After a wet start to Autumn, let’s hope things remain dry this month so we can all enjoy some good fishing before our local waterways get much colder.

Fishing can still be very good at this time of year but some species will start to slow down soon.

Early morning starts can be freezing, but well worth it if you prepare yourself with a beanie and thick jacket. Once the sun gets up a bit we can enjoy some warmth so it’s not that bad.

Those chasing bream may have to search around, but once the fish are located they shouldn’t be too hard to trick with soft plastics or vibes fished deep and slow. Try 3” Berkley Gulp Minnow Grubs or Ecogear ZX or VX vibes and TT Switchblades.

Some bigger bream may be around as well, so a 5” gulp or larger vibe can attract these.

Bream will still take a surface lure but it can be a good idea to reserve topwaters for later in the day as the water warms.

Some places to try for bream this month are in Brisbane Water around the oyster racks, jetties, moored boats and deeper holes. In Tuggerah Lakes try at The Entrance, Toukley bridge and Budgewoi. In the southern parts of Lake Macquarie have a go at Mannering Park, Wyee Bay and Chain Valley Bay.

Flathead fishing is also a good idea this month. Plenty of legal sized flathead (36cm) can be caught on baits drifted along the edges of weed beds at The Entrance and around the bridge there at night.

Also try Ettalong, Woy Woy, The Rip and the lower end of Lake Macquarie. Expect to hook some much bigger flathead if using larger plastics or live poddy mullet in these areas.

Tailor will be moving around the lakes this month. Plenty of smaller choppers can become very annoying for those of us fishing for bream or flathead but some big greenbacks are also very likely.

Cast or troll large surface or diving minnows early in the morning or later in the day for a chance of hooking these big tailor.

This month and the following months are also great for blackfish in our estuaries. Green weed for bait is normally abundant around the shore of Tuggerah Lakes but sometimes it can take a while before you find some good weed. Take a rake and a bucket to put it in and you will have enough bait to fish for a few days to a week if you keep the weed in a cool place.

Some good places to try drifting a weed bait under a float are at The Entrance, near the bridge, boatsheds and in North Channel, and at Woy Woy where the channel runs past the township or at the bridges there.

Jewfish can be caught in Brisbane Water this month. Around The Rip produces some big jewfish as well as smaller schoolies.

They can also be found in the deeper channels near Gosford, Woy Woy and St Huberts Island.

Some big jewies are also swimming in Lake Macquarie for those anglers living on the northern end of the Central Coast. Big softies, vibes and baits like fresh squid or live tailor are normally the best for local jewies.

For rock and beach anglers May can be a great month. Mullet are schooled up in the sheltered bays and they attract jewfish, kingfish and some big tailor. So break out the heavy tackle and cast out a live mullet or fling oversized poppers or other big lures through the washes.

Bread-and-butter species like drummer, blackfish and bream normally bite very well during May. We have plenty of excellent rock fishing spots to try, from Avoca to Norah Head to Catherine Hill Bay.

Always play it safe on the rocks, especially the more isolated platforms along the northern end of the coast.

Tailor and salmon are also well worth chasing this month. Pillies on ganged hooks and lures both work well.

Surface lures make for some fun fishing, especially from the rocks early in the morning or towards sunset.

For offshore anglers, most of the warm water action has gone now. There can still be fish like marlin out wide and pelagics like bonito in close, so keep an eye on water temps and any bird activity.

Cool-water species like snapper and silver trevally should show up more regularly from now on. Some kingfish should also be around and they will take squid baits or live yakkas in close or fall to jigs out on the wide marks.