They call December the silly season, but I would suggest it is the not so silly season to head out wide at Lakes Entrance.

As the weather patterns settle, it is a great time to head out to the various reefs systems off the entrance and target the snapper that congregate there. Take the time to find the fish on your sounder. Find the bait and the snapper will not be too far away.

Gummy shark will also start to show up in good numbers with the usual hotspots of just beyond the entrance of Lake Tyers and Pettermans Beach. If you are prepared to make the run down to the Pipeline and Tower, this is also a great gummy spot with the added bonus of the occasional large snapper.

The other hotspots leading into the holiday period will be the beaches. The annual run of Australian salmon will be a prime target whether you are using baits or lures. These fish are simply just great fun to catch and when you find them, it tends to be an extended session of catching these leaping, hard-fighting fish, putting lots of smiles on anglers’ faces. Hopefully, the larger fish will once again show themselves and hopefully have a few big tailor amongst them.

The other major attraction of fishing the beaches during this period are gummy shark. Lots of anglers will take advantage of the longer days and head to the beach to get a feed of these wonderful fish. It is a very popular pastime so please be mindful of other people fishing.

The estuary systems have been a little slow. The water temperatures have been low and kept the fishing quiet. Having said that, the odd nice flathead has been caught fishing the shallow banks and fishing around the various jetties and man-made structure always seems to produce some fish. Salmon and trevally in particular like these areas, just remember the fish tend to be close to the structure not out in the middle of nowhere.

The exciting variable over the next few months will be the increasing numbers of King George whiting that enter the system. The weed banks west of Kalimna Jetty, around Rigby Island and in the Reeves Channel will produce fish on shrimp baits. Behind Frazer Island is also well worth a look. Anchoring over the weed and casting into the sand patches will give you the best chance of catching these wonderful eating fish. These fish tend to be a little timid and shut down with lots of boat traffic, so try and target them during the quieter periods on a dropping tide.

I spoke to Frank Milito from East Gippsland Charters and he could not have been more excited about how Lake Tyers is fishing.

“The edge bite has been insane,” he said when I asked him about the fishing. He has had amazing sessions putting his clients onto some fantastic bream, casting small hardbodies around the margins of the lake. Flathead will also be around in good numbers. Keep your eyes open for baitfish in the shallow water or prawns flicking the surface and use them as an indicator of where the fish are likely to be.

Finally, the prawn run will kick in over the next few months. Smaller school prawns will kick things off followed by the larger king prawns towards the end of the year. Catching these is a great family activity and the reward is obvious.

Have a happy and safe Christmas and New Year.

snapper fishing to put their clients onto some great fish.