Stanage Bay over the past month has been good all round.

The road has been pretty good with a few drains across it here and there. The muddies have mastered their usual trick, and buried or hit the deep for their sleep in winter, so good pots and good bait are needed to challenge them.

Fishing up the sound has been a real hit for most anglers, especially for huge bream, flat salmon (which are commonly mistaken for tailor), blue salmon, king salmon, cod, fingermark, one lonely mangrove jack, whiting and flathead. These species have also been caught off the beaches in the bay and rock headlands.

I haven’t heard of anyone targeting barra off the headlands lately, as it’s most likely too cold in the creeks for barra at this time of year.

Out on the reef and off the islands, most anglers have easily filled their bag limits. The westerly winds have been blowing frequently, which usually brings on the mackerel and salmon and their bait. At the moment the reef is having a good spell with the warmer southeasters visiting.

No weather bureau can ever predict the weather up here, no mater how good they are for other areas. Until the BOM build a new system up here that can read the weather from both the north and the south at the same time I doubt they will ever get the prediction correct. This is because our waterways are where the northern and southern tides meet, which causes wild and challenging waters in one area and smooth calm waters around the corner.

But you can judge for yourself when you visit us. If you have any queries just contact Stanage Bay Marine and Accommodation or visit my website at www.justfishingstanage.com.