Bass and estuary perch are going to be targeted heavily this month as many anglers get back to chasing them in earnest.

Most fishos will go straight to their ‘confidence’ lures, and there's no doubt that when you’re confident, your catch rate often rises.

I generally go to those lures that are my standout favourites, which I know how to use really well.

Some of these lures come in a variety of sizes, and I'll keep changing sizes and styles until my lures start getting attention.

If things start to get really slow, work your lures slower and choose those that look and behave more naturally.

The two most likely are soft plastics and flies. These have rarely failed me and have turned some pretty ordinary times into a respectable day’s fishing.

For the biggest adrenaline rush in bass fishing, I find it hard to go past a fly. To watch the line wave loose on the surface and then straighten in a split second as the bass hits is a startling reminder of how tenacious these fish can be.

Fly-fishing for bass is not that difficult. Call in to the Bass Angler in Penrith and let them help you put a suitable fly outfit together.

For surface flies, I can't go past a Crickroach, STP Frog, Bass Ant, foam and wood poppers, foam beetles and my all-time favourite, the Dahlberg in a variety of sizes and colours.

Most of my surface flies tend to be black or have naturally coloured. There are also some purple and fluoro coloured flies which are useful at times.

Sub surface flies such as the Bass Vampire, shrimp patterns and Woolly Buggers are all musts for your fly box.

But it's not just bass and EPs that have anglers looking for action.

What they lack in looks, carp make up for in spirit when hooked.

Some might argue that there are more exciting and appealing species to target locally, but thinning out numbers of these prolific feral fish can be helpful to our environment.

Use around 4kg line on a 6'6” or 7' spin outfit baited with worms, maggots, grubs, bread, dough, corn kernels, cheese or ham on a No 6 to 1/0 hook under a float.

Fly aficionados tie flies to resemble the bread or corn used as berley.

Carp can often be found lounging about in shallow weedy areas of the river. Pughs Lagoon at Richmond, Parramatta Lake, Glenmore Park Loch, Werrington Lake and a host of other spots all offer very easy access. For more scenic areas, try Yarramundi Lagoon or some of the spots around Menangle and Camden.

Some big flathead up to 70cm have been caught in the Hawkesbury between Sackville and Wisemans Ferry. The best bait seems to be mullet strips.

Some readers are sending me pictures of some great fish that were taken on camera phones, but the pictures aren’t doing the fish or the anglers’ efforts justice. Use a camera of at least 5 megapixels set to high resolution and you're in business.