The recent school holiday period saw more anglers wetting a line at this time of year than I can ever recall.
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No doubt some great weather in combination with limited travel options were two of the main reasons for this, however, it also appears we have a higher participation rate in the sport during these coronavirus times.
This is great to see, particularly in respect to the number of kids getting off the Xbox and PlayStation and enjoying some rewarding and educational outdoor recreation.
In the estuary, flathead remain the star attraction with some quality fish on offer from most parts. As in recent weeks though, there are plenty of juvenile fish in among the better quality models.
Around Settlement Point has been quite productive for shore-based anglers, while those with access to a boat have been doing well between Hibbard and Rawdon Island.
Soft vibes have been particularly successful on the lure front, while whitebait has been the bait of choice by some distance.
Whiting numbers are slowly but surely picking up, with the back channel, big bay and Blackmans Point producing a few nice fish, with beach worms and yabbies both successful.
Luderick on the other hand remain patchy, however the odd fish to around a kilogram remain on offer from around Settlement Point.
On the bream front, the breakwalls have produced a few fish after dark on mullet strip. Lures during the day have worked well upriver.
For mulloway enthusiasts, the breakwalls are certainly worth prospecting, particularly around the tide changes after dark. Both lures and live baits have proven successful.
Off the beaches, the recent good conditions saw school mulloway again active during evening sessions, with North Haven, around Lake Cathie and South Beach at Dunbogan all holding fish.
Along with the mulloway a few reasonable bream remain on offer. Tailor on the other hand have slowed somewhat, although there are still plenty of salmon about. On the whiting front, the shallow spits on Lighthouse have held a few nice fish along with a few pesky dart.
Off the rocks, still the occasional drummer active however the action has slowed significantly as many locations begin to sand up as is usually the case from this point of the year onward.
Bream numbers remain reasonable as do school mulloway, with Point Plomer and Big Hill producing the better results. Tailor remain a little fickle although you should manage a few choppers from most locations as long as you catch the dawn.
Offshore, conditions of late have been about as good as it gets, with calm seas, little wind and plenty of fish about.
Snapper have again been excellent with fish to around 6kg taken from pretty well all reefs on both baits and lures. Along with snapper, some terrific pearl perch were taken off Plomer, as well as some tasty pigfish.
A little wider, kingfish have been consistent along with a few teraglin. Flathead also remain terrific in around 55 metres.
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