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