THE ‘hot spot’ of the week for fishing has definitely been on our beaches.

Huge schools of salmon and tailor have been patrolling local beaches looking for an easy feed, and have falling to some die-hard beach fishers.

The better salmon and tailor have been taken using lightly weighted whole pilchards and also 30-40 gram silver lures which are cast and quickly retrieved.

Remember to use some etiquette when beach fishing and give the guy (or girl) next to you some room to cast and retrieve.

There is a wealth of local knowledge among our more experienced beach fishers, so if you are new to beach fishing don’t be afraid to ask some questions if the fisher near you is getting the results and you aren’t.

Click here for all the South Coast fishing news and reports

Boat-based fishers were wishing that they had started their annual maintenance work this past week, with a combination of high winds and cold black water making a feed of fish a 'trial and error' exercise.

A few boats ventured to Montague Island over the weekend and were rewarded with some nice mowies and flathead, with only a few snapper landed, and legal sized kingfish were a memory from previous weeks.

Last Thursday, the offshore water changed from postcard blue to forest green, and the temperature dropped from 17.9 to 16.5c.

When the water colour changes back to blue, the fish will return in good numbers again.

Tuna fishing has also been very quiet this week, with very few boats able to get out, and when they did there was very little to be found.

Tuna Fishers will be waiting to see what impact the cold water and strong winds have had on our tuna fishing opportunities over the next week.

Fishing Tip of the Week: If you are beach fishing, consider using some berley, it will work on all species of target fish and you could also land a nice gummy shark.

Fish Joke of the Week: What do you get if you cross a salmon, a bird’s leg and a hand? Birdsthigh fish fingers!

- John Moore

Lumpy sand flathead a mystery

REGULAR visitor Shayne Graham from Wagga and his family caught two strange looking sand flathead out the front of Narooma last Tuesday.

His son Ben and wife Kerrie caught the two very odd little fish.

“We weren't too sure if it was a genetic disfiguration or maybe they had contracted a virus at fingerling stage,” he said.

“Aside from the looks both fish were healthy and appeared to be quite normal in all other aspects.  We released both to continue on their amazing little lives!”

Michael McMaster from the Merimbula Aquarium had seen deformities such this in fish twice before, once in a small mulloway and once in a rainbow trout.

His enquiries with a Fisheries officer resulted in him believing it was a genetic disorder that affects the spine and causes the deformity.

The Narooma News is trying to get some more expert opinions on what could be responsible, so stay tuned.

- Stan Gorton

Most southerly spangled emperor on record

A LOCAL angler has caught and identified the most southerly spangled emperor on record.

“We weren’t sure of the species at first,” Millingandi’s Steve Pickup said after reeling in the feisty fish on the morning of Sunday, June 28, aboard a Headland Fishing Charters boat off Long Point, Merimbula.

“We took it across to the shop and they identified it,” he said.

“We were going for snapper and it gave a fairly good fight like a snapper would, and the colour was similar too.”

In fact the spangled emperor is able to change colour by switching on pigment cells in its skin, and when an emperor is frightened, it often produces blotchy vertical brown bands across its body sometimes making it difficult to identify.

The Range Extension Database and Mapping project – Redmap - a citizen science website founded and run by Dr Gretta Pecl from the Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies at the University of Tasmania, has recorded the previous southernmost catch of the species at Port Stephens on the east coast and Rottnest Island on the west coast of Australia.

Redmap caretaker for NSW Associate Professor Natalie Moltschaniwskyj from the School of Environmental and Life Sciences at the University of Newcastle said the Far South Coast is part of a wider global hotspot when it comes to the speed of ocean warming.

“Global data shows that Tasmania and NSW are hotspots globally and their oceans are warming at a faster rate than most of the world,” she said.

“The fish has done well to survive and it may have taken him many years to get to that size.”

According to independent marine biologist and leading authority on marlin, sailfish, tuna, and sharks, Julian Pepperell, fish who find themselves a long way from their usual distribution are known as “ex-patriot fish”.

“It’s surprising how far south they are being recorded, it can be the same with turtles and a sailfish was seen at Tathra,” he said.

“It’s not common, but it does happen time to time.”

Mr Pepperill said there were a number of factors that that can lead ex-patriot fish so far from their usual home.

“It’s partly because of climate change and also El Niño and La Niña can cause it as well, and there’s a chance it could be lost,” Mr Pepperell said.

“Fish do tumble down on the eastern current and they can also come down as larvae.

“In fact when I worked at Wallaga Lake we saw pineapplefish that may have come down before they were fully developed.

“Snapper and blue groper have been caught as far south as Tasmania, and a lot of fish species in Sydney Harbour are tropical fish,” Mr Pepperell said.

Ms Moltschaniwskyj has two theories as to how it may have happened.

“It could have been released from an aquarium, but that’s not likely,” she said.

“Juveniles do catch a ride on the east Australian current around summer time and hide for a while in rocks before coming out into the open water.

“As the water gets colder these babies don’t survive, they become slow and eventually get eaten. But if they can survive they will grow to be adults.”

So what was the fate of the now famous fish after it was reeled in by Mr Pickup?

“I baked it whole in the oven, and it was tasty,” he pondered.

 - Alasdair McDonald, Bega District News

Narooma Sport and Game Fishing Club news

SEVERAL NSGFC members braved the cold and bleak weather last weekend at Brou Beach to participate in the first club outing of the new fishing year.

Several good size salmon were caught, up to 55 cm and all released again to fight another day.

It is a good start to our new comp and more outings like this are planned for the future.

On the weekend before last, young Lana Wheat was out on the Wagonga Inlet and caught a nice snapper, which was unfortunately undersize. I think Lana is aiming for the junior club champion this year!

On the same weekend, Ben James also had a go and came up with this beautifully coloured butterfly gurnard caught in Wagonga Inlet. The fish was photographed and released.

Several more were caught in the same area. Just goes to show what the Wagonga is populated with!

- Jan Hemmingsen

Dalmeny Fishing Club news

THE Dalmeny Fishing Club junior presentation is on this Sunday, July 19 at 1pm.

Hope to see all our members there for a fun filled afternoon with lots of games and yummy treats.

Hopefully the weather will be accommodating to those members hoping to weigh a fish or two in.

We are so glad John is back home and feeling much better!

A big reminder that our senior presentation is on Saturday, August 29, hope to see all our members there. See you all Sunday – Kim

Bermagui Social Anglers' Club

THE emphasis was on “social” this month for the Bermagui Country Club Social Anglers’ Club.

The fishing comp over this last week-end did not encourage the angler weatherwise. 

However, as always, the Sunday gathering over the casserole lunch achieved its purpose, getting members together.

While Ian was relieved of his weigh-in duties, wife Elaine won the raffle of the day. 

Next month the weekend comp will carry through Friday, August 14 to Sunday, with a request for a casserole lunch again.

Wishin’ to go fishin’