Outside flathead fishing is still pretty good, although I heard there were a lot more smaller fish in the mix over the last week.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
However, there are still good numbers of larger sand and tiger flathead there to be caught. Best areas and depths are Bournda Island back to Long Point in depths of 40 to 55 meters, but 50 meters seemed to provide the most fish. Also, odd gummy sharks, flying gurnard and a few arrow squid being caught as well.
The reefs are coming to life now. There are a few fish being caught over the last week off the reefs, some good numbers of snapper being caught off North Head off Eden and the odd fish off Haycock as well as a few morwong and nannygai. Best baits are pilchards and squid, and soft plastics are also getting a few as well.
The Merimbula Big Game and Lakes Angling Club is holding its Snapper Classic fishing competition on May 25 and 26, so now is the time to get your boat ready and a couple of practice sessions in before the comp.
There are still a few bonito being caught off the wharf and around the headlands. Plenty of salmon too.
The salmon are starting to school up in the estuaries, I heard of a large school in the Bega River at Tathra last week, fish of 65cm long and they would not eat anything. They are also on most of the local beaches with tailor too.
The estuaries are all fishing very well at the moment, with good numbers of bream, dusky flathead, tailor, trevally and still a few mulloway being caught.
Up in the top lake at Merimbula, trevally to 50cm have been trolled up and spun up using silver flashing lures letting them sink under the bait schools the tailor are working, and there have been a few dusky flathead sitting on the bottom.
The trout fishing is cooling down quickly with the daytime temperatures only reaching 12 degrees. The trout are now moving toward the rivers for there spawning months and with the recent rains that could happen sooner rather than later.
Bait and fly fishing around the edges is producing a few extra fish. Power bait for the bank fisher people and trawling with yellow winged tassie devils has its days too.
The season is now closed for Australian bass and estuary perch for their spawning run, so if you catch any they must be released if you are fishing in rivers from the dams to the salt where they will spawn around July. Dam fishing is still allowed, and you can still keep those fish.
The game fishing is over for the moment, the water has cooled too much for the marlin fishing and now we are waiting for the yellowfin tuna to turn up.
