Long-term Lake Cathie resident and fisherman Paul Kunell said the lake now looks good enough to swim in.

"I reckon the lake looks great at the moment. It looks healthy, it looks flushed and there's nothing wrong with swimming in it," he said.

"As we get bigger tides for Easter we will be back fishing here.

"I've lived here for 20 years and as an inland lake it opens or closes when it's ready. I don't think it's meant to be open all the time."

Laurieton resident Emily Chapman said the opening of the lake mouth to the ocean would be beneficial to families who want to swim over the Easter break.

Port Macquarie fisherman Rob Bieceli said he travelled south to drop a line and avoid the dirty water currently rushing out of the Hastings River at Port Macquarie.

"I came down because the Hastings River is all murky and dirtier. This is heaps better than the Hastings at the moment because it's so much clearer," he said.

"There's plenty of fish out in front and I was thinking of going surfing (on the beach side) instead, when I saw a shark burst out of the water chasing something.

"I thought 'nope, let's stay fishing because I don't want to lose a leg'."

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