Eurobodalla Fishing Association president Adam Martin just dropped in at Hanging Rock boat ramp yesterday morning to see Nathan and Craig from DPI Fisheries deploying the summer-season FADS (Fish Attracting Devices) for Batemans Bay and Narooma. A third FAD is installed at Eden.
The Narooma FAD is installed every year 36 13.170’S, 150 17.450’E, approximately 6km ENE of Montague Island or 14km east of Wagonga Inlet, in a depth of 120m. The FAD 29 device last year regularly attracted pelagic species such as dolphinfish and is a great initiative by the DPI.
Narooma Sport and Gamefishing Club president Les Waldock said the plan was to leave it at its designated location for this year and depending on how if fishes, there could be a submission to move it to the location where it drifted to earlier this year for next year.
He also informs us that the FADs 28 and 30 are now also in at Batemans Bay (35° 50.000' 150° 22.630') and Eden (36° 58.800' 150° 14.750').
Well done to the Narooma Sport and Gamefishing Club for hosting the CanTeen kids as it has done for more than two decades. Read about it elsewhere in this edition. The club as always is open for drinks every Friday from 4pm. Also book now for the NSGFC Christmas party on December 9.
Narooma fishing charter skipper John Moore has provided a bit of a Montague Island fishing report. “The fishing has been very hit and miss again. A few legal kings made an appearance on Friday and Sunday when the current was a trickle from the north. On Saturday there was no current - and only small kings. Plenty of morwong and good sized flathead around, as well as pigfish and long-finned perch in the deeper water.” Thanks John!
Jason Moyce aka Trapman Bermagui yesterday while lifting a trap at the 12-Mile saw his first marlin jumping for the summer. A fish of about 60kg. “Fish jumped about five times. Water is clean and 20 degrees and bait everywhere!” There was also a report of four great yellowfin to 58kg caught on the east side of the southern seamount off Bermi.
Then just on Wednesday, Trapman posted: “Had a huge school of kingfish around the boat off Bunga headland. Fish ranged between 15 to 25kg. All on the surface traveling north! Thousands of fish. Wouldn’t look at anything lured I casted at them. So I cracked it and run them over. This was them on the sounder!”
Scotty at Bermi Bait & Tackle reported: “Wallaga Lake continues to produce the goods this week. While the front has fished well since it opened the bays on the western side were no different this afternoon. We managed this girl at 72cm and lost her girlfriend just before hand that was a better fish boat side (the ones you lose are always bigger) so 40 fish later it was a good couple of hours.”
Graham Herbert at the Moruya tackle shop reports the warm weather lately has really turned the fish on the bite in Moruya River. Whiting are starting to be seen more frequently on the sand flats opposite Preddy’s wharf and a few are taking a liking to surface lures like poppers.
Flathead are being caught in the same area but targeting the drop offs to the channel using soft plastics and live poddy mullet. Bream are hanging around the backwaters and the hole in the wall. Prawns and beach worms are working.
In the Tuross system, flathead are everywhere with plastics working well. Bream are hitting the surface in the racks early mornings. Whiting are being caught around the Fourways and also down the front. Beach worms and nippers work best.
Some big salmon are being spun up on Tuross beaches using metal slices. Moruya breakwall is fishing well for both salmon and tailor mainly using pillies for bait, also lures. Some nice bream, flathead and whiting are coming in off beaches in Moruya, Tuross and Congo.
Stan Gorton
Walkley-nominated journalist based at The Islander on Kangaroo Island with an interest in the local community and the environment.
Walkley-nominated journalist based at The Islander on Kangaroo Island with an interest in the local community and the environment.
