NSW South Coast
15 February 2008
With Stuart Hindson
of Aussie Fish Estuary Adventures
Over the last week or so the south coast has seen some ordinary weather to say the least. Rain and strong winds have made fishing difficult, but for those fishos that have ventured out and braved the elements there’s still some great fishing on offer.
Also check out our new website at www.ausfishing.com.au.
Estuaries
The system you are fishing will determine water quality at present. At Narooma it’s the usual clean clear water and the fishing is quite good. Flathead numbers have been on the increase, with anglers throwing plastics on the deeper drop-offs and in the channels doing well. Some fish are nudging 85cm but the majority is 40-50cm in length. Bream and whiting are also having a chew, with the main channel again the hotspot. Live nippers and squirt worms fished on the out-going tide has produced best results. A few whiting are measuring 44cm, absolute elbow slappers at that size and great on the plate.
At Merimbula the top lake is still dirty but it hasn’t slowed the fishing down at all. I had a guide there 2 days ago and the flatties went nuts once we found them. The best fish went 92cm, a croc in my books and would have weighed close to 6kg. We took a few happy snaps and let the big girl go. Most of the fish though are school fish up to 50cm with tailor, legal snapper and bream also having a go at times. We’ve been using lures for the flaties, but a few locals have also done well on live poddy mullet. The surface action for bream and whiting has slowed since the rain, but expect that to improve once the water clarity and fresh disperse.
Offshore
Where do you start? When trailer boats have been able to get out due to weather conditions, the marlin action has been good. Both black and stripes have been abundant with most fish around the 80-100kg mark. I know of a black which was caught off Merimbula that went 165 kilo on 24kg line, by a junior angler, and it is a pending national record. A great effort by the youngster and something he will never forget!
Most of the marlin have come from the 70-fathom eastwards towards the shelf with a few around the 12-mile off Bermagui too. Trolling lures has been productive as has switch-baiting livies after teasing the marlin up on hookless skirts.
Steve Tedesco from Bermagui who skippers the charter boat Sea Bee has had a great season so far and expects the action over the next week to really hot up. He’s been averaging 1 or 2 tagged marlin a day with his best day being 4 from 5 which is world-class fishing in my books.
Steve said if you find the bait the marlin won’t be far away.
Striped tuna and small yellowfin tuna to 5kg have been abundant with water around the 23 degree mark ideal according to Steve. There’s also been a few big blue marlin hooked but unfortunately lost. Some of these brutes have pushed 600lb so not for the faint hearted.
On the inshore grounds the reef species have played the game too. Snapper, morwong, and flathead (both sand and tiger) are chewing with bag limits on flathead occurring on most outings. Places like Potato Point, south end of Montague Island, 4 and 6 mile off Bermagui, and the reefs south of Merimbula (Long & Haycock) are all producing good fishing at times.
Beaches
Fishing quite well for salmon, bream and whiting. There has been a few smaller mulloway caught up to 8kg mainly due to the dirtier water that’s leaving the estuaries from the rain. Better beaches have been the ones further south, like Camel, Cuttagee, Gillard’s and North Tura.
Packages for upcoming guided estuary charters with ‘Aussie Fish Estuary Adventures’
Check the website out at www.ausfishing.com.au for further details.
Tight lines all,
Stuart Hindson
Aussie Fish Estuary Adventures
Ph: 02 64959902
Mobile: 0400062504
Email: stuart@ausfishing.com.au
Web: www.ausfishing.com.au
Address: 4 Rosella Place, Tura Beach NSW 2548
See previous Hindson report here.
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