Competitors and organisers of the East Coast Classic and AIBT Tournament running out of Newcastle this weekend will be watching meteorogical reports nervously, with a rather solid southerly predicted to blow through on Sunday.

"It's hard at the best of times, but I'm predicting it will be won and lost on the Saturday due to the weather forecast," said Jason "One For" Nunn, from Fisherman's Warehouse.

"It mightn't be a problem for the bay boats coming out of Port Stephens but it might be challenging coming out of Swansea on that Sunday."

"Having had similar issues with the Big Fish Tournament out of Lake Macquarie, I'm feeling for the organisers who put so much work into these events."

Putting weather issues aside, the fishing this week has been encouraging.

"The northern current is running pretty hard out on the shelf, but it's bringing lots of northern species down," Jason said.

"There's hardly any current on the inshore reefs and this week we've seen mac tuna, spanish mackerel and northern bluefin tuna, mixed in amongst snapper, flathead and bonito which will always frequent this neck of the woods if we get that balmy sort of autumn conditions.

"With a bit of luck we'll see a few more cobia and I wouldn't be surprised if we saw a run of pearl perch.

"There's been lots of blacks on the inshore bite and the odd sailfish.

"Longliners have been working off Nelson Bay this week which suggests the presence of yellowfin tuna.

"I know there's been a few caught up north of Forster.

"Hopefully they don't catch them all and they make their way down."

Local beaches have been producing good numbers of flathead, bream and tailor, but Saturday will be the day to have a crack.

"The Lake is fishing very well for bream," Jason said. "There's a few tailor fluffing around but it's still early and won't be long before they build in numbers. Flathead have begun to taper as they do in March but on the back of the moon this week I would expect to see a resurgence in mulloway.

"Everyone's talking about the amount of squid about and people have been peppering them, but it's important to only take what you need."

Charlestown Anglers Fishing Club battled a bit of a southerly on their March outing last weekend.

Swell and wind made conditions interesting outside and on the lake Friday and Saturday but it didn't put members off.

Club spokesperson Troy Terrill reports a healthy return of flathead, bream, tailor, squire, flounder, whiting, salmon, luderick, mullet and a mighty cobia amongst various bags.

"Bonus specie was pearl perch but with conditions outside it was no surprise that there was no pearl perch for weigh-in," Troy said.

Brad Morton saluted in the Men's category with five species weighed, ahead of Mark Redman in second.

Jodi Terrill claimed Women's and Jye Morton took out the Junior Boys division.

Every fishing outing produces a few stories, and this one was no different.

Seas were quite epic last weekend, as Paul McDonald and Stu Glover discovered.

"They decided to head up to Nelson Bay to chase longtail," Troy reported.

"Paul took a shot of courage before he started to go out the heads, but seeing how big the swell was decided to turn around, with Stu giving a big sigh of relief.

"They had a fish around Shoal Bay with Paul throwing plastics then BOOM he hooked onto his first cobia. It wasn't a huge one but still was a great catch."

Mark Redman, meanwhile, had a brief encounter with a bull shark while berleying for mullet off the rocks.

"Nothing a change of undies couldn't fix," Troy quipped.

The club's next outing is April 9-11.

The time-honoured and ever popular Twin Rivers Fishing Classic is back in 2021, running next weekend March 19-21.

This time last year Covid was just ramping up and organisers opted to call it off.

But it's back on this year bigger and better.

"Sponsors just seem to keep coming," said organiser Peter Hughes.

"This year there will be a total prize pool over $7000, with the major prize of $2000 available to anyone who enters.

"It's the second biggest day of the year after Anzac Day for our major club sponsor, the Junction Inn Hotel, where we hold the weigh-in on the Sunday."

Organisers have introduced some catch and release categories this year to broaden the format, and Peter is sure the innovation will appeal.

"We've also re-introduced bass as a species in the catch and release to draw in those who like to fish the Williams Rivers," Peter said.