Offshore looking to improve
Spring is can be unpredictable time offshore anglers. On the south there are some reports of yellowfin and albacore wide off Jervis Bay. The best approach at this time of year I recommended trolling with a mix of deep divers and jet heads like the new Strikezone series. The key is to travel at speed to cover as much ground as possible because the fish are always more spread out at this time of year. As a general rule the fish are smaller with the fin usually 10-20kg and the albies even less, however they are still fun especially on light tackle.

The NSW North Coast also has a few yellowfin but marlin are also on the cards as well as the occasional mahi. In fact the other day one of the boats reported seeing a big mahi cruising past the boat off Sydney. With the water up close to 24 degrees I suspect that we will be hearing about more of this very soon.

For those who are not as keen to travel a long way out then there are usually big schools of striped tuna in close from 30 to 90 fathoms particularly along the central coast. Easily identifiable under the mutton birds they are great fun on light spin tackle and small Halco Twisties. One hint I can suggest is to replace the treble with a single hook, not only does this improve hook up rate but if you plan to release them a single hook is much better for the fish.

Shark time
Shark numbers will also be on the increase. Makos are thick offshore and will be showing up in ever increasing numbers over the inshore reefs. Nathan Badaja fished off Barrenjoey and caught 3-4 losing a monster. At 30-50kg they also make great eating which is an added bonus.

White shark numbers will also be increasing with the hot spot being places like Hawks Nest North of Port Stephens. Off course you can’t fish for them but if you’re traveling through it is pretty cool to see one fining along behind the surf break. I really do think that we should be able to see them so we can appreciate, instead of getting locked out by marine parks, education is the key.

Down south in Victoria the snapper season is kicking into gear and early reports indicate good numbers of fish. There is also the spring run of threshers which is due to start soon. Last season they went berserk at Portland so hopefully it will happen again. Remember these fish prefer shallow water especially reef systems so focus your efforts around these, especially where there is concentrations of bait. While anchoring and berleying is the traditional approach trolling live baits and 190 Laser Pros is also highly effective methods that have yet to take off on Australian waters.

Tuna time
There are still reports of bluefin down on the Shipwreck Coast and I am not sure this is a late end to the season or and early start to the new one! Either way it is good news and is hopefully a sign of things to come. The best action is along the shelf especially where there are concentrations of birds.

I have also got Intel from the longliners that there are some big fish floating around in Tasmanian waters. While the info is sketchy rumour has it there are some solid fish to be found if you put in the hours!

Kingy time
With the water warming up the kings will really start to kick into gear. Nearly all the inshore reefs and bommies will start to hold fish from 1kg right through to more than 20kg. Finding the big ones is to a large part a bit of luck and there is no better way to improve your luck than by putting hours in on the water.

My favourite technique is to slow troll livies around the reef edges and bommies. Alternately in deeper water drifting with heavily weighted yakkas is deadly. The key is to watch your sounder intently and soon as you mark concentrations of fish send the livies down.

I fished beside Scotty Thorrington from Haven Charters (www.jiggingkingfish.com) and a had blinder catching fish to 12.5kg off Terrigal. Focus your efforts around any distinct reef edge or pinnacle. Further north the reports of kings off Coffs Harbour has slowed but there are heaps of fish at Fish Rock off South West Rocks which should continue for some time yet.

Take a kid fishing
It seems less people are fishing these days so my new plan is to get everyone who reads this to take a kid fishing. We are getting screwed by governments succumbing to misguided green groups and as a result we are being increasingly locked out by misguided marine parks that have no scientific basis. So instead of ranting and raving lets all make an effort and get the kids fishing. In Melbourne the snapper make great fun while up in NSW there are heaps of salmon and bonito to be found in close, so no excuse get out there and go fishing!