Its been another cracking week on the weather front for the Merimbula region with hot days, little wind, warm water but best of all heaps of fish. The estuaries are firing big time with the top lake in Merimbula a stand-out. It really depends on what you want to target but the flathead fishing is exceptional with 3 big girls over the 90cm mark caught in the last week. Yes these fish were released which is great to see but there’s plenty of eaters to be caught also with some groups getting in excess of 20 legal flatties for a session which is pretty good angling. The majority of fish have fallen to soft plastics fished along the edges of the ribbon weed with a few coming from the mouth of Boggy creek on the draining tide. It’s not just flathead being caught either, snapper, bream, trevally, tailor and kingfish have all been caught over recent weeks. Now l know the eyes would have lit up about kingfish but yes it’s true, there’s been a solid school up there with the fish between 60-70cm so a few legals mixed in there. Most of the kings have been caught by anglers fishing bait intended for flathead but if a few early mornings were put in catching them on plastics and metals is certainly a possibility. Those anglers fishing the surface for bream and whiting have done well also. The racks on the southern side of the main basin has seen plenty of the action but try fishing the flooding tide it’s definitely been better.
Offshore is excellent with the game fishing brigade firing on all cylinders. Marlin is the word with plenty of stripes getting about from the 70-fathom line East. One local crew went 4-4-2 yesterday and with the exceptional weather coming up (except Saturday looks nasty) it should be all systems go. Most beaks are getting caught trolling skirts but some crews are seeing bait balls on top with fish around them. Pitching live slimies into these bait balls has caught fish, this technique will only get better as the month gets longer with more fish present. If your keen going wider fishing bigger lures on heavier tackle may just see a big blue marlin be caught. January is a great month for them and with the water a warm 24 plus degrees wide it’s certainly worth a look. If the beaks isn’t your thing then the bottom fishing for the bread and butter species continues to be good. The local reefs inshore around Long Point and Haycock has seen some nice snapper with plenty of morwong also. There’s been a heap of gummy sharks to and with the full moon approaching these tasty fish should only get better in numbers and size. On the sand the flatties have been good to, the shallower water seems to be best with some great catches in 19-22 meters in Merimbula Bay. There’s been a few reports down south around Haycock of flatties also.

Off the rocks it’s slowed up a bit with little swell but fishos getting out very early are still getting a few. Some decent kings are still getting caught at both Merimbula and Tathra jetty’s with live bait the go. You will pick up the odd salmon and there’s been the odd bonito caught to which is great to see. If your after some sport the frigate mackerel and big slimy mackerel can be caught from both jetty’s. If a squid or two is for you, you will have to fish late into the night for best results. Those anglers that are putting in the time are getting results with 3 inch 15 gram squid jigs in natural darker colours seeming best.

Off the beaches the whiting are going nuts with Merimbula main a stand-out. Small casts just past the shore dumps in the gutters are all that’s required with beachworms and pipi the better baits to use. If you’re after salmon then Haycock beach down south of Pambula is good as is North Tura, with the tides being excellent for the next 4 days especially the evening ones, Good luck all.