It was a rare treat, given the big run of Murray cod in Burrinjuck looks to have slowed as water is released from the reservoir. But plenty of golden perch have been reported in all areas of the lake, with some excellent specimens coming from the upstream areas of the three arms, Goodradigbee, Yass and Murrumbidgee.

Worms, yabbies and shrimps have all been good baits, whether fished on the bottom or bobbed around flooded trees and steep rock faces. Best lures have been Burrinjuck Specials, bibless minnows and small spinnerbaits, and fish have been caught at all times of the day.

Anglers have reported some good fish from Googong Reservoir this week. Redfin to 49cm were caught on scrub worms, yabbies, spinnerbaits and other lures worked about 12m below the surface. Most of the fish caught were large enough to keep for the table, as distinct from the hordes of small fish being caught along the shoreline.

One group also reported some large golden perch and Murray cod to 70cm caught on spinnerbaits.

Tuggeranong was the place to fish for redfin this week. Fish were schooling at numerous sites along the shoreline, commonly herding small baitfish into the shallows. They were easy to catch on lures, including hard-bodied minnows, spinners and soft plastics. Catches of 40-50 fish per session were common and although most were small they provided a lot of fun.

There were plenty of redfin in the other urban lakes too, caught near the rowing regatta assembly area in Lake Burley Griffin and under Commonwealth Avenue bridge. Worms were the favoured bait but fish could be caught more quickly on shiny, fluttering, spinning-blade lures.

Golden perch are still active in local waters. Some nice fish were caught on scrub worms in Lake Yerrabi in the late afternoon and at night and in Ginninderra and Burley Griffin during the day.

Offshore fishing has been good, following a lean period of rough weather which kept boaters ashore for several days.

Off Broulee, anglers caught some big flathead, with several double headers, in 30m of water, together with a few gurnard, pigfish and Sergeant Baker.

At Merimbula there were plenty of snapper just 400m offshore, in 25-30m of water. Anglers bagged out on fish averaging 45cm and had a varied bycatch of nannygai, red rock cod, Sergeant Baker and ocean perch.

Game fishers are enjoying a good run of marlin wide offshore, mostly by switchbaiting. Mahi mahi also have shown in good numbers in the past two weeks and have provided good sport on light tackle. The fish take small skirted and minnow lures and are a great catch on saltwater fly gear. They are most commonly found around timber and other debris floating at sea and particularly around the FADS located along the coast.

There has been some good bass fishing at the coast, especially in the upper reaches of the Clyde River. The fish have been taken on a variety of lures, including small deep-diving and shallow-run minnows and especially surface lures.