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.

The ocean flathead bite continues for those fishing during the week. The weekend’s weather was ordinary and only a few boats ventured out early on Saturday morning, and all were seen coming home between 9 and 10 o’clock. From my reports, the flathead are biting in depths off Turingal Head from 35 metres out to 45 metres and back to Tura Heads around that 40 metre depth. Fishing off Tura Beach back to Long Point, the boats are working that 40 to 45 metre depth. The flathead size has dropped off a bit, but fish ranging from 40 to 48 centimetres is common. There are odd flying gurnard and an occasional gummy shark being caught also. The inshore water temperature is sitting around 17 degrees.

The reefs are still giving a good feed of snapper, morwong and odd nannygai, plus all the other species we tend to throw back. The snapper are averaging 40cm and morwong around 35cm. There are still odd larger snapper being caught from that 50 to 60 centimetre size range, but those fish, I’m hearing, are coming from the Eden area to the south. Plastics are still working very well over the reefs and the baits of choice are pilchards and squid pieces with a bit of prawn on the hook also.

The surf fishing has changed a bit over the last two weeks, with the gutters all moving. The beaches that had good gutters that were holding fish have nearly all been filled in by the sand movement. So you’ll have to check those beaches before wetting a line now. Tathra still has some reasonable gutters and I understand a school of salmon also. Bournda has a school of salmon at the Turingal end. Tura has some good gutters and patchy salmon, and at Haycock Beach most of the good gutters have filled in now.

The estuary at Merimbula still has tailor and salmon in the Top Lake. The problem is when the bait is brought to the surface and the birds go in for a feed, there are a couple of seals that come and crash the party and the fish all move on. So as a boater trolling around the lake with a casting lure rod ready to cast at any surface action is a must, I’m told. An 80mm Double Clutch bibbed lure is a perfect trolling lure for the tailor, which goes down around 1.7m, and light metals and blades for casting. There are a few trevally under the bait, so the blades can be let sink for them. The Bega River this week was giving up a few small to medium bream and trevally around the bridge. The estuary water temperature is sitting around 14 degrees at the moment.

The local gamefishing over the last week, from my reports, has been pretty dead. I know of a couple of boats that went out from Tathra and saw plenty of bait and birds around that 100 fathoms of water or shelf line, but the further they went out, the rougher it got and the signs of life all vanished. They ventured out to the 150.30E line, where the current and breeze made it very uncomfortable, and they saw no bird or bait life and got no hits on their lures. The water is sitting around 18 degrees. But you won’t get lucky if you’re not out there trying.

Coming Events for the MBGLAC

• • Salmon Sunday at Tathra Beach, out from the Lion’s Park at Mogareeka – Sunday 2nd August
  • The Presentation Night August 8th at the Lakeview Hotel.
  • The Club AGM August 10th in the club rooms, starting 7pm.

The MBGLAC is open this Friday night from 6pm. Come on down and enjoy a couple of hours chatting with the locals. We have a fully stocked bar, Friday night raffles supported by Goodalls Butchers, the Lakeview Hotel and the Bar Beach Kiosk when it’s open. Catch up on the week’s fishing activity by those who are fishing. Enjoy a quiet evening at the club.

Till next week.
Fishy Fellow.

Great weather over the weekend saw all boat ramps full of cars and boat trailers, with plenty of boats heading out to sea.

The outside flathead fishing is still on fire, with anglers bagging out within an hour when on the flatties. Reports are telling me that the 35 to 50 metre depth is the area to fish, and that is where they are catching both sand and tiger flathead. The sandies are averaging 45 centimetres, with plenty over 50 centimetres, and I heard of the odd fish over 60 centimetres. The best areas are still from Turingal Head back to just south of Tura Head. I have also heard of fish off Long Point and wide of the Haycock reef system. The inshore water temperature is sitting around 16 to 17 degrees, and there is some cooler water coming up in close that should bring up a few gummy sharks.

The reef fishing was on fire over the weekend. It has basically been a month since the Snapper Competition, and the snapper were on the chew again. Baxter Pryor caught a nice 50-plus centimetre snapper off a burley trail down Eden way on Sunday morning. The snapper at Haycock and Long Point reefs have also been very good leading up to the full moon. There are also good numbers of morwong and a mixed bag of nannygai, leatherjackets and other reef species. There are still a few kingfish being seen following lures and chasing smaller fish. The burley trails in the early mornings are accounting for a lot of 40 to 50 centimetre fish, and plastics early and late have also been very good.

The beach fishing for salmon and tailor has been very good of late. There has been a good swell, giving plenty of white water for the fish to feed around. I fished North Tura Beach this week, and it has changed a bit, with a shallow sand bar out the back that the waves are dumping on. Inside there are gutters and holes full of salmon and the odd tailor. There was a school of salmon out the back, which you could see in the forming waves, and they were being caught in closer using half pilchards and lures when the white water settled. There are also schools of salmon at Tathra Beach, at the Mogareeka end, Main Beach Merimbula, and patchy fish on Tura Beach.

The lake fishing is puttering along. The water is very clear, and if you can see fish, they can see you. There are still a few blackfish being caught in the Merimbula front lake, and the odd trevally around the boats and jetties. In the top lake, there are tailor and salmon feeding on the bait schools. Under the bait schools there are trevally, the odd bream, and smaller flatties feeding on pieces drifting to the bottom. Small plastics and vibes, letting them sink down, is the method of choice in the cooler waters. The Bega River at Tathra has some small bream, trevally and the odd dusky around the bridge, with odd bream and duskies on the flats and odd perch along the rock walls. The estuary water temperature is sitting around 14 to 15 degrees this week.

The gamefishing is hit and miss at the moment. There are fish being caught by some boats, but the bulk of those trying are not seeing too much. There have been some bluefin and yellowfin off Tathra and Bermagui, but south has been very hit and miss, with only the odd striped tuna. Boats have been working the waters from 150.30E and wider. There was a good bluefin bite today, Sunday, off Moruya in the afternoon out at 150.36E. You just have to be out there trying, and hopefully luck is on your side.

Coming Events for the Merimbula BGLAC

• • Salmon Sunday – late July, date to be confirmed.
  • The Club Presentation Night will be held on August 8 at the Lake View Hotel.
  • The AGM will be held in the club rooms on August 10 at 7.00pm.

Club Open Friday Night

The MBGLAC is open this Friday night from 6.00pm. Come on down and enjoy a couple of hours chatting with the locals. We have a fully licensed bar and raffles supported by Goodalls Butchers, the Lakeview Hotel and the Bar Beach Kiosk. Catch up on the week’s fishing reports. Come on down and enjoy an evening at the fishing club.

Till next week,
Fishy Fellow.

@sapphirecoasteats catering with Jaz and Damo.  Here, owner Jaz is about to start serving at Saturday night’s annual Seafood Dinner, held at the Merimbula Big Game and Lakes Angling Club at Spencer Park.  A great feed and night was had by all.

The great fishing continues outside with anglers still catching good numbers of sand and tiger flathead.  I have been getting plenty of reports from anglers that they are catching their bag within one hour over the last week.  The sand flathead are mostly large fish around 50 centimetres and better.  The tiger flathead are a bit smaller up to 45 centimetres.  The best areas to fish from reports are from Tura Heads up to Turingal Head, and out off Tura Beach.  However, they are not catching them as quickly there.  The depths where most of the action has been between 40 and 45 metres.  The boats fishing wider are catching more tiger flathead.  There are also a few flying gurnard and an odd gummy shark being caught in the mix as well.  The inshore water temperature has dropped a little this week, sitting around 17 to 18 degrees.

The snapper fishing has also been good.  There are still good numbers of 40-plus centimetre snapper being caught, with odd larger models periodically.  There has also been good numbers of morwong and a few nannygai and odd leatherjackets.  There have also been a few reports of a few rat kings around the reefs for the lure fishermen.  Bait fishos are using pilchards, yellowtail and squid and the lure fishos are catching more on 4-inch or 5-inch plastics.

The beaches are still fishing well too.  With some nice tailor and salmon being caught on Tathra Beach, Bournda Beach, North Tura Beach and Haycock Beach.  The bait fishos are telling me that whole undamaged pilchards are getting bites.  If the pilchards are damaged, the fish won’t touch them and 30-to-40-gram metal slugs are getting a fair bit of attention for the lure casters.  I’m hearing that the Wapengo Lake system has salmon coming in on the rising tides at the moment also.

The lakes’ fishing is getting slower with the cooling water and the fish are bunkering down.  The Bega River at Tathra’s water temperature has dropped this week down to 13 degrees and the fish have gone quiet.  The water is very clear down the front part and I only have reports of a few undersized bream and trevally from around the bridge piers.  I saw a pic of a small mulloway caught after dark near the bridge also.  There have been a few perch caught whilst targeting bream along the rock walls, but I understand they are only small fish.  Merimbula Lake is fishing a bit better, with a few blackfish being caught around the edges of the front lake on weed and under a float.  There are also a few trevally in the channel and up the top lake they are catching a few tailor trolling and spinning once bait is found.  Anglers are catching tailor, odd salmon and trevally under the bait.  The Merimbula Lake water temperature is sitting around 14 degrees.

There was a bit of game fish action on Saturday just north of Tathra off Bunga with one boat catching 3 yellowfin up to 35 kilogram in size.  There were also a few albacore caught by other boats in the area.  I heard the tuna were caught from 150.33E out the to 150.36E and I know of boats that have trolled out to 150.51E of Tathra and seen and caught only a couple of striped tuna.  The water out wide is sitting around 20 degrees.

The Merimbula Big Game and Lakes Angling Club rooms are open this Friday night opening at 6pm.  Come on down and meet the regulars.  Get involved in our Friday raffles sponsored by the Lakeview Hotel and Goodalls Butchers.  There is a fully licensed bar, and nibbles provided.  Hope to see you there.

Till next week.

Fishy Fellow

The outside flathead bite continues with plenty of boats bagging out in quick times from 30 minutes to an hour on quality sand flathead around 50 centimetres and better. Boats are fishing from Turingal Head, back to off Long Point to catch these fish, but the Tura Head area has been really firing. The best depths are around 40 to 50 metres of water. If you are not catching many fish, keep moving around, you will come on to them eventually. If you still can’t find them, look at your bait! Salmon, salted striped tuna, salted mackerel fillets or anything fresh are the baits of choice. The in-shore water temperature is sitting around 19 degrees. There are also a few gummy sharks being caught also with the flathead.

The reefs are still giving up a good feed of snapper and morwong with the odd nannygai, leatherjackets and an array of other reef bait stealers. The tides are better this week with it rising in the mornings. So, a burley trail is a must for those keen snapper fisher people and hopefully a big one is there waiting to be caught. Plastics are also a good option. There are still a few bonito and odd kingfish getting around the reefs and headlands and fresh bonito is great bait.

Our beaches seem to have salmon and tailor moving around on most of them, but you need to be fishing the rising tide, whether it be bait fishing or casting lures. Tathra Beach still has some salmon schools on it, so too does Bournda Beach and Haycock Beach.

The estuary fishing is slowing up with the water sitting around 15 degrees. The Bega River at Tathra is still giving up a few bream, trevally and an odd small salmon and tailor at different times. Merimbula has a few blackfish being caught around the edges on a high tide down in the front lake and tailor, odd salmon and trevally up the top lake in and around the bait schools when they are active. The yellowfin bream have all but gone now. You don’t see them in the channels at Merimbula, but the seals have scored most of the fish from the front lake now. Trolling the channels might catch you an odd tailor or trevally also, as they are usually hiding under boat moorings looking to ambush a feed as it passes by.

The Merimbula Big Game and Lakes Angling Club Seafood night is on this coming Saturday night, 20th June from 6pm. There are still a few seats available for any last-minute decisions. $50 a head for members and $55 a head for non-members. Call Phil on 0403 409 879 to reserve your seat.

The club will be open this Friday night from 6pm. Come along and buy a ticket in the weekly raffles sponsored by the Lakeview Hotel and Goodalls Butchers. Enjoy a bevvy and catch up on the week’s fishing. Bring a crew and make a pre-dinner drink of it.

Till next week.
Fishy Fellow