The outside ocean flathead fishing has slowed up with the new moon. They are still getting a few but a lot more work is needed to bag out. There have been a lot more undersized flatties in between the keepers. Bournda Island up to Turingal Head is still giving up some quality fish in depths from 33 to 37 metres, and those fishing wider in 55 to 65 metres are catching some nice tiger flathead and odd flying gurnard. The inshore water temperature is sitting around 20 degrees and there is cooler water pushing up underneath the warmer surface water.
The reef fishing has been fishing very well, and these larger seas over the weekend will only improve the fishing. The snapper fishing has been excellent with plenty of pan sized snapper to 40 cm, and some quality 50cm and odd fish up to and over 60 centimetres. There are also some nice morwong and other reef dwellers being caught on the drift. Float baiting pilchards and squid is working well, whilst burleying on anchor, or drifting and casting plastics or dropping a metal jig and leaving it about 2 metres off the bottom while you drift, has also been working. There are still a few bonito around the reefs and headlands. They can be caught trolling small skirted lures at around 6 knots or trolling some small bibbed lures at a slower pace. You might also catch a salmon or even a kingfish if you are lucky.
The beaches will all change again after the weekend’s large seas, but it should stir up the salmon and tailor till the seas settle down. There was a school of salmon in the Merimbula lake, just upstream of the fishing club on Friday evening. The fish were seen jumping out of the water and not bothered by the seals on the Marine Rescue jetty. That school might be the one that has been hanging around the bar and wharf over the last month. Before the weather came in, there were three large schools of salmon near the Bega River entrance at Tathra, hopefully when the seas settle. They will still be close by. Main beach Merimbula right around to Pambula Beach is still fishing well for whiting and bream, and now the westerlies are blowing the mullet run North should get underway. Saturday afternoon I caught 5 whiting and 3 bream using beach worms as bait, there was a lot of sand moving around due to the building seas and the whiting were hungry about an hour before dusk.
The estuary fishing over the weekend was tested well and truly, with the Pirtek competition being held. Saturday was a hard day for all, due to the winds. Fish were caught in all systems, but most people cut the day’s fishing short. Sunday was a different story. Merimbula Lake fished the best from my reports. Good numbers of dusky flathead ranging from 40 to 55cm were caught up the top lake, as well as a few bream, tailor and trevally, bait fishing was the best using live poddy mullet as bait. The Merimbula front lake had plenty of trevally and blackfish being caught. The Bega River saw bream, trevally, blackfish, tailor, dusky flathead and at least 1 mulloway. Lures and bait caught the fish here. The estuary water temperature in both estuaries started at around 14 degrees early and only getting up to 17 degrees. The Bega River has dropped 6 degrees in the last week. That would be a shock to the system of every fish.
The game fishing has slowed up considerably, most likely due to the fuel price increases. The water on the shelf still looks okay and sitting around 22 degrees and it looks like it gets warmer, the current is pushing to the south once again. It’s well worth a look once the weather settles down. I have nothing to report apart from that blue marlin that was caught last week, nice catch. There might
be more out there and with the current pushing shoreward, the fish might just be closer than you think.
Coming events for the Merimbula Big Game and Lakes Angling Club are the Grudge Match between the Merimbula , Eden and Pambula Fishing clubs. Pambula is hosting and the dates are the 16th and 17th of May. Then, we have the Snapper Classic on the 30th and 31st of May to see the year out.
The Merimbula Big Game and Lakes Angling Club is open this Friday night, opening at 6pm. Come on down and enjoy a cold bevy from our licensed bar, buy a ticket or two in the Friday night raffle Sponsored by Goodalls Butchers, the Lakeview Hotel and the Bar Beach Kiosk. We have about 8 to 10 prizes depending on numbers. Catch up on the week’s fishing reports and enjoy the sunset on our balcony looking over the lake.
Till next week.
Fishy Fellow