The fishing over the last month has been quiet to say the least. Although there has been some salmon taken at all beaches, the sizes and numbers have varied. The majority of fish have been less than 1kg, though the odd fish of up to 3kg has been taken.

The fish don’t seem to be holding at any particular beach, so give any of the beaches from Lake Tyers through to McLoughlins Beach a try. You never know where the big fish are going to be on any particular day.

The salmon have been taken on bluebait, whitebait and pipis, as well as surf poppers in different colours. Berley would also be useful when the fish have been patchy, as it will keep them in your area.

Metal lures have also accounted for good numbers of fish, with 20-25g Raider, Laser, Halco and Gillies lures catching their fair share.

There has been a few mullet taken on the beaches in the Golden Beach area, with some good catches taken one day and then none the next. They have been taken on pieces of bluebait, whitebait, squid and pipis, and prefer smaller baits presented on a size 6 long-shanked hook.

Mullet are great fun on light gear. A 2m spin rod, fitted with a small 1000-2000 size spinning reel spooled with 3kg monofilament should see you having some great fun. They are not the best eating fish when frozen, they are best when freshly caught and cleaned, then cooked the same day.

It is surprising, but there has been a few flathead still being taken around Golden Beach, with most fish being around 50cm. They have been taken by anglers targeting salmon. Although their numbers have not been large, some lucky anglers have caught 2 or 3 in a session.

The odd gummy shark has been taken for those persistent enough to brave the cold nights. The best baits for the gummies are fresh salmon, mullet, trevally and tailor fillets, squid and pilchards.

Seven-gilled sharks are starting make an appearance and are sometimes encountered by those chasing gummy sharks. Both these gummies and seven-gilled sharks will become more common from mid-August on. The best times to fish are three days either side of the new or full moon.

Now that winter is drawing to a close, it is worth getting the surf gear ready for the chance to tangle with a gummy or seven-gilled shark at the start of spring!

There are still a few flathead being caught along Ninety-Mile Beach, but salmon are a better bet.