The sand flats from the channel markers back to Taylors are producing stud whiting on transparent coloured poppers and walk-the-dog style lures. Best conditions are at the top of the tide as it starts to fall with enough wind chop on the water to prevent the fish from seeing you or your boat. Nippers are a very popular option with bait anglers prepared to put in the time to collect them at low tide on the flats near the fisheries office. It is also worth spending some time anchored around the sand bars in the channel and drift a nipper or some worm over the edges.

It is also compulsory to carry a few small metals to flick around for some of the good tailor that are working the estuary at the moment and you never know when a Jewie or Kingie may just happen along.

Beaches and Rocks

The stones are fishing well for drummer on cunje or the humble fresh or frozen prawn. Work the wash areas on the run-up to high tide for best results, always keeping an eye on the ocean for any changes in swell or wave conditions.

Drop by the shop for advice on the safest and best areas where to catch these excellent eating fish.

Big bream are also being caught off the rocks in good numbers, especially work the gutters and holes where they meet the beaches.

The beaches in the area are fishing the best they have fished in years with all the estuaries in the area opening in the recent storms. Stud whiting and bream on pipis and worms are a regular catch.

Salmon and tailor in large numbers all along the coast makes pick where you want to fish the hardest part of the trip. Paternoster rig and some pillies or blue baits and you are away.

We would also like to congratulate Paul and Dawso from Million Dollar View fishing club on their recent flathead competition. The feedback was all positive and you can expect an even bigger roll up next year. The overall points winners where Steve Starling and Andrew from Tuross Head in a very close contest. The rest of the comp was dominated by local anglers who were able to call on their local knowledge during tough conditions.

We would also like to congratulate the Narooma Sport and Gamefishing Club for hosting another great convention.

Darryl

Narooma Ocean Hut Compleat Angler

South Coast marlin running hot and cold

THE striped marlin action has been running hot and cold.

For example boats fishing off Batemans Bay earlier last week tagged eight marlin in a day and just a few days later the word had spread and good weather saw dozens of boats fishing along the South Coast.

Interestingly most missed out and many blamed the poor fishing on a change in the water; in particular a raging East Australian Current that was pushing as fast as 4 knots at times!

The deeper headlands along the south coast are producing bonito, kingfish and some big frigate mackerel to 1.5 kg. Troll around half a dozen headlands with a mix of tiny little skirted lures and big high speed deep diving lures and once a school is located you can stop and spin up the frigates or bonito with small metal lures or deep jig for kings with the Japanese Kabura style lures which imitate baby squid.

Conditions permitting rock anglers are also getting into the same species and a yakka or slimy under a ballon should easily find a hammerhead shark, whaler shark, or if you are extra lucky an inshore marlin.

Further out the fads are producing good numbers of mahi mahi, and floats from fish traps and anything else that sits on the surface will attract good numbers of these fish to 10kg have been recorded.

There has also been some OK patches of striped marlin along the south coast and if fish migrating down the coast are anything to go by things might get even better, as they often do as Autumn sets in.

Mal Grey fishing from the Sunshine Coast struggled for years but is now raising at least half a dozen black marlin with consistency each day, and tagging plenty in the process. All this from his little 6 meter half cabin that looks like a kayak next too the larger game boats.

Hopefully south coast waters will experience some of the boom; Mal says it is the best fishing he’s encountered in a decade.

Land-based game fishos have also had it hit or miss with warm north easterly’s typically producing better fishing than the cold southerly changes when even rustling up a slimy mackerel can be hard.

Kingfish to 80cm, lots of frigate mackerel, some XL bonito to 5 kg and even the occasional cobia have all been reported.

Meanwhile in some instances kayak anglers have been able to paddle a couple of hundred meters out to meet the current line and enjoy the fishing it brings.

White colored Slam Baits which are loaded with bio luminous fish products are a consistent producer of quality fish early and late in the day or when fishing deeper water.

Rob Paxevanos

www.fishingaustralia. tv

Bowlo fishos urge others to have a say

RESULTS for the NSSC Bowlo Fishing Club for the month of February, which were not posted last month owing to the short turn around with the inter-club comp, were Dave Clark, Randell Setzer, Kelly Bryant, Rubin Colom, Garry Blood, Carl Lee, Tonnie Colom, Brenda Setzer and young Rubin won the Rosco Inskip award.

The March comp was held over the weekend with a dark horse (with blond hair) being the overall winner as it went to Kelly Bryant who put in a big weekend of fishing and running Cafe Narooma all at once.

The other winners for the month were Dave Clark, Brenda Setzer, Randell Setzer, Dennis Maggs, Robyn Babidge, Gary Landells, Michelle Simpson and the NAFA award went to James Lagudi this month.

Now the all important fishing report: The Island had a good go with the kings on Saturday but Sunday it went pear-shaped.

Dalmeny is holding a good supply of duskies in it with some good bream at the entrance and the bridge.

The beaches were a bit quiet with a few whiting turning up at Kianga. Brou entrance still seems to be the pick of the crop with it producing salmon, tailor and a few sharks - just ask Kelly.

And rumour has it the rocks at Hanky have heaps of drummer and a good school of mullet on the beach.

Up and coming events will see the Bowlo fishing club travel to Buckenderra for our freshwater bash on March 20-21 and our next comp will be held on the weekend of April 3-4.

A bit of a surprise turned up this week in the mail with twp members of the NSSCFC now on the Batemans Marine Park advisory committee that being Ian Smith and myself (Dave Clark).

The Select Committee on Recreational Fishing that is doing a review on fishing will be taking final submissions until March 19, so anybody that has a thing to say about how good or how bad things are with fishing (that includes how your fishing licence money is spent, how you agree or disagree with marine parks, beach hauling or anything else) now is the time to do it.

For you that don't have the net, there are submission forms on the fishing clubs notice board at the Bowlo or you can check the website at www.parliament.nswgov.au/fishingi nquiry and as there is an election due soon, I am very certain the State Government will be all ears.

On a closing note the NRL starts this Friday and anybody wanting to be in the tipping comp at the Bowlo better hurry, so tight lines till next month.

Fishfingers