It may have ruined a few camping holidays, but this week's east coast low was exactly what the south fishing scene needed.
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Torrential rain and huge swells have a habit of spicing up rock, beach and estuary fishing, with many species relishing the unsettled conditions.
Calm seas and gin-clear water have made it tough to get a bite of late. But turbulence around the rocks and in the surf, plus a dose of freshwater in the estuaries, has stirred up food sources and provided a bit of cover under which fish can move and feed.
Rock fishing has benefited most. This weekend could be a good time to try for drummer, bream, blackfish and even snapper in the wash zone.
Salmon, tailor and trevally should come on the bite, too, with lures and whole pilchards definitely worth a try from the stones.
Just keep an eagle eye on conditions and don't fish if it's not safe.
Estuary mouths are fishing well for salmon, bream, tailor and trevally.
Epic tussles with mammoth game fish have again been a talking point on the coast. This time it's a catch that would have made Ernest Hemingway proud.
Living at immense depths, swordfish are a challenging target at the best of times. But to catch one over 120kg from a 4.3m tinny in 1500m of water is a herculean effort in anyone's books.
The Bermagui angler in question caught the sword in his little boat more than 20km off Bunga on a fresh squid. It weighed 127kg and took around five hours to subdue.
It's one of a handful of far South Coast swords hauled from the depths by dedicated crews prepared to put in the time and effort. These fish are great on the plate and none are being wasted.
There are some tuna out wide, too. They're mainly bluefin and they're concentrated off Jervis Bay and Ulladulla at the moment.
