The calm before the storm this weekend just gone. Saturday, Sunday and Monday, have seen and will see excellent weather for off shore fishing on the far south coast. However, by Tuesday, we will be getting ready for an east coast low weather system to hit us in the morning hours of Wednesday.

We will start with our game fishing report this week. Saturday and Sunday were both excellent days to head wide from Bermagui down to Eden. Saturday saw lots of smaller fish from 15 to 30 kg caught, trolling and casting surface lures at rising fish. Sunday was the same again but a late afternoon bite saw some excellent fish over 60 kilograms being taken on the troll.

The water temperature is ranging from 16 degrees on the shelf to 18.5 out over the second drop off with the current pushing out to sea. Our members caught a couple of better fish, with the caption photo of Trevor with his 66.3 kilogram fish. Geoff caught a 57.1 kilogram fish and Peter caught a 43 kilogram fish. There were also a couple of smaller 30 kilogram fish caught which are all great eating. These fish were all caught in that east range from 25 to 28 depth.

In shore, in the flathead grounds, the water is hovering around 15 degrees. There is next to no drift as the wind is not blowing and the flathead are still biting very well from Bournda Island back to off the Horseshoe Reef in depths around that 40 to 50 metres of water. Sand and tiger flathead are being caught. There are quality fish being caught from 40 to over 50 centimetres consistently. There is also an odd flying gurnard and an occasional gummy shark.

The reefs are still fishing well with some quality snapper being caught to 60 centimetres and also morwong and an array of other reef fish. Next weekend is the Merimbula Big Game and Lakes Angling Club’s rescheduled Snapper Classic and with the east coast low coming during the week, it should stir up the seas and improve the fishing. Fingers crossed the seas settle quickly once it passes.

The salmon and tailor fishing are still spread very thinly. I haven’t had any reports or seen any schools on the beaches. I heard that Wapengo or Bithry Inlet have fish still moving up that system. Pambula River, there are none in the channels, but there is an odd fish upstream off the boat ramp. Merimbula is very quiet, but last Wednesday afternoon there was a small school seen inside the boats around Mitchie’s Beach, which was being worked by some seals.

The lake fishing is all but non-existent. There is an odd salmon being caught off Merimbula’s Mitchies beach fishing the rising tide using pilchards as bait. The Top Lake’s water temperature is 12 degrees and crystal clear and the bait is all over the place. So, trolling deep diving lures might find you a fish. Good luck. The Bega River at Tathra has been dead this last week with nothing reported and Pambula has only had those couple of salmon up the river reported to me.

The Merimbula Big Game and Lakes Angling Club held its seafood night on Saturday and was a great success. Thanks to Proteins Australia for supplying the ling and squid, Merimbula Gourmet Oyster for their delicious oysters and the QLD tiger prawns from BidFood, Pambula. Also to Jaz, Damo and Lorraine from Sapphire Eats for putting it all together.

Snapper Classic registrations are this Friday night starting at 5.30pm. We do have our raffle at 7.00pm, so come on down and support the club with a few bevies, fishing report and a short briefing.