Stony Point Pier can be challenging to fish, but it is a rewarding location and many highly rated species can be caught here, including squid, whiting, flathead, snapper, and gummy shark. This pier is interesting as it is very seasonal, available catches seem to vary depending on the time of year, it is worth trying during different seasons to experiment for results.
STRUCTURE
Stony Point is pier of many species, and therefore, it benefits to have a variety of options, set out your trip planning for a specific species, such as whiting, squid, or gummy shark, and choose at least one backup species. E.g pack a whiting rod but bring squid jigs, or take down the egi rod but keep the surf rod in the car for later, if you’re fishing for whiting or snapper and the pier start getting painted in squid ink you’ll be spewing you didn’t pack any jigs!
The corner of the pier contains heavy structure, with plenty of pylons sporting weed and shelfish, this sort of structure will attract many species, usually here you will find grass whiting, wrasse, trevally and leatherjacket, but other species such as king george and flathead will often cruise through this area too. Straight out from about 3/4 down the pier you will find broken ground, rich with weed beds and sandy patches, focus your efforts here for squid and king george whiting. With a 12-15 foot surf rod you will have access to channels further out from the pier, the Rowmix Rig is a great rig to use to reach these further spots, where you are likely to find snapper and gummy sharks.
RIGS
Your choice of rig will again depend on target species, but as a general rule of thumb, a paternoster rig tied with 15lb fluorocarbon and size 6 long shank hooks is your general catch-all rig for this area, the longer shanks will allow easier hook removal from whiting, toadfish and leatherjacket. As for larger species, again we recommend the Rowmix Rig due to extra casting distance, however a running sinker rig tied with 60lb Black Magic Supple Trace and a 6/0KL Circle hook will also keep your bait on the bottom where it will be found by hungry fish, reaching further spots may not be as easy though.
BAITS
There are many baits to choose from for Stony Point, pippies are a great choice for smaller species, and eel will work well for gummy sharks to avoid the sea lice, however, squid is my personal favourite here, especially if it is caught fresh. Not only does calamari have a strong scent underwater, it is also extra tough when fresh, and can be cut to any size to suit smaller or larger fish, bluebait and pilchards are an option but be aware sea lice and bait pickers will pick them clean quite quickly here, especially at night.
Stony Point Pier can be a great location to fish, it can also be quite frustrating! Take your time here and get to know how the tide flows, when certain species visit and exactly where to find the best structure. With time and persistence this pier can be a fantastic location to fish.