Summer is here at last, the warmer currents are slowly making their way down the coast and the local fish are responding.

The beaches have really picked up over the past few weeks with good catches of quality bream, whiting, jewfish and plenty of tailor and salmon.

Bream, in particular, have been of good size and in good numbers. Top spots are Avalon South, Palm Beach, North Narrabeen near the surf club and South Narrabeen near the marquees.

Most fishos seem to be taking bags of two to six quality fish. Best baits are definitely live beach worms or peeled Hawkesbury prawns.

Whiting are responding well to live tube and beach worms and pipis, with several of fish going well over 500g. Best success seems to be on a rising tide around dawn or dusk.

For the general beach fisho, good bags of tailor and salmon have been taken on WA pilchards or fresh mullet strips from most of the recognised spots such as Dee Why, North Narrabeen at the lake entrance and at Curl Curl Beach.

There have been several quality jewfish weighed in at Narrabeen Bait and Tackle recently with one exceptional fish weighing 11kg cleaned, taken from Newport Beach on fresh local squid.

Of the other jewies we weighed, several were taken from North and South Narrabeen beaches, again on fresh local squid.

Outside, things are really warming up, especially for kingfish. Lots of kingies over 10kg have been taken, and many lost, around the close reefs such as Newport, Avalon and Long Reef, especially at The Wall and White Rock.

The locals who fish Long Reef are taking good size kingies along The Wall in the late afternoons on large local squid and live yellowtail.

Newport Reef is also firing up for good-sized kings taken by trolling and live-baiting. The trick is to be in close to the reef, just outside the bommie, and float the bait down slowly.

Maitland Reef and Lion Island are also holding nice kingfish and good bags are being taken using much the same bait as around the reefs.

The close reefs, such as Reggies, Trawleys and Boltons are holding mixed bags of including squire, leatherjackets, large tailor, snapper and the odd kingfish. These reefs are at their best into the evenings; use fresh bait such as local squid, Hawkesbury mullet fillets or fresh pilchards.

On these shallow reefs, remember to use plenty of berley to get started.

There have been small pelagics including mack tuna, bonito and kingfish between Barrenjoey and Long Reef in close in 20m-60m depths. Try tolling 7” Black Pete skirted lures or Rapala X-Raps.

In Narrabeen Lake the fishing is really hotting up with great catches of flathead, flounder, big bream and some quality whiting.

A number of large size whiting have been taken from the caravan park area and at the Ocean Street bridge on live beach worms and fresh pipis, especially in the evenings on a falling tide.

Good-sized flathead have been around the Narrabeen Sports Camp area and Deep Creek in the shallows. Whitebait or Hawkesbury prawns are by far the best bait with 3”-5” Gulp plastics also accounting for some quality fish.

It looks like a great Summer ahead wherever you’d like to fish.