Georges River

Fish documented nearby, not here

Nothing below has been documented at Georges River itself. Each one has been documented at a named place on the same ground, and the places are listed with it. Treat this as what the water around here holds rather than as a catch list for this mark.

Named only as a group

The guide for Georges River also names these fish by a name that covers more than one species here. It does not say which, so none is attached to this place.

• bream — could be Black bream or Yellowfin bream. Black bream and yellowfin bream overlap in south-east Australia and hybridise in Victoria; the working difference is the colour of the pelvic and anal fins.
• flathead — could be Dusky flathead, Sand flathead or Tiger flathead. Several flathead are fished in these states, and the state guides name dusky, sand and tiger flathead separately when they mean one; a guide that says only "flathead" has not said which.
• whiting — could be Sand whiting, King George whiting or Yellowfin whiting. The NSW department's Great Lakes guide says its whiting are sand or yellowfin whiting, and the Victorian bays' are King George whiting; "whiting" alone does not say which.

How people fish it

Practised here: Sea fishing, Lure fishing.

Methods the sources name for this ground. Each one is explained in full on its own page.

• Ledgering

  Fishing a bait on the bottom held by a weight, with no float — the simplest way to fish at distance, in depth, or in wind.

• Spinning

  Casting an artificial lure and retrieving it so that it moves like something alive — the most direct form of lure fishing.

Baits and lures for these fish

The baits and lures each of the fish above is commonly taken on, from that fish’s own page. This is what works for the fish, not a report of what people use on this particular water — local knowledge and the conditions on the day still decide.

The ground and the water

The ground

One of the three rivers, with the Cooks and the Woronora, that the department says run into Botany Bay. The department says the Georges and Woronora give the chance of estuary perch and Australian bass, especially in the upper Georges, as well as bream, flathead, whiting and mulloway. Mulloway are stocked into the river each year; in the department's sampling about a fifth of the mulloway caught in the Georges were stocked fish.

Through the year

Rules and access

Particular to this water: The department points to the state's dietary advice for fish caught in the Georges River and Botany Bay; read it before eating the catch. Where the river is tidal, the saltwater rules apply, and above the tidal limit the freshwater ones.

Beyond what is stated above, FishingHQ does not know the current access position here. New South Wales requires its recreational fishing fee to be paid in all its waters, with exemptions the state lists. Marine parks and aquatic reserves have zones where fishing is not allowed or only some methods are, much of the shore is an intertidal protected area where shellfish and other invertebrates may not be taken, the state publishes advice against eating fish from some waters, and wearing a lifejacket is the law when rock fishing in declared council areas. Bag and size limits change. Check the current position with the NSW Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development before going. This water is tidal and transitional, so the freshwater regime may also apply above the tidal limit: FishingHQ does not know the current access position here. The New South Wales fishing fee applies in fresh water too, trout rivers and streams have a closed season and some are lure and fly only, and much of the high country is national park. All of it changes. Check the current position with the NSW Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development before going.

Who holds the answer:

• The NSW Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development, which collects the fishing fee and publishes the rules, closures and marine park zoning.
• The council, port or land manager, where the shore or wharf is theirs.
• The NSW Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development, which publishes the freshwater rules and trout seasons.
• The National Parks and Wildlife Service, where the water is inside a national park.
• The NSW Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development, which sets the recreational fishing fee and its exemptions and publishes the rules, closures, marine park zoning and freshwater seasons.
• Service NSW, the state's service through which the licence is bought.
• The council, port or land manager, for wharves, parks, reserves and other land it owns or leases, which carry rules of their own.
• The NSW Food Authority, for advice on eating fish from waters with a contamination advisory, including Sydney Harbour.
• The National Parks and Wildlife Service, where the water or shore is inside a national park such as Kosciuszko.
• The managers of Booderee National Park, on Jervis Bay's southern shore, which is Commonwealth land with its own fishing rules.
• The NSW Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development: collects the fishing fee and publishes the bag and size limits, closures and reserve rules for this water.

Nearby fishing

Other publicly documented places within about 40 km, by distance. Positions are approximate public geography and are never exact marks.

• Botany Bay — 25–40 km · Bay
• Parramatta River — 25–40 km · Estuary
• Parramatta River, Gladesville to Ryde — 25–40 km · Estuary
• Clarkes Point Reserve — 25–40 km · Headland
• Balls Head Reserve — 25–40 km · Headland
• Lane Cove River — 25–40 km · Estuary
• Walsh Bay piers — 25–40 km · Pier
• McMahons Point — 25–40 km · Jetty

Sources for this place

• Go Fishing — Botany Bay Recreational Fishing Haven — NSW Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development, 2024 (Government fisheries body)Relied on for: The state fisheries department's Botany Bay guide: the haven, the fish, the methods, the aquatic reserve and the other restrictions it states.States this directlyPassage read and verified
• Recreational fishing fee — NSW Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development (Government fisheries body)Relied on for: That the NSW recreational fishing fee must be paid, and a receipt carried, when fishing in any NSW water.States this directlyPassage read and verified

How FishingHQ labels evidence is explained in the evidence policy. Last reviewed 2026-10-22.