Club member, Fiona Beasley, caught this oversized flying gurnard on the weekend fishing out off Tura Heads.  It measured 571mm.

We had great weather over the weekend for a bit of outside flathead and snapper fishing. The outside sand and tiger flathead fishing was excellent over the weekend.  The flatties were biting really well in depths from 40 to 50 metres.  There were boats from Bournda Island right down to the Pinnacles, that we could see.  We caught our flatties just north of Tura Heads.  The sand flathead ranged in size from 38 to 50 centimetres and the tigers were a contant 36 centimetres.  We also found a few flying gurnard, but no gummies.  However, others caught them closer to the reefs.  The water is a dirty green on top at around 18 degrees, but the sinkers were a lot colder when they came up and the current was to the south.

The reefs were a little slower this weekend, but the tide wasn’t quite right.  There were still plenty of snapper caught, but a lot of smaller fish around that 40 centimetre size.  There was also a few morwong, nannygai, sargent bakers and other reef species.  We even caught salmon out in 35 metres of water.  Plastics worked for us, but a bit of burley may have held the fish behind the boat.

The salmon and tailor are feeding well in our estuaries at the moment. There are plenty of smaller 500g fish on the beaches suchs as North Tura and Bournda.  The beaches are very deep with not many banks, which makes them hard to baitfish, but lures have been getting plenty.  Main Beach Merimbula has some nice banks and wave action and is probably worth a try for the bait guys.  Otherwise you will need a boat and to head into the estuaries.

The estuary fishing is pretty busy if you are after salmon and tailor.  The Pambula River has good numbers of salmon and tailor in the river section.  There is also still a few bream and odd trevally along the rock walls.  The Merimbula Lake has salmon and tailor in the front lake and a few bream and odd blackfish were seen on Sunday.  Up the Top Lake the salmon and tailor were gorging on the baitfish on Saturday.  There were a couple of trevally also feeding with the preditors.  The Merimbula Lake’s water temperature is around 16 degrees also.  The Bega River is very dirty and the boat ramp is covered in trees after the recent rains.  If you can get your boat in the water, there are a few bream and odd perch biting up the river and odd salmon and trevally down the front.

The game fishing is showing signs of firing up.  Sunday, a boat out of Tathra found a few small yellowfin.  They didn’t give any details, but it is a positive sign.  There are a few of our local longliners fishing out wide off Mallacoota, well over 50 nautical miles off shore, and that current looks to be travelling up along the 1000 fathom line.  So hopefully, we get a chance at these fish at some stage.

The Merimbula Big Game and Lakes Angling Club is open this Friday night at 6pm.  We have the draw of the monthly species, “snapper” which will take place between 7 and 7.30pm.  Fish must be on the board by 7pm.  The draw is sponsored by Michelin and Son eath works of Eden.  We also have raffle with a meat tray sponsored by Goodalls Butchers and a voucher for the Bar Beach Kiosk.  Come on down and enjoy a cold bevvy and catch up with the locals.

Till next week.

Fishy Fellow

Member, Glen Rollason caught this nice mulloway, just before the rain, in the
Bega River. It measured 960mm.

The fishing over the last week has still been pretty good, and with the rain to dirty up the water, it should get better.

The outside flathead fishing is still fishing well, with good catches of sand and tiger flathead being caught off Long Point in 45 to 55 metres of water and inside the Haycock reef system in depths from 25 to 30 metres.  Fish to 40 centimetres are consistently being caught.  There is also an odd gummy shark and flying gurnard in the mix.  I haven’t had any reports from Tura Heads, but would think if the fish are off Long Point, they would be off Tura as well.

The local reefs are still producing snapper, morwong, nannygai and a quantity of other reef species.  The snapper are ranging in size from 30 to 55 centimetres with odd larger fish occasionally.  I have had reports from North and south Head at Eden, Leonards Island and Haycock reefs.  Over the weekend prior to the rain and swell, anglers were drifting, burleying with float baits which worked a treat.  Casting plastics is also producing a few.

The salmon have been on the bite off the Merimbula Wharf.  There is a also a good patch of salmon and tailor on Main Beach, Merimbula.  They have been going into the lake overnight, so bait fishing and lures early in the morning or late afternoon might catch a fish or two off Mitchies Beach.  The salmon are very skittish once in the lake, but thirteen seals in the lake can do that to any fish.  Other beaches giving up a few salmon are North Tura Beach and Tura Beach.

The lake fishing has slowed up considerably.  After the rain, the lakes have cooled down in water temperature to around 15 degrees.  The Merimbula front lake is struggling with the amount of seals looking for a feed and even with the dirty water on the weekend, the fish were very hard to find.  The Top Lake has a few mulloway, salmon and tailor around the edges and the bream and dusky flathead are hard to find.  With the temperature low, they look like they have bunkered down for winter.  The Bega River at Tathra still has a few bream, perch and odd mulloway biting at the moment and the water is only 13 degrees up there.  Pambula River has some salmon and tailor in the system currently.  

There is nothing to report on any game fishing through the amateur boats, but some of the longliners are currently working off Merimbula, fishing between 25 to 30 nautical miles out.  So, if the weather allows, maybe some boats may get out for a look.

The Merimbula Big Game and Lakes Angling Club rooms are open at 6pm this Friday.  We love to see new faces down there.  We have raffles with three meat trays, supported by Goodall’s Butchers, a coffee and cake voucher from the Bar Beach Kiosk, wine and chocolates.  Also, fishing reports and of course plenty of mixed drinks.

Till next week.

Fishy Fellow

The MBGLAC President, Shane Mayberry with a beast of a snapper caught last weekend, measuring 68.5 centimetres.

The fishing during the week outside has been very good and the weather has been fabulous.  However, this coming week, it looks like wind and rain and hopefully it will clear up for next weekend’s Snapper Classic competition.

The outside flathead bite has remained steady over the week, with good catches of sand and tiger flathead being caught off Tura Heads back to Long Point, with them being caught in depths from 40 to 55 metres.  There has also been an odd gummy shark in the mix.  Flathead are consistent 40 plus centimetres with the odd bigger fish being caught.

The reefs have also fished well for those out trying.  With the MBGLAC’s Snapper Classic this coming weekend, it should be good.  There has been some quality snapper being caught from pinkies to over 50 centimetres and morwong and an assortment of other reef species.  There has also been an odd kingfish bust off for those chasing snapper.  Fresh baits like squid, pilchards and salmon or mackeral and plastics are catching the fish.

Salmon fishing is a bit funny at the moment.  The salmon are schooled up in places, mainly around rocky headlands and smaller packs are patrolling the beaches.  The beaches are very deep, so there is not a lot of wave action once the tide rises a bit.  I would suggest for beach fishers, to start fishing soon after low tide to get some wave action or head to the headlands or wharfs on a building tide with a live bait or pilchard under a float or lures for those inclined.  

The lake fishing has slowed a lot and with the water at around 17 degrees.  A good burley trail on a falling tide will entice bream, trevally, tailor and even salmon if they are in the system.  Now trolling for tailor is coming into vogue, so bibbed lures or silver wobblers on a rising tide early and late should catch some fish.

The game fishing is not happening at present.  The water is around 22 degrees on the shelf, but there is not too much activity.  We are waiting for some yellowfin and bluefin to find there way to our shores.

With the Merimbula Big Game and Lakes Angling Club’s Snapper classic this coming weekend, go to www.mbglac.com.au to see details and a link to the competition rules.  The club will be open at 5.30pm this Friday for registrations.  Come on down and support our raffle, sponsored by Goodall’s Butchers and the Bar Beach Kiosk.  Enjoy a cold bevvy, catch up with the locals and enter the comp.

Till next week.

Fishy Fellow

The Grudge Match between Eden, Merimbula and Pambula was held over the weekend, with Eden coming out victorious.  Here we have left to right, Merimbula President Shane Mayberry, Geoff McMahon (Eden), Eden President Val Cartledge and Pambula President Joe Klimas handing over the shields.

Great weather over the weekend for the Grudge Match between Merimbula, Pambula and Eden clubs and plenty of reports to help this week’s fishing report.  The outside flathead have come back to life with boats bagging out over the weekend.  Sand and tiger flathead were being caught in good numbers from Turingal Head down past Leonards Island.  Fish ranging in size from 40 to 55 centimetres were consistent in all catches.  We found our flathead fishing in depths from 43 to 55 metres of water and the water temperature around 18 degrees with a slow drift to the south.

The reef fishing was pretty good over the weekend with some quality fish caught on the reefs from Long Point, Merimbula down to Green Cape.  Fish caught were snapper, morwong, leatherjackets and Eden’s winning species, red rock cod, sweep, sargent baker, pike and wrasse.  The snapper were spread out but plenty of pan size were caught with good numbers up to 50 centimetres.  The weekends best snapper was 685 centimetres.  Burleying and lures all caught fish.

Our beaches are a bit slow at the moment, but salmon are being caught off Bournda Island, around the headlands and I heard of one school in the Pamubla River and also up the Top Lake at Merimbula.  All the salmon that were caught over the weekend were caught trolling.  

The estuary fishing is slowing down with the water cooling to around 17 degrees.  Bream is the only species feeding up at this time and some nice ones were caught from the Merimbula and Tathra systems.  The whiting, dusky flathead and luderick are bunkering down for winter.  Not to say you won’t catch them, but odd fish here and there are hard to come across.  Tailor are still around in Merimbula Lake but have thinned out lately.  Probably because of their spawning time being in August and with them having to travel up to Fraser Island, that may be why they have thinned out.

The game fishing is on the slow side, but I’m still getting reports of free jumping marlin, but no-one can catch them.  With the water sitting around 21 degrees, hopefully some more yellowfin might show up soon.  There was a report of a 91.6kg bluefin tuna caught off Bunga on Saturday whilst they were fishing for swordfish as they were deep dropping.

In closing, the Merimbula Big Game and Lakes Angling Club is open this Friday night, from 6pm.  Come on down and meet the local, catch up on the week’s fishing reports and get involved with our weekly raffle sponsored by Goodall’s Butchers and the Bar Beach Kiosk.  Enjoy a cold beverage with nibbles provided.  

Coming Events:

MBGLAC Working Bee this Saturday 17th May from 9am

Snapper Classic – May 24th and 25th.

Till next week.

Fishy Fellow

Riley Holley with a 70 plus centimetre Australian salmon, caught off Merimbula on the weekend.

The outside flathead fishing is still patchy, but sand flathead are being caught in depths from 25 to 30 metres off Bournda Beach and out wider, off Tura Heads at 50 metres.  There are less bites out wider, but they are from larger flathead to 50 centimetres.  The Pinnacles, also has a few flathead being caught around that 30 metre depth.  There is also an odd gummy shark biting in between the flathead bites.

The tides for the reef fishing aren’t very good this week, but boats that have fished the afternoons have been catching a few snapper around the 45 centimetre mark, odd morwong and other reef species.  Green Cape fished well on plastics during the week with snapper up to and over 50 centimetres.  There are still a few bonito being caught around the headlands and off the wharfs.

The beaches have settled down now, with new banks and gutters formed.  There should be a few salmon and tailor on the bite earlier on a rising tide, not at the top of the tide.  The reason for this is early in the tide there is still wave action stirring the water and as the tide fills, the wave action disappears.  Tura Beach and Main Beach Merimbula are looking good for this.  Unfortunately, I haven’t had any reports off any beaches.  There are a few bream being caught off Main Beach Merimbula on beach worms.

The estuaries are hard fising at the moment.  Merimbula Lake last weekend, with the Pirtek Challenge and those that fished, caught dusky flathead, mainly on live poddy mullet, bream, trevally, and tailor and during the week, a few mulloway on prawn style lures.  The Bega River at Tathra has dusky flathead, odd bream and mulloway biting this week.

The game fishing is pretty quiet out wide off the Far South Coast at the moment, but in shore, there is a fair bit of activity.  Fishing land based or off the wharf at Tathra, there have been quite a few long tail tuna caught averaging 12 kg in weight.  The Merimbula Wharf has had schools of yellowtail kingfish swimming past, with fish being caught by those that are there.  I have had one report from out wider that there are quite a few thresher sharks being seen and caught around the bait schools on the shelf.  The water temperature off Merimbula is around 20 degrees, but off Tathra it’s around 22 plus degrees.  The water is going to get warmer over the next few weeks and hopefully there are a few fish in it, otherwise we will have a long wait before the cooler water for the tuna finds our shores.

The Meirmbula Big Game and Lakes Angling Club rooms are open this Friday from 6pm.  Come on down and talk strategy for the Grudge Match this weekend, support our raffle sponsored by Goodall’s Butchers and the Bar Beach Kiosk and catch up on coming events.

Till next week.

Fishy Fellow