time than continuing indefinitely. In May 2018, Richard Jamieson reported a 75cm Pittwater king on bought fresh-frozen squid during a short evening trip. Live squid are useful; they are not the only possible start.
For yellowtail or slimies, have the holding water circulating before the first bait comes aboard. Start a manageable small-hook bait jig at the depth where the fish are showing. Tiny bait pieces can help when they inspect the hooks without committing. Stop adding fish if the tank cannot keep them in good condition. The yellowtail and slimy mackerel guide covers the details.
Valiant can be a nearby option for a suitably equipped boat in suitable conditions. In January 2019 I went there looking for kingfish and found it stacked with slimy mackerel instead. But reaching it takes you out of Pittwater's shelter into ocean swell and wind. Read the Valiant bait-stop guide before adding that detour, and keep clear of divers and their boats.
An evening squid session is a session of its own
At The Basin in January 2019 I put an underwater light over the side and added pilchard burley. By the early hours there were fish everywhere around the light. Entertaining, certainly, but I wondered whether the crowd was making life harder for the squid.
Watch what actually gathers. If the light attracts a mass of small fish but no squid, change position or presentation rather than adding more burley automatically. Plan a lawful anchoring or mooring arrangement, navigation lights and a safe way home before making this an after-dark trip. A vacant private mooring is not an invitation to use it.
Put a kingfish bait where you can control it
Use a kingfish outfit with a smooth drag and enough line and leader strength for the structure. A light plastics combo is useful backup gear, but mooring ropes are an unforgiving place to discover its limits. The NSW kingfish guide explains tackle and method choices in more detail.
A downrigger is useful when the bait needs to travel at a controlled depth while you search. Rig it to swim straight, lower it clear of the bottom and mooring gear, and keep the boat moving slowly enough for the bait to remain lively. Watch the sounder and the route ahead together. Use the live-bait rigging instructions and release-clip guide for the setup.
You can also fish a live bait from a controlled drift where there is room. What matters is getting the bait through the fish's depth while retaining a clear route to fight it. If the wind is pushing you into moored boats faster than you can fish, find more manageable water.
The Scotland Island success in Down Down, Deeper and Down came on live slimy mackerel after the cold offshore water sent us back inside. It is a good reason to compare the water you are actually fishing. It is not a rule that Pittwater is always warmer or that one temperature guarantees kings.
Check the bait periodically. In May 2017 I spent far too long towing a squid behind a flasher around Scotland Island. The rod tip kept pulsing nicely. When I finally checked, a leatherjacket had eaten the squid and was coming along for the ride. A moving tip is encouraging. A bait still attached is better.
Change something useful when the kings are quiet
Fish the sand edges with a plastic
Fitz's first flathead on a plastic came after we abandoned the quiet barges for The Basin in May 2022. Have a light outfit ready, rig the plastic straight and use enough jighead weight to keep in touch with the bottom during the drift. If the line trails well behind and you cannot tell when the lure lands, shorten the drift, reposition or adjust the weight.
Our light spinning combo suits this side of the session. For rigging and retrieve detail, the Sydney Harbour flathead guide has useful transferable technique. Its Harbour locations and seafood advice belong to that waterway.
Keep a small metal ready for surface activity
Heading home from The Basin on that trip, we saw bust-ups and swapped the plastics for 10g metals. The photograph below records the result. You do not need to stop a feeding school with the boat to reach it: approach from outside, stay clear of other anglers and cast a lure that resembles the bait being chased.
Identify what you are catching. Bonito, salmon and small kingfish can all feature in local sessions, but they are different fish. Use the bonito-on-metals guide or Australian salmon guide for the relevant method. In September 2018 I found salmon between Careel Bay and The Basin one day and could not find them the next. Yesterday's school is a reason to look, not a reason to stay all morning.
Match the wind and current to the presentation
My Taylors Point blackfish session worked partly because the wind was behind me and the clear, shallow water let me watch fish enter the burley. There was little current, so the trail took time to develop. The luderick guide covers that method if you want a dedicated alternative.
For boat fishing, make a short trial drift before settling in. Watch the boat's direction, the line angle and where the bait or lure is travelling. If burley is part of the plan, put the bait into the trail you have, using the burley guide to choose surface or deeper delivery. Reposition when the tide turns or the wind changes the drift.
Launching, conditions and current NSW rules
Rowland Reserve, Bayview: the council lists a boat ramp off Pittwater Road with pay-and-display parking, toilets and picnic facilities. It is a practical starting point for a trailerboat session. Check the current Rowland Reserve information and parking signs before leaving the car.
Clareville: Clareville Beach is off Delecta Avenue, on Pittwater's eastern shore. For a short kayak session here, assess the carry from the car to the water, local signs, swimmers and wind before unloading.
Palm Beach: Governor Phillip Park's ramp is listed as a sand ramp on Beach Road. Check the surface and water depth for your boat and trailer. For fishing on foot around the peninsula, use the separate Barrenjoey and Palm Beach shore guide.
The Basin is not a drive-up launch. NSW National Parks says there is no car access to the campground. Reach it by water, or use the steep walking approach described in its visitor information. Check local alerts before planning a stop ashore.
Check the marine weather, wind trend and tide for both legs of the outing. Wear an appropriate lifejacket and carry the required safety equipment. NSW requires kayak users to wear one when alone or at night on enclosed waters, and at all times on open waters. The current lifejacket rules also cover small powerboats and children.
Keep clear of ferries, working wharves, swimmers and the seaplane operating area off Station Beach. Avoid damaging seagrass with anchors or propellers.
For fishing, pay the NSW recreational fishing fee unless exempt and carry proof. The current NSW limits include a 65cm minimum and bag limit of five for yellowtail kingfish, and a combined bag limit of 20 squid and cuttlefish with no minimum length. Baitfish have limits too.
Check the Pittwater and surrounding-water closures. In eastern Pittwater, nets other than a landing net are prohibited east of the specified Barrenjoey, Observation Point and Stokes Point boundary. That restriction matters if you are planning to collect bait; it is not a blanket ban on line fishing. Use the official boundary description before setting gear.
You can read the full outings in 24 Hours On The Water and Fishing for the Fridge. Take the useful lesson from both: have the next outfit ready, watch what is happening and leave yourself time to act on it.