Fishing - Christmas time providing the perfect opportunity anglers

With Christmas just over a week away, it's always a busy time and fishing can take a back seat for a bit.

Saying that, for a lot of people, it also means holidays, which can mean lots of fishing.

That also means big crowds and crowded fishing spots.

Ski boats and jet skis are everywhere at this time of year and can continue to be around right through into the New Year.

And let's be honest, not a lot of them give anglers much consideration.

But the trick to beating them is to fish in the shallows, because watercraft like that can't operate in shallow water.

The old saying rings true, too: "Do the miles, get the smiles".

Don't be afraid to go off the beaten track, go for a drive and a walk to find the fishing spots that nobody goes to.

Better yet, why not fish at night?

You can beat the heat of a summer's day and target flatties, whiting and salmon off the beach, or trout in lakes and rivers with hardly anyone around.

The only other people around at that time of the day are other savvy anglers.

Saltwater anglers will be looking to make the most of the time off, with YellowTail Kingfish a prime target as water temperatures continue to rise.

Reports of Kingfish catches are increasing off the North West & North East Coasts and will continue into the New Year as the East Coast current continues to push warmer water south.

Striped Trumpeters are another fish worth targeting off structured deeper water and I saw a great male Snapper weighing over 8 kg caught from the North West recently.

Staple Saltwater species like Flathead, Squid, Australian Salmon, Tailor, Whiting, Bream and Silver Trevally are being caught from most bays and estuaries, with Storm Bay, Frederick Henry Bay and Marion Bay popular in the south.

Elsewhere, popular spots include Marrawah and Sandy Cape, Table & Rocky Cape, plus Sisters Beach, Bakers Beach, Port Sorell, Tamar River, Bridport, Flinders Island, St Helens, Ansons, Great Musselroe & Georges Bay, Orford, Triabunna and Maria Island.

These are just a sprinkle of spots that offer good Saltwater fishing at this time of year. Anglers targeting trout should get rewarded at Great Lake, Lake Echo, Wood's Lake, Arthurs Lake, Bronte Lagoon and the Brady's Chain, Lake King William, The Dee Lagoon, Talbot's Lagoon, Lake St Clair, Lake Crescent and Lake Sorell , Penstock and Little Pine Lagoon, Laughing Jack Lagoon, plus Lake Leake and Toom's Lake.

Last week, the Inland Fisheries Service conducted electrofishing at Toom's Lake to assess trout population size and fish condition.

Last week, I mentioned that the water was fishing well, and the recent IFS survey has also backed that statement.

The overall number of brown trout caught was lower than expected, but higher than in the last survey completed in 2022.

The size and condition of both brown trout and rainbow trout in Toom's Lake are excellent, with Brown trout ranging from 220 mm to 550 mm and rainbow trout from 330 mm to 430 mm.

While Tooms Lake is managed as an assisted fishery, meaning it's supported by the stocking of brown and rainbow trout, some evidence of natural recruitment was observed, with small brown trout (ranging from 220 to 230 mm) caught during the survey.

Water temperature during the survey was 13.5 degrees due to the recent run of unseasonably cool weather and water clarity was also much better.

The IFS also recommends that Tooms Lake will be a good option to target quality trout over the coming weeks, before we start to see higher summer water temperatures.

The current water level and the lake's shallow nature mean it will warm quickly over the Summer period.

Take care when boating on Tooms Lake and practice minimal-impact boating by accelerating gently in shallow water to avoid stirring up the bottom.

Also, watch out for underwater hazards like submerged stumps and logs.