Most have been blacks but a few bigger tackle testing stripes have joined the melee and slow trolled live baits have been the undoing of most of them.

Some clever crews have adopted the switch baiting method for more of a challenge.

Once a marlin is attracted to your trolling pattern, livies are dropped over as the lures are wound back in, usually in a state of organised high pandemonium.

The southern Sydney, Wollongong and Shellharbour FADs all have had good dollies in attendance.

Sometimes they will not play ball but next drift or troll, up comes a 15 kilo stonker bull to test you out.

There were some solid kingies hooked locally over the weekend off Bellambi, Bandit and the Port islands with some pushing 10 kilos.

They fell to down rigged fresh squid or rigged slimies but the shallow water proved a challenge.

There were again some good trevalley, pigfish and snapper around last week as well as a welcome return of the hard fighting and better chewing sampson fish.

These fish fight like crazy and made anglers think they were hooked to monster reddies.

The sand drifts surely cannot get any better judging by the size of the flathead that have been coming in with quality not seen for years and some well over two kilos.

Stanwell Park, Bulli and Wollongong sands have been absolutely firing of late and who doesn’t like a feed of flattie tails?

Beaches continued to fish fairly consistently with lots of school jewfish about.

Quite a few shop regulars have been giving it a go of late with quite a few busting their silver ghost cherries on their inaugural outing.

Bream, whiting and flathead were all still about in good numbers off most beaches with worms and fresh pipis doing the damage on them.

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