Awindy and wet run of weather lashed the south coast here over the weekend, but fortunately we escaped the worst of what some other areas north of us copped. The fishing was still good for those who braved it, and there was some good fish caught.


The offshore fishing was the hardest hit over the weekend, the strong winds and increasing swell made things very tricky, but prior to the weekend there were some good days that saw boats on the water.


Jamie Widdison from Extreme Marine had the crew from Kobesy’s Tiling on board for their staff Christmas show and they found some nice gummies and an assortment of reef fish for the day, bringing a few home for a feed and letting a few go.


There has been a few nice hapuka caught late last week before the blow, the fishing over the shelf can be a bit hit and miss at times, but it’s great to see a few hitting the decks again.


Surf fishing has been the pick for many anglers while the sea has not been the greatest. The fishing has been pretty rewarding for most, and it seems like even the bad weather is not enough to slow the fish down.


The bulk of reports have been snapper this week, and some real beauties have been caught too.


Piccaninnie, Paradise, Orwell Rocks, Nene Valley and Canunda NP have all been productive just to name a few.


Austen Hansen who’s here on holidays from Canada has been doing a bit of fishing at Browns Bay, and he managed to land himself a nice chunk bronze whaler from the surf, along with a few salmon too.


He also let the shark go too! There has been a handful of gummy shark this week that I know of, Tim Carrison fished Nene Valley late last week and managed plenty of snapper, and then a nice gummy on the last cast, so it’s good to know we have options.


The boaties fishing the inshore kelp beds have been finding no shortage of snapper this week.


From way down on the border near Ruby Rock, through Green Point, Danger Point, Orwell Rocks and right back through Cape Douglas, Nene Valley and Blackfellows caves, the snapper have been fabulous.


The size is impressive, there has been plenty of fish over the 70cm mark, and a few that I have heard of have been even bigger.


The bait that’s in the same areas have been great too, whether it be salmon, tommy ruff or slimy mackerel, there has been plenty.


The odd shark has been boated down along the coast this past week or so, mostly gummies, but the odd schoolie and bronzie have been about the place too.


Whiting have really loved this last stir, the inshore sand holes were too clear for a while when the sea was so calm, so having a bit of a stir has done them the world of good.


The numbers of fish around are still super impressive, and the size is also very good.


Inside the Port MacDonnell breakwater is still continuing to fish well, there has been plenty of fish this week up over the 40cm mark, which are the perfect eaters I believe.


There has been some nice fish from the Danger Point area as well, and a few of the real big fish down there (over 50cm) have actually eaten half a pilchard which was destined for a snapper.


The Beachport and Southend guys are starting to find some more consistent numbers of fish in the bay down there which is good to hear, I know It was a bit slow in the early part of the season, but they have definitely caught up now.


The garfishing over the last week has been decent for most.


The standard spots that I mention most weeks have continued to produce nice fish again this week.


The bulk of reports I have heard have been from the waders or landbased fishos.


Once that sea settles again, we’ll see the boaties get back in on the action once more.


Cape Douglas, Livingstons and the Port Mac breakwater have been the most popular areas, but all the protected bays in the area are generally worth a look.


The fishing in Rocklands Reservoir has been red hot in the recent weeks, it does not seem to matter if you want to chase Murray cod, yellowbelly or redfin, there’s plenty of options.


Surface lures have been doing the damage on the cod in the early mornings and late afternoons, fish the wind protected bays and heavy timber and you’re in with a real good chance.


Yellas have been taken on the troll by fishos using stumpjumpers, while the guys casting lipless vibes and chatters have done pretty well over near the wall.


In the Glenelg, there has been a little bit more mulloway news this week.


Garry MacDonald boated a pair of 75cm fish over the weekend below Donovans, and a couple of others I have heard about from around the same area.


The bream and perch fishing was red hot over the weekend, Dave and Libby Moulden boated plenty of nice fish up around Sandy Waterhole, and all were taken on bait.


There’s no shortage of perch in the river at the moment, the only problem is that most seem to be only 8 inches long.


There is a few nice fish mixed in with them, which keeps it exciting, but they can get a bit annoying after a while.


The forecast for the weekend looks like it should be definitely fishable, but as always, keep an eye on it before you head out.


Until next week, safe fishing!


Coatsy