At the time of writing we are mid way through a howling southeaster which has shut down another weekend to all but the most sheltered spots. The wind has affected the whole marine industry in the bay so far this year, with tackle shops and marine mechanics feeling the pinch. That's not even taking in to account all the frustrated anglers driving their family crazy because they are champing at the bit to get out and wet a line!

Because of the adverse weather, the rivers/creeks and land-based locations out of the wind have been the best option for anglers to get their fix. The Mary and Susan rivers have had a good variety of species to chase, with prawns keeping most boats busy and a well oiled throwing shoulder and cast net can get you on to some of the best eating seafood around. When you find the prawns it doesn't take long to fill your 10L limit, giving you plenty of time to wet a line afterwards.

There isn't much that swims that won't take a live prawn and at the top of the list is king threadfin salmon. Threadies up to 1.2m have been caught in recent weeks and some guys have been pulling 6-10 fish of varying size in a session.

Trumpeter have also been a regular catch with a lot of juveniles around, but if you sift through the small stuff you’ll find that better fish in the 45-60cm range are about.

Flathead, whiting, bream and the dreaded catfish have made up the bulk of other species being caught, and with muddies being a common catch it’s also worthwhile setting a pot or two.

Casting plastics and poppers off Scarness, Point Vernon and Gatakers Bay is worth a look when the wind is up from the south. A mixture of reef, estuary and pelagic species are all a possibility. Flathead, cod, bream, barra, trevally, mackerel and queenfish are regular catches and with so much rock and reef right at your feet it's not hard to see why it holds fish. It can be tricky extracting fish around the rocks and a 7-9 ft rod and a cool head helps. In the end though, it's all part of the challenge of land-based angling.