Now is the time to get your priorities in order, namely fishing, fishing and more fishing.

Let’s hope you have built up some Brownie points at home and at work over the cooler months, because now is the time to use them all up. Sure, you might end up divorced or unemployed, or even both, but what price can you put on a 60 pound jewfish or a leaping blue marlin?

Now is the time for the shore-based angler to get serious in pursuit of big jewfish, with North Entrance, Soldiers Beach, the northern end of Wamberal Beach and Putty Beach all great locations to tempt a big jewie.

The rocks adjacent to these areas are also worth trying.

The jewfish are really on the go in December with all areas firing, from the upper estuaries right through to offshore reefs. Also along the beaches and rocks there are tailor, flathead and bream and from the more prominent headlands kingfish, bonito and a few reds.

Mid-December usually sees the arrival of billfish off the Central Coast with the 60-fathom line usually fishing quite well with trolled lures and baits.

The full moon (December 27) is when the offshore guys get serious about jewfish on our inshore reefs. Remember to take a selection of live and dead baits as jewies can get quite single-minded about what they'll eat on any particular day.

Snapper fishing is also worthwhile at this time of year on the deeper reefs and also in close. Remember, lighter lines. smaller hooks and smaller sinkers are the way to go for the bigger reds.

Kingfish turn up in numbers this month on the inshore reefs and in some of our river systems. Trolling baits and/or lures is a good way of catching these kingies, especially if they are spread out over a large area.

In Lake Macquarie, Brisbane Water and the Hawkesbury River there should be a stack of big flathead ready to take a big live or dead bait or a lure. These big girls seem to like strong tidal flow so look for areas with strong running water, especially towards the river and estuary mouths.

If you find some strong run there's a good chance that all you'll need to do is put a sizeable bait in the water and you'll come across a good lizard.

The bream fishing is excellent at this time of year but if you’re using bait, smaller pickers can be a problem. Better fish can be taken after dark, when the pickers seem to pack up and go home.

Do yourself a favour and wet a line.