We are now heading into the quiet time as far as the town and tourism are concerned but this is a time of year that many keen anglers look forward to.

The area received a much-needed night of rain that topped up the water tanks, but a lot more is needed to really fire up the fishing.

At different times over the past month it has been a challenge to get a few fish, not because the fish aren’t there but because there have been so many prawns that the predators are all stuffed to the gills with these tasty morsels.

This year the prawning at the river entrance has been memorable with people catching prawns by the bucketful. This has all ended now but there are many already looking forward to our next prawn season.

The flathead have been biting well with plenty of fish between 45 and 50cm caught. Fish of this size tend to be in a bit of a bunch with the bigger fish scattered around the entire lake system.

Small lures worked slowly along the bottom have accounted for some big flathead because they’re mistaken for prawns. The Firebait Longtail Minnow in yellow with red and blue fleck has been a gun lure.

Some pinkies have been biting with most of the fish undersize, but of a morning or evening you can catch fish to 35cm with the odd one even grabbing a lure meant for a flathead.

Jewfish to around 10kg have been caught with the best areas the Narrows and Cape Horn. The odd fish has been hooked in the day but if you’re really keen on catching a jewie then put the time in at night with good fresh bait.

Plenty of good-size yellowfin and black bream have been caught with lures and bait both working well. Fish are around the rockwalls, around the weedbeds and in the rivers amongst the snag piles.

The odd estuary perch has been caught in the river snags but they seem keener to bite at night. These fish are very predictable as far as where they hangout, with certain snags to their liking for one reason or another.

Even knowing where to fish, you still often need to make plenty of casts before these fish wake up and have a go at your lure.

Fishing off the beaches for salmon has been good and should only improve because the winter months normally provide a run of bigger fish. Gummy sharks are still being caught of an evening off all of the local beaches.