The local ocean flathead bite was still patchy over the weekend, with the pickers controlling your catch inside 35 metres. There are still legal fish in amongst them, but many pickers in between the keepers. Fishing wider, the sand and tiger flatheads are a better option. There are still undersized tigers but the quality sand and tiger flathead are more prolific. The size varies from 36cm to up to 45cm with odd fish over 50cm. There are also few flying gurnard and an odd gummy shark.
The best depth I heard of over the weekend was 43 to 46 metres from Tura Heads back to the golf course on Tura Beach. There were also good numbers caught off Short Point out to off Long Point. The inshore water temperature is sitting around 17 degrees.
There were good tides for the reef fishing over the weekend with the high tide coming around 9am. The fish bit well early. Reports of snapper and morwong being caught off Long Point, Haycock and Leonard’s Island with fish around that 40cm size and odd larger snapper in the 50cm bracket. There was also another mixed bag of other reef species such as wrasse, sergeant baker, red rock cod and nannygai. Bait fishing produced more fish than lures today from reports I received, so maybe a burley trail is in order to bring the fish to you!
The surf fishing is not easy at the moment, unless you’re able to cast over the sand banks which are on many beaches. The caption picture was on North Tura Beach. They caught two salmon and one bream using pilchards and a surf popper on the rig. All the fish were caught using the surf popper up near Bournda Island where there are a few gutters starting to form.
On Saturday I spoke to two guys who fish Tathra Beach and they said it is basically dead. They were also at North Tura and caught seven salmon from 40cm to over 60cm. They had long rods and were casting over the and breakers.
I haven’t had any reports from other beaches, so good luck.
The lake fishing at the Bega River was OK over the weekend. Reports have bream, perch and small dusky flathead being caught from just near the boat ramp, under the bridge and up along the rock walls. The bream have been a good size in the mid 30cm range. The water temperature at Tathra’s Mogareeka is around 19 degrees and it’s very clear in the shallows.
Merimbula Lake is still on the quiet side. There are a lot of small trevally in the channels and I noticed a few blackfish along the shallow weed edges. The Top Lake has tons of little tailor all over, annoying the line fishermen, but a few legal tailor are being caught. The Pambula River and lake have some nice 50cm trevally, with the odd salmon and tailor being caught in the lake.
The MBGLAC has its annual club trip to Wonboyn Lake Resort coming up in a month’s time Check the website or our Facebook for details.
The Club rooms at Spencer Park are open this Friday night, opening at 6pm. Come on down and enjoy a bevvy from our fully licenced bar, support our weekly raffle sponsored by Goodalls Butchers and the Lake View Hotel. Catch up on the week’s fishing reports and find out what’s going on around the place. Love to see you there.
Fishy Fellow.