Narooma and Bermagui fishing reports: Jan. 4
03 Jan, 2012 02:49 PMNarooma: crowds can make the fish shy
Estuary: With the Christmas holidays in full swing the number of boats on south coast waterways has increased tenfold. This increase of traffic on the water has spooked many fish to the deeper areas in the estuaries. However anglers are still managing some good catches of flatties, bream and whiting mainly on soft plastics.
❏ Click here to check out the photo gallery of this week’s catches
Plenty of anglers are sporting good photos of large flathead that have been caught and released back to the water. If whiting are your targeted species then pumping a few nippers for bait has proven the most successful option. Pump your bait then fish the stirred up area with the baits you have just pumped. Remember to flush your pump out and release the pressure on the washer when you finish pumping for nippers.
Beaches: Beaches are fishing reasonably well since the swell has dropped off and good gutters have appeared. We have received reports of bream, salmon and whiting mainly on bait.
Montague Island: Anglers have picked up good snapper on the south west corner of the island on squid baits and plastic lures. Kingies have been in numbers over the last few weeks. Some good catches recorded with fish from 70cm up to and over a metre. Most anglers have managed to share their catch with the seals. Kingies have been caught on jigs, squid and live bait. Some anglers have managed keepers however there are reports of smaller kingies as well.
Bluewater: Signs are looking good for yellowfin and marlin with a tuna caught over the last week off Tuross Canyons mainly on lures. Cody Bond from the Narooma Compleat Angler store is still to land his first marlin following a disappointing trip. Cody hooked up to a big blue marlin which was lost at the boat on the weekend after a three and a half hour fight.
The marlin was estimated to be over 250kg and it was hooked by a Black Magic Primetime lure, which Cody has to replace for his mate Pete. This appears to be one of several run-ins with big blues by local fisherman with several reports coming in over recent days. The marlin was hooked up near Tuross Canyons.
Prawns
Prawns are still running in local lakes with reports of good catches.
Welcome to the many visitors visiting our area. Enjoy your stay and safe travel back home. We hope to see you back again.
Darryl from Ocean Hut Narooma
Bermagui marlin on the go
MARLIN season is under way with plenty of action along the south coast from above the bay to Eden. Boats have tagged as many as four fish on any given day this past week. While Tuross produced fish and held bait the Kink region down to below Bunga will do the same in coming weeks.
We have seen our fair share of blue marlin, with Rampage spending some three-and-a-half hours on one fish before losing it. A similar storyline has been expressed to us by others in recent days. Swoopa's 175kg fish was a highlight – and on the boat’s maiden voyage too.
The striped marlin are of varying size with fish from 50-120kg tagged in most areas.
While there are some nice bluefin tuna out wider a few solid yellowfin are in the mix. Smaller striped lures should be kept small, 6-8inch long and keep leaders down below 200lb. Fine gauge hooks like SL12s and Pakula Katanas help to stay in touch with more fish on the bite, remembering lures are the low percentage playing when stacked against towing live baits, skip baits or switch baiting a fish.
Kingfish have remained a staple at Montague Island with good catches of snapper also being taking where soft baits like Gulp's or Flick baits are in use.
Surface action seems a little light on at present but most other methods are effective day to day. Obviously, the intensity of the bite has an impact and time of day/tide.
While inshore reefs proved challenging last week for those of us seeking the humble flathead for a few fillets for Christmas, these fish are back on in most of the northern haunts. Tilba, The Step and Cemetery also have produced a few gummy sharks also in recent days. Around the rocks closer to home we've seen the first and second point produce salmon to 4kg and a few bonito have been taken. The new KLF XMAS trees are a real treat to salmon here – somewhat similar in style to the original pixies produced by Roddy Hays of Legend Lures years ago.
Hot days and a bit of northerly wind have intensified the surface activity for those chasing whiting and bream. Fishing shallower water will still see you hook better sized flathead from time to time also.
Scotty, Miller, James and Laurie, Bermagui Bait and Tackle
Kingies rule on Narooma pilgrimage
(By Melbourne fishing identity David Kramer)
On my 21st annual visit to Narooma to enjoy the wonderful fishing this town has on offer, I reckon we are off to one of the best starts to a season I have ever seen.
The kingfish have turned it on once again and the inlet, with warm water temperature is absolutely alive with fish.
I have had a lot of people ask whether it is the IFISH TV boat I am in this year? Yes, it is! Paul Worsteling is on a well-earned break after a hectic year of filming and was kind enough to let me use the IFISH TV boat for my trip this year.
There have been a few windy and rough days out at the island over the past week, but if you were lucky enough to get out on the days before New Year’s Eve, you would have been well rewarded with a nice feed of yellowtail kingfish.
I took seven-year-old Max Caldwell and his dad John out on the last day of 2011 and had one of the best kingfish sessions I have ever experienced. We caught and released more than 50 fish for the day, and while there were a lot of under size fish among them, our biggest – and John’s personal best – went 90cm. Many other boats came in with several fish in the 80-90cm range.
Fish have been most consistent on the eastern side of the island. If you are fishing the eastern side there are two things to be very wary of: first, the waves and swell are often a lot rougher than other areas around the island, and second, be aware of the Montague Island East Sanctuary Zone where no fishing is permitted.
Luckily, the kings are in an area well clear of this zone and they are in good numbers. We found live yakkas and Californian squid to be the best bait.
Kingfish have also been in good numbers on the western side of Montague in 40m of water while the northern end has been a bit tough with those anglers jigging and fishing big soft plastics being rewarded only with the odd fish.
For those anglers venturing out with lures on the troll, there have been plenty of stripey tuna out around the island and the odd king venturing up to the surface. Pink skirted lures have been the most productive.
Also offshore, there have been good numbers of flathead. We found a patch of fish off Kianga in thirty metres of water and had a red hot session with fish to 48cm. Squid tentacles have been the best bait on a paternoster rig and don’t be afraid to use plenty of weight to ensure your bait is close to the bottom.
Wagonga Inlet has also been on fire this week, and with the windy days lately, many anglers have been restricted to estuary fishing. Bait collection for estuary fishing is the key to success, and I reckon there has been a population explosion this year of bass yabbies, commonly known as nippers.
If you want one of the best baits for flathead, bream and whiting, get yourself a bait pump and a bucket and get yourself some great fresh live bait that is sure to turn into a nice feed of table fish.
There is no better place to pump nippers that on the sand flats out the front of Easts Caravan Park on the flat. Make sure you only take what you need for the day and ensure you keep your water fresh and out of the sun.
In the estuary, I have been fishing the last hour of the run out tide to the side of the main channel south of Apex Park this week, which has been before lunchtime. As the low tide change moves into the afternoon, the fishing will only get better, and I have been rewarded with some beautiful bream to 34cm, flathead to 42cm and the odd whiting. Further into the inlet, whiting and bream have been prolific in the channels west of the bridge. The start of the run in tide has been best which makes the fish accessible to both land-based and boating anglers.
The lake proper is alive with baitfish, including yellowtail scad (yakkas) and garfish and there have been good reports of some nice dusky flathead sitting on the drop-offs just into the inlet. The odd school of tailor have been surfacing in the afternoons too and have made great sport fishing by casting laser lures into the school. Up the back of the lake, I recorded water temperature of 27deg on my sounder on Monday and found the fishing very tough in the water that warm.
Just a reminder to anyone new to town: it is best to register with Marine Rescue Narooma if you are heading off shore. Go visit them up on the hill overlooking the bar and they will let you know how to log on for your trip out off shore and help make your trip just that little bit safer.
Flathead and whiting star at Moruya
Moruya River
The river has been fishing well of late, benefiting both locals and tourists alike. Flathead and whiting of notable size have been caught from the hospital flat and up, with the flathead attracted to the new Squidgy Pro range, and Slick Rigs especially.
The whiting however, prefer a natural approach, responding best to beach worms – the live version of which is sold exclusively by Tackle World Moruya.
The flathead are also around the quarry wharf, but the tailor are more prolific and are hitting the Armor Twisties and soft plastics the hardest.
If you want to fish the bridge, flounder will be your most common catch, on whitebait. The hole in the wall is fishing well for luderick which, as always, respond best to green weed.
From the pump station up, the bass are hitting Heddon Crazy Crawlers and Cameons.
Tuross
Congratulatio ns are in order for Warren, who in the middle of a popper session for whiting was successful in hooking a whiting, only to find his whiting being eaten by a 106cm flathead, leading him to bag both fish (releasing the flathead, of course). Catches like that are the stuff of fishing legend.
That being said, the system as a whole is fishing extremely well for flathead, and also bream. The entrance has been providing numerous catches of luderick - again, as in Moruya River, responding best to green weed. Jewfish are going mad for soft plastics, specifically 110mm White Lightning squidgies, so it’s a good time to practice your retrieve technique.
Rocks and Beaches
Broulee rocks are providing some kingies on metal slices and squid on UV Blast squid jigs, which are also working well off Congo headland. Off the wall, the bream, flathead, salmon and tailor are responding best to salted pilchards, with good gutters around the windsock area providing the majority of the salmon. Decent sized whiting and salmon are also being pulled in off Broulee beaches.
Offshore
Conditions permitting, Captain Ron aboard Winda Woppa I and II has been pulling in plenty of salmon, snapper, flathead, mowies and nannygai on squid, with some bonito on the troll around the headlands. The occasional gummy shark are hitting fish bait around the 30m of water mark. The water temperature has been running around a comfortable 20deg so all is looking well for a fantastic New Year of fishing!
Tackle World VIP Member of the Week
Congratulations to Tackle World VIP member of the week Gracie, whose dedication to fishing while holidaying in Broulee is refreshing from the younger generation. You go girl!
Happy New Year to all, and remember, every day’s a good day for fishing!
Team Tackle World Moruya, Gaye, Graham, Bec, Mark, Nathan and Jade
≈~≈The Daily Catch Team≈~≈
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