SOME local offshore fishers are considering selling their boats and buying wind generators, after yet another week of blustery conditions - one day from the north then a quick change to a strong southerly.
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For those fishers who are able to get out in the “window” between the wind changes they have been rewarded with great catches of snapper and flathead.
The lesson this week has been that the best fishing at Montague Island has been in the afternoon, especially when there is a high tide just before dark.
A couple of charter boats have ventured out in the afternoon over the weekend with the result being great sessions on pan sized snapper.
Try and experiment with different rigs, the best results have come from long leaders.
Just when the holiday makers were travelling home on Monday, the marlin decided to have a bite.
One boat reported 9 hook-ups by 10am, with fish up to 90kg hooked just over the first drop off.
The Bermagui Bluewater Classic saw a dozen marlin tagged and released on Monday, with only five on Sunday and the comp called off on Saturday due to the weather.
Dolphinfish have also been taken around the cray pot buoys between the first drop off and the second drop off, but remember the minimum size is 60cm.
The kingfish at the island are still around the 63cm mark, with the occasional legal fish being taken.
The local experts say that the season is about six weeks behind and we should have a good run in February after the next full moon.
So, fingers crossed things should be excellent by Easter.
If you are after good-sized slimy mackerel, there are plenty about 800mts offshore from the golf club down to the cemetery, watch your sounder to find them and “Sabiki” jigs are the proving to be the best method.
On the estuary scene, now that the crowds have left things should really pick up at locations such as Wagonga Inlet at Narooma and Tuross Lake, which do suffer from boat traffic.
A few locals have been getting into the bass on the local dam and also rivers.
Try the TT Spinnerbaits or even poppers on a warm sunny afternoon - you can’t have much more fun than that!
Bermagui hosts Bluewater Classic
THE Bermagui Big Game Angling Club (BBGAC) on the Australia Day long weekend hosted another successful Bluewater Classic.
A total of 53 boats and 201 anglers competed in this year’s Classic.
Competition on Saturday was called off due to rough weather but Sunday and Monday turned out well, with 17 marlin tagged and released.
BBGAC president Paul Blacka said the club was very pleased with the continued and growing emphasis on tag and release.
“Of well over 100 fish recorded, only one fish was captured and that was a 180kg mako shark,” Blacka said.
“We are pleased with more and more anglers wanting to tag and release.”
Monday was the pick of the days with 12 marlin tagged on that one day.
Mr Blacka thanked the major sponsor local business Bermagui Bait & Tackle, as well as the other sponsors of Shimano, Yanmar, Yamaha and Simrad.
Male champion angler was Shimano representative David Cox, who caught his first two marlin ever in the competition and donated his prize to his tag pole operator John Parbery.
Carly Bexterman, champion lady angler, was another novice angler, who also caught her first three marlin in the comp.
The young anglers known as “small fry” had a ball on striped tuna and champion small fry angler Mathew just wanted more mahi mahi – “They were great," he said.