Record rainfall makes for clean fishing on South Coast

Swollen, chocolate-coloured rivers have flushed tonnes of dirt and debris out to sea, throwing a spanner in the works for anyone hoping for a pre-Christmas estuary fish.

The worst affected, including the Shoalhaven, Clyde, Moruya, Tuross and Bega rivers, will be write-offs this week. They're simply too turbid to fish.

The smaller systems with less catchment will bounce back quickly. In fact, some of these inlets and lakes are already fishing well for flathead, bream, tailor and salmon.

A few of the best lie in and around Narooma, and include the very fishy Wagonga Inlet. Wagonga clears rapidly and is back to fishing normally for a host of species.

There are even a few large schools of salmon and some legal size kings zipping around in the top of the system.

To the north and south, Corunna and Mummaga lakes are also fishable for bream, flathead and tailor.

Speaking of tailor, a terrific technique at this time of the year is to follow the schools of choppers, regardless of what estuary you are fishing.

Big flathead and mulloway feed on chopper tailor, but other species sit under the schools waiting to clean up the scraps.

The only issue is the carnage these toothy critters cause to any form of soft lure, resulting in a costly day on the water.

Beaches are fishing well for salmon, with the massive seas stirring up the surf and enticing schools close to shore.

The smaller local lakes, and Googong Dam, are fishing reasonably well for redfin and golden perch.