Fishing Manly
General fishing in Manly focuses on capitalizing on the dramatic contrast between wave-swept ocean rock platforms and completely sheltered internal bays. Light tackle enthusiasts extract wary bread-and-butter species from the calm coves, while those equipped with heavy gear brave the headlands for pelagics. This incredible geographical diversity guarantees anglers can always find a protected and productive location regardless of the prevailing winds.
Land-based anglers dominate the internal coves of Little Manly Point, utilizing finesse soft plastic techniques to successfully extract flathead and flounder. Rock fishers targeting the deep ocean washes off Blue Fish Point face extreme physical dangers from swells but are rewarded with phenomenal kingfish strikes. Shoreline casting near the illuminated pylons of Manly Wharf at night is a legendary method for securing large silver trevally on lightly weighted prawns.
Offshore and boat fishing dynamics concentrate heavily on the deep-water headlands and immediate offshore reef systems sitting just outside the heads. Trolling live baits along the sheer cliff faces of North Head is the most popular and highly effective way to locate massive trophy predators. Inside the harbour, smaller vessels rely heavily on depth sounders to locate structure and bait balls while maintaining a safe distance from busy ferry lanes.
Top 10 Species
Landbased
- Manly Wharf: This iconic ferry terminal is a bustling hub that draws incredible numbers of baitfish to its illuminated pylons at night. Fishing with lightly weighted peeled prawns on a slack tide is highly effective for catching large bream and trevally. Anglers must constantly watch for approaching ferries and are legally required to keep their lines completely clear of commercial vessels.
- Blue Fish Point: This is an advanced rock fishing ledge offering access to incredibly deep water directly off the ocean cliffs. Spinning with heavy metal lures or casting large poppers during the early morning produces violent strikes from kingfish and bonito. Correct safety gear including rock spikes and an approved lifejacket are absolutely mandatory due to the deadly, unpredictable ocean swells.
- Little Manly Point: A family-friendly location providing a gentle rock shelf and grassy banks dropping into the calm harbour waters. Casting soft plastics or fresh bait across the sandy drop-offs on a run-out tide yields excellent catches of flathead and flounder. The sheltered nature of this point makes it a fantastic backup location when southerly winds blast the main ocean beaches.
- Queenscliff Beach: The northern end of the Manly stretch features a distinct rip channel that forms right against the rocky headland. Fishing at dawn with fresh beach worms on light surf gear is the absolute best method for catching large whiting here. Anglers should fish the rising tide to maximize their chances, casting directly onto the edges of the shifting sandbanks.
- Shelly Beach Rocks: The rocky margins just outside the protected Cabbage Tree Bay aquatic reserve offer excellent float fishing for luderick and bream. Berleying heavily with chopped weed and bread keeps the fish actively feeding right at your feet during the high tide. You must ensure you are strictly outside the no-take reserve boundary by checking the current NSW DPI local zoning maps.
Offshore
- North Head: The towering cliffs of North Head plunge into deep, turbulent water which holds massive schools of yellowtail kingfish. Slow trolling live squid right along the edge of the wash zone is the ultimate technique for hooking a trophy fish. The backwash from the cliffs creates a highly confused and dangerous sea state, requiring an experienced skipper at the helm.
- Manly Hydraulics Buoy: This offshore weather buoy acts as a massive fish aggregating device, drawing in pelagic species from miles around. Casting small metal slices or soft plastics at the buoy yields fantastic catches of dolphin fish and kingfish during summer. Boaters must adhere to the legal exclusion zones and absolutely never tie off to the scientific equipment.
- Old Man's Hat: Located just inside the harbour entrance, this rocky underwater point provides a fantastic ambush zone for large predators. Anchoring in the current and establishing a strong pilchard berley trail brings snapper and trevally right to the surface. It is a highly productive spot during a southerly blow, offering decent protection while still fishing the main harbour entrance.
- The Colours: This well-known offshore reef system sits a few miles off Manly beach, offering phenomenal bottom fishing over broken structure. Drifting with paternoster rigs baited with fresh squid consistently produces large snapper, morwong, and the occasional flathead. The current here can be fierce, often requiring heavy sinkers and braided line to keep contact with the bottom.
- Quarantine Bay: This sheltered cove inside the harbour is lined with moored boats that provide perfect structure for bream and flathead. Flicking small unweighted soft plastics underneath the hulls of the moored yachts during a high tide is incredibly effective. Boaters must navigate at idle speeds to minimize wake and respect the privacy of the vessel owners in the bay.
Hot Spots
- Dobroyd Head: Casting deep-diving hardbodies right into the rocky washes here during a run-in tide is a deadly technique for catching tailor.
- Store Beach: Drifting slowly past this secluded sandy beach while bouncing soft plastics on the bottom yields large harbour flathead.
- Manly Artificial Reef: Jigging small metal lures over this sunken structure inside the harbour is highly productive for schooling silver trevally.
- Fairy Bower Drop: Wafting unweighted pilchard chunks into the deep holes just past the marine reserve boundary guarantees intense trevally action.
- Queenscliff Wash: Lobbing large metal slugs directly into the crashing whitewater here at sunrise triggers ferocious hits from migrating Australian salmon.
Local Bait Tips
- Bait Collection Shoreline Exemption: While the entire shoreline of Sydney Harbour is a protected Intertidal Protected Area (IPA) where collecting invertebrates is illegal, a narrow shoreline strip between Manly Point and Forty Baskets Beach is legally exempt, allowing the collection of bait invertebrates. Pumping nippers using a hand-operated suction pump on intertidal flats is legally permitted only inside this narrow exemption zone.
- 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.
Boat Ramps
- Little Manly Cove Boat Ramp, Manly:
Little Manly Cove Boat Ramp: Located at Stuart Street in Little Manly Cove, Manly, this facility features a single narrow concrete ramp on North Harbour. Staging infrastructure is limited to a passive craft unloading zone. Critical navigational hazards and tidal limits to note are being extremely dangerous in southerly wind conditions, restricted to high tide only, requiring a beach-push launch at low tide, lacking dedicated trailer parking, and park gates that lock at sunset.
Bait and Tackle
- Fish Outta Water Tackle: 181 Condamine St, Balgowlah NSW 2093 | Phone: 02 9949 9488
- BCF Brookvale: 43/45 Carter Rd, Brookvale NSW 2100 | Phone: 02 9905 5333
- BP Balgowlah: 281 Sydney Rd, Balgowlah NSW 2093 | Phone: 02 9948 4400
Basecamp & Accom
- Manly Pacific: 55 North Steyne, Manly NSW 2095 | Phone: 02 9977 7666
- Q Station North Head: 1 North Head Scenic Dr, Manly NSW 2095 | Phone: 02 9466 1500
- Sydney Harbour YHA: 110 Cumberland St, The Rocks NSW 2000 | Phone: 02 8272 0900
Emergency & Safety
- Emergency: 000 | Marine Rescue Middle Harbour: The Spit Reserve, Mosman NSW | Phone: 02 9969 3270
