Summer is here and the fishing is in full swing, with the trumpeter season open and water temperatures rapidly rising after a cold spring.

December sees the start of the tuna season with the albacore first to arrive around Christmas and the bigger yellowfin and others to follow in January and February. The 24kg gear has been dusted off and is ready to use.

Inshore the snapper are drifting in and schools of yellowtail kingfish are forming up on the reefs. From now til early May, Flinders Island fishes at its best, both off the Continental Shelf and around the islands.

On the subject of unusual fish, we have over the years caught Rays bream at night off the shelf. These fish move up in the water column at night and feed close to the surface, they then return to the bottom by day.

A report from the east coast of Tassie had anglers jigging in 400m of water by day catching large Rays bream on the bottom, a fair effort in that depth with a 400g jig.

November saw several groups of anglers from Victoria visiting Flinders Island including the team from Frontline Termite and Pest Control out of the Yarra Valley and another from Gippsland travelling with Trackair Adventures, fishing good weather over Cup Weekend. Good sized gummies made up the best catches by both teams.

With summer now here Flinders Island is a great destination close to Melbourne and to avoid disappointment if you are considering a fishing trip book early as boats can be booked up for the peak season.

James Luddington operates the Strait Lady on Flinders Island and is the islands most experienced skipper for a wide variety of fishing experiences. James can be contacted through www.flindersisland.com.au/fishingtours.