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545 Posts
Hi all,
I just wanted to share my weekend experience with the forum as I have noticed quite a lot of people fishing from the shore (and off the groynes) at Brighton with zero success (including me in the past). Most of what I say below is common sense that we all know - but we don't always seem to apply.
Basically I took my yak down to the beach last Sunday with the idea that I would troll some SP's and HB lures up and down the drop-off at Brighton to catch something for the family BBQ lunch on the beach. Once I arrived I quickly changed my mind as the unfavourable chop and wind would have made for a cold and wet yak session (call me a wimp).
I figured while I was there I might as well pull out the snorkel and fins and take a quick look around just to see if there was actually anything alive around the rocks (I was sceptical due to the consistent lack of action I see from the shore fishermen in this area). I grabbed my trusty polespear just in case I came across something and headed out along the edge of one of the rock walls.
I saw a surprising number of fish in amongst the rocks, but if I ventured even 3 meters always from the structure it was a lifeless desert. We all know that fish are attracted to structure, but it seems that there is an absolute abundance of fish living inside the small caves created by the groyne formation. Within 15 minutes I had spotted 2 bream, 20+ luderick and a solitary wrasse (I am only reporting the fish of legal size - there were hundreds of smaller fish). All these fish (except the wrasse) were actually inside the rocks (ie. in the small caves). The wrasse was feeding on the outside of one of the rocks.
I also noticed that only one side of the rock wall contained fish - this was the side that was protected from the current (I mean that literally - not a single fish was spotted on the exposed side). As soon as I rounded the top of the groyne - the water suddenly cleared (visibility went from 4 meters to about 15 meters) and the fish appeared. This is interesting because the current was not particularly strong at all. I had always known that fish will sit in an eddy caused by the current but I had always assumed this was to save energy (of swimming against the current) - maybe it also has something to do with the water clarity (ie quality). Whatever the case, they were definitely not on the exposed sections of the groyne.
I notice that the shore fishermen seem to cast out some distance from the rock walls, which may be the main reason for their lack of action. The fish I spotted were literally within 2 meters of the waterline and would probably be susceptible to a bait under a float (probably a 30-50cm leader would be plenty). This part of Botany Bay is not an intertidal protected area, so I would think that using some of the massive local build-ups of cunjevoi as bait would be a good start. I also noticed a reasonable number of the small red (rock?) crabs which would probably also work as bait.
I guess the lesson that I learned here is the place you put your bait is almost more important than the choice of bait itself. The freshest live bait will remain untouched if there are no fish around to discover it.
All of this is probably common knowledge to most of you in the forum but it may do some good with the less experienced anglers amongst us (of which I am clearly one).
Anyway, while I was diving I quickly caught a trio of luderick for the family BBQ (the size of the largest luderick I got was 40cm which I thought was a good sign of healthy fish stocks).
P.S. the Blackfish tasted fantastic! :lol:
I just wanted to share my weekend experience with the forum as I have noticed quite a lot of people fishing from the shore (and off the groynes) at Brighton with zero success (including me in the past). Most of what I say below is common sense that we all know - but we don't always seem to apply.
Basically I took my yak down to the beach last Sunday with the idea that I would troll some SP's and HB lures up and down the drop-off at Brighton to catch something for the family BBQ lunch on the beach. Once I arrived I quickly changed my mind as the unfavourable chop and wind would have made for a cold and wet yak session (call me a wimp).
I figured while I was there I might as well pull out the snorkel and fins and take a quick look around just to see if there was actually anything alive around the rocks (I was sceptical due to the consistent lack of action I see from the shore fishermen in this area). I grabbed my trusty polespear just in case I came across something and headed out along the edge of one of the rock walls.
I saw a surprising number of fish in amongst the rocks, but if I ventured even 3 meters always from the structure it was a lifeless desert. We all know that fish are attracted to structure, but it seems that there is an absolute abundance of fish living inside the small caves created by the groyne formation. Within 15 minutes I had spotted 2 bream, 20+ luderick and a solitary wrasse (I am only reporting the fish of legal size - there were hundreds of smaller fish). All these fish (except the wrasse) were actually inside the rocks (ie. in the small caves). The wrasse was feeding on the outside of one of the rocks.
I also noticed that only one side of the rock wall contained fish - this was the side that was protected from the current (I mean that literally - not a single fish was spotted on the exposed side). As soon as I rounded the top of the groyne - the water suddenly cleared (visibility went from 4 meters to about 15 meters) and the fish appeared. This is interesting because the current was not particularly strong at all. I had always known that fish will sit in an eddy caused by the current but I had always assumed this was to save energy (of swimming against the current) - maybe it also has something to do with the water clarity (ie quality). Whatever the case, they were definitely not on the exposed sections of the groyne.
I notice that the shore fishermen seem to cast out some distance from the rock walls, which may be the main reason for their lack of action. The fish I spotted were literally within 2 meters of the waterline and would probably be susceptible to a bait under a float (probably a 30-50cm leader would be plenty). This part of Botany Bay is not an intertidal protected area, so I would think that using some of the massive local build-ups of cunjevoi as bait would be a good start. I also noticed a reasonable number of the small red (rock?) crabs which would probably also work as bait.
I guess the lesson that I learned here is the place you put your bait is almost more important than the choice of bait itself. The freshest live bait will remain untouched if there are no fish around to discover it.
All of this is probably common knowledge to most of you in the forum but it may do some good with the less experienced anglers amongst us (of which I am clearly one).
Anyway, while I was diving I quickly caught a trio of luderick for the family BBQ (the size of the largest luderick I got was 40cm which I thought was a good sign of healthy fish stocks).
P.S. the Blackfish tasted fantastic! :lol:
