FISHING: Return of FADs signals offshore season under way

Key points

• Fisheries Aggregating Devices have been placed along the NSW coast as the warmer months approach, giving offshore anglers a new option. Monitoring by the NSW Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development shows mahi mahi make up around 95 per cent of the catch recorded around these structures.
• Anglers are watching for rising water temperatures and the arrival of mahi mahi and other pelagic species.
• Local reports include good numbers of mud crabs in the Hastings River, with flathead and whiting dominant there, and decent flathead and bream from the Camden Haven breakwalls.