Break out the winter woollies, it’s June already. After what seemed to be a very long summer we finally have a bit of winter gracing our doorstep.

June usually locks in the winter weather patterns with high highs and low lows. This means that high pressure systems cross the top half of the country, which are usually dry and have a big effect on local weather, and low pressure systems that cross the southern part of the country, which bring moisture (hopefully) and snow to the bottom half and chilly westerly breezes that flatten the sea to us in the tropics.

However, it’s not all bad news, as this also means the onset of the more temperate species to our area in the creeks and rivers. The bream will start to fatten and school up, there will be pike in every deep hole just busting to chew your favourite plastics to bits and, yes, the chopper tailor will also get thicker as the season progresses.

Out the front, snapper and squire will be moving around showing up on even the smallest bit of country, giving us small boat anglers the opportunity to catch a few and test out some new plastic techniques.

The full moon in June is traditionally a time for big Spanish mackerel further offshore and those with access out wide will really relish this time of year.

The Burnett has produced some patchy fishing of late and should start to improve as the cooler and more stable weather settles in. There has been a lot of fresh running this year and as this starts to dry up, the river will clear providing a better fishing for lure anglers.

I have been bouncing around a bit in the river and the mouth has a lot of bait concentrated in the channel that will start to move more upstream. As it cleans up it will bring all sorts of species so keep an eye out for the birds and fish around those bait schools.

There have been a few nice whiting about in the river and the guys fishing fresh yabbies are getting a good feed fishing in very shallow water. If you’re keen to try to target whiting on plastics the new Berkley Gulp Craw is definitely worth a look I have been fishing them of the beach with mixed success but am yet to put them in a creek.

I haven’t visited Monduran for a while but I have been told that the barra have started to chew a bit more, and with a little refinement of winter techniques it will be worth a fish in the warm winter days coming.

I took my daughter for a quick fish out to the Isis impoundment not long ago and found the water is pretty dirty. There was a strong southeasterly blowing and we could only tempt small fish to hit our lures. The impoundment will be worth another look this month as the bass will switch on fattening up for winter. It really is good fun, trolling small diving lures, like the Tilsan Bass and Frenzy Shacking Shads, and they work as well as plastics and spinnerbaits on the edges.