This year will be no exception, although the social distancing guidelines in place during these COVID-19 times need to be strictly adhered to at all times.

Regretfully, this has not been the case over the past couple of weeks, not just locally but right throughout the country.

As a result, fishing and other outdoor activities have been banned in other states, to protect people from their own stupidity.

Other areas of NSW have also declared local beaches off limits for the same reasons.

As such, if you want to retain the angling and exercise rights we currently have, please follow the guidelines currently in place.

These are extensively advertised so ignorance is not an excuse, and realistically allow a high level of freedom when considering the potential impact this virus can have.

If we don't, and further restrictions are implemented, we will have no one to blame but ourselves.

Off the rocks, long tail tuna are about in solid numbers with reports of some successful, and some not so much, encounters from most locations from Hat Head to south of Forster.

Look for this action to continue if not improve over the coming weeks, especially when offshore winds become more common.

Also off the rocks, tailor and bonito remain in good numbers, while those floating a bit of cabbage report some excellent blackfish and the odd drummer. Bream should also pick up now the moon has begun to wane.

Results have been terrific from most stretches of sand with North Beach producing bream, whiting and tailor in reasonable numbers, although a lot of the bream were only juveniles. Lighthouse has held bream and whiting, with the latter particularly common from the southern end.

The beaches around Lake Cathie have also yielded improved numbers of tailor, as has Grants beach at North Haven.

Mulloway however remain elusive on the whole, apart from a few isolated catches.

In the estuary, the breakwalls are holding good numbers of blackfish and bream, with the latter likely to improve as this full moon dims.

Flathead remain consistent in most parts, with Limeburners and around Pelican Island fishing well on both lures and whitebait.

The same locations are also holding some terrific whiting, with yabbies or worms the go.

Plenty of mud crabs also up river although keep an eye on your traps for obvious reasons.

Offshore, there are fantastic numbers of pelagics on offer from the close-in grounds, although as is usually the case, results will vary in line with water temperature and colour. Spanish and spotted mackerel, cobia and long tail tuna have all been encountered locally.

On the reefs, snapper numbers remain terrific for this time of year, along a few other mixed reef species.