The outside flathead fishing is still steady, so I’m told. The weather has been a bit sloppy over the last week and boats have been staying at home. The few boats fishing are catching sand and tiger flathead out in depths from 35 to 48 metres, and the fish size is around 38 to 40 centimetres. There are also odd gummy sharks and flying gurnard in the mix. The best areas have been just north of Tura Heads down to off Long Point. The inshore water temperature was a bit cooler over the last week, with the temperature sitting around 15 to 16 degrees.
The reefs have been a bit patchy. They’re still catching OK numbers of pan-sized snapper up to 45 centimetres and morwong to 35 centimetres, but a fair bit of time is needed to catch a feed. There is also a mixed bag of wrasse, sergeant bakers and red rock cod being caught. The better reefs have been the Haycock and Leonards Island reefs of late.
The local beaches have plenty of waves at the moment, but from what I’ve seen the gutters aren’t forming. They’re still getting odd salmon on North Tura Beach and Bournda Beach and Main Beach, Merimbula, down near the stink pipe. There are also a few bream being caught on these beaches using bits of pilchards and beach worms.
The estuary fishing has still been performing, with the Bega River at Tathra still closed to the ocean after the weekend’s wet weather. At Tathra they’re still catching bream, trevally, tailor, salmon and mulloway after dark around the bridge. They’re also catching these fish along the rock walls around Thompsons, and a few dusky flathead in the shallows on the warmer days. The Bega River water temperature is sitting around 19 degrees.
The Merimbula Lake has trevally scattered throughout the system. The bream are just starting to show their faces, and odd small duskies are getting up into the shallows on a high tide on the sunny days. The top lake still has tailor and odd salmon being seen infrequently moving around on the surface. The Merimbula top lake’s temperature is around 16 degrees. The Pambula entrance has a few bream, blackfish, trevally and odd tailor being seen moving around, and they’re moving up into the system, which is great to see and hear about.
Something different. For those who would like to fish the rocks, I fished Tura Heads on Saturday morning for some drummer. I hooked 6 and landed 5, all of which were over 40 cm, and 3 were over 45cm. Use green weed and cunjevoi as bait, and fish under a float around the rocks. Also have a life jacket on and watch the sea at all times. I only kept 3 fish and released the rest.
The Merimbula Big Game and Lakes Angling Club has its annual club trip away coming up in 2 weeks’ time, October 16 to 18 at the Wonboyn Lake Resort. Check out the MBGLAC Facebook site for details or contact Avon Rollason on 0419 617 695 and leave a message, as she’s organising things.
The MBGLAC club rooms are open this Friday night, opening at 6pm. Licensed bar, raffles and finger food. Raffles are sponsored by the Lakeview Hotel and Goodalls Butchers. Come down and check out the view, have a bevvy or two and catch up on the week’s fishing action.
Fishy Fellow.