The fishing in the Mallacoota Lake system has been tough but offshore grounds have produced great results in the past month.

Calm conditions have allowed boats to get out among the gummy sharks with bag limits (five per person) filled with quality fish in no time at all.

Gabo Island has been one of the most productive spots. The fish in this area have not been too fussy, with salmon fillets a top bait for the gummies.

There have also been a couple of seven-gill sharks landed in the same area.

Fishing on the beach in the evening with a rising tide is also a good bet for a gummy. Target the gutters where salmon have been hanging around and use a salmon fillet for bait.

Salmon have been haunting the beaches everywhere from the entrance through to Quarry Beach.

These specimens of 1-3kg are great targets, as they are moving from gutter to gutter. The fish are in such good numbers they can be caught on a painted barrel swivel slid on to the line with a treble tied on the end.

The odd tailor is also still about on the beach but most tailor seem to have moved on, with plenty to be found in the lake.

The entrance is getting deeper and is slowly moving to the north. As a result, Morrisons Channel has all but closed to the main flow and the abalone divers are using the main boat ramp to head out to sea.

The salmon are moving in and out of the lake regularly, with fish being caught from Captain Stevens Point through to the John Bull Channel marker.

Yellowfin bream and silver trevally are also being caught in the same area on small soft plastic grubs and stickbaits. Bait anglers have had similar success on live nippers.

Good catches of black bream, yellowfin bream and flathead have been caught by my clients over the past month.

The key to my success is that I am on the water all day, every day, but my clients have had to fish hard for their results, with the good days yielding over 50 fish.

The fish have been having an inquisitive nip at lures such as blades and vibes, with only a small number caught on soft plastics.

Estuary perch are also starting to come on the bite around the weed beds but with miles of weed to search, local knowledge or pure luck are essential.

The rivers have been productive with flathead and black bream in the Wallagarough and Genoa.