Local angler, Glen, captured this 84 centimetre mulloway, Sunday morning off the beach at Tathra using a paddle tail Squidgee lure.
The outside flathead fishing has changed a bit this week with anglers catching their bags in shallower waters. Reports throughout the week have been, the fish are biting early and in depths from 30 to 35 metres and catching a mixed bag of sand and tiger flathead with an odd flying gurnard in the mix. The flathead sizes are up to 40 centimetres, but there are plenty of throw backs in between the keepers. The best areas have been from Bournda Island back to Haycock. The water temperature inshore is around that 17 degree mark.
The reef fishing is a bit patchy. There are a mixture of undersized and pan-sized snapper with morwong, nannygaai and a mixed bag of other reef species. There are also good numbers of squid being caught around the Haycock Rocks area and Shallow Hunter, at the moment. I heard there are some better snapper being caught south of Eden on the reefs to 55 centimetres. The snapper are being caught float baiting and lureing.
The beach fishing is slow on the salmon side of fishing. Tura Beach has some good gutters up the northern end. So to, has Dolphin Cove and Tathra beaches. Odd salmon are being caught on bait on these beaches, but not in any numbers. This morning, Glen was chasing some salmon at Tathra Beach and came up trumps with this week’s photo of a mulloway.
Our estuary fishing is pretty good now. The bream fishing is a bit slow in Merimbula, but there are some nice tailor, trevally and blackfish being caught up the Top Lake. There are also good numbers of trevally, odd blackfish and occasional salmon and tailor in the front lake. The Pambula River and Lake has some nice dusky flathead, odd bream, trevally and odd blackfish being caught. The Bega River at Tathra is giving up a few bream, odd perch, tailor and dusky flathead and an occasional mulloway. All the species are being caught on fresh bait such as nippers and a selection of squidgee style plastics.
The game fishing is quiet out the front of Merimbula, but some reports from the Tuross Canyons over the last week indicate there have been a few yellowfin tuna caught in that 40 kilogram size range. With the full moon on its way this week, fingers crossed something might happen down our way. The water termperature on the shelf off Merimbula is around 19 degrees.
Merimbula Big Game and Lakes Angling Club is having their members’ Christmas Party on the 12th December. This year’s Monster Raffle has begun with the usual Hobie kayak and Merinda adult bike or two kids bikes on offer, as well as a Yeti esky and a $500 voucher from Merimbula Tackle World. Thanks to our other sponsors, Boss Outdoors, Cycle n’ Surf and Merimbula Tackle World. Ticket sellers will be around Woolworths at Tura Beach, the local markets and caravan parks, so keep your eyes peeled and get yourself some tickets and support the club’s projects.
The club is open at 6pm this Friday night. Come on down and enjoy a cold bevy while supporting our regular Friday night raffles, sponsored by Goodalls Butchers and the Bar Beach Kiosk. Catch up on the week’s fishing reports and enjoy the view over the Merimbula Lake.
Till next week.
Fishy Fellow