Nearly New Year’s Eve, and with that, the last fishing report for 2024.

Sarah Mayberry with a nice sand flathead caught Monday morning on Cassie out off Tura Point.

Nearly New Year’s Eve, and with that, the last fishing report for 2024.

Our ocean flathead grounds are still fishing very well with good numbers of sand and tiger flathead being caught from Bournda Island back to Long Point, Merimbula. The best depths are still around that 45 metre mark.  The flathead are averaging 36 to 48 centimetres, which are quality fish.  The flathead have also been a bit patchy, so if you find a good patch, do short drifts over that area.  There are also a odd flying gurnard and gummy sharks mixed in with the catch.  We went out today, Monday, and there were a lot of patches of slimy mackerel on the surface and we managed to get a few for fresh bait.  You do have to get out early to beat the wind. Water temperature inshore is around 19.5 degrees.

The reefs are fishing pretty well also, with some quality sized snapper averaging 40 plus centimetres and also morwong up to 50 centimetres.  A bit of burley on a rising tide might be in order, but be ready for the tax man to show up as the water is pretty warm.

The surf fishing has been ok with salmon and odd tailor being caught on Tura Beach in the early mornings.  There are large morning high tides currently, which have produced a few salmon on baits and lures. Merimbula’s Main Beach also has a few salmon, odd bream and whiting being caught on beach worms early and late daily.

Our lakes are fishing very well of late.  There are plenty of bream, blackfish, and whiting being caught in the Merimbula front lake and trevally, dusky flathead, odd tailor and mulloway and the occasional kingfish, being caught up the top lake.  Pambula Lake is much the same with some nice duskies, trevally and occasional bream being caught on fresh nippers and lures.  The Bega River is a bit slower but they’re still catching some large duskies and odd jewfish around the bridge and in the deeper holes.  Just remember that any dusky flathead 70cm or larger must be released.

The local gamefishing is still happening, unfortunately the windy weather is impacting the time you can spend on the shelf.  There is bait around 70 to 80 fathoms.  It can be patchy, but when you do find it, get some baits down as the marlin could be there.  They are taking lures, but the hook up rate is pretty poor. Water temperature on the shelf has been around 21 degrees.

MBGLAC clubrooms are open on Wednesday night for New Year’s Eve from 7pm.  Bring your own nibbles/finger food.  We will also be open again on Friday night from 6.00pm.  Members and visitors are welcome.  Come in, relax, enjoy the views of Merimbula Lake while enjoying a beverage or two and hear what fish are biting and where.  Support our meat raffle, sponsored by Goodalls Butchers.  There will also be a sausage sizzle at Spencer Park from 11am on Saturday 4th January.  Tickets in our Monster Raffle will be available along with a sausage and onion in bread, soft drinks and water.  Monster raffle tickets are also being sold at Woolworths at Tura Beach a few days a week if you would like to support the club to maintain community assets such as the Spencer Park jetty and the fish cleaning pontoon, which is very close to being put back in the water at Bar Beach.

Fishy Fellow

Those that fished the weekend’s excellent weather caught fish.

MBGLAC member Phil Jacobs and crew had a good day off Long Point Sunday, fishing in 45 metres, they caught a good bag of sand and tiger flathead and a couple of flying gurnard.

The outside fishing for Christmas is basically over with a couple of days to go and a gale warning in place for the remaining days.  Those that fished the weekend’s excellent weather caught fish.  The sand and tiger flathead were biting well off Merimbula over the weekend.  Boats didn’t have to travel far to catch their bag.  From Tura Heads back to Long Point, anglers were bagging out with quality fish averaging 45 cm, in depths around 47 metres of water.  If you fish shallower depths, under 40 metres, the fish average length is 36cm.  The water temperature is hovering around 19 degrees with the current running to the north.  There are also a few flying gurnard and odd gummy sharks being caught.  There is also a lot of bait fish in the flathead grounds, which was very visible on Sunday morning.

Our reefs at Haycock and Long Point also fished pretty well over the weekend, with reports of pan-sized snapper and good numbers of morwong, sargent bakers and assorted other reef fish.  There are also a few squid being caught, which is great bait when fresh.  Pair it up with half a pilchard on a two-hook paternoster rig and the fish will be waiting.

The beaches at Tura and Bournda have a few salmon being caught on them.  Pilchards and lures on the rising tides have been catching the fish.  Main Beach, Merimbula, have odd bream and whiting being caught on beach worms, fishing the start of the rising tides early and late when the tide is right.

All our estuary systems are fishing well from Wapengo in the north to Wonboyn in the south.  There are good numbers of dusky flathead, large and small, being caught on lures such as 100mm plastics.  Bream, blackfish, trevally, and whiting are being caught using fresh nippers for bait.  Prawns should also work as it’s only a week or so off the next new moon and prawn tides.

Trout reports over the weekend were really good with plenty of brown trout being caught down towards the dam wall at Eucumbene.  Lures in amongst the trees and trolling 3 colours on lead lines and diving lures on flat lines accounted for a lot of fish.  There are a lot of small rainbow trout taking baits off the banks.

The game fishing off Merimbula continued on Friday and into the weekend.  Boats caught and lost marlin fishing in depths from 70 fathoms out to 120 fathoms.  Most were trolling lures as the majority of the bait found were small slimys.  Friday was a good day with most boats getting some action fishing between Tathra and Eden.  Sunday was a lot harder for those that fished.  The water is around 22 degrees on the shelf.

The Merimbula Big Game and Lakes Angling Club is open this Friday from 6pm.  Come on down and support our meat raffle, sponsored by Goodalls Butchers, Merimbula.  Catch up on the week’s fishing reports from those that have been fishing.  We have a fully stocked bar and a great fishing community.

Have a safe and joyous Christmas and hope to see you in the new year.

Fishy Fellow

Beautiful weather for fishing over the weekend, with fish biting on all fronts.

Local Boat “Spooky II” opening their marlin season and christening the new motor with a nice striped marlin on Saturday.

Beautiful weather for fishing over the weekend, with fish biting on all fronts.

The flathead bite outside is still excellent, with plenty of sand and tiger flathead being caught in depths from 40 to 60 metres.  The fish are a consistent 40 to 45 centimetres long with the odd larger flathead being caught.  There have been the odd gummy shark, baby bronze whalers and occasional small mako getting caught also.  Best area is around Tura Heads back to Long Point.  Tathra also is producing a good feed, straight out from the boat ramp.

The reefs off Merimbula and Haycock Point gave up a few pan size snapper and morwong on the weekend, and Sunday there were more sargent bakers in the mix than usual.  There are still a few kingfish hanging on our reefs.  Live baiting for them has been getting the results.

Surf fishing is a bit slow of late.  Mainly due to the lack of waves and the clear waters.  However, Sunday afternoon I noticed a school of salmon moving along the beach at Tura.  It was at the bottom of Tura Beach Drive and moving north along the beach slowly.  With the beaches so calm, these fish may stay out on the headlands in the cover of the rocks and weeds till the seas pick up.  So, a trip to Tura Heads on the rocks might find a few.

The lake fishing is on fire, with good numbers of bream, whiting, trevally and the odd dusky flathead and blackfish being caught in the Merimbula front lake on a falling tide. They are being caught using nippers for bait and 80mm plastics are also producing a few.  The top lake, in Merimbula, on the rising tide, is giving up some large tailor, trevally, dusky flathead and odd mulloway and kingfish.   You just need to find the birds working or bait and cast 100mm paddle tail plastics around the bait to be in with a chance.  The Bega River is producing a few flathead, mulloway and odd estuary perch.  Fresh nippers in Pambula Lake are catching dusky flathead, bream and trevally.

With some excellent weather over the weekend, boats headed out wide to the shelf to try for a dolphin fish and a chance of a marlin.  Two boats ventured out, “Misbehavin” and “Spooky II”.  They found bait in 75 fathoms, just south of Tathra, where “Spooky II” filled its live well.  “Misbehavin” kept trolling lures.  They officially caught the first marlin for the season, catching a blue marlin on a lure in 120 fathoms south of Tathra.  They saw fish deep on the sounder and worked the area to come up trumps.  Well done, “Misbehavin”.  Then, “Spooky II”, with live baits, worked in closer at 80 fathoms around the bait and had a slow trolled slimy taken to give Peter Haar’s grandson, Lachie, his first striped marlin ever.  Congrats Lachie.  The water was around 22 degrees with plenty of life.  It’s nice to see a couple of fish pre-Christmas.  Fingers crossed they stay in the area for a while for others to target.

With the Christmas holidays coming at the end of this week, let’s hope the weather is good to us to allow a few other boats out over the holidays and sharing in the good fortune.

The MBGLAC clubrooms are open every Friday night from 6pm.  Come on down for a cold beverage.  Support our meat raffle, sponsored by Goodalls Butchers, catch up with the locals and find out what’s biting and where.  December’s monthly species is Luderick.  The next club event is the Dusky Challenge on the 15th and 16th of February.  I hope everyone has a safe and happy Christmas with family and friends.  Tight lines.

Fishy Fellow

There have been some great mornings to fish over the last week

The Holley kids, Sophie and Riley, with a couple of blackfish caught in the Merimbula Lake using nippers for bait.

There have been some great mornings to fish over the last week and those not working have taken full advantage of the conditions.

The ocean flathead bite is still pretty good from reports.  Sand and tiger flathead averaging 40 to 45 cm in length.  There are also some larger flathead in amongst those quality fish.  Best depth is still 40-60 metres.  The fish have been a bit patchy but Tura Heads to Long Point has been fishing consistently.

The reefs off Merimbula are fishing a bit patchy.  Some mornings can be very good, and others are very slow.  If you’re fishing a rising tide, you will stand a better chance of catching a feed.  There are still a few pan-sized snapper being caught and the odd morwong.  There is also a mixed bag of other reef species.  This is still the odd kingfish cruising around off Long Point, and they’re being seen at the Merimbula Wharf.  There was also one nice kingfish caught at Tathra Wharf last week.

The lakes are all fishing well at present with some nice trevally, bream and dusky flathead caught at Spencer Park Merimbula on the run-out tide.  Boats are also catching good numbers of trevally, blackfish, bream and dusky flathead using nippers for bait and lures are catching the trevally and flathead.  It was reported to me on Saturday, a large school of bream and whiting were seen moving up the Merimbula Lake, above the bridge, in the shallows on the rising tide.  They couldn’t be caught on lures, but fresh nippers caught a few bream in the mid 30’s and whiting also in the mid 30’s.   The clear, clean waters are making the lures harder to fish with, so fresh baits such as nippers are stepping up.  The Top Lake at Merimbula had some quality tailor, trevally and dusky flathead being caught over the weekend.  Lures were working better in the deeper water.  The other estuaries should be fishing similarly with similar conditions.

The beaches still have salmon and a few tailor on them, although I haven’t seen any large schools of late.  Tura Beach had some smaller schools visible at high tide moving along the shore break on Sunday.  The fish were seen stretched out along the shore break looking for cover in the white water.

I’ve had no reports of any gamefish locally over the last week and things have been on the quiet side up the coast also.  There was one big eye tuna around 60kg caught out of Bermagui, but otherwise, fishing is quiet.

The Merimbula Big Game and Lakes Angling Club is open every Friday night, opening at 6pm.  Come on down and support weekly meat raffle, sponsored by Goodalls Butchers.  

This month’s target species is blackfish, so nippers in the lake and weed or artificial weed flies on the wharf are your best options.  The club is holding its Christmas party this coming Friday night, the 13th December.  Please contact Fiona at admin@mbglac.com.au to register by Wednesday 11th to assist with catering.  Hope to see some new faces at the club this Friday. 

Fishy Fellow

Again, the outside weekend weather was horrible Saturday

Very keen member, Emily Sharman fishing in the rain and wind at the Merimbula bridge on Saturday morning hoping to catch some fish.

Again, the outside weekend weather was horrible Saturday, but the rain was welcomed and Sunday was average early, but improved as the day went on.  The fishing outside has been pretty good for boats targeting the sand and tiger flathead.  They have been catching their bag of flathead within one and a half hours.  Flathead averaging around 40cm are being caught around the 40 meter depth range and larger fish are being caught out to 60 meters. There are still flying gurnard and occasional gummy sharks in the mix as well.  Turingal Heads back to just south of Tura Heads was the best waters to fish last week.

The reefs are still giving up a feed of pan size snapper, morwong and a selection of other reef species.  Still a few smaller kingfish being caught around the reefs at Long Point and over the Hunter reef.  The larger kingfish have thinned out during last week around the Merimbula reefs, but the Tathra Wharf still have a few showing up in the early mornings.  Mowarry Point also has a few larger models in that area, so it might be worth a trip to Eden to check them out.

The surf fishing is good off Tura Beach at the moment.  Still some good salmon and occasional tailor being caught on pilchards in the mornings.  I heard of the school of salmon coming back onto the northern end of Tura Beach on Friday.  It was a large school and it only stayed till high tide, then disappeared back out around the point as the tide fell.

The estuary fishing is excellent at the moment.  The rain hasn’t affected the water quality much at all.  Sunday afternoon’s low tide down at Spencer Park Merimbula saw the lure fishermen catch flathead to 57 cm, trevally to 50cm and flounder.  The bait fishers caught bream and trevally using prawns as bait.  The top lake is producing odd kingfish and jewfish, flathead, trevally, tailor and odd bream.  100mm paddle tails are doing the best.  The other systems should be fishing similarly, but no reports have been received.

The prawns are on the move this week for those keen for a feed.  The tide is full around 10pm Sunday night so prepare yourself for a late night with the tide getting later by an hour each night.

The MBGLAC is open Friday night from 6pm.  This week we have the monthly species draw, being bream and entries must be on the board by 7pm sharp.  There will be some nibbles available, so come on down, enjoy a cold beverage, support the club’s meat tray raffles and catch up on the week’s fishing reports.  The club’s Christmas party is locked in for Friday the 13th of December, so save the date.  Hope to see some new faces there.

Fishy Fellow

Finally, a weekend with very good weather for inshore and offshore fishing.

Hayley Lee having just caught her first ever bream at 392mm in the MBGLAC Tri-Estuary event over the weekend.

Finally, a weekend with very good weather for inshore and offshore fishing.  The flathead outside over the weekend saw good bags caught from Tathra Point down to Merimbula.  Flathead around the 40cm mark were consistent in depths from 35 to 50 meters. The odd flying gurnard and gummy shark were also be caught with the flathead.

The reefs are still giving up a feed to those that are trying, including pan-sized snapper, morwong and a selection of leatherjackets, sargent bakers, nannygai and red rock cod.  There are also kingfish in varying sizes.  I have heard of plenty of undersize fish and odd larger fish being landed, but plenty of anglers are being busted off.  Live baits are the best way to get hooked up whether slow trolled or with burley on the reefs.

The beach fishing is still good on the local beaches.  Salmon and odd tailor are being caught on a half tide rising.  Best baits are pilchards and for lures, are 25 gram metals and 70 to 100mm plastics.  Tura Beach and Bournda Beach have good gutters at the moment.

The MBGLAC held its Tri-Estuary competition over the weekend.  The fishing was in the three local estuaries, Pambula, Merimbula and Bega (Tathra) rivers.  Pambula fished well with some quality bream caught with the best going 418mm.  There were also dusky flathead, trevally, tailor and whiting caught, but just average sized fish.  Merimbula had some nice fish caught also, with the longest dusky flathead 776mm, trevally 520mm, tailor 650mm and mulloway 796mm.  The Bega River (Tathra) fished a lot harder, but there were dusky flathead, bream, whiting and trevally caught.  Overall, the weekend was a success and congratulations to all the winners.

The local gamefishing has been quiet lately.  The locals have mainly focused on the kingfish, but over the weekend there were a few yellowfin caught out of Bermagui and hopefully those fish will be here very soon.

The MBGLAC is open every Friday night, opening at 6pm.  Come on down for a quiet beverage, support our raffle sponsored by Goodalls Butchers, and catch up on the weeks fishing.  Don’t forget this month’s species is bream, so get your fish on the board by the 6th December when prizes will be presented for the month of November.  Till next week.

Fishy Fellow