South Coast fishing: how to make the most of your summer fishing trip

If you are, you're not alone.

Tens of thousands of Canberrans will toss the rods and tackle in the back of car before heading east for their summer break.

A lot of them will be your classic once-a-year fishers - happy to take a relaxed approach, muck around with the kids in the shallows and catch a few tiddlers. A handful will fluke a fish or two big enough to take home for the barbecue.

There's nothing wrong with this approach. In fact, having done it before, it's an absolute blast.

But if you're interested in taking your summertime fishing a little more seriously, there are a few lessons I've learnt over the years that can help you improve your angling fortunes over the holidays.

I've been fishing the creeks, rivers, beaches and rocks between Jervis Bay and Eden every summer for as long as I can remember.

It's a sensational stretch of coastline that never ceases to amaze me with its scenery, solitude and fishing surprises.

On every visit, I learn something new about the fishing in this small pocket of the country. It's almost always a challenge. Sure, on rare occasions the fish come easily, but you usually have to work hard to get results.

After all, finding fish on the south coast is tricky at the best of times; during the summer holidays, when swimmers, boats, jet-skis and stand-up paddle boards are literally everywhere, getting a bite can be almost impossible.

But it's the challenge that keeps me-and countless other local fishos-coming back for more.

So, if tight lines and fresh fillets are on your Christmas wish list this year, and you're up for it, here's some advice that could help you take your festive season fishing to the next level.

I've been fishing long enough to know that preparation is a key to success on the water.

Don't wait until you're on the banks of your favourite creek before checking whether you have the right tackle or enough of it for your trip.

Likewise, the water's edge isn't the place to dust-off that old rod and reel you've had stored in the garage all year and check whether it still works.

Do all the prep-work before your holiday, and you'll enjoy your fishing a lot more.

Right now is the time to re-spool reels with new line, check your rods are in working order and clean out the tackle box. The last thing you want to be doing during a hot bite is untangling a mess of hooks, line and lures leftover from your last trip.

Have a think about the types of fishing you're likely to be doing over the break and stock-up accordingly.

Preparation goes beyond fishing tackle. If you're towing the tinny down the Clyde Mountain, check things like trailer wheel bearings, brakes and lights. Every summer I pass at least a couple of damaged and abandoned boat trailers on the coast road - it's costly and it'll put a dampener on your holiday, that's for sure.

Every year my advice to anglers wanting to catch more fish during the holidays revolves around one thing - avoiding the crowds. The population of Batemans Bay is around 16,000. But did you know that between Christmas and New Year, it swells to more than 50,000! That's a lot of extra people on the water. And you can imagine the effect is has on the fish. Understandably, they tend to go into hiding.

The good news is, if you have access to a canoe or a kayak, you can 'go into hiding' too! I spend a great deal of my summer break floating around in my battered old kayak. It's not flash, it's not expensive, but it can get me into places that most other anglers can't-or won't-go. This is often where the fish are during the busy summer months.

Kayaking or canoeing not only provides you with access to stretches of water you've never seen before, it also gives you a new perspective on an estuary system you may think you know pretty well. Being down at water level, and having the ability to glide almost silently through the shallows, allows you to see things-including fish-that you'd traditionally miss.

It's also an extremely relaxed and peaceful way to fish. I sometimes hear surfers refer to their sport as 'moving meditation'. Well, I reckon floating down a quiet south coast creek in a kayak or canoe is the angling equivalent!

Every summer I see holidaying anglers rock-up to their favourite coastal fishing spot and express surprise at what the tide is doing.

"It wasn't like this last time," is the typical comment.

Well, of course it wasn't! Tides change...every day. But tidal movements are like clockwork and predicting them is very easy. In fact, most of us have the technology at our fingertips to accurately predict what the tide is doing at any given moment. And that's crucial if you want to get the most from your fishing this summer.

Tidal movement plays an integral role in the behaviour of just about every south coast fish species. I'd go as far to say that's tide is more important than the time of day or the weather in determining the movement of sought after species like flathead, bream, whiting and more.

Keeping an eagle-eye on the tides these holidays, and understanding how they affect fish behaviour, will ensure you catch more this summer.

For example, a run-out tide in the coastal lakes, rivers and creeks produces the best fishing for flathead. Whiting and bream also often bite best when the tide is running out.

Anglers chasing the elusive estuary mulloway or jewfish will stand the best chance of a bite at the top or bottom of the tide, when the water is almost 'slack'.

But if you're fishing on the beach or the rocks, an incoming tide is the best for fish like tailor, salmon and bream.

If you've never been on a fishing charter or guided fishing trip, I highly recommend looking into it this summer. There are dozens of charter operators and a couple of estuary guides on the far south coast. A day on the water with these professionals can teach you more than you can learn in a year of outings on your own.

Spend a day offshore on a charter boat, or up a river with your own estuary guide, and you'll definitely catch some fish. Better still, it will make you a better angler. You'll learn what sort of gear to use, how to use it, where to fish and when to fish. It's money well spent in my book!

Tight lines!