If you're weighing up whether to target trout in the mountains, or fish the coastal estuaries for flathead and bream, you're not alone.

The problem is, it's hard to split them.

Depending on where you fish on the coast, you may find some estuary systems cool and discoloured, courtesy of torrential rain.

But it's amazing how localised this is.

I fished two rivers less than 10km apart last weekend - one was the colour of Lake Burley Griffin, the other was crystal clear. It just depends on where the rain falls.

Systems with large catchments, like Moruya and Tuross, are murky but still worth fishing for flathead and bream in the lower reaches.

Bright soft plastics that stand out in the muddy water are your best bet. Plenty of fish are also being caught on bait, with fresh prawns and fish flesh baits the stand-outs.

There are heaps of chopper tailor about, too - something to bear in mind if you don't want your season's supply of plastics shredded!

Terrific catches of brown and rainbow trout are being reported from all three popular mountain lakes - Eucumbene, Jindabyne and Tantangara.

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Trolling is the go-to technique, with anglers able to cover ground and find patches of fish.

You definitely don't need to go deep, with plenty of rainbows and some solid browns feeding close to shore. Flat-lining Tassie Devils or shallow divers will entice a strike or two.

Walking the shoreline and making long casts with diving minnows or spoons is also yielding fish. Early and late in the day is the peak time for land-based angling.

Locally, golden perch are on the bite at Googong and Lake Ginninderra.