Start with the wind
Wind pushes warm surface water and food to one bank. Fish often follow it. A bank with wind blowing into it can be busier than a calm bank, but can also be harder to fish.
Look for change
Fish sit where something changes: a point that juts into the water, a weed edge, a stream mouth, an old fence line, a drop from shallow to deep, or a change from sand to rock.
Points and headlands
Weed beds and their edges
Inflows and stream mouths
Fallen trees and jetties
Dam wall and deeper channels
Use the seasons
In summer fish spread out and feed in the shallows at dawn and dusk. In winter they slow down and move deeper, so use smaller baits and slower presentations.
General guidance only. Conditions, rules and species differ along the coast, so check with local anglers and the current regulations.