The appearance of yellowfin has excited local game anglers, with two hook-ups reported last week of fish in the 60-75kg range.  Local ocean temperatures up to 24 degrees are conducive to game fishing and we have striped and blue marlin just off Merimbula in the waters at the edge of the continental shelf. 

There are good patches of baitfish; slimy mackerel and yellowtail fairly close inshore and they are easy to catch using unbaited Sabiki rigs.  You can’t get better bait for gummy shark, snapper, morwong and flathead.  Keep an eye out for chinamen leatherjackets, they are beginning to become a nuisance again, particularly about White Rock near Kianinny.  

Flathead remain patchy at the regular grounds.  You may need to do some long drifts to find and mark a patch of feeding flathead but when found they are quite voracious and multiple hook ups are possible. Off the Tura Golf Course, Tura Headland, Bournda Island and north of Kianinny appears to be the best spots.  Try 13 fathoms off Baronda Headland. 

Snapper and Morwong up to 2kg and morwong are available off Boyds Tower, North Head, Lennards Island, Haycock and Long Point, White Rock and the Pinnacle north of Kianinny.

Good calamari squid are being landed at both Tathra and Merimbula Wharves with luderick now on the chew at Merimbula, try using plastic lures.  The best times are morning and evening.

Estuary fishing is excellent.  There are trevally, bream and luderick about the oyster racks in Merimbula Lake.  Dusky flathead, flounder and mullet are available in the channel and tailor are schooling in the main lake, soft plastics and small hard body lures will bring great returns for flathead and bream, silver spinners for the tailor.  Good whiting are schooling over the sand flats just up river from the Merimbula Bridge.  Try Sugapen lures. 

Good tailor, trevally and mullet are also prolific at Pambula Lake.  A school of Kingfish was reported schooling about the main lake at Pambula but apparently not in a feeding mood.  The Bega River is fishing well at Mogareeka and also well up river for bream, dusky flathead and whiting.  Soft plastics, hard body lures and prawns are all effective.  

When talking about prawns for bait do not use shop bought prawns.  Purchase only from the tackle shops or use locally caught, as there is the possibility of spreading the white spot virus.

Club membership details and everything you need to know about local fishing is on the club’s website www.mbglac.com.au.