Chocolate brown coloured water, daily downpours and, most recently, a tsunami - these are just a few of the challenges South Coast anglers have had to face during mid-January.
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Just when the estuaries start to clear, Mother Nature drops another quick-fire 50-100mm of rain, guaranteeing more cloudy water to contend with.
The fish continue to feed - they have to - it's just much harder to find consistent catches in most of the creeks, inlets and lakes.
My advice is to fish deep - under the layers of fresh water - and fish the mouths. You'll find flathead, trevally and bream around in reasonable numbers.
There is better fishing to be had on the beaches and rocks, with salmon, tailor, trevally and drummer biting well. Just be mindful of tsunami warnings!
In all seriousness, the tsunami early in the week did cause of a few anxious moments for coastal communities despite it having a very minor impact on sea conditions.
It was powerful enough the reverse the tidal flow in a few estuary systems and close beaches up and down the coast.
The inshore water temperature has shot up to 21 degrees so hopefully a few kingfish, frigate mackerel, bonito and small tuna appear close to shore over coming weeks.
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Kings are certainly active around Montague Island. Unfortunately they're all 64.5cm - just shy of legal size.
Marlin numbers continue to build. The fishing is far from fast and furious, but each week seems to see better action and more fish moving south.
All Canberra's urban lakes and Googong Dam are brimming with redfin of all shapes and sizes.
Water clarity isn't too bad; it's certainly clear enough to fish lures effectively. Try little plastics and bladed spinners.
