Well went for my fishing holiday. I can confirm there are lots of snapper in Port Jackson. Few points.
1. My long line was awesome. Best day was 7 snapper on 25 hook line after an hour. Let 3 go. Biggest 46cm.
2. Salted pilchards work very well. Even cut smaller than you think. Like 1 pilchard cut into 4. All bait was always eaten within about an hour. Except when i set it to close inshore.
3. Salted squid on the rod is very effective
4. The reef is dangerous for kayakers. I got into trouble once as the current picks up dramatically, even at high tide!! Had to abandon the longline one day and collect the next. Be careful!! The next day 2 snapper were still alive. One trace had been bitten off!! Probably by a shark
It seems that smaller bait works better than big ones. Interesting. Salted bait is definitely the way to go.