Kings of the Lower Harbour

Sydney Harbour kings are structure-and-bait fish first. The consistent water is where current presses bait against cliff lines, markers, wharf edges, deep headland water or mobile bait schools. Fish it in short, deliberate moves: find current, find bait, then use gear heavy enough to control the first ten metres of the fight.

Live squid is the premium bait when available. Yellowtail and slimy mackerel are also useful, and garfish have a role around the entrance cliffs. For lures, carry a topwater, a metal, a deep-diving minnow, a 7 inch jerk-shad plastic on a 1/2-1 oz jig-head, and a 40–80 g micro-jig for deep bait. Check current local fishing, access, reserve and anchoring rules before fishing wharves, markers, naval-wharf water or ledges.

North Harbour

This north-side entrance water is kingfish country when bait is present. Old Man's Hat is the bait-ground focus, with yellowtail, garfish and slimy mackerel around the reef/sand edge. That bait pulls kings into cliff water, but the ground is exposed. A southerly swell or wind can make it uncomfortable quickly, and shore anglers need to treat the high cliff and ledge access seriously.

For boats, slow-troll a livebait close enough to stay in the zone without putting the boat in the wash. Live squid, slimy mackerel or yellowtail can be staggered to different depths. On a downrigger, track the front of North Head and adjust to sounder marks rather than dragging a fixed depth all morning.

Birds over salmon or bonito usually mean bait is being pushed hard. Kings may sit deeper than the splashes, so put a bait, metal or deep-diving minnow under the obvious surface fish. Old Man's Hat also suits a slow-trolled garfish or pilchard behind a pink squid skirt when kings are keyed to narrow baits…