Botany Bay & Georges River, NSW

Fishing Botany Bay & Georges River

Top 10 Species

Landbased

• Brighton-Le-Sands Groynes: These rock walls jut out into the bay provide fantastic structure and easy casting access to deeper water. Casting lightly weighted soft plastics parallel to the rocks on a run-out tide is highly effective for catching large flathead. The groynes offer excellent protection from the wind, but anglers must be cautious of the slippery, algae-covered rocks near the waterline.
• Tom Uglys Bridge: The pedestrian walkway underneath this massive river crossing offers incredible access to a deep, fast-flowing channel. Dropping large chunks of mullet straight down the pylons during the slack tide is a legendary method for hooking trophy jewfish. The tidal flow here is fierce, requiring massive sinkers and heavy braided lines to keep your bait pinned to the bottom.
• Dolls Point Sandflats: This expansive area of shallow water is a premier location for wading and targeting cruising whiting during the summer. Pumping fresh nippers on the low tide and casting them into the sandy channels on the rising tide is incredibly productive. Long, accurate casts with light fluorocarbon leaders are essential because the shallow, clear water makes the fish incredibly easy to spook.
• Kurnell Breakwall: This rocky structure near the entrance of the bay drops straight into incredibly deep, fast-moving water. Spinning with heavy metal lures at dawn produces violent strikes from passing schools of tailor, salmon, and occasionally kingfish. The rocks are large and uneven, making a long-handled landing net absolutely necessary to secure your catch safely.
• Captain Cook Bridge: The southern side of this bridge provides grassy banks and sandy drop-offs that are perfect for family fishing. Using a running sinker rig baited with fresh prawns is the best way to catch the massive schools of bream holding here. Night fishing is particularly good as the streetlights illuminate the water, drawing massive swarms of baitfish to the surface.

Offshore

• The Runway Extensions: The massive concrete pylons supporting the airport runways act as the ultimate artificial reef for holding trophy kingfish. Slow trolling live squid right along the edge of the exclusion zone is the most effective way to tempt a massive strike. Boaters must strictly obey the marked security exclusion zones and never tie off to any of the airport infrastructure.
• Watts Reef: This extensive area of shallow, broken reef inside the bay is a renowned hotspot for catching large silver trevally. Anchoring up-current and berleying heavily with chicken pellets and tuna oil brings the fish right to the surface. It is a highly popular spot, so arriving early and fishing during the rising tide offers the absolute best chance of success.
• Molineux Point: The deep dredged channel running past this industrial point is a superhighway for migrating mulloway and snapper. Drifting with large, heavily weighted soft plastics bounced along the bottom during the tide change accounts for some massive fish. The commercial shipping traffic here is intense, meaning small boats must constantly monitor their surroundings and yield to larger vessels.
• Towra Point Weed Beds: The expansive seagrass meadows here act as the primary nursery for the entire Botany Bay ecosystem. Drifting silently over the weed while casting lightly weighted prawn imitations is incredibly effective for large bream and flathead. This area contains a highly protected nature reserve, and boaters must be extremely careful to follow local aquatic reserve rules.
• Botany Heads: The turbulent waters between Cape Banks and Cape Solander offer phenomenal offshore fishing right at the bay entrance. Trolling deep-diving hardbodies through the wash zones during the early morning produces fantastic catches of bonito and kingfish. The outgoing tide colliding with a large ocean swell creates highly dangerous standing waves, requiring absolute caution from the skipper.

Hot Spots

• Trevally Alley: Anchoring in this deep channel near the oil refinery and deploying a strong berley trail guarantees action from massive silver trevally.
• The Sticks: Drifting live baits through these old oyster lease poles in the Georges River is a closely guarded secret for summer mulloway.
• Yarra Bay: Casting small surface lures over the shallow sandflats here at first light provides thrilling visual strikes from aggressive whiting.
• Bare Island Drop: Bouncing soft plastics along the sandy drop-offs surrounding this historic fort produces incredibly consistent catches of flathead.
• Silver Beach Groynes: Flicking lightly weighted prawns around the rock structures here during a high tide is a surefire way to catch bream.

Local Bait Tips

• Saltwater Nippers: Pumping nippers using a hand-operated suction pump on intertidal flats is a great way to secure premium bait. Ensure you remain strictly outside the Towra Point Sanctuary Zone where all invertebrate collection is federally prohibited.
• Poddy Mullet: Catching these small fish requires using ultra-light handlines or rods baited with bread dough under a small float, set in shallow creeks. While cast nets are strictly illegal in NSW, approved clear-plastic poddy mullet traps are perfectly legal and permitted in NSW estuarine creeks for harvesting live bait.
• Yellowtail Scad: These essential live baits are easily caught around public wharves using an ultra-light sabiki bait-catching rig heavily sweetened with small pieces of prawn. Using burley like breadcrumbs keeps the school active around your lightly weighted rig, ensuring you gather a healthy supply legally.

Bait and Tackle

• Botany Bay Bait & Tackle: 706 Princes Hwy, Kogarah NSW 2217 | Phone: 02 9588 4155
• BCF Taren Point: 120 Taren Point Rd, Taren Point NSW 2229 | Phone: 02 9531 8233
• BP Mascot: 1040 Botany Rd, Mascot NSW 2020 | Phone: 02 9669 3569

Basecamp & Accom

• Novotel Sydney Brighton Beach: Cnr Grand Pde And, Princess St, Brighton-Le-Sands NSW 2216 | Phone: 02 9556 5111
• Rydges Sydney Airport: 8 Arrivals Ct, Sydney International Airport NSW 2020 | Phone: 02 9313 2500
• Captain Cook Holiday Village: 285-305 Prince Charles Pde, Kurnell NSW 2231 | Phone: 02 9668 9801

Emergency & Safety

• Emergency: 000 | Marine Rescue Botany Port Hacking: Bldg 3, 202 Nicholson Parade, Cronulla NSW 2230 | Phone: (02) 8522 9400