After a forgettable week of average weather, there will be a slight window on Saturday before it sours again Sunday and Monday.

“There’ll be showers Saturday, but not much wind and not much sea,” John said.

“Late Saturday, a southerly is going to blow through. Sunday will be shithouse and Monday not much better.”  

Against that forecast, John suggests a Saturday shot at salmon and tailor on the run-in tide for estuary anglers.

“We’ve had a fair bit of rain this week and that’s coloured the water up,” John said.

“If you fished Salts Bay, you will get salmon and you’re a fair chance of bream. There’s lots of tailor round the Drop Over on a run-in tide.

“A mate of mine got a stack this week and it was rough as guts.

“’Southerly on a run-in tide’ is a good scenario – you won’t have much competition.

“Just anchor up in the shallow and fish into the deep.”

The seas are going to jack up again on Sunday, so Saturday is the best bet for a fish outside if you’re game.

John recommends turning right and go jigging for kings or fish for snapper in the deep water off places like Norah Head.

“Anything from 80 to 100 metres fo   trag, kingies, snapper,” John said.

“But get back in before the front moves through.”

The team at Duff’s Salamander Bait and tackle report the luderick bite is in full flight around the breakwalls of Nelson Bay. It’s a similar story in all Hunter estuaries.

Fish are responding to cabbage and weed, and even weed flys, morning and afternoon. Expect that to continue on into the colder months.

Bream and tarwhine are on the chew too. 

Beaches and offshore fishing have pretty much been a write-off.

A full Newcastle District Anglers Association team will vie for glory at the state titles at Hat Head over the weekend.

“We’re going win it,” declared a confident Craig Oaten, erstwhile spokesman for the NDAA.

“We’re looking to atone for last year, when we came third last, after taking it out the year before that.”

Craig said eyes were on the horizon and hopes high that the swell drops off as predicted so they can take advantage of “their secret spot”.

“I can’t tell you where it is because all the other teams might cotton on,” he said.

“That’s what happened last year, we couldn’t get to our spot.”

The titles are made up of two seven-hour sessions over Saturday and Sunday, with a weigh-in both days.

Collective weight over the two days wins the chocolates.

Fishing is purely beach and rock.

“There are 10 divisions in the state but normally eight or so turn up,” Craig said.

“We usually get bream, drummer, tailor, jew, and dart. You get the odd groper as well and a lot of sweetlip, trevally and flathead.”

The boys rent out a house each year and with 12 men in the team, Craig said it gets a bit crowded.

“But you don’t spend too much time in the house, between the fishing and the bowling club.”

A quick reminder, NSW DPI fisheries officers will be out in force during the June long weekend.

Make sure you have a current NSW Recreational Fishing Licence, available from more than 1000 agents including bait and tackle stores, online or on 1300 369 365.

The NSW Department of Primary Industries’ (DPI) 2017-18 freshwater fish stocking season has come to a close, with approximately five million fish stocked into NSW waters in recent months to maintain and enhance the state’s inland recreational fisheries.

A quick look at the Native Fish Stocking Plan 2018/19  for Impoundments & Dams reveals Glenbawn Dam is earmarked to receive 30,000 golden perch, 80,000 Australian  bass and 20,000 silver perch; Glennies Creek at Singleton will get 30,000 golden perch, 50,000 Australian bass and 20,000 silver perch; Grahamstown Dam will get 10,000 Australian bass; and Lostock Dam 15,000 Australian bass, 

The public have until June 29 to have their say on where they would like stocking to take place. 

The June long weekend also marks the closure of the annual trout season, which opens again on the October long weekend.  All trout dams remain open to fishing.