This place that I speak of is very high on the list of favourite places for generations of anglers to wet a line and it sees them coming back time and time again.

Situated some 770km from Warrnambool, Mallacoota lies near the border of Victoria and New South Wales.

This sleepy town over winter comes alive once the holiday season begins as thousands flock to it for the beautiful scenery, the laid back lifestyle and of course the main reason is the fishing both offshore and in Mallacoota Inlet which is why I have been going back for 6 years or more.

So what makes Mallacoota a must stop for all types of anglers?

In my opinion it gives everyone a great chance to land a fish of a lifetime from both land based or a boat. Mallacoota Inlet itself which covers a huge area from the Mallacoota township all the way up to Gypsy Point some 14km by water.

I once got told that Mallacoota Inlet has more water volume than Sydney Harbour which puts its size into context.

So with a huge area to fish where in the world do you start looking for a fish in a system like that?

There are a few key areas that seem to hold fish on a regular basis which I'll quickly run you through.

Goodwin Sands: Probably the most popular spot in the entire inlet. It is pretty unmissable as it is the big island smack bang in the middle of the bottom lake. What makes this a great hunting ground is that it's a shallow set of flats which comes up from about 8-10ft of water. This makes a great place for bream, flathead and other species to come up and feed on the unsuspecting bait fish and other food. Bream will burrow in the sand looking for worms and cockles which makes for some excellent fishing. When this happens they are very aggressive, especially towards lures and soft plastics cast over the puff of sand.

If you are not familiar with this area some caution is needed as you can easily come a gutser on the sand flats and be stuck there for a while. If you are using bait then try prawns or some local worms, which you can pump yourself down the bottom section of the inlet.

Fairhaven: A favourite amongst tournament anglers over the past few seasons this area has everything that you look for in structure and fish holding habitat. From steep rock walls, shallow sand flats and manmade jetties there is something for all along here. A short 10 minute boat ride will see you arrive at Fairhaven and it's quite a daunting section of the inlet as it narrows right down and becomes very shallow in parts, so a spotter is a good idea when driving in. Keep your eyes peeled for moving fish and feeding fish on the edges. Through this section the fish can be caught both in the deeper section and also the shallow water making it a great choice for many.

Palmers Bank: This is the beacon in the top lake of the inlet and is basically a mix of mud flats and sand flats right in the middle of the lake. A relatively shallow area - averaging 1.5-2m in depth - there have been some great flathead caught here over the years and it is a great spot to target the hard-fighting yellowfin bream which come up and feed on the cockles. If you want to chase a big frog then getting live poddy mullet is an absolute must when using bait. Another bait if you haven't got any mullet is the humble old pilchards. When fishing Palmers with lures the Jackall Chubby deep in Brown Suji Shrimp has brought a lot of bream and flathead unstuck being cast over the flats and bashed into the bottom causing a puff of sand. Lightly weighted soft plastics is also a great option and has worked for me in the past.

Double Arm Creek: A somewhat less popular area to target, this has been my favourite area for years and continues to produce some excellent fish all year round. The beauty about this area is that it's usually protected by the wind which can make the other sections very tricky to fish. This area is where I have caught the biggest fish and lots of flathead. It usually has minimal boat traffic. Lots of rock walls and mud flats litter the banks and offers everything bream and flathead need to survive. It also seems to be a great holding ground for the bull mullet, which grow to some pretty big sizes and are a hand full on light gear. Tailor are also a regular catch in this area which can sometimes be annoying as it becomes frustrating having to re rig all the time.

Gypsy Point: The top of the inlet is Gypsy Point, which as I mentioned at the start is some 14km from the bottom boat ramp. Like the others it has a range of structure and habitat like rock walls, mudflats and jetties along the bank, but it's the close proximity to the Genoa and Wallagaraugh Rivers that makes it such a productive spot for anglers. Many of the fish that you will catch here, especially bream and flathead, will be very dark in colour due to them being up in the rivers for much of their lives. This section of the inlet is the deepest with some banks being 9m deep.

So next time you're planning a getaway why not try and get to Mallacoota and try your luck with the many different species that call this place home.

Until next week - when we hopefully have some better conditions and more reports come to us - tight lines and best of luck.

If you do get onto something, remember, we would love you to to share your fishing pictures with us. Send them in, along with a few details of where, when and how they were caught, to fishing@richardsonmarine.com.au.