February is a great time of year to be getting amongst the action with warm still days often offering superb conditions.

Along with the mild temperatures the warm currents will have bought with them yellowfin tuna, striped marlin and the odd yellowtail kingfish.

Large numbers of aggressive bream will be readily available throughout the state’s many estuary systems, and along with these anglers will also encounter other sportfish such as mackerel, mullet and silver trevally.

At the time of writing the D’Entrecasteaux Channel in particular Bruny Island is a hive of activity as anglers converge on good numbers of sand flathead and tasty calamari.

Anglers will catch these around Dennes Point and wide off renowned locations such as Ti Tree Point and Bull Bay. In the channel itself areas around North West Bay, Snug and Conningham will produce the occasional Atlantic salmon, plenty of small sand flathead, mackerel mullet, cod and the occasional leatherjacket.

Further south the areas around Middleton and Gordon are popular for larger sand flathead where most anglers normally find a fresh feed. Paternoster rigs are popular with squid or fish pieces used for bait.

Soft plastics fished on a heavy jig head in 8-10m of water will also produce.

On the outside of Bruny Island boat anglers will do well chasing flathead, gummy sharks, perch, large Australian salmon and calamari.

Shore based anglers will find the Neck Beach provides a consistent platform to target larger Australia salmon of an afternoon and large gummy and school sharks of and evening. Recommended baits are pilchards and whole small squid.

Southport remains a popular holiday location for Hobart residents with the secluded township offering an array of fishing options. The Lune river that winds its way towards the hills offers an array of sheltered water fishing.

Resident trout can be caught throughout the river with the odd sea trout also available. The middle reaches of these rivers will give up some often-hard to locate bream, yellow eye mullet and the occasional small flathead.

Lure, fly and bait are all effective methods with it well recognised the larger fish fall to bait and lure.

The river mouth and the waters just beyond offer superb bait and soft plastic fishing for a feed of flathead.

The saltwater fly angler can also have a ball here with these easy to catch fish readily accepting traditional weighted Deceiver and Clouser patterns flies.

Anglers with a large enough boat the deep water bottom bouncing wide of the Acteens can be productive. Reefs will produce morwong perch, the occasional striped trumpeter, large sand flathead and the occasional tiger (king) flathead. Fresh bait is often the key to success.

Trout anglers craving a freshwater fix the Huon River and surrounding waters such the Denison, Russell and Weld Rivers are all productive fisheries during February.

Lure and flyfishing is the most productive method with warm days preferred for the latter. Dry flies such as Royal Humpys, Red Tags, beetle and grasshopper imitations are all productive.

Nearby Lake Skinner is also a productive fishery this time of year.

Rachael Ellerton with a larger-than-average Bruny Island calamari.