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

Club Member Merrily Bell with a meter plus gummy shark she caught early last week before the weather went bad.

The fishing activity last week was all but a write off from Tuesday afternoon on. Those that ventured to sea on Monday and Tuesday morning caught fish. The outside sand and tiger flathead fishing still produced a good feed of sand and tiger flathead, but boats had to move around as they were not biting like the week prior, and there were a lot of undersized flathead in the mix. One upside to the fishing, the drift was very slow, and the Gummy sharks were biting very well. Merrily reported only catching eighteen keeper flathead, but they caught 4 gummy sharks. They were fishing between Tura Heads and Turingal Point and in depths from 30 metres out to 45 metres. The water temperature in shore is sitting around 19 degrees.

The reef fishing early in the week, saw some pan-sized snapper to 40 centimetres, morwong to 35 centimetres, and a mixed bag of nannygai, sargent bakers and plenty of maori wrasse. There were also a few gummy sharks caught over the back of the Long Point and Haycock reefs. Fresh squid was the best bait for the snapper and morwong. There were also a few rat kingfish reported being seen retrieving fish back to the boat.

The surf fishing is still firing, and now after the weather and while the seas are settling down a bit, the fishing for salmon and tailor should be great. Some of the gutters could have changed or moved along the beaches, and there could be some sand bars out deeper with a deep gutter inside it. The salmon and tailor will hunt in that gutter for your pilchards, usually under the white water coming off the sand bar. So, if you are a lure or bait fishos, make sure you are getting into that white water zone. Tura and North Tura beaches have some nice gutters, and further north Wallagoot and Tathra Beach also. There has also been an odd mulloway caught on the Tathra beach whilst targeting the almon.

Our estuary fishing should only get better after the deluge we got on the coast last week. Reports from Sunday afternoon I received, were the Merimbula front lake had some quality bream, trevally and whiting being caught using nippers for bait and prawns could possibly work as well. The water has dirtied up, but not so bad that you could not see the bottom in the shallow areas. That means the dusky flathead should still be up in the top lake around the edges and looking for a feed. The Bega River at Tathra has a few bream and perch down the front around the rock walls and dusky flathead around the

edges and an occasional mulloway around the bridge and in the deeper holes on the tide changes. The estuary water temperature will be cooler with the

added fresh water in the systems and are sitting around 18 degrees.  The prawn are still running this week, with the high tide being around 10.30pm on Sunday night. So, any time after that is worth a try. Remember the tide is approximately one hour later each night. Monday night is the new moon.

The trout fishing at Lake Eucumbene has been consistent, with fish still moving around the edges polaroiding by the fly fishers and the lure guys are catching a few using Rapala trout imitation and 7cm Double Clutches and slow retrieved plastics. The boats are getting odd fish trolling at daybreak and dust. 

There has been no game fishing over the last week, hopefully the weather improves to give the boats a chance to venture out to the shelf to target a marlin. The water on the shelf is showing to be around 22 degrees.

Coming events for the Merimbula Big Game and Lakes Angling Club. Brogo Big Bass club members fishing weekend. January 30th, 31st  and 1st  February and the Dusky Challenge fishing competition February 21st  and 22nd. Check our web page for details at www.mbglac.com.au 

The Merimbula Big Game and Lakes Angling Club is open every Friday night, opening at 6pm. It is a great time of year to meet new people and why not do it at the fishing club. We have Friday raffles, sponsored by Goodalls Butchers, The Bar Beach Kiosk, and the Lakeview Hotel, plus an array of other prizes. Catch up on some current fishing reports, from those that have been fishing, and watch the sun go down from the best view in town. 

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

Avon Rollason does it again. This time she has caught an 892mm Long Dusky Flathead on a 50mm long prawn imitation lure. Great fish, well done Avon.

The outside flathead fishing is still going off. My reports tell me that good numbers of sand and tiger flathead are being caught in depths from 30 to 45meters, and the size has been between 40 and 50 centimeters.

There has also been odd flying gurnard and gummy sharks in the mix. The reports I am getting are also saying that the deeper you fish the more undersize fish their catching between keepers. So, staying in shallower could possibly be the better option at the moment.

The best areas this last week have been between Bournda Island and Turingal Point, and Tura Heads back to Short Point has also been doing ok also. The inshore water temperature is sitting around that 19 to 20 degrees.

The reef fishing is just ticking over at the moment, reports of pan sized snapper and morwong with some nannygai and an odd leather jacket thrown in, there is also plenty of other reef bycatch being caught, drifting across the reefs at Long Point and Haycock reefs using a two hooked paternoster rig.

Float baiting is also working early before the winds are getting up. Best baits have been fresh squid and pilchards. The squid can be caught around the Merimbula Wharf, Long Point, Haycock Point/rocks if the seas allow, or anywhere there is visible weed growth.

There has been a few salmon and tailor caught this week off the Beaches. Tura Beach, Haycock Beach and Bournda Beaches have been the pick of them. Lure casting and bait fishing are both producing fish. Bournda Island has also been giving up good numbers from the low tide/rising for the lure casters, when the seas have permitted. If you have a boat, trolling around Haycock Point and Bournda Island is also producing a few Salmon and odd Tailor.

The local estuary fishing is still going off, with some really nice catches over the last week. The caption photo this week saw Avon Rollason’s capture of that 892mm Dusky Flathead and a few casts later she landed another 835mm Dusky. Other reports have bream, whiting, odd mulloway, and Perch and duskies to around 50 centimeters.

This all happened on New Years Day at Tathra in the Bega River when all the other punters slept in. The Merimbula Lake has slowed a bit this week. With trevally, odd bream, whiting, plenty of dusky flathead but only fish around that 50-centimeter size and odd mulloway. Pambula has had trevally, whiting, dusky flathead odd bream and occasional flounder. The bulk of my reports are from lure fishers, but fresh nippers and squirt worms have been the pick of the baits for the bait fishos.

The game fishing has been a bit slow out the front of Merimbula if your chasing Marlin. I have had reports of bluefin tuna being caught just on and inside the shelf to 70 fathoms, the fish size is small with fish to around 5kg, and they have been getting caught between East of Eden and just South of Tathra. The water temperature on the shelf is between 21 and 22 degrees.

Those kingfish were still at Tathra during the week, with captures of kings around that 8 to 10 kg mark. For the marlin fishos a trip to Bermagui or further north might get you onto a fish or two. I understand that Turos canyons has better numbers, and they are being seen on bait balls of sauries but are very hard to catch.

The Merimbula Big Game and Lakes Angling Club is open this Friday night, opening at 6pm. Everyone is welcome to come down and enjoy the evening with us at Spencer Park Merimbula. We would like to welcome a new contributor and sponsor to our Friday night raffle.

The Lakeview Hotel Merimbula is donating a $50 bistro voucher every week, so welcome aboard! That also goes with the meat trays sponsored by Goodall’s Butchers of Merimbula and the Bar Beach Kiosk $20 coffee voucher. We also have current fishing reports from those that have been fishing during the week, and a fully stocked Bar. We would love to see you there. Till next week

Fishy Fellow

Local angler, Glen, captured this 84 centimetre mulloway, Sunday morning off the beach at Tathra using a paddle tail Squidgee lure.

The outside flathead fishing has changed a bit this week with anglers catching their bags in shallower waters.  Reports throughout the week have been, the fish are biting early and in depths from 30 to 35 metres and catching a mixed bag of sand and tiger flathead with an odd flying gurnard in the mix.  The flathead sizes are up to 40 centimetres, but there are plenty of throw backs in between the keepers.  The best areas have been from Bournda Island back to Haycock.  The water temperature inshore is around that 17 degree mark.

The reef fishing is a bit patchy.  There are a mixture of undersized and pan-sized snapper with morwong, nannygaai and a mixed bag of other reef species.  There are also good numbers of squid being caught around the Haycock Rocks area and Shallow Hunter, at the moment.  I heard there are some better snapper being caught south of Eden on the reefs to 55 centimetres.  The snapper are being caught float baiting and lureing.

The beach fishing is slow on the salmon side of fishing.  Tura Beach has some good gutters up the northern end.  So to, has Dolphin Cove and Tathra beaches.  Odd salmon are being caught on bait on these beaches, but not in any numbers.  This morning, Glen was chasing some salmon at Tathra Beach and came up trumps with this week’s photo of a mulloway.

Our estuary fishing is pretty good now.  The bream fishing is a bit slow in Merimbula, but there are some nice tailor, trevally and blackfish being caught up the Top Lake.  There are also good numbers of trevally, odd blackfish and occasional salmon and tailor in the front lake.  The Pambula River and Lake has some nice dusky flathead, odd bream, trevally and odd blackfish being caught.  The Bega River at Tathra is giving up a few bream, odd perch, tailor and dusky flathead and an occasional mulloway.  All the species are being caught on fresh bait such as nippers and a selection of squidgee style plastics.

The game fishing is quiet out the front of Merimbula, but some reports from the Tuross Canyons over the last week indicate there have been a few yellowfin tuna caught in that 40 kilogram size range.  With the full moon on its way this week, fingers crossed something might happen down our way.  The water termperature on the shelf off Merimbula is around 19 degrees.

Merimbula Big Game and Lakes Angling Club is having their members’ Christmas Party on the 12th December.  This year’s Monster Raffle has begun with the usual Hobie kayak and Merinda adult bike or two kids bikes on offer, as well as a Yeti esky and a $500 voucher from Merimbula Tackle World.  Thanks to our other sponsors, Boss Outdoors,  Cycle n’ Surf and Merimbula Tackle World.  Ticket sellers will be around Woolworths at Tura Beach, the local markets and caravan parks, so keep your eyes peeled and get yourself some tickets and support the club’s projects.

The club is open at 6pm this Friday night.  Come on down and enjoy a cold bevy while supporting our regular Friday night raffles, sponsored by Goodalls Butchers and the Bar Beach Kiosk.  Catch up on the week’s fishing reports and enjoy the view over the Merimbula Lake.

Till next week.

Fishy Fellow