Most anglers are pretty chuffed that winter's nearly over and the fishing starts to heat up.
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On the coast, bass fishos are dusting off their lures ahead of the opening of the season on Sunday, September 1.
Many will head to the upper reaches of systems like the Tuross, Clyde, Moruya and Shoalhaven rivers in search of these little Aussie battlers.
Surface lures, diving minnows, spinnerbaits and soft plastics all work a treat on early-season bass.
One of my favourite techniques, especially under bright sunshine, is to sink lightly-weighted soft plastics in and around the snags, where the fish are hiding.
At the other end of these systems, the first of the season's flathead should be shaking off their winter lethargy and moving around the shallows.
The water around the estuary mouths is still very cold - as low as 13 or 14 degrees. Your best bet is to look around for spikes in water temperature, focusing on areas where it might be two or three degrees warmer.
The south coast estuaries are in desperate need of rain. Tuross Lake is almost closed to the sea and is crying out for a decent flood. That looks unlikely, though, with only a shower or two forecast in the next week.
The system is fishing well, though. Try up around the bridge for bream, whiting and blackfish.
It's been a weird winter offshore, with water temperatures remaining very mild. It's still 17-18 degrees off the coast, which is highly unusual for this time of the year.
It's meant the kingfish bite at Montague Island and other nearby reef systems has remained consistent all winter-long. And it looks like remaining that way indefinitely.
Locally, Murray cod season closes this weekend. Focus now shifts to the trout lakes, which are improving every day.
Don't discount the urban lakes, either, with a few early season golden perch already stirring in Lake Burley Griffin.
