It is a wonderful time of year to be fishing around Tathra.

Marlin are about. On the edge of the continental shelf you are likely to encounter striped and blacks, while a spread of lures towed around the Tathra Canyons may entice a big blue to investigate.

These fish are likely to be feeding on small tuna such as baby yellowfin, stripies or frigate mackerel. Sharks like hammerheads, whalers and makos also like these fish.

Closer to shore there are bottom fish aplenty with sand and tiger flatties most prolific and gurnard, gummy sharks and the occasional leather jacket.

Wider out on reefs in around 70 fathoms are exceptional snapper, perch, Tassie trumpeter and very big tiger flathead.

Closer to shore, expect more of the same with a bonus kingfish, morwong, jackets and nannygai, along with bonito, striped tuna and frigates and plenty of slimy mackerel to attract small black marlin.

These small blacks may even come in range of shore-based anglers live-baiting from the headlands or Tathra Wharf.

The wharf attracts many baitfish so kingfish, salmon and even bonito may also hit a live bait there.

Expect plenty of action along the beaches, where salmon, bream, whiting and mullet are all partial to beach worms.

The Bega River is regularly producing monster flathead. In years gone by a double-figure flattie from the river was a special event but now fish over the old 10lb (4.5kg) feature at least weekly and most are released to providing for an angling future.

When the tide floods, anglers should have bait fishing in mind as bream, whiting, mullet, luderick and trevally forage over the flats in search of crustaceans, molluscs and small baitfish.

Prawns, nippers or worms are all you need to acquire a reasonable feed of these succulent table fish.

The last of the prawns for the season are exiting the system, providing some good prawning for us and a rich food source for the fish.

Working prawn-style lures in the deeper sections or along the rock walls, especially early morning, may result in some of the above species along with estuary perch and mulloway. For some special action try live prawn baits.

Brogo Dam is thriving and the bass are well and truly on the chew.

These fish are mixed in size as a result of ongoing yearly stocking by the Far South Bass Stocking Association.

For the larger fish, try well into the night. There is lots of terrestrial insect life at present, especially black crickets, so when you get one of those steamy evenings when the insects are abuzz, try dark surface lures or flies and expect something special.