Anglers are only getting a couple of fishable days outside each week.

Alex Bell, showing off a nice estuary perch caught in a local estuary over the holidays.

The wind is still the controlling factor to our outside fishing.  Anglers are only getting a couple of fishable days outside each week.  Over the Australia Day weekend the weather was great for the most part.  The outside flathead were being caught in depths from 30 to 55 metres, the better catches were still in that 40 metre depth.  The sand and tiger flathead are ranging from 40 to over 50 centimetres.  There are also a few flying gurnard and gummy sharks in the mix.

The reefs have been still producing a mixed bag of species including morwong, nannygai and leatherjackets.  The snapper are on the small side, with many undersize.  There have been a few bonito caught over the reefy areas off Long Point and Haycock, trolling bibbed lures around 100 to 150mm long, targeting the headlands and structure points will hopefully find a couple.  You might find a few salmon also.

The surf fishing has been good.  There have been good numbers of salmon being caught on most beaches from Tathra river mouth down to the Pinnacles.  There was a very large school on Tura Beach last week for a few days, but I heard they moved off Long Point, but were hugging the rocks and spread over 500 metres around the point over the Australia Day weekend.  There have also been a couple of mulloway caught along the Tathra Beach.  Whole pilchards as bait and 25 gram lures are catching these fish.

Our lakes are still producing a good feed of bream, whiting, blackfish, dusky flathead and tailor.  The Merimbula front lake, Bega River at Tathra and Pambula Lake are all worth a go at the moment.  Fresh nippers are the best bait, but some small live prawns will be just as good.  With that the prawns are running this week, so charge your lights up and as soon as it’s dark, it’s time.

The game fishing is happening but the weather is not playing the game for us.  Saturday was a good day and a few local boats ventured out.  The reports I received were that there was good quantities of bait to the south of the Merimbula Canyons.  It was on the shelf, so that 100 fathom line.  Odd marlin came up to trolled lures, but they weren’t keen and disappeared.  The water is around 22 degrees and the current is slow.  At Bermagui over the weekend, there were quite a lot of marlin tagged, dolphin fish caught and 2 yellowfin tuna, around 40 kg.  These fish were Saturday’s fish caught in the Blue Water Classic fishing competition, so that water is on the way down to us.

The Merimbula Big Game and Lakes Angling Club is open every Friday night, opening at 6pm.  Come on down to the club rooms at Spencer Park, Merimbula and meet the locals.  Support our weekly raffle, sponsored by Goodalls Butchers and Bar Beach Kiosk, catch up on the week’s fishing reports and enjoy a cold beverage with beautiful views over the lake.  Information is now available on our website and on our socials about upcoming events. The Dusky Challenge in February and the members social event, Brogo Big Bass, the weekend at the end of February, beginning of March.  Check out www.mbglac.com.au for details, or become a member of the club.  

See you at the club.

Fishy Fellow