In the estuary, flathead, bream and whiting are the usual targets at this point in the season.

For flatties, the best baits will be either whitebait, prawns or mullet strips, however soft plastics, blades, soft vibes or hard bodied lures will also prove successful. Best areas to target are locations with a predominately sandy bottom, preferably with a bit of weed, a drop off or the odd rock to provide a bit of structure or an ambush point.

Remember, flatties are ambush predators which prefer to wait for food to come to them, so either a moving bait or lure will significantly enhance your chances of picking up a fish or two.

On the bream front, best results of late have been achieved by those targeting the upper part of our waterways with surface lures working a treat. Given the amount of cicadas around this season, no prizes for guessing what the gun lure profile has been.

For those content to use baits, the break walls, coal wall and Limeburners are all well worth a look and should fish better now a bit of colour has been injected into the system. Mullet or bonito strips, yabbies and gut baits will achieve good results.

On the whiting front, numbers have been reasonable this summer, with surface lures of all types working well.

On the bait front, either yabbies or live worms are your best bet. Prime locations are the back channel, Blackmans Point, the lower part of Limeburners and of course the entire system at Lake Cathie.

If Lake Cathie is your chosen destination, moving you offering to make up for the absence of tidal movements will pay dividends.

On the crabbing front, mud crabs have picked a little although so have instances of traps being either stolen or raided. Regretfully this is an ongoing problem nowadays and not just locally. Hopefully NSW Fisheries catch the culprits before a few keen crabbers who have lost gear do.

Also in the estuaries, a few school mulloway have been on offer. Best results have been achieved by those targeting the upstream structure and deeper holes on lures, however the break walls have also held a few fish.

While the deluge earlier this week was only brief and predominately coastal, any influx of colour may see a spike in activity throughout the lower reaches.

For those willing to travel and fish the fresh water streams throughout our area, bass numbers have been excellent. As with the bream, surface lures in cicada profiles have been the presentation of choice.

On the beaches, mulloway numbers have been solid from both Lighthouse and North beach, with live worms the as usual the bait of choice for school sized fish.

However as I’ve said many times, don’t be afraid to throw a larger bait if you are seeking a better sized fish. If you can find a couple, tailor fillets or heads are arguably your best bet, although live mullet or whiting are generally not ignored.

For those inclined to fish daylight hours, whiting numbers have been reasonable particularly from the northern end of Lighthouse as well as Shelley’s in town, while North Beach and Lighthouse have produced a few nice bream.

Tailor remain somewhat spasmodic with the best reports again from the Camden Haven area.  

Off the rocks, summer sees the pelagics arrive, with longtail tuna, cobia and spanish mackerel eagerly sought by the land based game fisho’s.

However given the cooler water hugging our coastline of late, it may be a few weeks yet till these prized species arrive in any numbers. In the interim, mulloway will be on offer at night, whilst the odd bream, blackfish and late season drummer can be pulled from the washes during the day.

Tailor of course should be on offer for those willing to rise early, with the Lighthouse locally as good as anywhere.

As always, if you wish to fish to fish the rocks, please be mindful of the dangers rock fishing can present, especially with the seas up as they have been this holiday period.  

Offshore angling really hots up at this time of year, with the warm currents which stream down from the north, bringing with them a range of pelagics such as mackerel, cobia, mahi mahi and the prized marlin to name a few.

To date, the water close in have been on the cool side, however hopefully a few more southerlies will bring the warm blue currents closer in. To date, best reports have been from wider out, with the odd marlin and yellowfin tuna about, while the FAD has been worth a look for mahi mahi.

For those content to fish the bottom, results have been quite encouraging, with some nice kingfish, sampson fish, pearl perch, flathead and snapper on offer. On the snapper front, despite winter being widely accepted as the premier time of year, summer also sees some great action, particularly from the close in reefs when the current really gets a head of steam.  

As usual, best methods for the better quality fish will be to either use plastics, live bait, or simply anchor and use plenty of burley.

All in all this is a great time of year for fishing in general, however in order to fully enjoy the rewards this time of has to offer, anglers must always be mindful of safety and use common sense during all outings. Take care when angling, whether you are out on the shelf or simply on the break wall; remember no fish is worth jeopardising either your own life, or the safety of others.

Also be mindful of regulations imposed by NSW Fisheries at all times.

These regulations are in place to protect the future of our marine stocks, and Fisheries officers will merely be doing the job they are paid to do if they need to impose infringement notices on anglers flouting regulations, either purposely or unintentionally.

Until next week, good fishing, tight lines and a happy new year to all.