SQUID TIME: Narooma News editor Stan Gorton is down at the Bega District News for two weeks and got into the squid at Kianinny Bay on the weekend.
SNAPPER AROUND: Bermagui Bait and Tackle staffer Laurie Martin got a few nice snapper out at the 12-mile Reef last week.
FLATHEAD TIME: Editor Stan Gorton pulled a few flathead out of his favourite river south of Bermagui with the warm days making the fish more active.
WALLAGA FLATHEAD: Bermagui local Harley Ray got into the flathead on Wallaga Lake while fishing with mate Scott from Bermagui Bait and Tackle last week.
MISPLACED PERCH: Ian Payne of Bingie pulled in this big ocean perch while fishing for flathead in 30 metres at The Step. These fish are normally found in much deeper water.
WITH warmer days ahead, Scott at Bermagui Bait and Tackle is reporting that the estuary flathead fishing is firing up at locations such as Wallaga Lake.
Scott and his mate Harley Ray fished the top of Wallaga just before the thunderstorms hit last Tuesday and bagged all but 50 duskies in a couple of hours.
They switched from smaller wriggler-style plastics to bigger prawn imitation plastics when it fired and the bigger fish certainly responded with a number of fat 45-55cm fish a result.
Scott reckons finding water over 17 degrees and up to 19 degrees in the estuaries is a good bet with the flathead often sunning themselves and hunting on the shallower sand and mud banks.
It’s a similar story in Wagonga Inlet at Narooma with Darryl at the Narooma Ocean Hut Compleat Angler also reporting that the water in the estuary had warmed by three degrees in the past week.
There were reports of the off mulloway in the estuary and the poddy mullet had also moved back in providing the feed.
One tip is to look for the birds and the tailor surface feeding and then cast a big plastic or bait underneath to find the lurking mulloway.
Darryl also says the beaches are fishing well for salmon and tailor, with the odd bream around the rocks also a possibility.
Offshore things are also improving with the current coming and going at Montague Island.
When the current was flowing last week the temperature was sneaking up over 18 degrees at times with bonito and even the odd kingfish reported.
There were reports of bonito busting up on the surface in patches all the way from the island down to Camel Rock.
The flathead grounds at The Step off Tilba Beach have also been producing good numbers of sand and the odd tiger flathead, with anglers putting in a concerted effort having no trouble getting their bag limit.
Darryl also said he heard of sand flathead being caught in close in as little as 20 metres of water, which was quite unusual.
There were also good numbers of good gummy sharks off Bermagui in recent weeks with reports of these tasty sharks down as far as Tathra.
Out at the 12-mile Reef there were reports of some nice snapper and while a few weeks back one lucky pro stumbled upon schools of kingfish and even made a return trip after filling his boxes.
The reefs at Potato Point and Montague Island are also producing at times.
There should be some albacore and yellowfin tuna moving down with warmer currents and fingers are crossed that the amazing marlin season being experienced off northern NSW and Queensland will translate into a good marlin season off Narooma and Bermagui.