The outside flathead fishing has dropped off over the last week. I’ve had reports of the flathead bite being very slow in shallower waters. The small flathead and whiting have dominated the bite with only the odd keeper fish being caught in amongst all the activity. Reports have also said there is an odd flying gurnard being caught fishing from 45 metres and deeper. Anglers have been persisting out deeper and catching tiger flathead to get their bag of fish. The inshore water temperature has dropped back to 16 degrees.

The reef fishing is still giving up a feed of pan-sized snapper around that 40 centimetre size, a few morwong, nannygai and a mixed bag of other reef fish, like red rock cods, nannygai, sergeant baker and leatherjackets. There are still odd better snapper being caught mainly around Long Point Merimbula. Leonards Island has had reasonable numbers of morwong being caught around the outer edge of the reef in about 40 metres.

The surf beaches over the last week have probably been the best, with schools of salmon being seen on Tathra Beach, North Tura Beach and Quondola Beach, near Haycock. They are catching a few salmon on pilchard baits and odd tailor at low light periods early and late. Metals haven’t been working that good lately, but I’m told soft plastics and hard body lures have been getting the bites.

The estuary fishing has gone quiet again after the better bite for a couple of days last weekend. The Bega River was slow on Saturday, but the sounder told the story, as the bream had all schooled up ready for their spawn cycle each year. There were still a couple of small bream caught with odd trevally around the bridge. Merimbula Lake really only has an odd fish being caught up the top lake, with odd trevally and tailor hunting around the bait schools. Pambula Lake is probably fishing the best with a school of salmon in the lake and above the boat ramp. There are also odd trevally and tailor being caught. The estuaries water temperatures are pretty cool with the temps around 10 degrees.

Finally, some yellowfin tuna off Merimbula. Saturday I weighed two yellowfin, not huge fish, but our picture of Baxter Pryor of a 36.1 kilogram fish caught just over the shelf, east of Merimbula, which took a Halko Lazer Pro lure. The other was a 27.8 kilogram fish caught around the 30 line off Tathra, taking a 6-inch skirted lure. Both random takes with no visible fishy signs. That warmer water has made it down our way with the temperature sitting around 18 to 19 degrees out over the shelf, so fingers crossed, the weather allows boats out there and there are more fish caught over the coming weeks.

The Merimbula Big Game and Lakes Angling Club holds its AGM on Monday 10th August, having just held the annual presentation night for the Lakeview Trophy Board. A great night was had by all and there were plenty of winners. Thank you to the Lakeview Hotel for sponsoring our annual trophy presentation and for hosting us again this year.

The MBGLAC club rooms are open this Friday night from 6pm, so drop in and catch up with a few familiar faces. Grab yourself a cold drink from the licensed bar, have a yarn about what’s been biting, and pick up a ticket in our Friday night raffle, proudly supported by the Lakeview Hotel and Goodalls Butchers. We’ll also have the latest fishing reports and, no doubt, a few good fishing tales doing the rounds.

Hope to see a few of you there.

Till next week.

Fishy Fellow.

The outside flathead fishing is giving up a good feed of sand and tiger flathead and a few flying gurnard. There are heaps of small flathead and red spot whiting stealing baits, but the better fish are in amongst the bait stealers. The keeper fish are ranging in size from 35 to 45 centimetres and there are better fish up to 50 centimetres. A lot of boats have been fishing off the golf course off Tura Beach and up to Bournda Island in depths from 35 to 45 metres. The swells were up on Sunday and there were still boats out there fishing. The in-shore water temperature is sitting around 16 degrees.

The reef fishing is still excellent with plenty of snapper on all our local reefs. These fish are ranging from pan-size fish to 60 plus centimetres. A lot of the better fish are being caught on plastics now as you always have an active line in the water and the snapper love the moving plastics. Baits are still working, but all the other species are fighting for that bait also. There has also been some good morwong, nannygai, and leatherjackets being caught and these species also take lures if presented and they are hungry.

The MBGLAC Salmon Sunday was run and won today, with Tathra Beach at the Mogareeka end being the venue. Leanne Hoath took out the trophy this year with a nice 56.5 centimetre model. Seas were up, caused by the high-pressure system off the east coast of New South Wales. We had a dozen fish caught between the competitors all on bait rigs. Those using lures didn’t see any action. There was a school of salmon out the back, which you could see in the waves, from time to time, but it was a long way out. There are also schools on North Tura Beach, Dolphin Cove Beach and I heard of a patch around Tura Heads during the week.

The lake fishing fired up in the Bega River on Saturday. I got a report of one angler who caught five bream, all over 30 centimetres and one dusky over 50 centimetres. He also said the water was 10 degrees. There are also a few trevally being caught around the bridge and bream are being seen on the flats but are spooking easily. The Merimbula Lake is still hard fishing. The water in the channels is so clear and there are no fish to be seen. The top lake has a few tailor and odd salmon being caught trolling or casting lures around the bait, and there are the occasional small dusky flathead and trevally around the weed edges. Merimbula’s top lake water temperature is 11 degrees.

The game fishing is on fire up the coast at Batemans Bay and to the North, but the boats are venturing out to sea up to the 150 50 line, but down our way, things are slow. Plenty of donuts for those trying. I have seen a pic of one yellowfin caught during last week out of Tathra. Fish size, I’d estimate around 50 kilograms, but that is it. Not even seeing any albacore. The water temperature looks to be around 17.5 degrees on the surface and there is cooler water underneath.

The MBGLAC presentation night is next on our agenda. It is Saturday night at the Lakeview Hotel, starting at 6pm. We have 50 people booked in already and there is room for more. You have until Wednesday 5th August to confirm attendance, so ring Shane on 0428 424 496 to reserve your seats. Don’t forget also our AGM is happening on Monday 10th August at the clubrooms at Spencer Park, beginning at 7pm.

The MBGLAC club rooms will be open again this Friday night from 6pm. Come along, have a chat with the locals, grab a ticket in the Friday night raffle, kindly sponsored by the Lakeview Hotel and Goodalls Butchers, and enjoy a cold drink from our fully licensed bar. There’ll also be the usual weekly fishing reports and plenty of fishy stories to catch up on.

Hope to see a few of you there.
Till next week.
Fishy Fellow.

Club member Greg Ford with a flying gurnard, showing off the colours, which he caught recently.

The local ocean flathead fishing is still giving up a good feed, although there are plenty of pickers stealing your baits before a sizeable flathead gets on. Anywhere from Bournda Island back to Long Point, and in depths from 35 to 50 metres. There are also some nice gurnard and an odd gummy shark being caught in the mix. The inshore water temperature is sitting between 15 and 16 degrees.

The reef fishing is still fishing well. Not so many large snapper this weekend, but still good numbers of 40-plus size fish, as well as morwong, sergeant bakers, nannygai and plenty of pike for the line fishermen. Also heard of some sizeable squid being seen under the boats and grabbing the lures, and quite a few rat kings seen chasing plastics up to the boats.

The beach fishing is still okay for the bait fishos and those casting lures. Like myself, there are a lot of casts between bites. I fished North Tura Beach on Saturday afternoon for three hookups, but only one fish before a seal appeared and I couldn’t get another hit. On Sunday, I spun Tathra Beach up the Mogareeka end, saw salmon chasing my lures but no hits, and also saw a small school in the waves but no interest in my lures. I also saw a decent school of salmon at North Tura Beach, but they were out the back and moving fast, probably getting away from that seal.

The lake fishing is pretty tough of late, mainly due to the crystal clear cold water. The estuary water temperature is sitting around 12 degrees. There are a few fish being caught. The Bega River at Tathra is giving up odd bream and trevally, occasional small dusky flathead and flounder. Merimbula has a few trevally and tailor up the Top Lake, with an odd salmon occasionally. Pambula has a few trevally, tailor and the odd flathead being caught down the river.

The game fishing has seemed to bypass us and it’s happening off Moruya and Batemans Bay, where they’re catching bluefin upwards of 60kg and a few yellowfin in that 50kg and better size. The water temperature is better up that way, with a substantial temp break in the currents where they meet. Locally the water is sitting around 18 degrees and, if boats are seeing fish, they’re typically feeding on sauries and very hard to entice them.

Coming Events for the MBGLAC

• Salmon Sunday next weekend at Tathra’s Lions Park at Mogareeka. Catering numbers are needed ASAP to Shane on 0428 424 496.
• Presentation Night: August 8th at the Lakeview Hotel, starting at 6pm. Contact Shane or Fiona.
• Our AGM is approaching, Monday night, August 10, in the club rooms. 7pm start.

The MBGLAC club rooms are open this Friday night, opening at 6pm. Come on down and meet the locals, buy a raffle ticket in our Friday night raffle, sponsored by the Lakeview Hotel and Goodalls Butchers. We have a fully licensed bar and weekly fishing reports. Hope to see you there.

Till next week.

Fishy Fellow.

We had beautiful weather again over the weekend, with Saturday being the pick of the days, and the Merimbula boat ramp was packed.

On the ocean flathead scene, the fishing has changed a bit over the last few reports. I fished Sunday and we got our bag limit of mainly sand flathead. We ventured up to Tura Heads and started approximately half way to Bournda Island, in 40 metres, drifting back towards Tura Heads. Lots of small pickers but managed about 8 fish on the first drift. Most of them were caught straight out from Tura Heads. We went out to 45 metres for our next drift, saw a lot of bait on the bottom between 43 and 45 metres, drifted through all that and caught fish. However, the pickers were a menace. We put a metal jig down and bang, 4 or 5 keepers in a row, and the pickers were not a problem then. Big jig, big flathead. Bagged out in 3 hours with fish sizes from 36 to 50 centimetres. 43 metres was probably our best depth. We topped our bag off in 43metres off the Tura Golf Course with some quick sand and tiger flathead at 40cm a fish. The water temperature was cool at 15 degrees.

And what a week for the reefs with the snapper fishing. There have been plenty of those pan-sized snapper in that 40 centimetre size range with good numbers in the 50s, 60s and an odd fish over 70 centimetres. Also, morwong, nannygai and plenty of red rock cod. All our local reefs have been giving up these quality snapper. Baits and plastics have both been working well for the snapper.

The salmon and tailor fishing on our surf beaches has been a bit slow over the last week. I think it has been due to the lack of swell and the clear inshore waters. I heard over the weekend there is a school of salmon hanging around Bournda Island, and there have been a few mulloway caught around the Mogareeka entrance over the last week with the new moon. They’re still catching salmon off the Tathra Wharf, so you’d expect them to be coming into the beach up the surf club end as well for a look.

To the estuary fishing – this is probably the toughest place to fish at the moment. Lots of casts for minimal return. The Bega River at Tathra has given up a few mulloway on the dark moon cycle, also an odd trevally and bream around the bridge pylons, and an odd bream and occasional small flathead up in the shallows. Merimbula Lake has a few trevally, tailor and salmon being caught up the Top Lake, where you find bait, either trolling or casting lures like blades and deeper diving minnows. I did hear of a few fish in Pambula River down towards the front, some trevally to 50 cm and tailor trolling, but the salmon have been scarce. The estuaries’ water temperature is pretty cool, sitting around 12 to 13 degrees.

The local game fishing isn’t really happening. I know of a few boats that ventured out on Friday and Saturday and fished out to the 150.45E line from Merimbula to Tathra and north for no fish. Bermagui had fish caught and seen out on the Sea Mount, but it all seems to be happening from Batemans Bay to the north. The water out over the shelf is up to 18.5 degrees and I’ve heard when the tuna are seen, there are usually sauries in the area.

Events for the MBGLAC coming up:

• • Salmon Sunday on August 2nd at the Mogareeka Lions Park Beach. Starts at daylight. High tide is around 10:30am with a BBQ at 12 noon in the Lions Park. Sausages will be supplied. Catering numbers to Shane please.
  • Club’s Presentation, Saturday August 8th, 6pm at the Lake View Hotel.
  • Club’s AGM on Monday night, August 10th, starting at 7pm sharp. We have committee positions vacant if you would like to be involved in this great fishing club.

The MBGLAC is open this Friday night, opening at 6pm. Come down and enjoy a drink from our licensed bar, support our meat tray raffle, sponsored by the Lake View Hotel and Goodalls Butchers. Catch up on the week’s fishing reports and meet new people.

Till next week.

Fishy Fellow.

Member, Matthew Walmsley, very happy with a gummy shark he caught recently. The gummy measured 1450mm long. Nice catch Matt.

With a good weather forecast for the weekend, many anglers took the opportunity to wet a line or two. The outside flathead fishing offshore is still very good. Reports from Saturday were heaps of sand flathead in around 40 metres out to 50 metres, with quality fish up to 50 centimetres also. Boats fishing in 30 to 40 metres were catching fish to 45cm. There was also a few flying gurnard and the odd gummy shark being caught in their bags. Best areas were from Turingal Point back to Long Point. The inshore water temperature is still sitting around 17 degrees.

The reefs are also fishing well, with some great snapper caught early on Saturday morning again by the Pryor boys, both catching quality snapper over 50 centimetres off Long Point using plastics. The bait fishos are still catching plenty of snapper up to 50 centimetres and the odd fish over 50 centimetres. Morwong are in good numbers around the reef edges and out on the deep edges, and there is also a mixed bag of nannygai, wrasse, red rock cod and an occasional gummy shark. There are still a few squid being caught around the shallow Hunter and Haycock Point edges.

The surf fishing has settled down and on Saturday the fishing was excellent. People were catching salmon and tailor on baits and lures on Tathra Beach, Bournda Beach, North Tura and Tura Beach, and also down on Haycock and Quondola Beaches. The salmon are all sizes from 30 to 60 centimetres and the tailor are up to 40 centimetres. Casting 25g metals and pilchard baits are all doing well. I myself caught 7 tailor and 18 salmon on North Tura Beach casting lures up till dark on Saturday.

The estuary fishing is still moving along slowly. The Bega River at Tathra over the weekend gave up a few bream, trevally and tailor. These fish were caught around the bridge and rock walls. The water temp at Mogareeka was sitting around 12 degrees. The Merimbula Top Lake is still giving up tailor, salmon and trevally around the bait schools, and there is an odd blackfish and bream being caught along the channel edges. Merimbula’s water is sitting at 13 degrees. There was also a school of salmon off Spencer Park at dusk on Wednesday.

The game fishing is very hit and miss in our area at the moment. I know of boats that have tried over the last week, and on Saturday. Our members haven’t caught yellowfin or bluefin as yet, and they have ventured out to 150.45E for only the odd albacore and/or large striped tuna. However, boats heading out from Bermagui up to Batemans Bay have caught the odd yellowfin and bluefin, but you won’t catch anything at home. The water temperature wide from the 30 line east is sitting around 18 degrees and the further you head out it’s climbing to around 19 degrees.

Coming events for the MBGLAC

• Salmon Sunday – August 2nd at Tathra’s Mogareeka End at the Lions Park.
• Presentation Night – Saturday August 8th at the Lake View Hotel. Names to Shane Mayberry on 0438 929 446, on the board in the Club rooms, or email to admin@mbglac.com.au
• AGM – Monday August 10th starting 7pm, in the Club rooms.

The MBGLAC club rooms are open this Friday night from 6pm. Come on down and catch up with the locals, buy some tickets in our Friday night raffles sponsored by the Lakeview Hotel, and Goodalls Butchers. Catch up on the week’s fishing reports while enjoying a cold bevvy. Hope to see you there this week.

Till next week, tight lines.

Fishy Fellow.