MERIMBULA FISHING REPORT 07/11/2019

Firstly l would like to thank all our customers, friends and FB followers for all the messages and good will gestures regarding the fire which destroyed Tackleworld back in May. It was a terrible time for all involved but the good news is we are back up and running in a slightly smaller shop, but the happy faces that greeted you then will still do now and we look forward to seeing you all. The fishing report has been missed by many but we will start again today and every week going forward.

Well for the first report after a few months off the fishing is quite good especially in the estuaries but the wind and seas look a little ugly for the next 4 days for those who want to venture offshore. You might get a few hours in each morning but l suspect the SW winds will get up by 9.00am so if keen get out early. If you can get out there’s been a few snapper about, the fish are patchy at present, not schooling up but they are there with the average sized fish around that 1.5 kilo mark. Anglers that are drifting seem to be doing better covering the ground and picking up the odd red here and there. Further south of Haycock Point seems to be the go with the inside edge of Hunter rock holding a few snapper to. Most fish are falling to fresh squid and pilchards though a few crews micro jigging have done well in the deeper water. You can expect a few mowies to with flathead chewing on the 34-38 mtr line straight off Tura Head. There’s been a mixture of sandies and tigers but l suspect when this colder dirty water we have at the minute the bottom fishing will really pick up once again. Further offshore won’t see to many boats these next few days but there’s been a few smaller yellowfin tuna about with the odd albacore but it’s pretty slow outwide at the minute. There’s better water further North of us so let’s hope that pushes down in the next week or so.

In the estuaries it’s been good. Merimbula, Pambula, the Bega River and Wonboyn are all firing at certain times. The beauty here is that you have 4 quality estuaries with an hour of each other so getting from one to the other isn’t to bad. The pick would be Wonboyn. It has plenty of flatties in the main basin with bream, big tailor and the odd legal snapper coming from the same area. It’s only about 5 mtrs deep through this area so pretty easy to fish with anglers using soft plastics faring best. The size of lure will depend on what you want to target but wriggler style placcies up to 100mm seem best at the minute. Having a sounder here definitely helps as quite often the bream will school up in November so finding them can be a tad easier with it. Closer to Merimbula the top lake is good with plenty of tailor and flatties about. A few crews that have been in the shop have caught 15-18 flats up to 77cm in a session so not bad fishing. Slightly bigger fish style plastics up to 100mm in natural colours is the go with soft vibes pulling a fish or two also. In the channels the place is loaded with trevally. Anywhere around the bridge area to Spencer Park has been excellent with the flooding tide the time to fish. Casting softies or lightly weighted prawns will see plenty of action.

Off the rocks and wharves there’s plenty of squid about with Tathra and merimbula both producing quality calamari. Fishing the early mornings is the go, pink and orange jigs seem to be working well at the minute. What is good though is the kingfish at Tathra. We have had a very quiet Winter/Spring thus far on the kings but l know of 2 x 6 kilo fish caught there the last two days with a couple others lost also. Both these fish ate metal shiners around 40 gram so if you drop a live bait down under a balloon or bobby cork you might just be in business with a bigger fish. There’s plenty of salmon to be caught to, it shouldn’t be to long before we start to see a few frigate mackeral and bonito also.

Off the beaches the bread and butter species like bream and whiting are just starting to show up with Merimbula main the pick. Try live beach worms if you can get them, pipi isn’t a bad back up if the worms are hard to get. Like usual Tura main is good for salmon and the odd gummy shark. There’s plenty of bronze whalers sharks in close also so if a shark is what your after a fish after dark on the flood time with salmon fillets is certainly worth a go, just remember the wire. Until next week tight lines and thanks again for all the well wishes, it’s really appreciated!!!!