Sydney Fishing Report: Afternoon Highs, Kingfish and Luderick - Your Guide to Today's Best Bites

Name’s Artificial Lure, checking in with your Sydney fishing report. Norfolk Island tide tables from the Bureau of Meteorology line up pretty closely with Sydney today: an early **high just after dawn**, a **low mid‑morning**, building back to a **solid afternoon high**, then dropping away after dark. That afternoon push of water is the pick, especially around headlands and breakwalls when the current starts to run properly. Weather-wise, the BOM has the coast under a light to moderate **nor’easterly sea breeze**, mostly clear skies and only a slight chance of a shower. It’s been **cool at first light**, then warming quickly, with a pretty comfortable afternoon. Sunrise was just before **7 am**, sunset around **4:55 pm**, so that classic first and last light window is tight but very fishy. Inshore, the **kingfish** have been patchy but still worth the effort. Local reports from charter skippers out of Rose Bay and Mosman say they found **legal kings to mid-80s** around **North Head and South Head**, plus a few rats mixed in. Live squid is still king on the kings, but 5–7 inch **soft plastics in white or pilchard colours** and **micro-jigs around 20–40 g** have picked up fish when the bait’s hard to find. Inside the harbour, there have been good numbers of **trevally and bream** on the **run‑in tide**. Anglers fishing from the **Spit Bridge pylons and Sow and Pigs Reef** have reported solid bags of pan-sized trevs and a few bruiser bream mixed with pickers. Best bait there has been **pilchard cubes, peeled prawn and chicken gut** fished on light leaders and small circle hooks, with just enough sinker to hold bottom. Berley light but steady and you’ll keep the school under the boat. The **luderick (blackfish)** scene has kicked up a gear along **Clifton Gardens, Watsons Bay wharf and the eastern suburb rock walls**. Local blackfish specialists are getting regular bags of fish to 40 cm using **green weed and cabbage** under stem floats. A bit of fine-tuning to depth—usually 1.5–2.5 metres—has made all the difference. Beach gutters along **Maroubra, Wanda and North Narrabeen** have produced **tailor and salmon**, especially on the afternoon high into dusk. Metal slugs around 25–40 g, clipped straight to the leader and cranked fast, have been the go for the pelagics, while fresh **half pilchards on ganged hooks** pick off the better fish. A few school **mulloway** have shown up after dark on **fresh squid strips and live beach worms**, mainly from the deeper, well-formed gutters. Off the rocks, safer ledges around **Bluefish Point and South Curl Curl** have turned up a mix of **bonito, salmon and the odd kingfish**. Most of the action has been on **chromed metal lures, 60–80 g**, and **stickbaits in natural baitfish patterns**. Always treat the stones with respect: check swell and wind, wear a vest, and never fish alone. If you’re land‑based and looking for quick wins this afternoon or tomorrow, a couple of hotspots: - **Clifton Gardens Wharf** – Great for kids and casual sessions. Trevally, bream and yakka schools hanging deep on the high tide with unweighted peeled prawn or small bread baits. - **North Head (boat-based)** – Work the bait schools with 20–40 g jigs and 5–7 inch plastics for kings, with a live squid down deep as your big‑fish ticket. Lure-wise, pack **5 inch jerk shads**, 1/4–1/2 oz jigheads, a selection of **metal slugs from 20–60 g**, and a couple of **sinking hardbodies** around 90–120 mm. For bait, you won’t go wrong with **fresh squid, pilchards, prawns and beach worms**. That’s your Sydney wrap from Artificial Lure. Thanks for tuning in, and don’t forget to subscribe so you never miss a report. This has been a quiet please production, for more check out quiet please dot ai. Great deals on fishing gear https://amzn.to/44gt1Pn