The typical winter weather continues with just a trickle of boats braving the elements. Some are having reasonable returns for their efforts but it would be fair to say there is plenty of water mixed in with the fish.

There are those brave souls who will always be found out on the water and catch fish when us mere mortals will cave into the elements. Phil Wardle is one of those who can always be found out on the water despite the conditions and I received a call from him saying how he and girlfriend Anne decided to try their luck out of the wind on an estuary looking for bream, where he seldom fails. This trip was no exception, and Anne caught the biggest bream that dragged the tape way out to the 42cm mark.

I have received scattered reports of flathead being caught on various presentations. Susie Walton was one very happy lady after she bagged a ripper yank off Cape Woolamai and will be hoping to do it again at the next chance.

Pensions Corner at Inverloch is always worth a look and when conditions allow there are always fishers trying their luck off the shoreline. I came across a visitor Norm Sykes and a mate who had just landed a small but legal size salmon and hoped that this was the first of a few more!

Of course the recently renovated jetty at Inverloch is making life that much easier for land-based anglers. In my last report there were some very happy anglers catching mainly mullet and salmon with a sprinkling of flathead that made the trip to the area worthwhile.

There have also been a couple of large stingrays swimming around the pylons when I last paid the spot a visit. To say I was horrified when I saw some youngsters chasing them around under water would be an understatement to say the least. I told some adults who I guessed were supervising the kids, just how dangerous this could be. They were also surprised when I explained the spike in the tail bit but when it sunk in they told the kids to get out of the water. I emphasised to the youngsters just how dangerous this behaviour was and they stayed out of the freezing cold water, until I left at least.

Mahers Landing is always worth a try where boaters and land-based anglers can always be seen trying their luck. For the benefit of boaters and those not familiar with this area, there is always a better than average chance of fish such as mullet, flathead as well as salmon. I came across Andrew Holgate, who does not own a boat but is happy to try his luck from the area a short distance to the left of the ramp. He said that on his last trip he managed a very nice bag of silvers, salmon and mullet that he caught on the top half of the run-in water. He said that although he had a variety of baits, frozen pipis did the job, which just shows that it will pay to have a variety of presentations on hand.

Further to the left of the ramp there have been quite a few anglers trying their luck from the shoreline or from a boat where there have been encouraging numbers of flathead and silvers. As we are soon to be on the way out of the freezing cold conditions, the warmer water should bring with it an improvement as far as fishing results are concerned.