A large school of Australian salmon at the bottom of Tura Beach Drive, before the large seas came in.

The outside fishing for sand and tiger flathead last week was still very good with reports of sand flathead over 60 centimetres.  However, the average size was 45 to just over 50 centimetres and many double headers of quality fish.  There were also quite a few small gummy sharks around 60 centimetres and an odd longer model occasionally.  There were flathead and gummies being caught off Long Point all the way up to Bournda Island and the best depths were from 40 metres out to 55 metres.  Those fishing in shallower, at 30 plus metres, still caught flathead around 40 centimetres, but the small bait stealers were a menace.  Since the weekend’s weather, the water has cooled a bit and is sitting around 20 degrees.

The reefs had reasonable numbers of pan-sized snapper and morwong on them and still good numbers of nannygai also being caught before the weather came through.  It should be better once these seas settle down.  I heard that the lures have been catching some better snapper in that 50 centimetre size and float baiting also, using pilchards and squid for bait.  There have also been a lot of bonito, frigate mackerel and salmon seen off the points and reefs, feeding on small bait fish, so casting small metal slugs or trolling small skirts around the feeding fish will catch them.  However, the turbulent water over the weekend will definitely have pushed these fish out to sea, so once it settles down they should come back.

The salmon on the beaches will liven up after this weekend’s weather.  Tura Beach has a great gutter and so too does Tathra Beach.  So pillies, off the bank or casting smallish slugs, will catch these fish.  Main Beach Merimbula has some nice bream and whiting being caught using beach worms for bait.

The lake fishing is doing very well of late, with the Bega River at Tathra, still giving up good numbers of bream, dusky flathead, perch and mulloway.  This fresh water should only stir up the fishing even more.  The Merimbula Lake has bream, blackfish, trevally and whiting in the front lake and bream, trevally, dusky flathead and a few mulloway and an odd tailor up the top lake.  The Pambula River and Lake has dusky flathead, whiting, bream and trevally in the river part and dusky flathead, trevally, odd bream and flounder in the lake section.

The game fishing last week saw the marlin had pushed north.  They were caught from Tathra’s northern canyon to the north.  Sharks were a huge problem and so too were the seals if you found bait.  It was a fight between the seals and sharks as to who would get your bait first and every so often a marlin would win.  The water temperature on the shelf is sitting between 21 and 22 degrees, with the current slowly pushing north.  There have also been a few decent size dolphin fish caught over the last week or so.  They have been taken using some slow trolled livies and lures.  There are still two days of fishing left in the BSR March Marlin competition.  There have been 28 marlin recorded so far, so fingers crossed, there can be a couple more caught before the end of March.  Reports just received since the bad weather, the water has turned over and the bait has vanished and no action at all on Monday.

The Merimbula Big Game and Lakes Angling Club rooms will be closed this coming Friday night (Good Friday), so we will see you all the following week.

Till next week.

Fishy Fellow

Sub-junior member, Elsie Pryor (3 years), caught this 33 centimetre Australian bass during the week fishing with her brothers.

The outside flathead fishing has improved in the last few days, with some good catches of sand flathead and odd tiger flathead.  Turingal Head back to Bournda Island in 40 metres of water has been producing some nice fish in that 45 centimetre size range.  There are still small fish in the mix, but their numbers have declined.  Fishing off Long Point and down along the Haycock Reef is also producing a good feed out in 45 to 55 metres of water and there have also been a few gummy sharks caught in this area.  The water temperature in close is sitting around 20 degrees.

The reef fishing, with the cooler water, has also perked up, with a few better snapper to 45 centimetres.  Also, morwong, nannygai and a mixed bag of other reef bait stealers.  There are also plenty of bonito and squid being caught around the headlands and wharfs.

The beaches are all giving up good numbers of salmon and some tailor.  Some of the salmon are pushing that 4 kilogram mark and they’re really fat at the moment.  Tathra Beach and Tura Beach still have schools on them and the headlands on the low tide when conditions are right.  The Merimbula Main Beach and Pambula Beach have some nice whiting, bream, and odd trevally being caught on the low tide rising, on beach worms also.

The estuary fishing is still the most consistent with the Bega River at Tathra giving up a feed of bream, dusky flathead, odd estuary perch, trevally and mulloway.  It is closed to the ocean at the moment, but that’s keeping the water temperature up, dropping from last week’s 28 to 26 degrees.  The Merimbula Lake has bream, trevally and whiting in the front lake and bream, trevally, dusky flathead and tailor up the top lake.  Pambula River and Lake has some nice whiting, bream, trevally and flathead in the river and up in the lake flathead, odd trevally, flounder and tailor.  Fresh nippers and mullet strips for the bait fishing and lures are catching the fish.

The local game fishing has picked up over the last week.  We had 5 marlin recorded and others lost.  There was good bait early in the week, but it dwindled by the end of the week and sharks and seals were a nuisance.  The water early in the week was 22 degrees and by Thursday, it had jumped to 24 degrees and there was a 1.8 knot current pushing south.  Dolphin fish are still in good numbers around the FAD.  Fish up to 90 centimetres are a regular occurrence at the moment.  The MBGLAC BSR March Marlin event is running the whole month of March, and you can enter at any time.  Check out the club’s web page or FaceBook pages for details on how to get involved.  You might be the winner of the BSR (Big Smart Reels) $6999 electric reel up for grabs.

The Merimbula Big Game and Lakes Angling Club rooms are open at 6pm this Friday night.  Everyone is welcome.  Come on down and enjoy the view from the balcony and watch the sun setting.  Support our weekly raffles sponsored by Goodalls Butchers Merimbula, the Lakeview Hotel and the Bar Beach Kiosk.  Catch up on the week’s fishing reports whilst enjoying a cold bevvy.

Till next week. Fishy Fellow

Fellow

Member, Leanne Hoath, very happy with her capture of a dolphin fish, caught on Sunday morning off the local FAD, in 70 fathoms off Merimbula.

The marlin bite continues off Merimbula, with great weather over the weekend.  Reports have told me that there were two main areas.  One out the front of Merimbula and another south, off Eden to Mowarry Point.  The bait was hard to find and plenty of boats ended up just trolling lures.  What bait was caught was small and on the bottom in 80 fathoms.  The best marlin bite was early on the tide change and the fish were very skittish.  Lots of boats saw marlin, but couldn’t get them to bite.  The water was patchy looking beautifully blue and 23 plus degrees and minutes later, a dirty green and 22 degrees.  I also heard that the FAD, at 70 fathoms has some dolphin fish around it at the moment.

On other fishing, inshore,  the ocean flathead are still biting but can be a bit patchy.  One report from one boat Friday said they were catching great fish from 45 to 50 plus centimetres, while their mates in another boat, 200 metres away, had trouble catching any legal fish.  This all happened off Tura Heads in 45 metres of water.  They did try shallower in 35 metres for only small throwback fish.  Boats fishing off the Wallagoot Lake area were catching quality sand flathead in 30 to 40 metres but they were 1 in 5 with small fish.  There is still an odd flying gurnard and gummy shark being caught also.  The inshore water temperature is between 20 and 21 degrees currently.

The beach fishing for salmon remains steady.  Visitors at the fishing club on Friday night said they had been catching some salmon to 50 centimetres off Tura Beach during the week and when I got home after lunch Sunday, I noticed a patch of salmon sitting out the back  of a gutter closer to shore.  So Tathra Beach and Tura Beach definitely have schools of salmon on them at the moment.

The estuary fishing has been steady over the last week, with the Bega River at Tathra giving up a few perch and bream.  The dusky flathead have slowed up of late and some large whiting have been seen around the edges recently.  The Merimbula Lake still has trevally and bream in the channels and duskies and tailor up in the Top Lake.  The Pambula River has bream, trevally and a few dusky flathead in the river and up in the lake some smaller dusky flathead, odd flounder and occasional tailor.  The prawns are on the move again this week in all our systems, with the high tide at dark on the weekend.  So, this should stir the fishing up over the next week ready for the Dusky Challenge next weekend.

Coming events for the Merimbula Big Game and Lakes Angling Club include this weekend of the 21st and 22nd of February, the Dusky Challenge is on, fishing in all estuary systems from Wonboyn to Wapengo.  Check out our website for details at www.mbglac.com.au.  All are welcome to fish.  Next month, our March Marlin game fishing competition runs for the month of March.  The rules and details will be up on the club website this week.

The Merimbula Big Game and Lakes Angling Club rooms are open at 5.30pm this Friday night for registrations for the Dusky Challenge.  The bar will be open, so pop on down and get ready for a weekend’s estuary fishing.  We will still run our weekly raffles, sponsored by the Lakeview Hotel, Goodalls Butchers and the Bar Beach Kiosk.  Catch up on the week’s fishing reports whilst enjoying the view and sunset from our club’s balcony.  Everyone is welcome.

Till next week.

Fishy Fellow

Members Bill and Alex Bell with a pair of nice Australian Salmon they caught while they were on holidays in Merimbula recently.

The weather is not our friend this year so far, for the outside fishers, we still have a decent wave breaking on the Merimbula Bar currently and if you’re not a confident boatie with bar crossings, fishing in the lakes is a good thing. Those that have ventured out over the weekend have found a few fish. 

The ocean flathead are still biting in this dirty, cooler water with the temperature inshore sitting around 18 degrees. However, the sand and tiger flathead have been biting for those that are heading out. Reports over the weekend saw good numbers of sand flathead being caught off the back of the Haycock reef system in that 40 to 50 centimetre size. They caught these fish in 40 to 45 metres of water, and boats who went north of Merimbula, also found flathead, odd gurnard, and gummy sharks in similar depths. I did hear of a boat who found the fishing slow inshore during the week, so they went out to 75 metres and caught tiger flathead up to 70 centimetes. Big fish if it’s true.

Our reef fishing on our local reefs at Long Point and Haycock are still giving up a feed of pan size snapper and morwong, some nice nannygai and a mixed bag of other reef species. It is pretty joggly on the reefs with this swell, so it is not a place for a weak stomach at the moment. There are still a few kingfish moving around the headlands at the moment, so trolling a lure around these areas, if it is safe to do so, is worth a try. You might also catch a bonito or salmon.

The surf fishing has still provided a good feed of fish over the last week. The dirty water and swell has livened things up. There have been a couple of patches of salmon spotted out the back of some local beaches. Short Point to Tura Beach, Merimbula’s Main Beach, and Bournda Island all have good patches of salmon on them. So, on the rising tides, these fish should move into gutters and come closer to shore for the shore angler. If you can see a patch, break up a few pilchards and burley the gutter your fishing, and that should bring a few strays in to be caught. Also have a lure handy to work the edges of the white water. There has also been a few flathead caught off the surf when fishing in a deep hole or gutter system, I have seen photos of flatties to 55 centimetres. If you get some beach worms, a few whiting may also be caught off Main Beach Merimbula from the bottom of the low tide, rising.

Our local estuaries are still giving up a few fish.  It has been hard fishing for the lure fishers and better for the bait fishers with all the dirty water in our systems. The Bega River at Tathra over the last week has been giving up a few bream, whiting and odd dusky flathead, trevally, and estuary perch. The Bega River’s water temperature is around 22 degrees.  The Merimbula Lake has trevally, bream, whiting, blackfish, and odd dusky flathead being caught throughout the system.  Fresh caught nippers have been working well on the falling tide down in the front lake and fishing the rising tide up the top lake. Lure fishing has been slower due to the dirty water. The Pambula River has a few bream and dusky flathead being caught along the rock walls and sand flats right down the front of the system. The water temperature in the Merimbula and Pambula systems is around 20 degrees.

The game fishing for those that are keen is firing up. With reports of marlin being caught and tagged from Tathra up the coast to Ulladulla. We have a patch of water with not much current and good bait in that area, with the water temperature sitting around 23 degrees. It should be here for a few weeks so hopefully the weather will settle and let a few more boats out to get into the action.

The Merimbula Big Game and Lakes Angling Club has two events coming up in February. The Brogo Big Bass which is a club member only event to be held next weekend 30th, 31 Jan and 1st Feb, and the Dusky Challenge, which is open to everyone. Over $2000 in prizes with $500 for the Senior Longest Dusky Flathead. Set down for the 21st and 22nd February. Check out the rules at www.mbglac.com.au  for more details and lock the weekends into your calendar. March, we have the March Marlin month long marlin comp, details will be out shortly.

The Merimbula Big Game and Lakes Club rooms are open this Friday night, opening at 6pm.  Come on down and enjoy a sunset on the balcony enjoying a cold bevy. Buy a raffle ticket or two in our Friday night raffle sponsored by Goodall’s Butchers, the Lake View Hotel, and the Bar Beach Kiosk, catch up on the week’s fishing activity from those that are fishing and have a relaxing night. Hope we see you there everyone is welcome. 

Till next week   Fishy Fellow

Visitor, Ash, very happy with his capture of an Australian Salmon. Caught on Tura Beach. The night before he captured a 66cm model, which nearly pulled him into the surf. He is now fully hooked on fishing.

The weather over the last week has been very ordinary, with the heat and very windy conditions, and next week is not looking much better. But those who have ventured out at daybreak have benefited from the early start chasing a feed of ocean flathead. I have seen these boats coming home by 8.30 to 9am, and their getting home before the wind is getting up. I am told their bags are full of sand and odd tiger flathead. The size has been up in the high 40’s to mid-50 centimeters, and odd sand flathead over 60 centimeters. There has been an odd gummy shark and flying gurnard in the catches. The best depths have been 30 to 35 meters, but they are still catching good quality flathead out to 45 meters, but there are more undersized fish in between the good fish. The best area is Bournda Island up to Turingal Heads, and just north of Tura Heads back to Short Point. The water Temperature is around 19 to 20 degrees.

The reef fishing is a bit slower. Snapper and morwong are being caught, but not in large numbers. Mostly pan size fish are being caught on Long Point and Haycock reefs. There is also odd nannygai, ergeant bakers and plenty of mauri wrasse in the mix. Fresh squid has been the better bait.

The surf fishing has been fishing OK. There are salmon and odd tailor being caught  on most of the beaches lately, especially when there is some surf around. The standout beaches have been Tura Beach, North Tura Beach and Bournda Beach to the north of Merimbula and to the south, Haycock and Quondola Beaches. Main Beach to Pambula beach is full of that slimy blanket weed and not fishable. Pillie’s and 25gram lures have been working best for those trying.

The estuary fishing over the last week has remained very consistent. I am told the Pambula River, and lake system is a no-go area, due to the blanket weed which has inundated the main channel and lake area, but fishing upstream of the boat ramp and over the Broadwater Engineering side is still possible, I have no reports from the Pambula System. The Bega River at Tathra has been giving up a feed of dusky flathead, with fish up to 50 centimeters, and odd bigger models, a few bream, some estuary perch, a few whiting and an occasional mulloway. Baits and plastics are both working, but the wind has been the challenge for most fishers. The Merimbula front lake channel is giving up some nice whiting and trevally, a few bream and an occasional dusky flathead or salmon. Fresh nippers and small plastics have been working best on the falling tide. The top lake has trevally, dusky flathead, odd tailor and occasional mulloway being caught on the rising tide, mostly on lures but bait fishers fishing around the weed edges might also catch bream and blackfish. The estuary water temperature is sitting around 19 to 21 degrees at the moment.

For the wharf fishers there has been some nice squid being caught fishing early mornings and late afternoons into the dark. There are also blackfish being caught off the Merimbula and Tathra wharfs around daybreak and towards dusk, and if you are catching a few small squid, it will not hurt to put a live one out under a float in case a kingfish comes past.

The Prawns are starting to move again from now on for the next week and a half, so charge those batteries and get the gear ready to start as soon as it’s dark this week into next.

There is nothing to report on the game side of things, as the weather has been too horrid to even try.

The Merimbula Big Game and Lakes Angling Club is open this Friday night, opening at 6pm. Come on down and enjoy a cold bevy with some free snacks. Buy a ticket in our Friday night raffle sponsored by Goodall’s Butchers, the Bar Beach Kiosk, and the Lakeview Hotel. Catch up on the weeks’ fishing reports from those who are fishing and enjoy the sunset and magnificent view over the lake. Everyone is welcome, Hope to see you there this week. 

Fishy Fellow