The water has started to clear up after the unseasonal midyear rain we’ve been having that have flushed out the rivers and put some much-needed nutrients into the estuarine system.

This is great news for us flathead fishermen, as all the nutrients and bait should kick-start an early flathead season. This is because where you find a lot of live bait, you will always find a lot of flathead as they will lie, patiently waiting for the tide to drop and the water to drain off the banks, leaving the baitfish with nowhere to go but straight into their trap and become an easy meal.

This is when you will always get flathead, especially this time of year as they start feeding up for their breeding season. So whether you are into bait fishing or luring, the types of areas that you should be looking for are those with lots of bait which is food for the flathead, cover to provide camouflage to avoid detection and an exposing bank on a falling tide.

Some of the best spots with all these things are the weed and mud banks near Pandannus and Tipplers islands, north of Cabbage Tree Point on the shallow side of the green beacons, Slipping Sands, the bottom of Kangaroo Island, Tiger Mullet Channel and out the front of Behms Creek.

If you like using plastics, then a good rule of thumb is 2-5” with a ¼oz jighead with either neutral colours or my favourite white to mimic a struggling baitfish.

If you like trolling, then stick to 1-5ft drop offs, varying your speed and working the lure, which make it swim erratically and seductively.

Or if you’re a bait fisherman, then obviously live bait is the best option at any time. You can stick with pilchards or whitebait if you can’t get your hands on any livies.

The bream fishermen love this time of year, as the westerlies kick in around the Ekka holiday and keep the water temp low which the big bream love. I always seem to get better quality fish in August and they seem to smash baits rather than just picking at them. So when the bream start to feed in this way, it would be a great time to test your skills at luring with either small plastics or vibes around good structure like rocks, jetties or snags. If you’re looking for a feed of Bream try around the Powerlines, Flatrock, the bottom of North Straddie, the Stockyards or the structures of Steglietz and Rudy Maas.

Whiting are traditionally quiet at this time of year but there is still the odd ‘elbow-slapper’ out there if you are willing to be patient and put in the hard yards. Live blood and beach worms are simply the best baits but yabbies, prawns and squid will also do the job if no worms are available. In August the better spots will be the Gold Bank, behind Diner Island, the back of Tabby Tabby, the Never Fail Islands and near Slipping Sands.

The tailor should be running along the beaches of North and South Straddie and the westerly winds will aid in a longer cast which should give you a better chance at the bigger greenbacks. The ones that tend to come through the Bar are mainly choppers to about 50cm that will take metal slugs, trolled hard bodies, small plastics as well as pillies and whitebait for the bait anglers.

There should be plenty of school mulloway on offer on the days where there is little movement in the tides. You can get them on plastics and livies in the deep water off Swan Bay, the Point off Short Island, Flatrock or in the River near Marks or Pitts rocks

Thanks for all your reports and fish weighed in. Feel free to drop us a line at Gem Bait and Tackle on 3287 3868 or email on --e-mail address hidden-- for any up to date info and I’ll catch you next month.