The town is still busy, and the caravan park is abuzz with visitors. The weather has been good despite the wind, and we have been lucky with the rain, missing the heavy stuff that fell further to the north.

The fishing has been excellent in the lake, on the beach and offshore. The bluewater fishing has been a matter of picking the right day, as the swell has been up and the wind has also played havoc. The fish are there it's just a matter of getting the conditions right to get out there amongst them.

Caution is needed when heading out to sea from the new boat ramp, as recent seas have knocked big boulders into the harbour, resulting in a number of boats doing major damage to propellers and legs of their motors. Flathead — tigers and sandies — are being caught, along with gummy sharks. The kingies will turn up again; at present they are further down the coast, but once that cold water starts pushing back up the coast, the fish will be driven north with it.

The beach fishing has been good, with yellowfin bream and whiting caught, with the entrance to the lake fishing well on the high tide. Fresh bait, both worms and prawns, have been working well. The past week has seen plenty of salmon turn up, with fish to 1.5kg common.

The main boat ramp in town has seen a big seal make this area his home. He arrived around Christmas and is still there, so give him a wide berth, as he is a wild animal and can move pretty fast. Meanwhile, the front section of the lake is fishing well, with flathead and bream caught, with the run-in tide fishing best. There have also been some salmon entering the lake, and these have been caught from the John Bull marker back to the entrance.

The Bottom Lake has been fishing well, with bait fishermen catching plenty of good size bream, with frozen prawns really working well. The Goodwin Sands area has fired up, particularly around dawn and dusk.

While guiding on the lake, clients have had a ball, catching plenty of big bream on hardbody lures, while the soft plastics have worked well on the flathead. The key is being in the right place at the right time. This gets easier when you spend enough time on the water.

Fish are being caught right through to above Gypsy Point, with great perch fishing had by those in the know. A few good mulloway are being caught, but those putting in the time are pretty secretive, and rarely let out the fact that fish are being caught. Good bass are still biting, with all the streams flowing well due to consistent summer rain

GleeMall0415_1

This seal has made the town ramp jetty its home since Christmas.