Fishy Fellow had a nice catch of reef fish and flathead, caught on Saturday off Merimbula.

The weather was fantastic on Saturday to venture out to sea to catch a nice feed of flathead. The fish are all over the place but are still finicky. I caught my flathead fishing between Bournda Island and Tura Heads in 40 metres of water, and they ranged from 38 to 52 centimetres. It only took me an hour to catch my bag limit with 5 of the fish all around 50 centimetres. What did make a difference was the bait. I was using salmon and salted striped tuna and 8 of the 10 fish were caught on striped tuna. Other reports had fish caught just south of Tura Heads in 45 metres and other boats fished as wide as 60 metres and caught fish. So, there are flatties being caught all over, you just need to move around till you find a patch. There is a fair current of water pushing south at 19 degrees.

The reefs are also a bit patchy, but when you find some bait, there are fish nearby. The snapper in the photo was 510mm long. There are plenty of pan-sized snapper on the Haycock Reef and Long Point reef systems with 40 plus snapper being caught. Morwong are also in really good numbers at the moment, with fish ranging from 34 to 44 centimetres long and a mixed bag of nannygai, leatherjackets, sergeant bakers, odd bonito and rat kingfish to keep you interested and the water temperatures are all over the shop. Haycock Reef had 18.4 on Saturday and Merimbula’s Long Point reef only had 17.3 on Sunday, but the currents were swirling everywhere. No two drifts are the same, but it is going to the south.

The beaches all have salmon moving along them at the moment. Tathra has some large schools on it. The Merimbula Bar and along Main Beach still has fish staying there. Haycock Beach has a large school of salmon on it in the mornings. North Tura has some great gutters and there is a school on Bournda Island, and Tura Beach also has a school of 40 centimetre fish moving along it. If you are not catching salmon on any beach, you’re doing something wrong.

Our estuaries at Bega River, Merimbula, and Pambula were all fishing okay over the weekend. Bega River at Tathra fished well on Saturday with anglers catching dusky flathead, salmon, trevally, bream and estuary perch. Merimbula had trevally, tailor, bream, whiting and blackfish caught. Pambula River had blackfish, trevally small duskies and tailor caught. Lures and fresh nippers for bait all caught the above fish. The estuary water temperature is hovering around 15 to 16 degrees at the moment.

The game fishing is in limbo mode currently. I have heard of the odd marlin being seen but not caught and the tuna fishing has very little to report. The local long liners are fishing from the 30 line out in the Tathra to Greencape zone, with fuel costs limiting the amateurs even trying. The water temperature on the shelf is sitting around 21 degrees and it’s warming up the further out you go. There is a very strong current pushing south at nearly 2 knots I am told.

Coming events for the Merimbula Big Game and Lakes Angling Club Incorporated are the Snapper Classic on May 30th – 31st and the Seafood Dinner on June 20th. You can put your name down for a reservation for the Seafood Dinner on the list at the fishing club which is open at 6pm on Friday night and while you’re there, enjoy a cold bevvy and snacks. Buy a ticket for the Friday night raffles, supported by the Lakeview Hotel Merimbula, Goodalls Butchers Merimbula and the Bar Beach Kiosk. Also, catch up on the week’s fishing reports and chat with the locals.

Till next week, good fishing.

Fishy Fellow

There was a large school of Australian salmon sitting off Main Beach Merimbula over the weekend. There were people catching them on Saturday around lunch time, but unfortunately the bulk of the fish stayed out of casting distance most of the time

The outside flathead fishing is still a bit patchy at times, but I am told that during last week, boats that were fishing from Tura Heads back to Long Point, caught good numbers of sand flathead in the last hour of the rising tide. I was told they were catching odd keepers in between the babies early in the tide and it was like a switch had turned on and it was a fish every drop for around an hour, then it turned off, just like that. The best areas were Tura Heads back to Long Point with fish all in the high forties and odd fish pushing sixty centimetres. The depths were from 45 to 55 metres. The water temperature has cooled a bit from last week, and is now sitting around 18 degrees inshore, but there is even cooler water pushing up from Green Cape looking to be around 17 degrees, which could bring a few gummy sharks up with it.

The reefs are all fishing well at the moment, with pan-sized snapper around 40 centimetres and morwong in reasonable numbers as well. There is also an array of other species like sergeant bakers, Māori wrasse and heaps of pike, taking plastics and baits. The bonito have quietened down with the cooler water that is here. There are still bonito around, but not in the numbers like before the last week.

The beach fishing is still giving up a few salmon and tailor. There are schools of salmon around Bournda Island and also Main Beach Merimbula. Bournda Beach and North Tura Beach are both worth a try for the bait and lure fishermen with Bournda Island in between. The tailor will normally only bite in low light periods, but the salmon are always hungry on a rising tide. The fish at Main Beach Merimbula are sitting out off the furthest banks and are only coming into the beach on the top of the high tide. They were in close on Saturday, where they were caught on lures and I got some pictures, but Sunday they stayed out of casting range. I haven’t heard of any whiting off the beaches this week, but those days are numbered if the water cools anymore.

The estuary fishing is changing every week. The Bega River at Tathra is closed to the sea now. The water temperature over the weekend was 15 degrees and I heard of a few bream and odd trevally being caught only. Merimbula Lake still has blackfish, bream and trevally in the front lake and odd bream, trevally and a few tailor up the top lake. The cooling water will put the dusky flathead to sleep for the winter, but if you are lucky enough to drop your bait or lure on their nose, you might stir them up enough to take a bite.
The game fishing has definitely turned a page this weekend with the cooler water pushing up along the shelf, off Eden and Merimbula, up to Tathra. It looks to have dropped to 17 or 18 degrees on the shelf, but from Tathra to Bermagui, it is still showing around 22 degrees. Hopefully, some bluefin and yellowfin are moving up with the cooler waters, so watch this space.

Coming events for the Merimbula Big Game and Lakes Angling Club are the Grudge Match this coming weekend, 15, 16, 17 of May, being hosted by Pambula Fishing Club. The Snapper Classic will be held on May 30th and 31st. The Seafood Dinner is on the table for the 20th June and names should go on the board at the club rooms.

The Merimbula Big Game and Lakes Angling Club is open this Friday night, opening at 6pm. Come on down and enjoy an early bevvy, some raffles sponsored by The Lakeview Hotel, the Bar Beach Kiosk and Goodalls Butchers. Catch up on some fishing report from the previous week’s fishing. Hope to see you there.

Till next week.
Fishy Fellow

Merimbula Big Game and Lakes Angling Club member, Lee Hoath, very happy with her capture of this 60 centimetre brown trout, caught over the Easter Weekend at Lake Eucumbene using worms for bait.

The outside flathead fishing has still been very patchy over the last week. However, a few members who have been targeting a feed of sand flathead have caught some quality fish. Reports early in the week were from the 40 metre depth, just north of Tura Heads and drifting northwest out to about 44 metres, where they caught some quality fish in that 45 centimetre size. There were heaps of small fish in amongst their keepers.

I also got a report from Wednesday, where some fishos had bagged out in the early morning fishing from Bournda Island back to Tura Heads in 35 metres. They had less undersized fish and double headers of flathead to 48 centimetres. The current had picked up and they had trouble keeping a bait on the bottom by the end of the morning. There have been an odd gummy shark and occasional small mako shark in the mix. The in-shore water temperature is sitting around 21 degrees.

The reef fishing has also been doing well with good numbers of snapper up to 45 centimetres and odd larger models. There are also morwong, sergeant bakers and a mixed bag of other species. There are still bonito and a few salmon being caught around the reefs and bait schools. There are also kingfish moving around the headland, bomboras and reef areas.

The surf fishing is still giving up a few fish. I’ve had reports off North Tura Beach of only small salmon, but a few tailor on lures on the edges of the gutters and banks. Bournda Beach also has some salmon and tailor moving around in the morning’s rising tide. The seas are building, so there should be some good beach fishing this coming week.

The estuary fishing has still been good with the Bega River at Tathra only just opening to the sea as of Sunday, but there is next to no tidal effect. Reports from Saturday told me they’re still catching bream, odd flatties and a few trevally. The Merimbula Lake has trevally, bream and blackfish in the front lake and trevally, dusky flathead, odd bream and tailor up the top lake. The estuary water temperature has risen this week, coming up to around 20 degrees.

Last of all the game fishing. I haven’t heard of much lately, but with the water temperature on the shelf sitting between 22 and 23 degrees, there should still be a few marlin out there for those that are keen. There is a bit of current to deal with also. There have been tuna boats working a bit wider from the 30 line out to the 40 line, but they’re gone now with the bad weather forecast for the next week so.

Coming events for the Merimbula Big Game and Lakes Angling Club are the Grudge Match between the Merimbula, Pambula and Eden clubs. Pambula is the host club this year and the weekend we are battling it out is the 15th, 16th, and 17th May. We also have the Snapper Classic scheduled for the weekend of the 30th and 31st May. Rules and posters will be out this week.

The Merimbula clubrooms are open at 6pm this Friday night, so pop in and enjoy a cold bevvy from our licensed bar, catch up on any fishing reports. Buy a ticket or two in our Friday night raffles, sponsored by Goodalls Butchers, the Lakeview Hotel and the Bar Beach Kiosk. Hope to see you there.

Till next week.

Fishy Fellow

On of many nice pan-sized snapper caught over the weekend using Gulp plastics by member, Shane Mayberry, on our local reefs.

What fantastic weather over the ANZAC long weekend we had.  The outside flathead fishing is still a bit slow.  Boats caught flathead but not quickly like at the start of April.  I heard there are still some quality sand flathead being caught between Bournda Island and just north of Turingal Head in depths between 30 and 37 metres.  There are still plenty of small fish, but the keepers were inconsistent.  Other areas have been patchy, but if you find a patch, don’t lose it.  Long Point down to the end of the Haycock Reef also has a few flatties, out in that 50 metre depth.  Also an odd gummy shark and fishing wider than 50 metres, you will see more tiger flathead on the hooks.  The water temperature in shore is sitting between 19 and 20 degrees.

The reef fishing around Merimbula over the weekend was a bit slower.  We were still catching fish but not the ones we wanted. We caught plenty of undersized snapper and only a few pan-sized or 40 centimetre models.  Wrasse, sergeant bakers and the dreaded pike were plentiful.  This was all on plastics fishing the rising tide in the afternoons.  We saw bait being pushed up around the shallow Hunter and fish feeding on them, but they couldn’t be caught on our plastics or poppers that we presented.

The salmon fishing on our local beaches has settled a little bit over the last week.  There are salmon and odd tailor being caught on Tura Beach in the early mornings and on North Tura Beach.  There are still salmon schools on Tathra Beach and around the Bar area of Merimbula Lake.  Whiting and bream are still on Main Beach.

The estuary fishing is starting to slow up, although there are still fish being caught, but the clear waters has them on edge if you’re a lure fisherman.  Bait fishing has been better from reports lately.  Live poddy mullet for the dusky flathead and the bream have been eating them also in the Merimbula top lake.  There are also trevally, odd whiting and tailor about.  The Bega River at Tathra has been quieter over the weekend, with plenty of small bream, odd trevally and flathead.  The water temperature in the estuaries is sitting around 17 degrees.

The game fishing is happening mostly from Bermagui to Batemans Bay, where those keen game fishers have been heading wider out to the 150 – 30 line where they’re catching a few yellowfin now.  There is not a lot of action locally, but the water looks good, with it sitting around 22 to 23 degrees on the shelf.  There should still be an odd marlin in that temperature water out the front of Merimbula, but you need to find them.

Coming events for the Merimbula Big Game and Lakes Angling Club are the Grudge Match interclub competition being held from Friday afternoon, 15th May through to Sunday 17th May, with Pambula being the host club this year.  After that, MBGLAC will host its Snapper Classic over the weekend of the 30th and 31st May.  Keep an eye out for details coming soon.

The Merimbula Big Game and Lakes Angling Club is open this Friday night, opening at 6pm. Come on down and meet the locals and catch up on the week’s fishing reports.  Support our Friday night raffle, sponsored by Goodalls Butchers, the Lakeview Hotel and the Bar Beach Kiosk in addition to other prizes.  Members and guests are all welcome.

Till next week.

Fishy Fellow

He has done it again. Even with the shitty weather on Saturday Glen Rollason still managed to catch a mulloway in the Bega River while everyone else struggled to even catch a fish. It was undersized at 67 centimetres, but still a fish on the board.

The outside ocean flathead fishing has slowed up with the new moon. They are still getting a few but a lot more work is needed to bag out. There have been a lot more undersized flatties in between the keepers. Bournda Island up to Turingal Head is still giving up some quality fish in depths from 33 to 37 metres, and those fishing wider in 55 to 65 metres are catching some nice tiger flathead and odd flying gurnard. The inshore water temperature is sitting around 20 degrees and there is cooler water pushing up underneath the warmer surface water.

The reef fishing has been fishing very well, and these larger seas over the weekend will only improve the fishing. The snapper fishing has been excellent with plenty of pan sized snapper to 40 cm, and some quality 50cm and odd fish up to and over 60 centimetres. There are also some nice morwong and other reef dwellers being caught on the drift. Float baiting pilchards and squid is working well, whilst burleying on anchor, or drifting and casting plastics or dropping a metal jig and leaving it about 2 metres off the bottom while you drift, has also been working. There are still a few bonito around the reefs and headlands. They can be caught trolling small skirted lures at around 6 knots or trolling some small bibbed lures at a slower pace. You might also catch a salmon or even a kingfish if you are lucky.

The beaches will all change again after the weekend’s large seas, but it should stir up the salmon and tailor till the seas settle down. There was a school of salmon in the Merimbula lake, just upstream of the fishing club on Friday evening. The fish were seen jumping out of the water and not bothered by the seals on the Marine Rescue jetty. That school might be the one that has been hanging around the bar and wharf over the last month. Before the weather came in, there were three large schools of salmon near the Bega River entrance at Tathra, hopefully when the seas settle. They will still be close by. Main beach Merimbula right around to Pambula Beach is still fishing well for whiting and bream, and now the westerlies are blowing the mullet run North should get underway. Saturday afternoon I caught 5 whiting and 3 bream using beach worms as bait, there was a lot of sand moving around due to the building seas and the whiting were hungry about an hour before dusk.

The estuary fishing over the weekend was tested well and truly, with the Pirtek competition being held. Saturday was a hard day for all, due to the winds. Fish were caught in all systems, but most people cut the day’s fishing short. Sunday was a different story. Merimbula Lake fished the best from my reports. Good numbers of dusky flathead ranging from 40 to 55cm were caught up the top lake, as well as a few bream, tailor and trevally, bait fishing was the best using live poddy mullet as bait. The Merimbula front lake had plenty of trevally and blackfish being caught. The Bega River saw bream, trevally, blackfish, tailor, dusky flathead and at least 1 mulloway. Lures and bait caught the fish here. The estuary water temperature in both estuaries started at around 14 degrees early and only getting up to 17 degrees. The Bega River has dropped 6 degrees in the last week. That would be a shock to the system of every fish.

The game fishing has slowed up considerably, most likely due to the fuel price increases. The water on the shelf still looks okay and sitting around 22 degrees and it looks like it gets warmer, the current is pushing to the south once again. It’s well worth a look once the weather settles down. I have nothing to report apart from that blue marlin that was caught last week, nice catch. There might
be more out there and with the current pushing shoreward, the fish might just be closer than you think.

Coming events for the Merimbula Big Game and Lakes Angling Club are the Grudge Match between the Merimbula , Eden and Pambula Fishing clubs. Pambula is hosting and the dates are the 16th and 17th of May. Then, we have the Snapper Classic on the 30th and 31st of May to see the year out.

The Merimbula Big Game and Lakes Angling Club is open this Friday night, opening at 6pm. Come on down and enjoy a cold bevy from our licensed bar, buy a ticket or two in the Friday night raffle Sponsored by Goodalls Butchers, the Lakeview Hotel and the Bar Beach Kiosk. We have about 8 to 10 prizes depending on numbers. Catch up on the week’s fishing reports and enjoy the sunset on our balcony looking over the lake.
Till next week.

Fishy Fellow