At the moment it’s all about the large garfish, as these are now being caught in good numbers and can be found mostly around the sea grass beds down along the red channel markers.

A small float with a small #10-12 hook and a tiny piece of white squid bait is the perfect rig for the garfish. Whenever fishing for garfish, berley is as important as the bait and Ultrabite Stimulate Ground Berley mixed with a small amount of fish oil and sent in a trail down current will attract a school of gars very quickly.

Offshore anglers are starting to have good results bottom fishing for striped trumpeter and blue eye trevalla on areas such as the Binalong Patch and the 14 Mile Patch East of Eddystone Point.

A simple twin or three hook paternoster style rigs will do the job with a 16-24oz snapper style sinker dropped down on to some suitable reef.

Flathead anglers along the coast are catching good numbers of large flathead, and most fish seem to be in the shallower water not far outside the breaking waves along the beaches.

Areas along the coast between St Helens and Scamander have been producing good bags particularly around Paddies Island and Ring Rock.

The best lure for flathead at the moment seems to be the Neptune Arrow Jig rigs in both the pink and pink/white however the new lumo colour has proven to be absolutely deadly.

It has been almost a daily occurrence of schools of small to medium Australian salmon busting up the surface in Georges Bay feeding hard on schools of small baitfish.

Anglers in boats have had good success casting small silver lures and soft plastics at these fish with most fish being around the 1-2kg size.

Lures such as 10-15g Halco and Raider and soft plastics such as Yep Tassie Tackle 3” Minnow and Squidgy Flick Baits have been ideal. Mixed in with the schools of salmon have been good sized tailor and mackerel offering a bit of a lucky dip when casting at the feeding schools.

Also being caught in good numbers are large silver trevally and still hanging on are great sized King George whiting.

These species are excellent sport on light gear and both fish can be found in areas such as the main channel in the faster current, and the trevally are also in Moulting Bay and deep underneath the schools of salmon and tailor feeding on baitfish.

Sean Gower with some great King George whiting.