It's great to see the weather more settled with the sea temperature dropping and the fish having a good bite.

On the offshore scene it's really heating up. We have some great catches both in close and out wide.

The close reefs have been consistent with good runs of snapper up to 6kg with lots of 2-3kg ones. Sweetlip have also turned up on the close reefs in big numbers. Fishing light is the key to bag-outs.

I found that there hasn't been a lot to look at on the sounder, just a few scattered dots, but luckily this is all we have needed. After a good berleying up with old pilchards the action started within 15 minutes and some of our hangs have lasted around 4 hours. To my surprise fresh cut baits of mullet, squid and whole pilchards are out-fishing soft plastics.

Out a bit wider there are heaps of Maori cod on offer. Although there are hundreds undersized, live bait seems to entice the big ones to bite. If you can keep enough live yakka's up to them you may well bag-out.

We have landed some nice reds while live baiting for cod in the same area.

Other species that are having a go on the wider grounds are parrot, Moses perch and hussar. The only fish that are a bit quiet is the pearl perch, however we have caught some big ones on the 7” Gulps in pearl white.

I had a report from a couple of guys that they have done well on chopper tailor at the Oaks at Inskip Point. The best time was at night in the lead up to the full moon. I don't think these fish had much size to them but are good fun.

Dart, along with some quality bream, are being caught along pretty much the whole length of Rainbow Beach.

Flathead are the only fish worth targeting around the mud flat shallows at the moment. With the recent heavy rain the deeper water is full of green sea toads, which is a fairly common occurrence when the water gets dirty.

We have had a great run of mud crabs over the last couple of weeks and many locals have cleaned up on them. As the water temperature drops in the coming months the muddies will slow up.

How does everyone find the new bag and size limit brochures that our government has sent out in millions?

I find the layout of this brochure about as well organised as a dog's dinner. Hell, I even find it hard to find what I'm looking for!

Like myself, many of my charter and pro fishing acquaintances have long gone by the clearly explained Grant's Guide to Fishes, which is a colour photo guide of species that lists its primary name and nick-name for easy reference. However, the new Australian Standard Fish Names are mere confusion to many in sunny Queensland, for instance Venus tuskfish are known commonly as parrotfish.

Likewise, any angler checking the new Recreational Size and Bag Limits for Queensland brochure are just as confused. For example, it says all sweetlip taken must be a minimum 25cm, but in another column in says grass emperor (sweetlip) 30cm minimum. Wait for the fines!

Nevertheless, June is one of my favourite times of year and should herald stable weather conditions and even more consistent fishing.

For more information about my Keely Rose Fishing Charters ph 0407 146 151 or log onto www.keelyrosefishingcharters.com.au