The shortest day of the year has past, so it’s all downhill from here. Winter is nearly finished and not only longer days, but warmer weather, and with the weather improving more anglers will be about chasing fish.

Although the fishing has been a bit quieter, there is still plenty of fish around for the keen anglers. And the good thing is it is only going to get better, the winter run of bream should be starting to show and with the frosts the mullet will be here in bigger numbers.

Boaters wanting to fish from Cape Conran should always be aware the ramp is subject to the weather, and also if the ramp is clear of sand or seaweed. Offshore although it’s a bit quieter, plenty of boats are getting good bags of flathead, gurnard, squid, barracouta, pinkie snapper, morwong and gummy shark.

Local anglers Allan Steel and Robert Marthick down towards Jackson’s beach bagged out on good size flathead using JIG-EM lures and bluebait.

Jack Robinson and Kirk Lawrence caught two good size gummy sharks and a good feed of flathead. Digger Howard caught good size morwong and a couple of gummy shark. Tony Perkins and Jason Healey also had a good outing with a bin of flathead, squid and pinkie snapper. While the fish are biting offshore the winter garfish are on the bite at salmon rock and the boat ramp; best results fishing with sandworm or sandfleas under a float.

The surf beaches although seeming pretty lonely, anglers are getting good size salmon up to 3kg and tailor nearly as big. The gummy sharks have been slow but some of the anglers who have braved the cold conditions have managed a few, mainly at night using squid legs. Don and Dot Treloar fishing Corringle Beach have been getting good salmon and tailor using bait, poppers and silver lures.

Point Ricardo is also producing good bags of salmon, tailor and flathead. Best results have been on bait, poppers, surf grubs and metal lures. Cape Conran and Yeerung are also fishing likewise, and as mentioned previously winter garfish in good numbers.

The Snowy and Brodribb River system is quieter than normal and the reason being the bream and mullet are not biting with their normal ferocity, hopefully it won’t be long until they arrive in big schools. The exception is the lure anglers who seem to be able to catch bream and estuary perch almost at will. I get plenty of reports of bream up to 48cm and estuary perch bigger than 50cm are being taken on hard bodied lures, vibes and soft plastic lures, with plenty of action fishing for salmon and tailor using metal lures.

The bait fishermen are not missing out altogether with catches of bream and luderick being taken in both rivers.

The Snowy is proving the most popular; luderick are coming up into the shallow areas to rid themselves of sea lice and other parasites and anglers are sight fishing the schools and following them along the sandbanks. Using light sinkers and sandworm they are casting over the schools and then winding back into the midst of them and getting instant hook-ups, now that’s a lot of fun.