Sweep are a common bread-and-butter reef fish around southern Australia, often turning up in big schools and keeping anglers busy. They are not the hardest pull in the ocean, but they are fun on light gear and make a handy target when bigger reef fish are quiet.
You will find sweep around rocky coastlines, inshore reefs, bommies, kelp-covered country and around jetties and harbour washes from southern New South Wales right around to South Australia and Tasmania. They usually hold in shallow to mid-depth reefy water, often schooling close to structure where there is a bit of surge and current.
Sweep feed on small crustaceans, shellfish, weed and other bits they pick off rocks and reef. They are more grazers and pickers than full-on hunters, so they often hang around structure and peck away steadily when food is moving past.
Tide matters because sweep usually feed better when there is some run pushing food across the reef, especially around the building and early run-out stages. Low light can help fish move a bit wider and feed with more confidence, but they will still bite through the day in clear shallow water. Light to moderate wind is usually fine if it stirs the wash without making it unfishable, while heavy wind can make bite detection messy. A bit of swell is often a plus around rocky washes because it knocks food loose, but too much swell can shut down safe access and make the water overly turbulent.
A light estuary or bream-style outfit works well, with small hooks, simple paternoster or unweighted baits, and just enough sinker to hold bottom. Berley helps a lot, and baits like prawn, pipi, squid strips, cunjevoi and small bits of bread or dough can all do the job around reefs and wharves.
Sweep often school so tightly around reef and wash zones that once you find one, you will usually find plenty more sitting with it.