It has been cold and we have had heavy rain, causing all the rivers and streams to rise and run fast and furious, making fishing quite difficult.

But every situation has a good side; with the fresh in the rivers it will give the whole system a chance to renew itself. The entrance will be wider and deeper, allowing plenty of new fish into the estuary system.

Schools of bream usually taste the fresh water and migrate through the entrance into the rivers and the whole estuary system.

With the bream many other species will follow, schools of luderick, mullet, estuary perch, and trevally will arrive, followed by mulloway looking for an easy capture. Salmon and tailor will also arrive creating plenty of action for the lure angler.

When the fish arrive, the fishing will be back to its very best with most anglers again getting their bag, using both bait and lures.

Even though the river has risen, it is still possible for anglers to get some very good fish. Harold Sedarlan and Tom Rankin have been getting good bream in Lake Corringle, using frozen prawn and black crab.

Other anglers reported good fishing at Frenchs Narrows, with frozen prawn a gun bait. Before the fresh in the river, anglers were getting plenty of good-sized luderick fishing along the rock groins, using sandworm and shrimp under a float.

Lure anglers were also getting good captures of estuary perch, using both hardbodied lures and soft plastic lures. The sea garfish have been running at Cape Conran with many anglers getting their bag, using sandfleas and Dyna bait, used under a float. Dyna bait is a new product consisting of freeze-dried worms that can be kept on the shelf.

The surf beaches are still fishing well with plenty of salmon, tailor, flathead, mullet and shark on the chew.

The occasional gummy shark is still being taken although not many anglers are venturing out in late afternoon and early evening to judge how thick they may be.

There are plenty of takers in the day when weather permits and many are getting salmon over 3kg on both bait and lures.

Tailor, although not quite as big, are also plentiful with many anglers getting their share, again using both bait and lures.

Offshore from Cape Conran has quietened down since many of the bait fish have disappeared, the kingfish have disappeared with them, but there is still plenty of flathead, gurnard, barracouta, morwong, pinkie snapper, squid and shark to keep the keen anglers occupied.