As we race toward summer, we are seeing very little rain and with the days getting longer and warmer, the visitors are starting to turn up. The months prior saw plenty of rain, and as a result, the water was a lovely shade of mud. The entrance is good and with good flow the system has now cleared right up.

Good gutters on all the local beaches have provided anglers with the opportunity to get among plenty of salmon with fish to 2kg and numbers of fish moving in and out of the estuary system. The growth on the rocks at the new harbour at Bastion Point will create some great fishing here in the coming months. A safe spot to wet a line and with the water warming, there will be a greater variety of fish caught.

Offshore the water is starting to warm up and gummy sharks have been caught alongside a few good-sized sand flathead with fish to over 2kg a common find. Bags caught over the summer period were very impressive. There is plenty of water out there and finding the bigger fish can take time.

Last year the arrival of big schools of baitfish saw the kingfish turn up over the Christmas period with plenty of fish caught on trolled lures. The fishing in the Bottom Lake has been good with steady tidal flow around the entrance area. Silver trevally love this area and can be caught on fresh bait and a variety of soft plastic lures. Yellowfin bream and dusky flathead have also been caught in the same area along with a few good size sand whiting. The Goodwin Sands are also producing with numbers of both black and yellowfin bream caught alongside plenty of good eating size flatties.

The Top Lake has also been fishing well with numbers of good size bream caught. Black bream the blacks are the more common of the two species along with big flathead. From the Top Lake to above Gypsy Point sees plenty of black bream and flathead.

Recent rains have made travelling in this area a challenge, and it’s easy to run aground as the sand banks shift. Maintain caution when boating so as to avoid any damage to your boat. The rains have kept the rivers moving which is great for the early season bass fishing. We’ve already seen some great fish come through and with anglers releasing these specimens; the bass season promises to be a good one.