BLOG: Big city fishing

I was out fishing last weekend on an inclement day on Sydney Harbour. To escape the wind we headed deep into Middle Harbour, way past Roseville Bridge to hit some of the most interesting pieces of water I've seen in a while.

This was my first time in these upper reaches and the tide was perfect, the wind offering little distraction. With protection from the looming valley the water clarity looked about ideal - the only problem was the fish seemed to be absent.

I found it moderately surprising seeing it's the height of summer and I expect fish to be actively hunting the brackish margins, especially with little or no rain lately to wash them back down.

We tried plastics, blades and hard bodies for a few undersize bream and an undersized amberjack!

After a while, it seemed the wind had abated and conceding defeat the crew decided to head back down the waterway to fish the more expansive sections of the lower harbour. By the time we got there it was roughly midday and the sun poked its nose through the clouds. If you have ever fished the harbour with a moderate wind blowing you would know what that equates to; the bain of all fishermen - bloody sailing yachts…and thousands of them.

Not to be perturbed we settled on a little ledge another crafty Fisho contributor had tipped me off about and began our search and destroy mission. Instantly we had success! The only drama was it was smackbang in the middle of a major thoroughfare and my low profile bream boat was under serious attack. The moment a 90ft motor yacht roared past and left a wake 3ft higher than my gunwales I knew we were in trouble.

The dilemma was we were finally onto fish!

It seemed the big city fish are more accustomed to a bit of boat noise and commotion. Here we were plugging away for hours in a serene part of the system for zilch and the moment we have a go at flicking lures in the equivalent of Pitt St, we hit paydirt. Go figure!

So, do you think this was a coincidence or something that is par for the course in Australia’s major city waterways? Can fish become accustomed to a bit of hullabaloo?

My personal belief is they can. While angler comfort might be greater in pristine conditions, underwater who can tell? One thing is for sure, I’m ready to battle the Spanish armada again to get a few good fish! Please discuss..