A couple of quick phone calls to reliable local sources up north have confirmed that only a couple of kings have been caught in the last week, and nothing over the weekend, since the current slowed.

It appears that hopeful anticipation has led to a bit of exaggeration.

Locally, offshore fishers are optimistic that the conditions will continue improving, at the moment the water temperature is between 16-17c and the dirty water has gone. These conditions with light winds make for ideal fishing opportunities around Potato Point and Tuross.

Spring is always good fishing on these offshore reefs for snapper, mowies, nannygai and pigfish, with the sandy bottom producing excellent tiger and sand flathead .

The reefs around Montague Island have not been producing much in the way of quality fish in the last week. With Spring weather starting to kick in, the snapper should start to improve shortly. In Spring, bait is the key to a successful fishing trip to the Island, so invest in some quality squid or pilchards to get the best results. 

Large schools of slimes continue to be on the menu for predators, unfortunately at the moment they are only gannets, cormorants, seals and dolphins. When the water temperature rises a couple of degrees we will probably see some of the predator fish start to make an appearance.

The whale migration is continuing to pick up, with humpbacks and smaller whales making their way south. Fishers are reminded that boats under power need to ensure that they keep at least 100m from whales and 300m if there is a calf present.

Gummy sharks have returned early to local waters for the warmer months. Gummies come inshore on the dark of the moon, and return to the deep water when the moon starts to increase. Remember that when you catch sharks only take what you can use and safely return unwanted sharks to the water. Also ensure to bleed any shark that you wish to eat, this is best done by cutting through the backbone of the shark and hanging the carcass in the water for a few minutes to remove any iodine taste.

Joke of the week: Two morons rent a boat and go fishing. They catch a lot of fish and return to the shore. 1st moron: I hope you remember the spot where we caught all those fish.

2nd moron: Yes, I made an 'X' on the side of the boat to mark the spot.

1st moron: You idiot! How do you know we'll get the same boat?

Fishing tip of the week: This time of year always carry a heavy rod with a shark trace, there are makoes and hammerheads chasing the bait schools and can be lured into range of boat fishers with a nice berley trail.

Fishing soap box: New fishing bag limits get a score of 7/10, which is pretty good given some previous NSW Fisheries decisions. The reduced limits for bream, trevally, tailer and tarwhine to 10 is well based fisheries management. The reduction for offshore flathead from 20 to 10 per person defies logic, when trawlers fishing 3 miles offshore can catch any flathead as small as 28cms, yet the amateur size limit is 33cms.