Large swells in the past week have hampered fishing opportunities already restricted by the COVID-19 lockdown, but the weekend's forecast for sunny skies and temperatures into the 30s offers a chance to enjoy fishing before wet weather hits next week.

Jason "One For" Nunn, from Fisherman's Warehourse Marks Point, welcomed the promising forecast and believed the swells, bigger morning tides and warming weather should lead to good fishing.

"We've been marred by unrelenting swell," he said.

"But this weekend, that swell is going to tidy up and we're going to see westerly winds. The advantage of westerly winds is this inshore fishing in particular is going to be quite exciting.

"On the back of another big swell that's stirred it right up again, you are going to see fish in close.

"Before all the blows were happening, there were plenty of snapper around. I'm assuming on the back of that big swell the other day, it's going to be the same case.

"We're starting to gain our big tides in the morning. We're almost at that equinox period where it goes from big tides at night to little ones. Today we've got a 1.7 metre high tide and that's the biggest we've had since March of a morning.

"Everyone was ringing me last week saying there was no water in the lake. That was because we had that period of not much exchange of water. This week we have a nice exchange. I think there will be opportunities to get out there and chase snapper.

"With that exchange of water, 30 degree air temperatures and on the back of big seas, there will be some fish in close. There will be snapper, a few kings and there's still some very big schools of salmon along the coastline.

"They will gather up into bigger numbers as they get ready to spawn. There's been plenty of salmon moving in and out of the [Swansea] channel along that run-in tide and mixed in with those have been some big tailor.

"I know Josh Brewer got one a couple of afternoons ago that would have been well over 60 centimetres. He would have been fishing for salmon, got bit off a few times and then landed one.

"In the Lake, there's a lot of little tailor - 30-45s - but those tailor numbers will build in the next few weeks.

"With the run into the full moon, there's been quite a few jew getting caught as well and those conditions will improve."

COVID restrictions are keeping fishos inside three nautical miles of the coast. Nunn believed the trade off could be excellent beach fishing for tailor, salmon, whiting and bream following the big blow.

Flathead fishing in the estuaries is also picking up.

"I've been getting a lot of reports of flathead in the shallow waters now," Nunn said.

"Over the past few weeks it's been a bit hit and miss. There's been a bit more consistency now. I think they've started to move out of the deeper water."

Tre Carson, from Freddy's Fishing World at Broadmeadow, has enjoyed the flathead resurgence.

"Reports have been few and far between, but I know firsthand that there's been good flathead coming out of the Hunter River and Newcastle Harbour, all on lures and soft plastics," he said.

"The rocks have obviously been fishing well for luderick pretty consistently, especially after the big swells we've been having."

Brent "Hammer" Hancock, from Tackle World Port Stephens, has also got in on the flathead action.

"There's plenty of duskies around," he said.

"I managed to have a quick fish there last week and nailed a few nice lizards, trying out some new soft plastics - some Daiwa Bait Junkies and PowerBait prawns - a bit of product testing up at Tilligerry Creek.

"There's also some good tailor in the bay at the moment, chasing frog-mouthed pilchards.

"The longtails have been sighted this week inside the bay but not many are chasing them unfortunately.

"There's been some snapper but obviously you have the three nautical mile rule. There's been some around the islands, at Fingal and back down towards Boat Harbour and Fishermans Bay."

** Flathead specialist Richard Smith got a big surprise when he landed his personal best mulloway while fishing from a kayak on Lake Macquarie last weekend.

The Cardiff angler scored our fish of the week prize with the estimated 110cm jewfish caught using light gear and a Pro Pure Fishtail 105mm soft plastic.

Richard's father John, who sent in the fish of the week entry, said his son usually targetted flathead and was a regular contributor to a catch and release program. The NSW DPI's Trophy Fishery Program, which tracks the catch and release of 70-centimetre plus flatheads, was extended to Lake Macquarie in 2017.

"He's pretty pleased with himself," John said.

"He reckons it took him about 20 minutes to land it and it took him a couple of hundred metres from where he first hooked it. And he was fortunate one of his mates was nearby in a kayak to take the photograph.

"He's got a little tinny as well and we go out fishing together sometimes. I never do any good. He puts me on the wrong side of the boat obviously."