Competitors in the Eden Open last weekend enjoyed a variety of weather conditions but overall had a wonderful time. Congratulations to 14-year-old Oscar Weingarth who captured, tagged and released his first ever marlin from Dylan Smith’s vessel Outfor. As well as marlin, the tournament saw the tag and release of a number of mahi mahi and three sharks.
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Snapper and morwong are available off Boyds Tower, North Head, Lennards Island, Haycock and Long Point, White Rock and the Pinnacle north of Kianinny. Try 18-20 fathoms. There are excellent gummy sharks off the reefs but need lots of berley to get them excited. There are good patches of baitfish; slimy mackerel and yellowtail fairly close inshore, you can’t get better bait. Chinamen leatherjackets are becoming a problem from Merimbula to Tathra and as well as chewing off our rigs love plastic lures.
At the regular grounds ocean flathead are on the chew but remain in small patches. 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 appear to be the best spots.
Good calamari squid are being landed at both Tathra and Merimbula wharfs with luderick remaining on the chew at Merimbula, try using plastic lures. The best times are morning and evening. Good luderick are also ravenous off our headlands try Tura Beach Headland. Excitement for all when some rat kingfish schooled past the Merimbula Wharf, great fishing, but kingfish under 65cm in length need to be kissed and released.
With the lack of heavy rains, estuary fishing remains 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. Estuary fish are relatively slow breeders so take what you need to eat and release the rest. 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.
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 pilchards are all effective. Of great concern are reports of an infestation of European carp in the upper reaches of the river. These fish are a declared noxious pest and have potential to destroy the waterway. Let’s hope the herpes virus treatment being trialled elsewhere by DPI is a solution. Otherwise catch as many as you can - great fertiliser!
There have been some excellent prawn catches from Merimbula and Wallagoot Lakes during the new moon, we now await the next run in March.
The Club house in Spencer Park will be open from 6.30pm on Friday, February 23. Visitors are very welcome. Come and enjoy the fishing report, raffle, the ambience, friendship and lovely views with very competitive bar prices. Darragh Reynolds is the scheduled host. All inquires to John McKay on 0427 639 585. Membership application, membership renewal and everything you need to know about local fishing is on the club’s website www.mbglac.com.au.
Keep your rods bent!
