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