The weather has been a little unsettled, which is usual for this time of year, but we are still doing quite a few trips with great results.

The mackerel have been a little patchy. One day you get a bag out and the next they seem to have vanished. I think this may be due there still being quite a bit of rainfall and fresh water run-off, they tend to like conditions dry and still.

On the flip-side, reef fishing continues to heat up. We have been experiencing good catches of snapper, not too big in size but a lot of 2-3kg specimens – the best eating size! These fish are responding well to small blue pilchards floating down with a pea sinker. Hit the bait close to and on the bottom and at this time of year, and pretty much the only time of year, baits are out-fishing plastics on the snapper.

Pearl perch continue to bite well, and soft plastics are out-fishing baits 10-1. Other fish that are biting really well are large mouth nannygai and Moses perch; big ones have been coming aboard in bucketfuls. Moses perch can be a picky fish, but the use of braid lines and small hooks will get you a bag limit of these great table fish.

We are beginning to pick up more red emperor right now, so it looks like it may be a good year for them as well.

Whiting remain the fish to target on the beach. I have seen some huge ones come from the Oak’s at Inskip Point by a group of fellows who were using blood worms that they had brought with them.

Blood worms are hard to get here, but there are plenty of sand worms that the whiting love as well.

A few chopper tailor are turning up around Middle Rock. All of the catches seem to be better at night.

Bream and flathead are the main species coming from the Straits at the moment. Bullock Point is the hot spot for flathead and soft plastics are doing the trick.

There are still plenty of mud crabs being potted, but one would assume that they will gradually slow down the more the water temperature drops.

June is a great reef fishing month. Last year we had huge catches of pearl perch and I think that snapper will also be a sure fire target fish this year.