FISHING REPORT – 1 March 2026
Fishing Reports thanks to MBGLAC

The outside flathead fishing is still patchy, with boats being plagued by undersized sand and tiger flathead inside 35 metres of water. However, those venturing out wider, from 45 to 55 metre depths, are catching much nicer sand flathead and the odd tiger flathead to 50 centimetres. The average size of the better flathead is around that 45 centimetre mark. The best areas last week were out off Short Point Merimbula, down to off the Haycock Reef system, and Bournda Island back to Tura Heads.The in-shore water temperature is sitting around 21 degrees.

The reef fishing is still ticking over with pan-sized snapper, morwong and nannygai still being caught readily. There are also good numbers of bonito and now a few frigate mackerel have turned up around our reefs and headlands. Casting small metal lures or trolling small skirts or saltwater flies will catch both the bonito and frigrates. There are also a few squid being caught over at Haycock Point, the shallow Hunter bombie and off the wharfs and headlands when the weather allows.

The beaches are still fishing well with salmon being caught on most beaches at the moment. There are also schools being seen on Tathra Beach and on the headlands at Tura and Long Point. There have also been a few mulloway caught casting lures at night on the beach at Tathra and in the estuary at Mogareeka. Tura Beach has some nice gutters and sand banks and looks great for a salmon or two whether you are bait or lure fishing. Main Beach Merimbula is still giving up a few whiting, bream and an occasional trevally, using beach worms for bait and fishing the low tide rising.

The estuary fishing has been still very consistent over the last week.

The Bega River at Tathra has officially closed to the ocean, so now there is no tidal flow, but the fish are still biting. There are bream and estuary perch being caught along the rock walls, dusky flathead around the lake edges and drop-offs and an odd mulloway after dark around the bridge.

The Merimbula Lake has trevally, bream, blackfish and dusky flathead in the channels and up the Top Lake and trevally, tailor and dusky’s around the weed edges. Pambula River and Lake has flathead in the river on the neutral tides, whiting up in the shallows on the high tide and flathead, flounder and trevally drifting in the lake. The estuary water temperature is sitting around 22 in Merimbula and Pambula Lakes and 28 in the Bega River.

The game fishing has slowed down a bit this week; mainly due to the windy weather cutting the days fishing down. Reports from Sunday were seals and sharks were a menace. There were visible bait schools on the sounder and fish around them, but no marlin was caught. The water temperature on the shelf was between 21 and 22 degrees. The Merimbula Big Game and Lakes Angling Club is holding the BSR March Marlin competition over the month of March with the major sponsor of Big Smart Reels donating an electric reel worth just under $7000. Everyone is welcome to enter; you just need to check out the website at www.mbglac.com.au for details on how to get involved.

The MBGLAC rooms are open this Friday night, opening from 6pm. Come on down and enjoy a cold bevvy at very reasonable prices. Buy a ticket for our weekly raffles, sponsored by Goodalls Butchers, the Lakeview Hotel and the Bar Beach Kiosk. Watch the sun set and enjoy the views over Merimbula Lake. Everyone is welcome.

Till next week.
Fishy Fellow

SAM’S FISHING REPORT – 5 February 2026