What a mixed bag of weather we have had this summer; heavy rain, and then hot one day and freezing the next. We should settle into some proper summer weather soon though — fingers crossed! The ocean is the same, with the water temperatures varying daily. It could be 20 today and 15 tomorrow, which really changes the fishing.

The ocean boat ramp is now completed and looks good. When the weather is suitable, plenty of boats are getting out there and wetting a line. Some good fishing has been had from the new breakwall itself, with blackfish and trevally being landed and plenty of baitfish hanging around it. I won’t be surprised if a kingie is caught there, with the amount of bait present.

The kingfish have been going well, with plenty of good-sized fish been caught, and the best spot has been out around the aerials, which is nice and close to the boat ramp. Hopefully these fish a hang here for a while, as last year they passed by around the same time and weren’t seen again until later in the year.

Good catches of both sand and tiger flathead have been made out around Gabo Island. For those keeping a feed of fish, be aware of the size and bag limits, as there are plenty of Fisheries inspectors around at this time of year.

Salmon and tailor are about on all the local beaches, with plenty of good gutters anywhere from the lake entrance down Betka Beach, which is great to see as it allows anglers to find a gutter to fish on their own. Some good size yellowfin bream are also been caught, with the top of the tide the best time to chase these fish.

There’s been some good action with sand whiting, and the Bottom Lake, particularly around the entrance area, is the spot to wet a line. Dusky flathead are really on the go, with fish caught throughout the system. They cop a real hammering at this time of year, so remember to stick to the bag limit and also let a few go.

Bream, both black and yellowfin, have been caught, with the fish constantly on the move, so you need to do the same to find them. With the increased boat traffic, it pays to fish of an early morning or into the evening, with the bream not biting as well through the day.

Some great bass fishing has been experienced in the area over the past month, but just remember these fish are one of the best sport fish we have and are best released to fight another day.