Permitted Fishing Gear

Line Fishing

• No more than 4 rods or lines to be used or set by any one person at any one time.
• No more than 3 hooks or 3 gangs of hooks attached per line. (A gang of hooks should have no more than 5 hooks.)
• One line may have 6 single hooks with lure attached to be used by the method of hand jigging only.
• No more than 3 treble hooks attached to a lure.
• Jagging is illegal (hooking, or attempting to hook, fish other than through the mouth).
• Drift lines are banned.
  

Nets that can be used to catch prawns

• 1 hand-hauled prawn net maximum length - 6 metres, mesh size between 30mm-36mm
• 1 push or scissors net - lead line to 2.75 metres, mesh 30mm-36mm
• 1 dip or scoop net - mesh, handle minimum 20mm maximum 1.2 metres - diameter 0.6m maximum, drop 1.25m
• Prawn nets must be hand held and not staked, set, or towed by a boat. They cannot be joined or used with another net.

Nets that can be used to catch fish and crabs

• Up to 5 hoop or lift nets - mesh 13mm min, 1-2 hoops per net. Not to be used in ocean waters
• 1 landing net - mesh 25mm min, diameter 0.6m max
• 1 spanner crab net - 1.6m long x 1m wide. Only North of Hat Head

Traps

• 1 lobster trap or pot - 1.2m x 1.2m, buoy 10cm min
• 1 crab trap - up to 1.2m x 1m x 0.5m, buoy 10cm min, mesh 50mm min, 4 entrances
• 1 bait trap - entrances 60mm max, not exceeding 45cm long x 35cm diameter

General

• All set gear must display your name and address above the water
• Hand hauled and scissor nets must be registered at a NSW Fisheries office
• Local closures for fishing, nets and traps must be observed
• Fish to which a legal length applies must not be filleted at sea
• It is illegal for recreational fishers to sell their catch
• It is illegal for recreational fishers to use firearms to take fish

Diving and Spear Fishing

Permitted

• You may use a snorkel when taking fish
• Scuba for scallops and sea urchins only
• Bare or gloved hand only to take lobsters

Banned

• Hookah apparatus
• A light with a spear / spear gun
• Power heads and explosive devices
• Spears / spear gun to take blue, brown or red groper or any protected fish
• Spearfishing on ocean beaches, except the last 20 metres at each end of the beach