As the weather warms around Sydney, the wind also picks up and afternoon sea breezes kick in.

Sydney Harbour fishing improves in late spring, from around November.

Sydney offshore waters have migratory tropical fish that leave when the water cools each year, including most of the gamefish species.

These gamefish return with the warm water of late spring, with fishing peaking in mid to late summer.

Many bread and butter species bite well in spring, and freshwater fishing improves as the weather warms.

As global oceans warm, Sydney fishing might kick off earlier some years, with more tropical species might be caught.

Fish around Sydney in spring …

Australian salmon – late winter and spring.
Bass – bass are often at their best in October.
Bream – all year. They tend to move upstream in summer.
Flathead – all year, but a good run of fish in September/October, and that applies to bluespot, tiger and dusky flathead.
Flounder – all year, but a good run of fish in September/October.
Garfish – all year.
John Dory – fish deep over bait grounds with livebait in early spring.
Kingfish – spring and summer.
Mahi mahi – from September, best between December and February.
Morwong – from late October.
Mulloway – often caught in spring.
Pink snapper – all year, but on offshore grounds they are often slowing down from late spring.
Silver trevally – good is September, slower after that until next winter.
Squid – all year. Try jetties with night lights, but many locations will produce at dawn and dusk.
Tailor – all year, but best late winter and early spring.
Yellowfin tuna – late winter and until September.

Here is a list of recommended tackle for NSW waters.

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Sydney tides
Sydney offshore artificial reef
Sydney estuarine artificial reefs
NSW stocked waters
Sydney dam levels
NSW dam levels
NSW fishing regulations
NSW marine parks

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Melbourne (Williamstown) tides
Melbourne dam levels
VIC fishing regulations
VIC marine parks

Melbourne weather gets windier in the spring months.

This tends to dirty the clear winter waters, and dirty water and turbulence can be helpful when chasing fish in shallow water.

There is increasing traffic traffic at the boat ramps as the weather warms and the October snapper run starts.

Melbourne winds tend to blow northerly in winter, and southerly in summer, and as spring sun warms the land, sea breezes begin.

Inside Melbourne’s two bays of Port Phillip and Western Port, lee shores provide calmer landbased fishing in spring’s windier weather.

Victoria’s tidal range is small, being near 1m at Portland and under 2m at the NSW border.

Nonetheless, high tides tend to be the best time for landbased anglers and the turn of the tide is best when boat fishing.

Fish to catch around Melbourne in spring …

Garfish – best in winter but still some around in spring.
Barracouta – all year.
Black bream – these are in the lower parts of estuaries in winter, and move upstream in summer.
Bass – in estuaries in winter and spring, and move upstream in summer.
Estuary perch – these are also in the lower parts of estuaries in winter, and move upstream in summer.
Flathead – flathead bite all year, with big fish caught in spring.
Leatherjackets – these bite well in spring.
Mulloway – can fish well during winter in the lower parts of rivers.
Pink snapper – these bite well in spring, usually from October through summer.
Salmon – these are about in spring.
Silver trevally – winter for bigger fish, still some around in spring.
Tailor – all year but best in spring.
Trout, brown and rainbow – usually good in early spring.
Squid – these fish well when the water is clear, which happens less in spring. Try jetties with night lights, but many locations will produce at dawn and dusk.
Yelloweye mullet – best April to October.

Some ideas …

Salmon and yelloweye mullet off the beaches
Snapper around the bays from October
Gummy sharks in Western Port Bay
Salmon in southern section of Port Phillip Bay
Leatherjackets around rocky foreshores

Further afield …

Early spring – bream and estuary perch in the Great Ocean Road lower estuaries
Salmon on surf beaches

Here is a list of recommended tackle for Victorian waters.

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Barranyi (North Island) National Park has two campsites for boaters who are fishing around the NT’s Sir Edward Pellew Islands.

The main campsite is on the north-west side at Paradice Bay, with another site near a small tidal at the south-west end at Mud Bay.

Boating access is from King Ash Bay Fishing Club on the tidal section of the McArthur River, or from Mule Creek.

Tidal restrictions apply, and it is best to do the trip on a rising tide in case of hitting a sandbank.

Launching at King Ash Bay, it is about 35km to the McArthur River mouth, and 47km to Paradice Bay, a total of about 82km.

The alternative Carrington River channel is about 33km to mouth, and 43km to Paradice Bay, for a total of about 76km.

Launching at Mule Creek is a 65km trip to Paradice Bay, and is heavily tide dependent.

Use VHF Channel 81 to communicate with King Ash Bay Service Station.

There is roughly a three-hour time difference from Centre Island tides to King Ash Bay tides.

Strong north-easterly winds can make it hard to anchor in Paradice Bay, but south-westerly winds often prevail in the dry season, when this area is usually fished.

There is good dry season fishing for pelagics such as queenfish, trevally and mackerel, with reef fish such as grass and red emperor, various cod, nannygai, jewfish and coral trout on the reefs.

In warm weather barramundi can be caught in the rivers and along sheltered foreshores, with blue and threadfin salmon all year.

Mud crab numbers vary from year to year but a feed can usually be caught.

Visitors to North Island must have an NT Parks Pass.

King Ash Bay has good facilities, including fuel, ice and accommodation.

The nearest township is Borroloola.

This area becomes busy during the dry season, nonetheless it is remote and care is required when exploring.

Crocodiles, stonefish and marine stingers are abundant.

King Ash Bay tides
Barranyi NP fact sheet
NT tidal variations
NT Million Dollar Fish promotion
NT fishing regulations
North Australian FISH FINDER fishing map book

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