But by my reckoning it's now more than 18 months since the Hastings saw any colour at all, and we all know the current state of Lake Cathie.

While flooding of any level can certainly have negative impacts on society in some respects, from a marine perspective a bit of flooding is an integral part of our ecosystem.

In the estuaries, results have been consistent without being spectacular, which is not surprising given the absence of significant rainfall up to now.

With clear salty conditions way up our estuaries, the fish are well spread throughout the entire system. However despite this, there is still some good action to be enjoyed.

Blackfish have been consistent off the breakwalls, with some terrific fish of more than a kilo taken on green weed and cabbage. Some very nice bream have also been taken after dark, with mullet strips and yabbies working well.

During daylight hours, best reports on the bream have come from Limeburners and in the canals, with soft plastics and vibes working well.

Flathead remain quite consistent with around Blackmans Point well worth a look on either lures or whitebait. The odd reasonable mulloway have also been taken around the breakwalls, with either live mullet or large lures the go. The evening tides this weekend are excellent in this regard.

On the beaches, the constant southerly-based winds have made conditions somewhat challenging over the past week, but there are some nice fish on offer.

Lighthouse has produced some terrific bream to about a kilo, with evening sessions by far the most productive. A few tailor have also been on Lighthouse and North Haven to the south.

A few positive reports on whiting have come from the southern end of North Beach, due in part to the warm water temperature, and the sand being dredged from the Hastings.

Off the rocks, last weekend saw some terrific drummer caught both north and south of Port. Prawns and cunjevoi were successful offerings, with the key being to locate the more washed-out gutters and ledges.

A few nice blackfish were on offer around Plomer and Point Perpendicular, while Miners locally has held reasonable bream.

On the tailor front, the Lighthouse locally as always is worth a look, although Crescent Head has been holding some much better fish.

Offshore, conditions have been average at best over the past week, and with onshore winds forecast for this weekend it doesn't look overly promising. Hopefully though we see a break in the weather as the reefs have been fishing quite well.

Snapper, pearl perch, kingfish, teraglin and mulloway have all been on offer, while the FAD has held mahi mahi. Just be mindful however, the FAD was due for removal this week but conditions may likely have seen its retrieval again delayed.

Until next time, tight line and good fishing to all.