Winter was one of the most consistent for years, even considering the bouts of awful weather, and let’s hope Spring is going to be just as fruitful.

For those fishos who have been brave enough to venture out, whether outside, from the rocks, beaches or the estuary, the fishing has been fantastic.

The beaches are still offering up a variety of species.

Excellent whiting have been taken over the past few weeks, although not in big numbers. The fish have been up to 40cm and around 800g. Mona Vale, Narrabeen North, Avalon and Collaroy beaches are proving to be the most consistent.

Try afternoons for the best results and use live or fresh beachworms.

There have been plenty of small to medium tailor taken from Palm Beach, Dee Why, Curl Curl and North Narrabeen beaches, with the majority of fish around 500g to 750g.

Best results have come with salted pilchards and whitebait and plenty of berley in the wash or gutter helps.

A few good beach spots to try are Warriewood and Whale for quality surf bream, especially in the southern corner of Whale.

Outside, most of the close reef systems are alive with trevally, squire, morwong, tarwhine and tailor. The pick would be Boultons, Newport and East reefs, as well as the Dee Why wreck.

These reefs are holding several species of fish and when fished properly can provide a nice mixed bag.

It is really important to berley up with a good mix of quality laying pellets and pilchards mixed together. This will enhance your fishing dramatically, especially when fishing shallow reef grounds for trevally and snapper.

The wider reefs such as Broken Bay Wide, Esmeralda and The Peak are producing larger species such as kingfish, snapper and samson. Several big kingfish have been taken on 300g jigs and on 7” soft plastic shad lures.

The drifting grounds off Mona Vale Hospital and Avalon Surf Club are regularly producing good numbers of delicious sand flathead – use whitebait and pilchards for best results.

The locals are also getting some great catches by trolling, with plenty of mack tuna, striped tuna and the odd good-sized yellowfin around Broken Bay Wide and the Fords.

Try small to medium tuna feathers or small skirted lures in darker colours.

For something different, why not try chasing the large schools of salmon that are off most headlands. The best way to snare these fish is to flick small baitfish-like lures or saltwater flies at them.

Salmon are plentiful at the moment and are exciting to catch. They are also good eating if properly cared for when captured – quickly killed and bled.

Narrabeen Lake continues to impress, even right through the colder months.

The variety of fish still being landed amazes me.

Some really healthy flathead have been landed lately, with one local weighing in a lizard over 3kg, which he promptly released – a really good thing to do.

Good areas for flathead in the lake are Jamieson Park and around the Wakehurst Parkway near the Scout hall.

Bream around a kilo have been landed around the caravan park down from the Narrabeen bridge near the car park.

One exceptional catch was a 9kg jewie caught at the back of Wimbledon Avenue, near the reserve. The fish was in excellent condition and took a whitebait which was meant to be for a flathead – what a bonus!

Several anglers have reported large tailor in the lake as well and there are luderick in good numbers around the Ocean Street bridge area.

Some of the luderick have been over a kilo, great to catch and quality eating fish.