On Flinders Island winter does not mean the end of all the fishing.

While most of the summer visitors such as tuna, yellowtail kingfish and snapper have left for other places, the reliable resident fish are still there to be caught.

Offshore in winter sees striped trumpeter at their best.

The fish are in prime condition and very active around the deep ledges as they work up to the spring spawning season.

Weather wise, July can produce some windy conditions, however when fine this time of year can produce some absolutely calm days with no roll or sea making for some great fishing.

Around the islands and closer in, good-sized gummy sharks are being taken in the deeper channels of the Pot Boil shoals and in 20-30m off the west coast. We can expect the gummy numbers to fall of a little in August with the better catches being off the North end of the island, but as the days lengthen into spring they will be back inshore again.

Some of the best catches are always in mid to late October and November.

Flathead catches have been consistent and these will pick up into late August and September with the runs of big fish starting out to the west of Whitemark.

For the land-based angler, garfish are being taken in good numbers in the port area of Lady Barron, with the small jetty and the slipway producing the best results. Off the east coast beaches and the North East River, salmon are being caught in good numbers with most of the fish in the 1.5kg range.

While early July is probably the coolest month of the year we are past the shortest day and for each week that goes by the fishing picks up a notch and before long is back in full swing.

This awesome gummy shark caught by Graeme Biggs of Ballarat.