The Harbour also happens to be a fantastic recreational fishing venue. In fact, I’d argue that it’s fishing better today than it has at any other point in my lifetime. - Steve 'Starlo' Starling
Sydney Harbour is a truly remarkable body of water. Formed around 17,000 years ago when rising sea levels inundated a major river valley, it’s one of the deepest natural ports anywhere on earth — and without a doubt, also one of the more recognisable. Flash up images of our distinctive “coathanger” bridge or the modern expressionist “shells” of the opera house onto a screen and most citizens of the planet — no matter where they live — will immediately be able to name the location. These geographic icons are up there with the Eiffel Tower and the Statue of Liberty. However, for me, it’s the natural aspects of the Harbour that shine strongest.
There are still significant stretches of rugged shoreline around Sydney Harbour that look, sound and smell very much as they must have nearly 240 years ago, when the First Fleet sailed between those towering heads — or thousands of years earlier, when smoke curling up from cooking fires marked the location of small groups of First Australians preparing meals of freshly harvested seafood along those very same rocky shores.
First light is an exciting time to be heading out onto the world’s most beautiful harbour in search of fishing action
When out on the Harbour fishing, I sometimes like to mentally erase the chugging ferries, zipping pleasure craft and roaring jet airliners by fixing my gaze on one of those undeveloped stretches of shoreline and transporting my imagination back to such distant times. What an amazing place it must have been! But also, what an amazing place it still is. We should never take it for granted.
The Harbour also happens to be a fantastic recreational fishing venue. In fact, I’d argue that it’s fishing better today than it has at any other point in my lifetime.
Squid and yellowtail kingfish are two extremely popular targets for Sydney Harbour anglers.
I first fished in Sydney Harbour as a teenager during the late 1970s. For a time, we were lucky enough to live in the residence alongside the old police station at Watsons Bay. I’d regularly venture onto the nearby jetty to fish for yellowtail with a simple handline and small pieces of mince as bait. Every now and again, one of the big, super-cautious bream lurking in the shadows between those heavily encrusted pylons would make a mistake and inhale my tiny, mince-baited hook. Those encounters were always memorable, and often ended in me re-rigging with shaking hands after having my light nylon line shredded. But I had my victories, too, and they were sweet.
Over the subsequent half century, I’ve fished in, on and around Sydney Harbour on many, many occasions and not only enjoyed the experience, but been blown away by just what a superb fishery it truly is — in terms of both the variety and the quality of the angling options it offers.
Across those five decades, water quality in the Harbour has generally improved, and when the nets and traps came out in 2006, populations of many fish species began to rebound after years of intensive commercial harvesting.
Starlo with a cracking Harbour bonito — too much fun!
Of course, its not all sweetness and light. A ballooning human population places increasing pressures on the environment, and recreational fishing effort continues to ramp up every year. Populations of some species — such as yellowtail kingfish and mulloway — are hard-hit and show obvious signs of being growth over-fished, with larger specimens becoming scarcer. Other varieties like john dory — once common here — are now rarely encountered in the Harbour, although I suspect that could have more to do with changing water temperatures than angling pressure. But many of the Harbour’s other fish stocks — from bream and luderick to flathead, whiting, garfish, flounder, leatherjackets and the seasonal pelagics like bonito, salmon and mack’ tuna — are clearly thriving. Even the growth in bull shark encounters speaks volumes for the sheer vibrance of marine life in the Harbour. Peak predators are a clear indicator of a healthy food web.
The Harbour is home to heaps of hard-fighting luderick or blackfish like this beauty.
This year, I’m spending more time fishing Sydney Harbour than I have in a long while, and I’m doing it with a very specific purpose in mind. I’m building an on-line resource of videos, images and e-book instructional text called “Starlo’s Secrets For Fishing Sydney Harbour”. This “course”, for want of a better description, will become publicly available in early December this year and its aim is to help elevate more hopeful Harbour anglers into that 10 per cent category who catch 90 per cent of the fish.
This is one of the four amazing prize packs on offer for early bird pre-purchasers of “Starlo’s Secrets For Fishing Sydney Harbour”.
“Starlo’s Secrets For Fishing Sydney Harbour” will be all about equipping its end users with the necessary knowledge and skill sets required to choose the right gear, rig and use it properly, then read the environment and conditions accurately, in order to select locations, times and methods that are most likely to produce positive results.
When it drops in December, this course or on-line resource will sell for $39 (giving lifetime access to all the material, including any future updates). However, for a limited time only, I’m offering “early bird” pre-purchasers of the course the chance to pre-order it now, ready for its release in December, for half price ($19.50), and also go into the draw for one of four brilliant prize packs consisting of top-notch Shimano tackle and Mako Eyewear sunnies. Each of these packs is valued at around $790 (recommended retail) and, as I said, I’m giving away four of the packs between now and the end of November to those early bird buyers of the course at that half-price discount. If you’d like to find out more about this very generous offer, watch this explainer video.
If you decide to take advantage of this special offer, you can sign up right away by using the link below. I look forward to sharing news of those prize pack winners with you in future Fishotopian newsletters this year… and maybe you’ll even be one of them!
Sign up and go in the draw!Until next time, Tight Lines.
Steve (Starlo) Starling is an Australian sports fishing writer and television personality who has appeared in many of Rex Hunt’s Fishing Adventure programs on the Seven Network.
He has published twenty books on the subject of angling, as well as thousands of magazine articles.
Starlo has scripted and presented many instructional videos and DVDs, and been a Researcher and on-screen presenter for a number of Australian angling and outdoor television programs.
Follow Starlo Gets Reel on Youtube for some of the best, educational and most entertaining fishing viewing on-line.
Click on the banner below for a direct link to the Channel.
