The first flakes of snow are tipped to tickle Barrington Tops this weekend, but on the coast it'll be mostly sunny and crisp.

Lots of bream, luderick, drummer and snapper coming into their prime, but still a fine time to find summer species about too.

Paul "Ringo" Lennon, from Fish Port Stephens Estuary Charters, reports a range of pelagics throughout Nelson Bay this week.

"Mac tuna, frigate mackerel, longtail tuna," Ringo said.

"Last week we were fishing for mulloway and the guy I was with, Daniel Buck, got a 25kg cobia.

"He was stoked. "Caught in 30m of water up the bay."

Ringo reckons it's a good chance it was following bait, of which there is plenty about, up the system.

"There's a heap of frogmouth pilchards, whitebait, yellowtail, slimeys and even garfish attracting predators," he said.

"Matt Coles got an 18kg longtail tuna in the bay on Thursday. They've been around a couple of weeks now."

Been some good jewies coming off ocean beaches as the mullet get on the move.

Some good sized tailor too.

The snapper fishing from Swansea up to Seals Rock is starting to fire up as well.

"Guys have been getting fish up to 8kg between Broughton and Seals this week and that will just be the beginning as the season swings into gear," Ringo said.

"From now for the next couple of months it will be prime time.

"They move into the shallows to feed on the bait schools.

"There's also been a few nice groper, drummer and luderick caught off the rocks, which is so typical of winter.

"It's a good crossover time for fishing where you get a little bit of summer and winter species but you should make the most of it while you can."

Ringo has some interesting observations when it comes to catching longtail, cobia and kingfish.

The Little Gibber and Tomaree are too hotspots for longtail, he says.

"Suspend a live bait 2m under a float and wait," is Ringo's advice.

"They'll come through in waves and you don't need too heavy gear

"They're not a dirty fighter - they won't do you in a reef.

"It's more about capacity rather than heavy gear because they will run.

"6kg line should hold them if you want to have a bit of fun, but ideally 10-15kg.

"They pull a lot of line, very powerful, but they just run until they get tired."

Ringo reckons it's pretty easy to tell when you've got a longtail on.

"There's that blistering first run, then you feel the tail beats of a tuna," he said.

"They move it quickly and swim in big circles under the boat with a stubborn fight before they get tired and you can get them to the surface.

Contrast that predictability with a cobia.

"A very random fish," Ringo said.

"You can't reliably target them - you'll find them in 60m of water, off headlands, down deep, taking livies, taking soft plastics - they are real pot luck.

"But you can pick them up fishing for longtail.

"They fight a lot more dirty than a tuna and will bust you off.

"But cobia are still a cleaner fighter than a kingfish.

"Take your time and you should be able to land a cobia."

Kingfish, on the other hand, are just animals when it comes to angling.

"They just want to drill you in a reef," Ringo said. "Run you into whatever they can. They generally know what and where the worst, nastiest structure is and generally it doesn't end well.

"Kingfish sort out inadequate gear pretty quickly.

"It's more about stopping them before they get to that structure than having line capacity."

Simon Howard emerged from obscurity to claim the Newcastle District Anglers Association Saltwater Boat comp last weekend.

There or thereabouts this year Simon finally triumphed with a great mixed bag that featured a kingfish (2.12kg), tailor (1.7kg), bream, squire and trevally fishing Salts Bay in Lake Macquarie and Swansea Channel.

"He was the only guy who got his maximum 30 fish for the weekend," NDAA spokesperson Craig Oaten said.

Mick Snowden (cousing of ex-NRL star Kade) finished runner-up.

Bob Hodges claimed the veterans crown. Kane Small won sub-juniors. No ladies or juniors braved the windy conditions.

In a historic NDAA first, rhe Golden Eagle team of Simon, Mick, Craig Oaten and Travis Broadbent finally beat Redhead in the team event.

The final comp of the season the Graham Dorse Memorial will be held at the end of June.

At this stage Shannon Denning is sitting on 40 points, two in front of equal second place-runners Jason Downey and Craig Oaten.

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