Weather looks good for Friday but west-sou-west winds and some rain are forecast throughout Saturday and into Sunday.

Combined with a predicted increase in swell, anglers might prefer to take their chances in closer to shore, targeting these classic winter sport species.

"The salmon showed up in big numbers on Moon Island on Wednesday and I reckon come the weekend, they'll be throughout Swansea Channel," Alex Smaler-Loomes, from Fisherman's Warehouse, at Marks Point said.

'They're big ocean salmon, very solid, and they're feeding on small white bait.

"We've been waiting for a school because the last one cleared out a week and a half ago, and sure enough they showed up midweek."

If you want to get into them, Alex reckons it's not too complicated.

"Honestly just get out into the school, use the sounder or you should see them busting up the surface.

"You can pretty much cast anything at them at the moment.

"Inside the lake, there's lots of tailor about and they are responding well to tail dancers. If the lures aren't working, go the old classic unweighted pilchard - nothing can resist that.

"You'll also find tailor in around the washes of Moon Island too."

Alex was pleasantly surprised by the water temp off Swansea this week.

"I caught bonito the other day and usually by this time of year I'd expect them to be gone, but it shows how warm the water was. There's even slimeys around so live bait is easy to get."

Dan from Sandy Bottom Boat Charters reports nice snapper on inshore reefs off Swansea fishing round that 30m mark.

He's also been doing well chasing kingfish further south on Texas reef fishing that 90m to 110m water.

Also, nice reports of snapper, perch and nanigai.

Neil from Tackle World Port Stephens reports plenty of luderick, bream and flathead around Nelson Bay.

"The local breakwalls have been pretty productive for luderick," he said.

"We've seen some decent catches of tailor of the beaches too. Places like Birubi and Fingal.

"For those prepared to fish early in the day or late from dusk into the evening have been rewarded with some nice winter bream too.

"Offshore, anglers have been picking up snapper on the reefs off Broughton, but it's been a bit blowy.

"Otherwise, it's been pretty quiet around the Port as far as school holidays go.

"We've got regional visitors but most Sydney-siders have observed the Covid recommendations and stayed away."

Simone Rowe from Tackle Power Sandgate reports lots of salmon on the beach and tailor around the headlands.

"Your usual suspects - gang pillies and chrome lures - are working best for the salmon, fishing those gutter areas on the beach," Simon said.

"But they're not that picky.

"Some guys are flowing big flat baits for jew and the salmon are latching on to them. Some people find that annoying but I say a bent rod from a salmon is better than nothing.

"There getting salmon all through the day, but it's more dusk and dawn for tailor around the headlands in those wash areas.

Simon confirms reports of good snapper on the inshore reefs up around Nelson Bay.

"Last week there were some very nice fish caught, and if you have a boat large enough to handle the swell you can get out. The wind hasn't been too crazy although the weather this weekend isn't looking that great."

Inland, Simon reports bass in the impoundments like Lostock, Glenbawn and St Clair are starting to get active around the edges, responding to jerk baits.

"If you want to fish Lake Macquarie, I suggest you work the waters down round Myuna Bay and Eraring on the western side and target winter species in that warmer water. Moon Island is holding squid out around the kelp beds."

Simon is looking forward to not having to wear a mask due to the Covid rules.

"It's annoying and we've seen a bit of a drop-off in business over these school holidays," he said.

"The numbers of day-trippers from the Central Coast and Sydney are way down and I haven't been processing the numbers of beach access permits I'd normally be doing this time of year.

'But I guess the locals are happy, they don't have to fight for a spot on the boat ramps."

Hats off to the dedicated team at DPI's Port Stephens Fisheries Institute marine hatchery who have "cracked the code" when it comes to developing and refining mulloway breeding technology.

Wild-caught mulloway broodstock are notoriously fickle and difficult to handle but earlier this year the DPI guys managed to produce a successful spawning event, resulting in thousands of mulloway eggs which eventually turned into fry and then healthy fingerlings.

Upwards of 80,000 juvenile mulloway were recently stocked into the Georges River/Botany Bay area as a result, and an additional 10,000 fingerlings into the Hastings River, near Port Macquarie.