Preferred options here include Meridian Demons #4, Pakula soft heads in Cockcroach or Mini Sprocket, Moldcraft Super Chugger 8 1/2inch. Colours are endless but try Lumo, Black Purple/Silver, Evil and Bonito/Stripey.

River and rock:

Big high tides during the day are giving rise to some great run out tide fishing with warmer water, hot NE winds and that dirty looking colour of the Bermagui river making it prime for chasing some good sized flathead on lures and this will be the case for the next couple of days.

Bream fishing on the surface has stepped up a little also whether using poppers or light weighted soft plastics across the weed bed areas on or below the surface.

Spinning for tailor is effective at present and a few nice bonito are sorting some fishos out from the rocks. Bream and whiting captures continue from the surf too.

Cheers,

Scotty, Milla, Laurie and James

Bermagui Bait and Tackle

Narooma Fishing Report from the Ocean Hut

Prawns – Prawns are back on again with reports of prawns in most lakes in varying degrees.

Estuary – The estuary has started to pick up after experiencing the large volume of boat traffic over the holiday period. We are starting to get some positive reports coming into the store from both local and visiting anglers which is a good indicator. A couple of visitors from Victoria reported a great session with 10 solid flatties from 50 to 60 cm in a short afternoon session. Big fish by Corunna’s standards. Wagonga has also had reports of flatties up to 95cm with all the big girls we have heard of being successfully released. As we all know these bigger fish are the breeders so good one gents our kids thank you. Those fishing Wallaga Lake report good numbers but smaller fish. If you are chasing larger fish give Wagonga and Corrunna a try. Plastics are the most effective tool for chasing the bigger fish by allowing you to cover larger areas. Reports of nice whiting in the estuary and on the beach using nippers or worm. The highlight of the last week came about when a couple of local bream fisherman had interesting times over at Apex Park when a school of jewfish passed through as they were drowning a couple of baits. After hooking no less than five of these fish let’s just say it was interesting times.

Beaches – Beaches fishing pretty good. Tailor outnumbering salmon. Pillies on gang hooks are a better option for the beaches.

Reef – Good season for snapper so far with the best snapper seen in this area for a long time. You could be mistaken for thinking you are fishing in South Australia with some thumping good fish coming in.

Flatties are a plenty with the 35 metre mark the spot to target.

Island – Fishing well with kingfish consistent. Kingies are going on both livies and squid. Livies can almost guarantee you a fish.

Outwide - Still good reports of striped, blue and black marlin caught. Throw into the mix a few small yellowfin in the 6 to 10 kg range.

- Darryl and the Ocean Hut lads

Big blue marlin landed at Narooma

NAROOMA angler/skipper Peter Davies may well have landed one of the largest blue marlin landed in Narooma for some time.

The fish, weighing in at 196kg, was caught on Friday east of Montague Island on the shelf in water temperature of 22.5 degrees and 140 metres of depth.

Peter Davies was assisted by crew Uncle Danny while Rob Kerr was driving.

The fish was caught on a gold-and-black Top Gun lure, purchased from Darryl at the Narooma Ocean Hut.

Send in your fish pics to editor.naroomanews@ruralpress.com to go into the running for the monthly $30 voucher from Darryl at the Ocean Hut.

Moruya/Tuross fishing: plenty flathead

Moruya River:

Down the front of the river is fishing well for the flathead, which have been up to a metre long.

Also down the front, the tailor is responding best to Armor Metal Twisties and the trevaley are hitting the bait pretty hard, specifically prawns. If you’re fishing off the rock wall, throw out some cubed pilchards to attract the bream, which are in both decent number and size. The whiting, as usual, are around the hospital flat, striking both surface lures such as poppers and live beach worms.

Around the bridge and down to Ryan’s Creek, Strada Piccolas are attracting nice sized flathead.

Tuross:

Tackle World Moruya VIP member Ben had a fantastic session in Tuross this week, catching six bream and six flathead on Squidgy Blood Worm Wrigglers.

Down the front of the system, Tackle World Moruya members John and Shirley have been consistently bringing in substantial sized whiting on live beach worms, now available at the shop.

If you’re fishing around the oyster leases, it’s likely you’ll be rewarded by some great catches of perch on Cameons.

The bream are hiding in the snags as always, so throw in a Cranka for best measure and you’ll be in for some fun. If it’s the flounder you’re after, Graham recommends SX40s for these underrated dinner fish.

Beaches and Rocks:The better gutters – the dark water is a giveaway – from Muramburra to the Windsock are producing well sized salmon.

Tailor are being caught off both the beaches and rocks, with ganged pilchards and metal slices your best bet for success.

Beach worms, as always, will almost guarantee you some brilliant whiting, which are one of the most welcome catches if you’re fishing for your dinner. Squid jigs off Congo rocks are rewarding eager fishermen and women with decent sized squid.

Offshore:

Captain Ron aboard Winda Woppa I and II reports kingfish in the 60m of water, responding best to River 2 Sea jigs.

The snapper are hitting Shimano Lucanus jigs, however, if it’s the mowies and pigfish you’re after, it’s safest to stick to fish bait and squid. The nannygai are up to 40cm and again will respond best to fish bait. In the 10-15m of water mark off Pedro Point, the snapper can’t get enough of soft plastics, especially the 6 inch Gulp Flick Baits.

If you’re fishing in close, the kingfish are hitting live bait hard. Towards Potato Point, it’s the sharks you’re going to find, with gummy sharks the most prolific and bronze whalers and makos making the occasional appearance. Want to go after the marlin? Then hit the shelf with skirts and live bait for the fight of your life.

Tight lines!

Team Tackle World Moruya

Gaye, Graham, Bec, Nathan, Mark and Jade

Paxevanos: Summer bass’n and more on the Clyde

WALM balmy days, cicadas singing in the air, escaping the busy boat ramps and heading up into the hills to with a mate to catch the majestic Aussie bass-does fishing get any better?

Keen bass fisho Ray Smith and I hit the Clyde River above Shallow Crossing, the fishing that afternoon was a little slow due to a cool southerly change which bass don’t like, but we eventually managed a handful of middle sized bass around 35 cm, which always surprise with their hit-pound for pound they are one of the strongest freshwater fish in Australia.

I’m sure that some warmer weather would’ve seen our catches triple in number and size, and indeed Ray has since returned several times and done exactly that, but I had a great time none the less, and took in the atmosphere of some amazing country.

About the only complaint (what an Aussie thing to do-look for complaints in paradise) is that Ray didn’t bring the mirage drive for the Hobie, which meant I had to hold the paddle and cast at the same time; it’s do-able but nowhere near effective and enjoyable as it can be!

That whine aside we also watched platypus play, eagles catch their share of the fish, and all manner of wonderful critters enjoy this pristine system. The Clyde Valley has very little riverside farming and runs through a lot of national parks too helping keep the water in amazing condition for all its inhabitants.

There are a handful of bigger bass rivers on the south coast such as the Clyde, the Shoalhaven and the Tuross, plus there’s also loads of the smaller little creeks and rivers most of which hold bass, sometimes they are surprisingly big too-Ray got smoked recently in a tiny little creek on 20lb braid and 20lb leader-pulled the kayak into the snags (again very hard to paddle and fish at the same time…) The biggest he has landed has been up around the 50cm or 2 kilo mark, but he’s after some much bigger ones!

Further downstream around Nelligen water skiers have been out having a ball, and despite common belief you can still catch fish with these boats zipping around-the local fish have had nearly two months now to recognize that ski boats won’t cause them no harm. If you want to avoid the ski boats, look for the areas where they can’t go, of which there are plenty, or fish the wee hours and into the night.

If it’s big flathead, numbers of big bream and jewfish that you want then using your ears when the locals river masters talk is all important. Rob Fish (yes that’s his real name) who runs Clyde River House boats knows some cracker spots, baits and rigs, but best of all he is willing to share them with those that listen. He’s put me onto all these species and more every single trip without fail, including my PB jewfish haul, but I was shocked to hear him say that many people do the opposite of what he suggests! Is that crazy, or maybe it’s just a good way to get out of cleaning fish?

Down below the bridge I bumped into a number of new anglers who were fishing off the rock wall into the main channel-a great spot, but very snaggy in anything but the short window of the slack tide. I helped them out with the following advice:

Importantly, if you are going to fish areas like this where there is a strong tidal flow you need either clear sandy bottom, or you need to get into a position where you are directly upstream of where you are fishing. The later is easy from an anchored boat, but for land based anglers, which I have been enjoying recently, there is the end of the rock wall, several gaps in the rock wall, some jetties, and prominent points where you can cast in directly down current. This means your sinker getting dragged sideways across the river bed which nearly always means getting snagged! Take a walk and have a look before you cast and you will get less snags and more fish. Note also that most fish are just 5 meters from the structure, not out in the featureless middle of the channel.

Alternatively you can try a float, but even then fishing down stream is still much easier for your average weekend angler…more experienced anglers have long forgotten why and seem to go to the user friendly spots automatically in many instances.

See you on the water,

Rob Paxevanos

robpax.com