Seasonal Runs & Monthly Fishing Calendar

Why Timing Beats Tackle

Beach fishing rewards anglers who turn up when the fish are actually there. Along the Australian coastline, most surf species move on predictable seasonal patterns driven by water temperature, baitfish movements and spawning. A basic rig fished during a good run will out-catch an expensive setup fished in the wrong month. This calendar is written with Sydney and the wider New South Wales coast in mind, but the logic carries north and south with a few weeks of shift either way.

Summer: December to February

Warm, clean water and long evenings. Sand whiting are the standout on Sydney beaches, feeding hard in the shallow wash on bloodworms, beach worms and nippers. Look for the shin-deep foam over a shallow gutter on a rising tide.

• Whiting — best on small long-shank hooks, light leader, worms.
• Dart and small trevally — active in the shorebreak through the day.
• Mulloway — night sessions around the new moon, on deeper corner gutters.
• Bonito and tailor — dawn spin sessions off headland-adjacent beaches.

Autumn: March to May

Arguably the best window of the year. Water is still warm but swells begin to build, cutting fresh gutters and stirring up food. Tailor move through in schools, bream return to the beaches to school before spawning, and mulloway feed on the baitfish being pushed along the coast. Late autumn is when a dropping barometer after a rain event can turn on a memorable session.

What to target

• Tailor — pilchard on a two-hook gang, or metal slugs at first and last light.
• Bream — mullet strips and pipis in the wash, especially after dark.
• Mulloway — live tailor or a big squid bait in a deep hole.

Winter: June to August

Cold water, big swells and the classic Australian salmon run. Salmon push north along the coast in schools that can be spotted as dark patches in the wave face or by working birds. They fight far above their eating quality, so consider releasing the bulk of what you catch. Winter also brings solid bream and the occasional big tailor on the change of light.

• Australian salmon — 20 to 40g metals, or pilchard baits under a lightly weighted rig.
• Bream and tarwhine — the quiet achievers on cold, clean beaches.
• Mullet — running north in autumn and early winter, and prime mulloway bait.

Winter surf is heavier surf. Watch a beach for a full fifteen minutes before wetting a line, keep your back to the ocean only when you have to, and never fish an exposed rock ledge alone in a rising swell.

Spring: September to November

A transition period that many anglers write off, which is exactly why it can be productive. Salmon taper off, whiting begin filtering back into the shallows as the water warms, and mulloway become more consistent on the bigger tides. Sand movement after winter swells means last season's gutters are often gone, so re-read every beach from scratch.

Monthly Snapshot

1. January — whiting, dart, night mulloway.
2. February — whiting peak, bonito on the spin gear.
3. March — tailor arrive, mulloway strong.
4. April — prime all-round month, mullet run building.
5. May — bream schooling, big tailor at dusk.
6. June — first salmon schools, bream consistent.
7. July — salmon peak, heavy swells.
8. August — salmon, tarwhine, quiet beaches.
9. September — mixed bag, gutters reshaping.
10. October — whiting return, mulloway on big tides.
11. November — whiting build, warm-water species appear.

Layering Tides, Light and Moon Over the Calendar

The month tells you which species are around; tide and light tell you when to cast. As a rule, fish the two hours either side of the change of light, and favour a rising tide into a gutter that has a clear entry point from deeper water. For mulloway, add the darker nights around the new moon and the first hours of a dropping tide after dark. Keep a simple logbook of date, beach, tide, swell and results — after two seasons your own notes will beat any general calendar.

Fish Responsibly Through the Runs

Seasonal runs concentrate fish and make them vulnerable. Take what you will eat, check current state bag and size limits before every trip, handle released fish with wet hands and support them in the wash until they swim off strongly. Carry your bait bags, line offcuts and old rigs home. Questions about timing a trip on a particular stretch of coast? Reach Beach Fishing Australia on +61240309140 or [email protected] during Mon–Fri: 09:00 – 17:00 (AEST).